Prog Copywriting 01

Part 1 The Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting

Getting Started As a Copywriter: The Opportunity and the Lifestyle

Part 1 – Contents

Getting Started As a Copywriter: The Opportunity and the Lifestyle Welcome… and Congratulations!..................................................................................................... .1-1 What Is a Copywriter?.............................................................................................................................1-7 Direct Marketing: Defined................................................................................................................. 1-22 What Do You Need to Be a Copywriter?....................................................................................... 1-29 5 Things You Don’t Need to Be a Copywriter.............................................................................. 1-35 Your Earning Potential......................................................................................................................... 1-39 Where’s the Glicken?............................................................................................................................ 1-50 Masters of Copywriting: David Ogilvy........................................................................................... 1-57 Suggested Reading & Resources.....................................................................................................1-63

For Parts 2 through 5 of this program, return to your myAWAI Member Page. Ø Part 2: The Fundamentals of Persuasive Writing Ø Part 3: The Secret Structure of Direct-Response Sales Copy Ø Part 4: Choosing Your Path Ø Part 5: You’re a Copywriter! Your Guide to Getting Clients © American Writers & Artists Inc., 2014. All rights reserved. Protected by copyright laws of the United States and international treaties. No part of this publication in whole or in part may be copied, duplicated, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission from the publisher.

Introduction

Welcome… and Congratulations!

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ou’ve just signed on with American Writers & Artists Inc. Come on in and make yourself comfortable. You’re here because you want to make a substantial income by writing from home, and we’ve put together a superb program to help you do it. We’ve gone to great lengths to bring you the most powerful methods and the most closely guarded secrets of the greatest masters of the industry, and have distilled it all into an easy and fun program for you.

Mark Morgan Ford: Not Your Typical Businessman

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Video is available in the online version. Access it from your myAWAI Member Page. There’s no one more qualified than copywriter, entrepreneur, and businessbuilder Mark Ford to teach you the art, craft, and business of copywriting. All told, he’s been directly involved in the generation of over ONE BILLION DOLLARS of sales through the mail and online. Mark has a knack for taking just about anyone with a burning desire to upgrade his lifestyle — no matter what his background or education — and transforming him (or her) into a top-notch copywriter. Part 1

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Meet Your Other “Mentors”… Don Mahoney: Carpenter to Million-Dollar Copywriter Don is a co-founder of AWAI and one of the top copywriters working today. He has personally mentored dozens of now-successful copywriters and helped them achieve their dreams of freedom and financial independence. Don and I were childhood friends who lost touch for years. When we met up again, Don was a woodworker in upstate New York. The economy was bad and the work was starting to damage his health. I invited him to try his hand at copywriting. At first he didn’t think he could do it, but I taught him some secrets — and in a few short years he hit the $400,000-a-year income range. Pretty amazing, huh?

Paul Hollingshead: Barefoot Writer Paul is also a co-founder of AWAI. He leads a truly transformed life as one of today’s most sought-after copywriters. In this program, Paul reveals his specialty: exactly how to make that all-important emotional connection with your reader. Paul’s success has been nothing short of astounding. Don and I met Paul twenty years ago. He was unemployed at the time. He’d drifted from job to job, never making more than $30,000 a year. Within a few months, he wrote a letter that generated over $2 million in sales. Before the end of the first year, he was earning $60,000. Today, Paul routinely earns $300,000+ writing from his homes in Florida and the mountains of Vermont. Along with many others on the AWAI Panel of Experts, Don and Paul rank as some of the world’s best and highest-paid professionals.

Start Saving Your Junk Mail and Emails Starting today, I want you to save some of your “junk mail” — both paper mail and email. I don’t mean the flyers you get from your local dry cleaner or pizza place. I’m talking about solicitations for products or services. Don’t

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ever throw away another piece of “junk mail” unopened. One person’s junk mail is truly another person’s treasure. This could certainly be true for you. So when you see something interesting in the mail or online, open it and read it. See if it grabs you in any way. If it does, save it. Later in this program, we’ll explain what to do with all your saved mail.

