Last week I got all misty-eyed and kinda ‘Early-70’s Springsteen’.

I reflected on my first two years as a freelance copywriter…

Writing about what this period has taught me, and what others in the biz could learn from my experiences – both good AND bad.

If you missed ’em, check ’em out here.

Today I’ll finish that thought with a hat-trick of useful discoveries I’ve made along the road.

Copywriting tips for beginners, in other words.

 

6 Of The Best: Nuggets Gleaned From A Fledgling Copy Career (Part Two)…

 

4: “How To Swipe Successfully”

 

You probably know by now that it’s a great idea to keep a swipe file.

If you don’t, start one now – keep links to great examples of promos, emails, web-pages etc that either work in sales terms or show you something new.

When I say “swipe successfully” I don’t mean like in: “get away with stealing”…

I mean do it right.

Truth is, not all successful sales that involve copy – even ‘long copy’ – are down to the writing.

It’s often a major factor, yes – but there are times when simply analysing the words in an ad can be misleading.

There could be all kinds of reasons something converted well – top marketers often test the same ad with different layouts, different traffic sources, different fonts & colours…

…there can be any number of variables, including timing. What worked in one market yesterday may not work in your market tomorrow.

So if you just assume the copy approach is a surefire winner, you can end up bookmarking something totally irrelevant and just be barking up the wrong tree.

Don’t just blindly rip-off the latest big-seller…

(Man, I wish marketers understood this!)

By all means look closely at it and try to figure out what worked – but don’t just swipe the approach or structure if it doesn’t seem relevant to your project.

A better idea is to follow writers who you respect either because of their style or results…

…or because of a combination of both.

As we covered in this post, there’s a whole host of great free resources you can learn from, most written by pro copywriters and marketers.

Spend some time researching who you like, who gives you useful info and where you can find examples of their work.

It’ll pay off in the long run, as you start to notice patterns and tactics they use that go beyond even the obvious ones they might be explaining.

So go deeper…

Keep what you find, learn from it and use your swipe file like an armoury that you can draw from in various situations.

Pay attention not just to writers and commentators who write like you – but also those who don’t.

Pick out someone whose beliefs of practices challenge your own, and listen to what they have to say that you disagree with…

If they know their stuff, there’s probably a good reason for it.

Challenge yourself to see things their way – even if it’s just briefly, to ‘walk in someone else’s shoes’…

In the name of research and breadth of experience, it can really help you when you have communicate with customers who aren’t that similar to you.

For instance, I hear there are folks out there who can’t stand rock & roll… or who wouldn’t gratefully grab a free Guinness with both hands…

But hey, I often need to sell to these dudes too, so I learn from folks who have more in common with them.  ; )

 

5: “Know When To Say No”

 

The ‘Marketing Rebel’ himself – John Carlton – talks about “F*#* You Money“.

This is the stash you put aside as soon as you can afford it, that allows you to be – crucially – more picky about which projects you take on.

I’m not afraid to admit I learned this one the hard way – I didn’t get my “$FYM” together quick enough early on, and ended up doing the odd gig that wasn’t really benficial to me.

The idea is this:

Once you have enough money to live comfortably enough for a few months – paying all your bills, looking after whoever relies on you etc – lock it away.

Put it in a seperate account, under the mattress, under the ocean if you have to…

Don’t touch that money.

It’s there so that if there really is nothing good to say “Yes” to for a while – then you don’t have to.

Sometimes saying “Yes” can get you into something you really should have said “No” to – in business as well as your personal life.

Take your biz seriously – you’re a pro now.

Ok, it’s good to get as much practice as possible, especially early on when you may not be reaping riches… but it’s still important to know when to say no.

Not comfortable with a gig offer?

Say no. You got your “$FYM” just in case.

Not impressed with a client’s proposal and can’t persuade them to change how they want to do things?

Say no. Move on to something else – but keep that “$FYM” at arm’s length.

It gives you mental strength and opens up another option so you never have to look back and say:

“But my back was against the wall”…

You don’t have to be an ass about saying no – the client may come back with a better deal or a great project some day, and word travels fast about asses – so don’t be rude.

Be polite, but picky…

Say you’re busy, NOT that you’re “not interested”.

 

6: “When You’re Not Writing, Get Reading”

 

There will be times when you’re “not working”.

This doesn’t mean you can get away with doing nothing though…

If you’re anything like me, you’ll hate being idle (despite what my parents… girlfriend… teachers… maybe even a couple of old bosses will tell you…

…oh hell, ok: I like being idle. Especially horizontally… but on my own terms. I like working too.)

This time is golden – use it…

Soon you’ll be so busy being a success that you’ll be glad you did, right?

There’s all kinds of schooling you can put yourself through, and you know it’ll pay off:

Read around the markets you want to work in, and those that you’ve already worked in. It helps to keep up with the latest developments…

Read the great copywriters: Caples, Ogilvy, Kennedy, Hopkins…

Read the current big-hitters (you know who they are, I’m not gonna inflate egos of competitors/colleagues here, c’mon!

Besides, the list changes all the time, unlike the ‘classics’ above)…

Read the guys and gals working on your ‘level’ – colleagues, rivals, folks you see on forums and blogs who sound like they know a few things… get an idea of what’s expected of you…

Read books about copywriting, marketing, psychology, business – anything that pertains to the great pool that is ‘communication’…

Read books that aren’t about the above – sometimes something will jump out at you that’s relevant…

…it’s a great feeling when you realise you joined those dots and just stuck another tool in your belt.

Read the web, magazines, articles… anything that opens your mind, educates or entertains you…

Because if it’s had an effect on you, chances are you can ask yourself “why?” and learn something about how it may affect others.

Then, eventually, you’ll be doing it without realising…

…and then you’ve really got the bug.

Enjoy it – it’s an incurable addiction, but a fun one to have. And how many people can say that?

 

Speaking of reading, I’m thinking of putting a post together on one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read that is hugely relevant to copywriting…

I’ll keep the title to myself for now, but keep an eye out for that post soon.

I promise it’ll be useful…

Ok, hope you enjoyed the post.

Remember to follow me on Twitter…

Now go say NO to somebody.

Pete