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How to learn copywriting

Anything considered a "hustle" and not necessarily a CENTS-based Fastlane

Ywan

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I will start a project to learn copywriting, but before I do that, I wanted to make a roadmap. To do that, I need some more information and I was hoping, that you could help me out.
  1. What are the best resources/courses/books/articles to learn copywriting (other than the threads from @Lex DeVille here on the forum)?
  2. I have around an hour per day. How long do you think will it take me to write really good copy?
  3. What are the most important things/topics/techniques/principles to learn, when learning to write copy?
Any tip will be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
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Lex DeVille

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I will start a project to learn copywriting, but before I do that, I wanted to make a roadmap. To do that, I need some more information and I was hoping, that you could help me out.
  1. What are the best resources/courses/books/articles to learn copywriting (other than the threads from @Lex DeVille here on the forum)?
  2. I have around an hour per day. How long do you think will it take me to write really good copy?
  3. What are the most important things/topics/techniques/principles to learn, when learning to write copy?
Any tip will be appreciated.

Thanks.

1. Ca$hvertising and How to Win Friends and Influence People

2. Depends on what you mean by really good copy. Even an amateur can write good copy with a way to split test it for results. Doesn't take long to do that. But if you mean something like transformational copy or brand copy, then it will take a lot longer.

3. Probably the biggest things to focus on as a new copywriter are:

- Learning to write well
- Learning to write about what people care about
- Delivering it in a way that holds interest (storytelling)
- Removing passive language and filler words
- Avoiding cliches and sales jargon
- Following AIDA model (which you will learn in Ca$hvertising)
- Understanding some of the different styles (direct response, brand copy, transformational, technical)
- Learning to use the right style for the outcome you want to achieve

There's always more to learn but you can pick up the rest as you go. I learned a lot just by doing client work. I made notes when clients asked for changes and thought about how to apply those changes to my style, especially adjustments that multiple clients requested.
 

Ywan

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Thanks for the quick reply and the tips.

2. Depends on what you mean by really good copy. Even an amateur can write good copy with a way to split test it for results. Doesn't take long to do that. But if you mean something like transformational copy or brand copy, then it will take a lot longer.

I had transformational and brand copy in mind, when asking about how long it will take. Can you elaborate a little, what "a lot longer" means?

3. Probably the biggest things to focus on as a new copywriter are:

- Learning to write well
- Learning to write about what people care about
- Delivering it in a way that holds interest (storytelling)
- Removing passive language and filler words
- Avoiding cliches and sales jargon
- Following AIDA model (which you will learn in Ca$hvertising)
- Understanding some of the different styles (direct response, brand copy, transformational, technical)
- Learning to use the right style for the outcome you want to achieve

That is exactly, what I was looking for. Thanks.

There's always more to learn but you can pick up the rest as you go. I learned a lot just by doing client work. I made notes when clients asked for changes and thought about how to apply those changes to my style, especially adjustments that multiple clients requested.

My goal is to become a good copywriter, so that I can write for my own business endeavors. But I am thinking of doing client work from the get go, so that I get a lot of experience and learn a lot faster. The tip of taking notes and using the feedback to get better, is pure gold.
 

Black_Dragon43

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What are the best resources/courses/books/articles to learn copywriting
I own a direct response agency, and ALL the copywriters who work for us, without exception, must at minimum have read Ca$hvertising. Otherwise, they don't get hired.

On top of that, we have in-house resources that we use for training, which includes swipe files, book summaries, procedures, blueprints, our own material, etc. Other books that I would recommend to you:
• Influence
• The True Believer
• Boron Letters
• Scientific Advertising
• Breakthrough Advertising

I have around an hour per day. How long do you think will it take me to write really good copy?
Really good copy? Maybe a few years.

Decent copy? You could learn that in a few months.

What are the most important things/topics/techniques/principles to learn, when learning to write copy?
The most important thing is tailoring your copy to your market and your medium of delivery (ads, landing page, email, etc.). So it's all about knowing how to research - copywriting is 80% research and 20% writing.

The other thing is that your English MUST be top notch. And you cannot train your English by learning copywriting - you have to take English classes or study the English language and its grammar.
 
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Lex DeVille

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I had transformational and brand copy in mind, when asking about how long it will take. Can you elaborate a little, what "a lot longer" means?

With solid writing foundations you can get good at direct response in like six months to a year. With the other styles you might need a year or more because there's more to learn and practice. If you're pretty good at writing, then each may take you less time. No matter which style you learn, it's an ongoing process. You will always be improving. There's no set time that decides how effective you are.
 

Benedict

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Would you recommend doing it like OP 1hour a day or is there a way to "immerse" myself in copywriting and make big steps in, say, 2 weeks of intense learning and training?