A Quick Word about Learning… Some of what you’re going to be asked to do in the program is called “rote” learning. Technically, rote means memorization by repetition. In other words, you’re going to be asked to do certain things over and over without fully understanding why. I know this will seem odd … too fundamental … too simple. But the truth is: Of all the things you learn in this program, these rote exercises will have the most profound effect. I’ll explain … You see, there are two kinds of knowledge: analytical (comprehension of the structure) and intuitive (understanding the true nature of something). Just for an example, let’s take basketball. Your shooting coach can stand you on the foul line and tell you how to bend your knees, aim, and release the ball (analytical knowledge), but it’s only by practicing on the line for hours and hours that you can become a good foul shooter (intuitive knowledge). Rote exercises are more than just memorization. They teach you on a deeper level. You create motor pathways in your brain. Through the exercises you’ll be doing in this program, your ear will develop a sense of what good copy sounds like. Your mind will instinctively know when copy is powerful and when it’s weak. You’ll be able to carry these senses over to your own work.

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You won’t be asked to practice by rote anywhere else. It’s not fashionable anymore. But we believe that for deep knowledge, rote is actually easier — and more powerful — than analytical learning. Actually, repetition is the oldest way of learning. It goes back to the ancient Greeks. They taught by imitating great masters. Aristotle explains that the way to be a great writer is to imitate great writers. It’s also the way tai chi and kung fu has been taught for thousands of years. The master has the student do the same patterns over and over again — patterns the student can’t begin to understand — until one day, the meaning becomes clear to the student. He masters the nuances — and moves on to become a master himself. Even today in karate studios, you see the same principle in action. Those who follow the path become black belts. And that’s our goal — for you to join the “black belts” of the copywriting world. The exercises we selected for you have been chosen by masters. We’re guiding you. If you do what we say, you can follow in our paths. There are so many good things in these exercises. Just trust that they are profound. It’s critical that if you want to be a success, you give these exercises respect and treat them with energy and enthusiasm. Do them, and you’ll find you can do things you couldn’t do before. Skip them, and you’ll find you’ll have the same learning experience you’ve had 100 times before. “If you’re a professional musician, it doesn’t mean you don’t practice. I recommend for any copywriter, at any level, to get more training so they can improve professionally.” — Thom Hickling, featured in AWAI’s Copywriting Genius: The Master Collection The late Thom Hickling wrote an International Living sales letter that beat a 25-year-old control written by legendary copywriter and newsletter publisher extraordinaire, Bill Bonner.

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By the way, once you dive into Part 1 of the program (we hope you do right now!), you’ll know more than the average person about the direct-response industry. Soon you’ll know what the most sought-after copywriters in the business know. And it’s those skills and secrets that marketers will gladly pay you top dollar for. But you may not realize that you can make this happen sooner rather than later. There’s a way to put your foot to the floor and accelerate your progress. The trick is to keep the momentum going … and not let life get in the way of your career goals. Having online access to the complete program, no matter where you are, can make a huge difference — keeping you focused and motivated. This will move you closer to your copywriting dream without missing a beat. That’s all I have to say for now. Let’s get down to it. Life is short and we have dragons to slay. Let’s have some adventures, let’s have some fun and let’s make some money. Oh … and one more word about doing your exercises. Did you ever hear the joke about the tourist in New York who’s trying to find Carnegie Hall?

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He’s wandering the streets, looking for the famous concert hall and finally stops to ask directions from an old hippie who’s standing on a corner. “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” the tourist asks. Snapping his fingers and nodding his head, the old hippie answers, “Practice, baby, practice.” That’s the secret. Do your exercises. Now let’s really get going! Mark Morgan Ford P.S. Be sure to register for Groupsite so you can experience the AWAI New Member Orientation. You’ll meet our team, learn how to access your program(s), and receive a guided tour of what we have to offer.

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Getting Started As a Copywriter: The Opportunity & the Lifestyle

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

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Video is available in the online version. Access it from your myAWAI Member Page.

What Is a Copywriter? By Paul Hollingshead

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ecently, my Vermont neighborhood had a small get-together to celebrate someone’s birthday. About midway through the evening, a few of my neighbors pulled me aside and asked me a question they’ve been longing to know… what do I do for a living? Apparently, they’ve been baffled for some time. No wonder …

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After all, for the past several years they’ve watched me not drive to work every morning, lounge around the yard while most people are just settling into their office desks, load my golf clubs into my car most afternoons, and take off for week-long excursions whenever I please. But what really had them perplexed was how I could do all these things while not appearing to work — and still have plenty of money left over for other things. For example, they see me constantly making improvements to my home, having new furniture delivered, and relandscaping the yard. They see my new car sitting in the driveway. They watch me set out on at least three major trips a year. And, I recently began splitting my time between Vermont and sunny Florida, so I’m gone for months at a time. So, when I finally told my neighbors that I’m a copywriter, it’s no surprise I was greeted with disbelief. “But it looks like you make a lot of money,” they told me. “I do,” I said. “And you can do that … writing out of your house?” Their surprise is understandable. After all, working from home is only a dream for most people. And writing — unless you’re a best-selling author — isn’t a high-paying lucrative career … or is it? Obviously, most people wish they could stay home and make a lot of money. So they wonder — how do I do it? Before I answer that question, let me clarify exactly what it is I do.

