The Copywriting Couch

If you’re wondering whether you should apply your copywriting skills when writing articles, then join the gang. Are articles really the place for pushing those ‘emotional hot buttons’ that need to be pushed when you’re putting together a copywriting piece?

Just found a cool little video on Youtube explaining the difference between writing good copy and writing good articles.

Technorati Tags: article writing, copywriting articles, copywriting training

So what do you think? Is copywriting just another side of the selling coin?

The trouble is that nobody really wants to be a salesman. The stereotype isn’t one we all aspire to be.  Somehow, salesmanship has come to be synonomous with hype and BS. We think of them as sneaky, out for nothing more than your money, not really interested in whether what they’re selling is actually any good, and even less interested in whether it’s any good for you.

Yet copywriting has a totally different image. This is something to be desired. Everybody wants to be a great copywriter. It’s an ‘art form’ for goodness sake. The top copywriters can charge as much as they want for their services. But aren’t they just salesman? Worse than that - aren’t they just salesmen who hide behind the written word?

Now don’t get me wrong. Right now, learning copywriting is my number one priority. (and yes, if you’re reading this, you’ve already realised that I need to learn it pretty damn quick, no need to point it out). But I don’t want to be a salesman (or in my case saleswoman). See, I don’t like ’sales’ people.

Nobody does. They stalk you. You go into a store and they’re all over you like a rash. How the heck can you enjoy the shopping experience with someone hanging round, watching your every move, pointing out the benefits of why X is better than Y (and you know the main benefit is in the size of the commission!), looking at you with disgust if you happen to cast your eyes over towards the ‘bargain’ counter.

Unfortunately the ‘offline’, ‘real world’ stereotype salesman image, has made us cringe at the thought of becoming that stereotype. And why? Because we don’t want our prospects to view us as greedy, selfish, out for the sale at all costs.

So instead we turn to the much more caring, customer focused instead of sales focused, copywriter. But is the copywriter nothing more than a well disguised salesman in sheep’s clothing?

Perish the thought! Here’s someone who isn’t ’selling’ anything. They’re just telling us a story, ah, but what a story. Surely a Pulitzer prize winning novel couldn’t have you turning the pages as quickly!

And by the time you get to the end, well so what if you’ve never even heard of whatever it is they’re talking about, you know you need it anyway. How could you possibly live without it? You’re sold, without being hounded, without being stalked, without being pestered, without having your experience ruined. In fact, you’ve had the best ’shopping’ experience of your life, and not a salesman in sight. That’s what makes it so special.

So give me a copywriter and leave me to enjoy my shopping in peace, thank you.

Technorati Tags: copywriting, selling

That’s right. If you’re a freelance copywriter looking for that first break, you’ve just found it!

I can’t imagine a better starting ground than with The Total Package. I mean, can you imagine working with Clayton Makepeace?

Well, I’m not one to keep you hanging round so head on over and sign yourself up now.

Remember, “Shy Bairns Get No Broth”.

Technorati Tags: copywriting, copywriting tips, john carlton, training

Learn how to get truckloads of traffic, by combining your copywriting skills with the power of SEO. I talked last time about the importance of balancing your copywriting with your keywords. Well, when you do that you get the killer combination of SEO copywriting!

You see copywriting can only ’sell’ when it has someone to sell to. That’s where your keywords and SEO come in. They are what bring you the visitors. Copywriting doesn’t bring traffic. NO matter how good it is, no matter how seductive your technique, no matter how explosive and dynamic your powers of persuasion, your copywriting prowess will not bring you traffic.

What will bring you traffic is SEO (search engine optimisation) and making sure that what you write contains the right amount of the right keywords, in the right places. This gets you picked up and shown on the search engines. Obviously the better your SEO, the higher up those search engine results you will be found.

And that is why it’s important to not forget about optimising your content, not only for the sake of converting visitors to sales, but also to make sure you get those visitors there in the first place!

Sure you can use paid advertising - but why throw away good money, when you can get all the traffic you want (and more) simply by putting a little extra thought into your copywriting.

Check out Kimberley Clay’s article over at Ezine Articles. Gives some pretty cool tips on getting tons of traffic just by making best use of SEO in your copywriting.

Technorati Tags: copywriting, SEO

If you’re writing to sell, (and that is the primary purpose of copywriting), and if you’re planning on doing that selling online, then it’s vital to get the right balance between your sales copy and your keywords.

While your sales copy is what will make your readers buy, your keywords are what will enable them to find you in the first place.

It doesn’t really matter how great your copywriting skills are if they go unseen. Similarly, no matter how thoroughly you research your keywords at attract the right target market, it will all have been fruitless if your copywriting isn’t strong enough to convert.

Getting the balance right can be tricky so it’s worth spending some time on both aspects. Many a great copywriter fails to make the sale because they overlook the importance of keywords and keyword research when drafting their copy.

Don’t make the same mistake.
Read more…

Technorati Tags: copywriting, keywords

Just read Clayton’s latest piece on copywriting and arithmatic. You may be wondering what the heck one has to do with the other? But read on to find out.

According to Clayton (and if you’re serious about copywriting you really should listen to Clayton) there are:

18 Numbers Every Direct Response Marketer
and Copywriter MUST KNOW
To Produce Bigger WINNERS More Often
and Bigger MAILINGS More Often

Check out what they are here.

Technorati Tags: copywriting, winners

My aim is for “The Copywriting Couch” to become your one stop shop for learning all there is to know about copywriting. Let’s face it, in the world of the Internet being able to sell better than your competitors is what will make the difference between success and failure.

It doesn’t matter what you are selling - books, DVD’s, home entertainment systems, homes, gardens, business opportunities - whatever it is, the ability to sell the advantages and benefits of YOUR product over and above that of your competitor, is the single biggest skill you require.

If you can’t learn it yourself, or if you don’t want to wait until you’ve learned the copywriting art before you start making money, then your only option (apart from settling for a mediocre business) is to pay an already established copywriter to do the job for you. Can you really afford the thousands of bucks these guys charge?

Doesn’t it make more sense to invest in some great copywriting training? Isn’t it better to be able to write your own attention grabbing copy? Copy that will have visitors drooling at your website? Copy that your visitors are quite simply unable to resist? Copy that will continue to put money into your bank account, not only on the day you put it out there, but for years to come? Long after you’ve forgotten all about it!

Copywriting is expensive for a reason. The returns it brings. Even the biggest pile of garbage can be made to sound an unmissable, must have, pile of garbage, if the copy is written well. How do you think folks can sell so much rubbish on Ebay? How come people are fooled into buying the ‘last remaining copy’ of a digital e-book?

Copywriting training is the best investment you will ever make in your business. Period. You can learn traffic, you can learn website design, you can learn e-mail marketing, but COPY is what sells.