I plan to run ads for my course but before I do I wan to polish my salesletter + ads.

Can you reccomend any "trainings", courses?

@Black_Dragon43 you said everyone in your business needs to be reading Cashvertising first - do they also have to do some practical work with it before you accept them?

PS: I am not writing my copy in english - dont worry in case you noticed bad spelling.
 

Black_Dragon43

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@Black_Dragon43 you said everyone in your business needs to be reading Cashvertising first - do they also have to do some practical work with it before you accept them?
Yes, everyone comes in doing a (paid) test job which usually consists of handling everything about the copywriting of a larger project, with many moving parts. Think about a sales funnel which needs autoresponders, webinar, landing page, etc.

There are other good books out there - at my agency we have book summaries prepared for those who get accepted of some of the best influence & persuasion books out there, so those would be the next step after the test project.

I plan to run ads for my course but before I do I wan to polish my salesletter + ads.
For your needs, the best thing to do is to go for something like Web Copy That Sells. That's much closer related to what you need in terms of copywriting. Also, really, you also need a primer on sales strategy and marketing (ie what to sell, how to structure funnels, how to build trust, etc.), and for that my own book is (honestly) the most up to date material I've found.

In terms of how you can "train" yourself to write copy - the best way to do it is to write by HAND (not type) copy from great examples of ads, landing pages, etc. The book I recommended, Web Copy That Sells, has quite a few great pages in terms of copywriting that you can have a look at and copy to get you started!
 
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Chris McCarron

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The best resource for writing copy is research and a spreadsheet. Amazon reviews, forums or anywhere that your audience hangs out and contributes to in writing.

Open a new spreadsheet and then create five columns: Unusual language and terminology; things they like; things they dislike; positive emotions; negative emotions.

Identify patterns and the copy writes itself.

Competitor research is also important. If they’re a large organisation, then they will have gone to great expense to test and fine tune their copy. Again, spot patterns.

Lastly, just do it. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t study and analyse great examples of copy etc. However, you can’t beat experience.

Just make sure you track and study the results of your work.
 

Benedict

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Yes, everyone comes in doing a (paid) test job which usually consists of handling everything about the copywriting of a larger project, with many moving parts. Think about a sales funnel which needs autoresponders, webinar, landing page, etc.

There are other good books out there - at my agency we have book summaries prepared for those who get accepted of some of the best influence & persuasion books out there, so those would be the next step after the test project.


For your needs, the best thing to do is to go for something like Web Copy That Sells. That's much closer related to what you need in terms of copywriting. Also, really, you also need a primer on sales strategy and marketing (ie what to sell, how to structure funnels, how to build trust, etc.), and for that my own book is (honestly) the most up to date material I've found.

In terms of how you can "train" yourself to write copy - the best way to do it is to write by HAND (not type) copy from great examples of ads, landing pages, etc. The book I recommended, Web Copy That Sells, has quite a few great pages in terms of copywriting that you can have a look at and copy to get you started!

Thanks for the advice. I orderd the book you recommended + Cashvertising.

The marketing/ sales strategy is a good point. I thought about that, too. Seems like selling is like a good eco system where each part depends and relies on the other. Gonna start with copywriting, I guess. Then after a couple of weeks I'll switch to the next step. This way I can build the basics and implement at the same time.

My current plan is: Use upwork to practice and improve with the copywriting.

The best resource for writing copy is research and a spreadsheet. Amazon reviews, forums or anywhere that your audience hangs out and contributes to in writing.

Open a new spreadsheet and then create five columns: Unusual language and terminology; things they like; things they dislike; positive emotions; negative emotions.

Identify patterns and the copy writes itself.

Competitor research is also important. If they’re a large organisation, then they will have gone to great expense to test and fine tune their copy. Again, spot patterns.

Lastly, just do it. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t study and analyse great examples of copy etc. However, you can’t beat experience.

Just make sure you track and study the results of your work.

Thanks for the insight. Really explains the idea behind copwriting. Its not magic nor very practical. Seems like its just pacing and matching the customer so he/she can identify with the text and then lead smoothly towards the awareness of the problem and further on towards a solution (product).

I just createed a spreadsheet like that. I have a customers avatar but its quite complex. I like the simplicity of your approach with just those five colums.
 
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Black_Dragon43

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Thanks for the advice. I orderd the book you recommended + Cashvertising.

The marketing/ sales strategy is a good point. I thought about that, too. Seems like selling is like a good eco system where each part depends and relies on the other. Gonna start with copywriting, I guess. Then after a couple of weeks I'll switch to the next step. This way I can build the basics and implement at the same time.

My current plan is: Use upwork to practice and improve with the copywriting.
Sounds good to me! Good luck :)
 

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