What Is Copywriting? Copywriting, simply put, is any writing that offers a product or service for sale. That covers a very wide spectrum.

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For the purpose of this program, let’s divide copywriting into two categories. The first category is “advertising agency” copywriting. The second is “direct-response” copywriting.

COPYWRITING Advertising Agency

Direct Response

Most of the ads you see in newspapers, magazines and most television commercials are written by “agency” copywriters. The copy is short, clever — even humorous. But typically, those ads have no “call to action.” Following are two ads for Hpnotiq liquor. The first ad for Hpnotiq doesn’t ask for a sale. It’s a “soft” sell. Its objective is to make you feel good about Hpnotiq in hopes that you’ll buy it the next time you want a refreshing drink. It’s up to the reader to find stores that sell Hpnotiq. The second ad for Hpnotiq, on the other hand, has a strong call to action — enter a contest to win $100,000 or other exciting cash prizes, but only for a limited time. This drives the reader to purchase Hpnotiq now in response to this offer. “Direct-response” copywriting is the kind of advertising with a specific call to action that makes people open their wallets and checkbooks and buy. Not next week. Not tomorrow. But right now. For you as a writer, there’s a big difference between these two types of advertising copy … “agency” writers may get all the fame, glory, and fancy awards, but direct-response writers get the cash…

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SOFT SELL AD:

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STRONG CALL TO ACTION:

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Get people to respond to your call to action consistently and directresponse marketers will be knocking down your door asking you to write all sorts of ads, direct-mail sales letters or online promotions for them — and they’ll be dangling some mighty big checks in front of your nose just to entice you. They might ask you to sell just about anything. Maybe a gadget like a video watch, a Segway, or a home-exercise machine. Maybe a book that will make you better in bed or more attractive to the opposite sex. Maybe a subscription to a newsletter that will help you get rich … or be healthier … travel for less … or shed “The role of a writer is not to say what we all unwanted pounds. No matter what you’re can say, but what we are unable to say.” asked to sell, the object — Anais Nin of the kind of writing you’re going to learn here is to get the prospect excited enough about any product or service to buy it right then and there. This type of selling — direct-response selling — is done through radio, print, online, and TV ads. But by far, the most effective method of directresponse selling is through the mail or the Internet. According to the Direct Marketing Association, companies will spend an estimated $196 billion annually on direct marketing. Total U.S. direct-marketing sales from those efforts are expected to surpass $2.489 trillion! A good direct-marketing promotion — the kind you’ll learn to write in this program — can be anything from a four-page letter … to a 32-page magalog (a four-color sales promotion that looks like a magazine) … to a 100-page booklet … to a single online sales page … or a multi-page website. Direct-response marketing appeals to some very basic emotions.

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65% of all consumers have made a purchase in response to a direct mail and/or an email offer. Source: DMA Statistical Fact Book 2013

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FEAR AND GREED are big sellers in the direct-marketing world. So are …

PRIDE, LUST, AND ENVY. The fear of losing something — money, independence, friends, happiness — can be a very powerful tool. So can greed, the desire to be richer, more successful, happier, more secure, more independent. (By the end of this program, you’ll know all the emotional “hot buttons” that can boost your chance of making a sale.)

