Want to learn copywriting? Already writing copy but want to get better? Ready to turn your skill into a business?
Writing sales copy, whether online or in print, seems easy enough, especially if you already know a thing or two about writing. But writing persuasively requires more than grammar skills.
Great copywriters are trained in marketing and psychology as well as writing.
That being said, copywriting can be learned. There are some great books out there that can teach the basics of persuasive writing.
Books I recommend for learning copywriting
- The Copywriter’s Handbook. By Bob Bly
- The Ultimate Sales Letter. By Dan Kennedy
- Hypnotic Writing. By Joe Vitale
- On the Art of Writing Copy. By Herschell Gordon Lewis
Books I recommend for starting a copywriting business
- The Well-Fed Writer. By Peter Bowerman
- Secrets of a Freelance Writer. By Bob Bly
- The Wealthy Freelancer. By Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage and Ed Gandia
- Start and Run a Copywriting Business. By Steve Slaunwhite
Tips on getting started
Once you know the basic structure of a sales letter and the persuasive techniques taught in the above books, you’re ready to start practicing. My advice?
- When junk mail arrives in your mailbox, don’t throw it away. Read it.
- When commercials come on TV, don’t fast forward. Watch them.
- If an ad compels you to buy, try to figure out what made it work.
Become a student of direct mail and advertising. After a while, you’ll start seeing the patterns. You’ll begin to understand what the hot buttons are and how to structure a convincing sales pitch.
If you get junk mail that doesn’t convince you, try rewriting it, using all the principles you learned in the above books. The point is to practice.
Your goal is 1,000 hours of writing sales and business copy. Only then will you have enough practice that it becomes natural.
In other words, copywriting isn’t a skill you’ll pick up in a day. If you could devote eight hours a day to practicing, it would still take 125 days to know how put together a sales letter, landing page or video script. That’s approximately half a year.
At that point, you might be good enough to land a junior copywriting position in a marketing department. This will give you an inside look at your target market once you go freelance. It will also give you experience with different types of writing jobs, fill out your portfolio and help you understand how marketing and sales work together to build a business.
All valuable skills when the business you want to build is your own.
What are your favorite copywriting books? Where are you on your journey to freelance success? Share your tips below.
photo credit: j_lai
