Hey everyone, Before I start, I want to point out that I'm NOT selling you anything here. I wanted to write an article for DP only; perhaps it'll enlighten you to my easy 5-step copywriting method and I hope you'll learn something from it. Why pay $97+ for an ebook when you can learn from my experience - not theory - for free? In this thread, there are no tricks, no secrets, and no sales pitches to you the reader - just my experiences and consequent advice. Personally, what I'm about to discuss comes to me on autopilot: I just take it as common sense now a days, so I hope that my tips will help someone out there! So a little bit about myself: I'm a student at UMD, and I've been here on DP for a few years now. I've done various things like graphic design and general web development, but lately I found my niche to be content creation (articles, web pages) and copywriting. It's my favorite because it makes me more money, and as a student I'm in constant need of rent, food, and entertainment money (not to mention tuition!) I charge $6 per 100 words, but I discount it to $5 per 100 words for DP members. I also offer repeat-buyer discounts to encourage my clients to work with me instead of paying a lower premium elsewhere; that way I develop a personal relationship with someone who keeps sending me more and more work, which is what I want! I've made probably about 10 copies that I'd consider professional, and every time I write a new one I learn something new. I am by no means a true expert yet, because there is certainly someone out there with more versatility, more experience, and more know-how, but I do want to share something special with you - as a way to show my appreciation for all the business that I've found on DP. --------------------------------------------- There are many guides out there on how to make that "Killer Copy," and I've never bought a single one of those. All the information you need can be found online, for free - you just have to look for a bit. When it comes to copywriting, it's way different from article writing, but you already know that: your purpose is to SELL a product, not to INFORM about it. Selling someone something requires a call to action, rather than just fluid sentences that make you interested in a product. Here is my personal formula for a great copy that won't only satisfy your copy buyer, but will also help that buyer pay for itself through sales on his site. This, in turn, will bring you repeat business from the same clientele. 1) Get as many details from your client before you even begin thinking about what to write. Before, I found myself rushing to get to writing before I even knew what I needed to accomplish. A lot of low-charging writers say, "here's an ebook, let's throw some catchy headlines and hopefully the client will like it." Besides the basics like the name of the product and its author, I usually ask for this information before I even draft an outline of the sales page: - Who is your target audience? - Can you send me any applicable graphics? - How much will you be selling the product for? - Do you have any authentic testimonials for me to use? - Can I see a copy of the product to familiarize myself with what I'm trying to sell to your visitors? - Are there any particular things that you want me to include? Any bonus products? - Will you be offering a specific money back guarantee? - Who will be your payment processor? Other questions may apply based on the particular product that you need to promote. I've written on topics ranging from get-rich-quick schemes to male enhancement pills; as you could imagine, I would need different ideas from each individual client before I can get a sense of what they want to see, what their buyers need to know before buying, and how I can tweak that information to make them buy it. 2) Make a rough draft of the outline Remember what they taught us in English class in high school? I knew I should have paid attention, and I'm glad I did: an outline does half of your work for you. This is the brainstorming stage. This is the point of the outline - you're getting your ideas down, before you actually put time and effort into copywriting. The format is simple: I. Introductions i. First main idea a. Point one b. Point two ii. Second main idea a. Point one b. Point two ... ... II. Sales Pitch Body i. First main idea a. Point one b. Point two ii. Second main idea a. Point one b. Point two ... ... III. Closure i. First main idea a. Point one b. Point two ii. Second main idea a. Point one b. Point two ... ... Code (markup): Things you want to do in your intro: introduce the topic and briefly highlight the short-term benefits of the product, establish author credibility, and tell a personal story of success using the product. The point is to glue your readers' eyes to the page, and keep them there until they read through everything and decide whether they want to buy or not to buy. Things you want to do in your sales pitch body: discuss the details of the product, make an email form to build a list of laser-targeted leads for later use, list product testimonials, and pitch the price and money-back guarantee. Things you want to do in your closure: reinforce the message of success, strengthen buyer confidence by repeating the money back guarantee, and offer them to buy the product. Allow them to sign up for the mailing list if they are unsure about buying yet. After your outline is done, send it to your client for approval. Ask them for their honest opinion and suggestions for changes. In 90% of the cases, they will point out something that you missed, or something that needs to go because they dislike it. This doesn't make you an insecure writer, which is what other writers might think - it actually does the opposite. By discussing the clients' needs, you appear as a provider of a professional, responsible service - which is what you are! 3) Confirm the outline Have it set in stone before you begin drafting your ideas. This