Join the “Club” — and Rake in the Money Summed up, direct-response copywriting is demonstrating, through a powerful emotional appeal, that your prospect’s life would be much more complete if only he or she owned what you’re selling. Convince one to two people out of 100 of that and you’ll be wealthier and better off than 99.9% of all writers on earth. How much better? Let’s look at the facts. It’s accepted that the average, successful, full-time freelancer writing editorial pieces for newspapers and magazines makes a mere $25,000 or so per year. Staff writers at an agency are paid little more than that: $35,000 to $45,000 for entry level positions. If you survive, put in 10 to 20 years, and rise to the top of your profession, you’ll top out at maybe double that amount, if you’re lucky. If you want to write books, short stories, poetry, or screenplays, better take it up as a hobby. Average fiction writers make a miserable $1,500 a year —

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if they can get published. Only one in a million writers ever hits the jackpot and makes enough to live well. Technical and business “You can get anything you want by helping writers are pretty well enough other people get what they want.” paid by comparison ($42,000 to $63,000), — Zig Ziglar but the work is painfully tedious. Let me ask you: Do you want to spend the rest of your life in a tiny cubicle somewhere translating long, detailed notes and specs into “userfriendly” manuals? Ad agencies seem glamorous — as long as you’re the one person in 10,000 that “makes it.” Even then, the brightest stars burn only so long in this very competitive, cut-throat business. And if your agency loses a major client, your job usually goes with it. But direct marketing is a whole different ball game … There’s really no limit on what you can earn once you get established … and YOU control how, where and when you work. But here’s what’s most ironic …

Less Talent — More Money This is the only business I know of where the less talent you need to be a success — the more you get paid! Here’s what I mean … Fiction writing is a painfully meticulous art form. At least it is for me. You have to know different literary techniques and understand how to work them into multi-layered stories. You have to be able to write convincing dialogue, create characters, be aware of simile, irony, and a whole barrel full of technical terms I can barely recall from high school, let alone college. In other words, writing good literature takes study, time, and a tremendous amount of talent.

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Even to write for newspapers and magazines, you have to know quite a bit about a lot of things, and you need to be able to write in a very distinct style. In fact, just to get a job on a major daily these days, you have to have the right college degree, lots of working experience, and the willingness to work like a dog at all hours for a few hundred dollars a week. Writing direct-response copy, on the other hand, takes considerably less talent. All you need is an understanding of a few simple secrets, the ability to write in the same conversational style most people speak in, and the drive to practice these skills. As you put these together, you stand a good chance of succeeding.

Success Clue

“As I listen to myself explain what copywriting is, how my hours work, and how good the pay is; I realize I really am living the writer’s life.” — AWAI Wall of Famer Joanne Sullivan, AWAI Member since 2004 Once you’re good — and you can consistently convince people to buy what you’re selling (something you do every day of your life … every time you try to “sell” an idea you have to your spouse, friend, or co-worker) — you’ll make more in one year than most “real” writers will make in a lifetime. No fancy degree needed. No “slugging it out” in the trenches. No years of paying your dues. No hoping some publisher will discover you as the next great writer of this generation. Your success is based entirely on how many people respond to your copy. Even if you write a “literary monstrosity”… if you make enough people open their checkbooks or pull out their credit cards — you’re a success.

What’s More, Good Writers Are Forever in Demand People will always be calling you and begging you to write a letter that

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sells what they’re selling. That’s because you’re money in the bank for them. In the movie industry, it’s called “bankable.” You’ll be the “Will Smith” of the direct-marketing industry — a star they can count on to bring in the money. And you know how much he can command per film … As a successful copywriter, you’ll be able to name your price. How much? Mark Ford himself will tell you about that in the next section. But let me tell you this: One letter I wrote made me over 54.2% of the total mail volume in $60,000. That’s twice the the US is attributed to direct mail. amount of money I’d ever Source: DMA Statistical Fact Book 2013 made in one year working for someone else. And you know what? I wrote that letter in a mere three days — in my first year of copywriting. And these may be the truest words ever spoken: If I can do it, so can you. To sum up, if you can write a letter that sells, you’ll never be out of work.

Enjoy Complete Financial and Personal Freedom But, here’s what I consider to be the best reason for becoming a copywriter: freedom. As a professional direct-response copywriter, not only can you make a great deal of money — you can do it from anywhere in the world, whenever the mood strikes you. If you’re a night owl, you do your writing at night, leaving your days free for your favorite leisure activities. Or, if you’re like me and you like to get an early start on the day, you write from 6 a.m. to early afternoon. The rest of the day’s your own. Go golfing, play tennis, play with the kids, shop — it’s entirely up to you. No boss is watching you. There’s no time clock to punch. You are in complete control of every minute of every hour of the day. There’s no one to tell you what you can and can’t do. If leisure time is not as important to you, you can work “regular” hours

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and make double the money someone like me makes. That’s what my friend (and fellow AWAI board member) Don Mahoney does. He takes on enough work to keep him busy all day long. And for this effort, Don can easily make well over $400,000 per year. A few good hits, and he’ll make considerably more. (By good “hits” I mean letters that sell big. Keep in mind, not every letter you write will be a winner. If half do well, you’ll be in the big leagues. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. There’ll be a lot more on how much you can expect to make and how to increase your chances of success in the pages ahead.)

