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LinkedInFascinations: The art of writing compelling teaser copy
Insurance policies everybody buys but nobody needs.
How to spot an honest auto mechanic.
Eight things to leave out of a job resume.
Where to find the best buys in a supermarket … positioned where you’re least likely to look!
Outwitting hotel thieves: The best places to hide valuables in your room.
You’ve probably seen teaser copy like this and thought to yourself, “That’s damn good copy. I wonder who wrote that?”
But if you ask someone, they’ll just shrug their shoulders. Even most copywriters have no idea.
His name was Mel Martin. And he’s been called the best copywriter nobody’s ever heard of. And for good reason.
Take the Duluth catalog copywriting challenge
Did you ever get a catalog in the mail and want to read it cover-to-cover?
Most catalogs are pretty boring. And since I’m not the shopping type, most catalogs go right in the trash.
That is, unless my wife intercepts them. (I have to start sorting the mail in the garage before I come into the house.)
Anyway, I received a Duluth Trading Co. catalog the other day and I was hooked. I’ve seen the catalog before, but never took the time to browse.
The copywriting is superb.
I talked about Duluth Trading’s catalog copy on my business blog, but I’m so pumped about it, I wanted to turn my enthusiasm into a challenge.
Can you write engaging catalog copy like this?
Are you losing thousands in freelance fees to PayPal?
Back in the Jurassic period of my career, there was no World Wide Web. So there were no nifty online payment services for billing freelance fees.
I’d invoice clients the same way I sent them copy: in the mail. Yes, I’d print an invoice, address an envelope, and drop it in a mailbox. The client would get the invoice a few days later.
Today, we have PayPal.
Billing clients with PayPal is about as easy as it gets. You can send an email invoice or use PayPal’s “request for money” feature. When the client pays, it comes to your PayPal account and you get a notice upon arrival.
Some clients like PayPal because they can use a credit card to pay you, and they don’t have to fumble with checks or bother with sticking bits of paper in the mail.
But this convenience comes at a cost, namely PayPal’s transaction fees.
In the U.S., you’re charged 2.9% of your invoice plus $0.30 for each payment. So to receive payment on a $1,000 invoice, you lose $29.30. If it’s an international payment, it’s an extra 1.0%, so you lose $39.30.
The freelancer’s quick job hunting guide – Part 2
In part 1 of this short job hunting series, I said that it’s possible for some freelancers to get tired of chasing clients, fretting over cash flow, and feeling burned out.
While it’s a great way of life for me and many others, freelancing full-time forever just isn’t for everyone.
So you might wake up one morning and decide that it’s time to look for a real job.
No shame in that. As long as you’re not giving up on freelancing too soon, which is the biggest mistake newbies make, my advice is to do what’s best for you.
We’ve already talked about some of the challenges freelancers face when hunting for a job and a few things you can do to lay the groundwork for a job hunt.
Now, as promised, let’s look at a few commonsense tips for how to leverage your freelance expertise, set yourself apart from other job hunters, and land the job you really want.
The freelancer’s quick job hunting guide – Part 1
I’ve been a freelance copywriter for so long, I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have a “real” job.
Early on, when freelancing was new and mysterious, I continued to entertain the possibility of full-time work. I even went on interviews now and then.
I haven’t thought about looking for a job for years, but I’ve recently learned that some of the freelancers I know have thrown in the towel and re-entered the rat race. Why?
Maybe they got tired of chasing clients. Or perhaps they needed regular cash flow, paid benefits, or a more social work environment. Maybe they just got burned out, since freelancing, while a wonderful way of life, isn’t for everyone.
I listed some of the pros and cons of full-time vs. freelance copywriting last April.
Whatever the reason, this news got me thinking that while I generally talk about how to get into freelancing, it might be a good idea to talk about an exit plan.
So how do you get back into the workforce when you’ve been freelancing for a while?
What exactly does a copywriter do anyway?
What does a copywriter do?
Funny that I never talked about this before. But I’m learning that a fair number of people really don’t know what a copywriter does for a living.
Even copywriters don’t always know how to answer that question, because they may do just one specific type of writing and have no experience with what others do.
So I think a clear definition is in order, though that’s harder than it sounds.
I’d hate to just say something lame such as, “Copywriters write stuff for businesses” or “Copywriters help businesses sell products and services with the written word.”
These definitions are simply too limited. And they really don’t give you a clear picture of the day-to-day work of a copywriter.
Perhaps the best way to define a copywriter is to just give examples of the various things a copywriter does. A copywriter will …
5 copywriting judo moves every copywriter should know
I’ve always liked to do things the easy way. It just makes sense. Why make something complicated when you can get the results you want with less effort?
That’s the basic idea behind Donnie Bryant’s copywriting judo moves. Seek the path of least resistance for greater selling success.
***
If you’ve been involved in copywriting for any length of time, you’re painfully aware of how challenging it can be to grab the attention of your desired readers.
Once you succeed there, you still have an intimidating uphill climb ahead of you. It takes hard work to keep that attention, channel desire, and close the sale.
You may have heard it said that marketers and salespeople without a system for selling are at the mercy of the prospect’s system for not buying.
A million thoughts and emotions scream for attention. Distractions seem to pop up at least once a minute. Then there’s the ever-present resistance to “being sold.” Like I said, your copy has a tough uphill battle.
But what if you could leverage the mind’s strength against itself, much like a judo master redirects the force of an opponent?
How I set up a fun, efficient copywriter office space
When writers start talking about their craft, the conversation inevitably turns to office space and equipment.
No surprise there. Golfers talk about their clubs. Runners talk about their shoes. And photographers talk about their cameras.
For copywriters, the tools of the trade are, basically, an office with a desk, computer, and other stuff. So naturally every writer is a little curious about how other writers set up their workspace.
Here’s a photo of my office. I didn’t clean up or arrange anything. I just walked to the other side of the room and snapped a photo. What you see is how my workspace looks on a typical weekday.
I’ve come to this arrangement after many years of experimenting with various configurations. This “command corner” setup is what I find to be most productive.
5 bilingual copywriting traps and how to avoid them
It’s hard enough to write good copy in one language. Writing copy that works in two languages is at least twice as hard.
I’ll be honest … I have little facility in other languages.
I spoke a little German when I lived in Europe and stumbled through Spanish class in high school, but whatever communication skills I have exist only in English.
Whenever I’ve faced a situation where my copy had to be used in other languages, I’ve always turned the job over to specialists who could do it right.
Here are some of the most common mistakes you should avoid if you’re ever in a bilingual copywriting situation for the first time.
My Path to Freelance Success (And So Can You)
Okay, I stole that headline idea from comedian Stephen Colbert. But it kinda makes sense if you read this whole post.
You see, I get a lot of emails from aspiring copywriters who want to know how to break into freelancing and find success.
And I have to admit, that’s a difficult question to answer. There is no one right path.
I’m not aware of any college curriculum that teaches freelance business practices. And I wouldn’t trust a professor to provide good advice on a topic like freelancing anyway.
Every freelancer I know has a different story to tell. Each has different advice.
I might suggest that you seek a job in marketing or advertising, get a few years of experience, freelance on the side for a while, then launch your own business. That’s because most successful freelance copywriters have some area of expertise that makes them more valuable than an ordinary writer.
But instead of pontificating about what I think you should do, why don’t I just tell you about how I actually came to freelancing? I had nothing like a plan, yet in a strange way, it was the perfect path for me to get to where I am today.