will provide a clear understanding between you and the client as to what's expected of you, and what the client is expected to pay for. 4) Sales brainstorming Now that you have a good understanding of the product, you need to separate fact from fiction. All sales involve a bit of BS, and your job is to make it look authentic. Here's what I do: I make a list of 30 unique catch-phrases, slogans, or headlines (call them what you want), and "sleep on them." What I mean by that is, I come up with the ideas over the course of the day, or before going to bed, and then review them in the afternoon the following day. Sleeping legitimately helps you sort your thoughts out, and get a fresh look at things when you wake up. So from those 30 ideas, I pick my 10 favorites. I send those to my client and ask him which ones he likes best. If he doesn't like any, then guess what - you have 20 more to impress him with A bit of effort a day ahead puts you days ahead of the curve in terms of the writing process! Isn't that pretty cool? 5) Writing, re-writing, and re-writing again You want your copy to be between 1,100 and 1,500 words. Different products will require different text size, so ask your client about what they're looking for. Here on DP, I run a special for this forum members only - a full copy for just $150 flat, up to 2,000 words. I can usually bargain with the buyer a bit, sometimes as low as $100-$120, but I think one-fifty a fair price for my services: similar agencies with trained professionals charge thousands on the end, and I can do the same work for a fraction of the price. Editing your rough draft of the sales copy is key. The more times you do it, the better it'll be, I guarantee it. In theory, I never deliver my "BEST" sales copy final, because if I proof read it again, I would probably be able to improve it. Copywriting is a great endeavor for me. Keeping my client's budget and word count in mind, from start to finish, I tend to spend about 8-12 hours on one copy. Do the math, and that ends up being 15 bucks an hour for work from home - not too bad for a Business student in college, AND I get experience in writing and sales at the same time --------------------------------------------- So, that's my formula, everyone. Simple, time-tested, and proven to get you money if you put effort into getting the word out about your services. Just get in the habit of being honest, communicating quickly, and delivering on deadlines, and you'll be getting clients by word of mouth like I have been for the past... I don't know... I'd say, 6-8 months? Please tell me what you think about my article, hopefully you've enjoyed reading about my journey and will find some tips that you can also adopt in your work ethics!
Waow, this is simple technique, but can be practiced frequently. As l0ng as u get new client, and they repurchase it, i think ur quality is so excellent.. Thx 4 share ur job process.
Nice article. I think the content is pretty much spot on with my own experience. I do not spend any time trying to source clients from DP, I've always thought that people tend to underpay here, but it sounds like you're not doing too bad in that department ... congrats.
Perhaps there are other forums where there are more higher-paying clients, but I found my niche to be "great service for people who are willing to pay for what they want to get" type of thing.
Through my experience with copywriting I've learned that creating your own style is important. This comes after repeated practice and re-writing. After viewing your article it seems you've discovered a copy structure that works well for you. Awesome! Here's my copy structure for anybody who is interested in learning: 1. Attention Grabbing Headline 2. Strong Sub Headline 3. Salutations 4. Make Reader Aware of the Problem 5. Agitate The Problem 6. Introduce the Solution 7. Communicate all the benefits of the Solution 8. Make the Offer 9. Strong Guarantee 10. Close 12. Sign off 13. Creative P.S.'s For anybody starting out with copywriting you should remember this marketing rule of thumb: Sell benefits! Help your targeted reader visualize the benefits and all the joy it'll bring him. Or make them picture what life would be like without those benefits in their life. When you sell the benefits you hit your readers emotional buttons, and can easily motivate them to purchase your product or service. Hope that helps - Sam
I agree with Sam. I think the 20/80 principle plays a role here: 20% of your content will push 80% of the emotional buttons. Particularly headlines and imagery - taking college poetry analysis and lit classes helps a bunch
jspirit: here's a tip - start writing your forum posts formally As in: "Wow, impressive article. The content was suitable for a newbie like myself. I am also still trying to write my own sales pages." Not to correct your grammar, but after all you want to look professional online. Image is everything.
Thank you for your post vip-ip, every little bit I can learn helps. I am in the process of re-writing my sales page.
Best thread I've seen on here since joining up. Copywriting continues to be a mystery to me although I've enjoyed the occasional dabble. Great to see that different copywriters have different methods to suit their own styles. Although I'd never disregard a good quality e-book, tutorial or course, it cements the fact that ability and experience are two things that can't be downloaded for a few dollars. Thanks to those who have contributed.
Thanks for the article But the DP market is full of crap and there are few interested buyers today, so try to find another place to sell your ebooks
omarabid, At least it's still not charging for being a member like SitePoint :$ Ironically, it's also why it's less saturated with interested prospects. But that's OK, I think there should be free places and paid places to do business. Free market leaves you with many options, and there's no shame with going by any one of them. Best Regards, vip-ip.