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

And, You Can Do Your Job From Virtually Anywhere in the World Imagine if someone said to you: “Live anywhere in the world you want — travel as often as you like — and you can still make all the money you want!” I’m sure you’ve fantasized about this from time to time. Maybe you’ve dreamed of living in a log cabin in the mountains — miles from anyone. Or maybe you like the excitement of an apartment in downtown

Success Clue

“It’s a real good lifestyle. And the best thing about it is that I can pick my own hours. I work just as hard as anybody else, but at least I can pick when it is that I work. And if I want to sleep till 10:00 in the morning (which I did today), I can.” — Arthur Johnson, featured in AWAI’s Copywriting Genius: The Master Collection Arthur is considered a copywriting genius for many reasons. For one, he wrote a promotion that launched a health newsletter named Real Health, generating more than 115,000 subscriptions in short order.

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Manhattan, London, or Paris. My point is, as a direct-response copywriter, you’re not forced by your job to live in any one spot. You can live wherever you choose — even travel the world if you like — and still make an excellent living. Copywriting can be just as rewarding for you as it’s been for me. Not just financially rewarding. Intellectually, too. It’s challenging. It’s creative. It’s fun. You learn so much about so many things. It’s truly the best of all worlds. Now, let me welcome you to your new career …

You’re on Your Way to the Best Job in the World You’ve just taken a very important step toward enjoying what I think is the best job in the world simply by ordering this program. The next step is to begin putting the secrets you’ll find in the pages ahead to work for you. It’s important that you read

“Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most every single part of this of us have gears we never use.” program in order. Each part is the foundation for the next. — Charles M. Schulz

Skipping ahead will only weaken the overall result — and you’ll miss out on important skills along the way. There’s a reason this program has been set up the way it has. We’ve attempted to cover the greatest number of miles on the most direct path so you can start writing copy almost immediately. Here’s a brief rundown of what you’ll find ahead: Part 1 gives you a solid background in what it takes (and doesn’t take) to be a successful copywriter. You’ll learn about all the many benefits of being among the best copywriters going — ­ including the money you’ll make and the lifestyle you’ll enjoy. Part 2 is your copywriting “primer.” This is where we tell you how to get going on your new copywriting career, as well as introduce the fundamentals

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you need to know before you dig into the details of the structure of directresponse sales copy. Part 3 is what I like to call “The Holy Grail.” Here, you’ll learn everything from A-to-Z about direct-response copywriting … those greatly desired and sought-after techniques that will enable you to reach your objective. And, if you’re serious about becoming a copywriter, this is the section where you’ll get in-depth discussion of all the elements and principles you’ll master to create top-notch sales copy. Part 4 introduces you to a broad range of writing opportunities in industries and niches you probably never knew existed. Finally, in Part 5 we’ll give you a complete toolkit of marketing strategies to help you start making sales and to develop a marketing plan based on best practices, but designed for your personality and goals.

Success Clue

“I love this business, and I love what I am doing. It’s interesting to see how people respond to different things that you create and then mail to them.” — Rob Reger, featured in AWAI’S Copywriting Genius: The Master Collection Odds are you’ve read a direct-response promotion written by Rob Reger. He’s written for some of the most prestigious publishers in the world, including Prentice Hall, Rodale Press, Reader’s Digest, and American Family Publishers, just to name a few. Throughout this program, masters of copywriting reveal their private success secrets to you — secrets that have been proven to boost mail response by 50% to 100% and have the power to propel you into the copywriting industry’s elite circle. You also have access to a separate AWAI e-book, “Hall of Fame: Great Selling Ideas from 50 Super-Successful Direct-Mail Letters and DirectResponse Ads.” This collection of classic sales letters is worth its weight

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in gold. Inside, you’ll find samples of the most successful direct-response promotions ever — industry standards that have been mailed year after year and brought in millions and millions of dollars. Read these letters over again and again. Not just two or three times — 20, 30, even 50 times each. Read them out loud. Read them to yourself. Get to know these letters inside and out.

Your First Exercise:

Exercise #1 Read the following information, before accessing Exercise #1 online. For your information, the letter in this exercise was mailed consistently from 1976 through 1988 to an astounding 280 million people. Based on projections of the volume of charges made by card members, this letter is responsible for over a billion dollars in revenue for American Express. And, during this time period, American Express tested 150 other letters against this one, but it beat them all. This won’t be the first time we’ll urge you to do an exercise like this, during the program. Think of it as a copywriting “workout.” I can’t recommend it highly enough. I credit my fast success to reading, copying, and re-copying dozens of winning promotions. It gave me an immediate grasp of the feel and tone good, strong copy should have. It may seem like an odd exercise, but I guarantee you it will pay off in spades. In fact, that’s the first secret of copywriting that I learned. But that’s just one of many secrets you’re going to learn. I urge you to read Will Newman’s article, How “Structural Priming” Will Make You a Better Copywriter, featured in the Suggested Reading list at the end of this part. Now let’s get down to business … go online to access Exercise #1.

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You’re On Your Way to Living the Writer’s Life

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Video is available in the online version. Access it from your myAWAI Member Page.

Why Do Copywriters Make So Much Money? By Mark Morgan Ford

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o answer this question, I’m going to speak to you not as a copywriter, but as a direct marketer. In other words, I’m going to tell you why my clients — your prospective employers — are glad to pay copywriters the big bucks after completing this program. First, some background. Sales letters written by copywriters I’ve trained have generated sales of well over a billion dollars. Conservatively speaking, these writers have been paid in excess of $30 million. Now I ask you, would I let my clients spend that kind of money if they didn’t have to? You’re damn straight I wouldn’t. Those checks were paid because I believed that for every dollar spent, my clients made 20 back. And more often than not, that’s exactly what happened.

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To understand why direct-response copywriters make so much money — why they make more moolah than other writers (except the most successful novelist or screen writers) — you have to understand a little about how the direct-marketing business works. Let me give you a revealing illustration.

Success Clue

“Dissect mail pieces. Pay attention to what’s working. And just keep practicing. It’s about getting someone to do something that they probably didn’t wake up in the morning intending to do.” — Nancy Harhut, featured in AWAI’s Copywriting Genius: The Master Collection Nancy’s winning control for GMAC compared the GM rewards card benefits to Discover card benefits in a simple side-by side comparison that clearly showed a HUGE advantage for GM card users. Her secret? Reading Psychology Today to really understand what motivates prospects.

Direct Marketing: Defined Direct marketing is a sub-discipline and type of marketing. There are two main definitional characteristics which distinguish it from other types of marketing. The first is that it attempts to send its messages directly to consumers, without the use of intervening media. This involves commercial communication (direct mail, email, and telemarketing) with consumers or businesses, usually unsolicited. The second characteristic is that it is focused on driving purchases that can be attributed to a specific “call to action.” This aspect of direct marketing involves an emphasis on trackable, measurable, positive (but not negative) responses from consumers (known simply as “response” in the industry) regardless of medium.

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DIRECT MARKETING: The Idiot’s Guide You think of something to sell. Maybe it’s the story of how you lost 30 pounds eating peanuts. You write a book and have it printed (cost $8,400). Then you write a letter (“Dear Dieter, If you like peanuts, I’ve got good news for you …”) and send it to 30,000 people who, in the past, have bought diet books through the mail. The mailing — including list rental, printing, postage, and lettershop services — costs $18,600. You are now out of pocket $27,000. Your letter tells the prospect: Guess what! I’ve found a great new way to lose weight, and it doesn’t require you to diet. All you’ve got to do is stuff your craw with peanuts. I did it and it worked. So did my sister Sarah. And, my cousin Billy. Even my physician, Dr. Blahblah, likes it. He says it’s the best way to lose pounds since amputation! You end the letter with the news that you’ve got a “limited” number of books available for $19 each, and a promise to refund the prospect’s money if he or she isn’t happy. You send the letter to your list of 30,000 names … and wait.

Waiting Is the Hardest Part Nothing happens for days … many days. You stare mournfully at your depleted bank account balance and think about what it will be like to live on ketchup sandwiches for the rest of your life. Then suddenly, two orders come in. “Great,” you think, “$38 bucks. I’m only down $26,962.” You wait some more … and then one day, you go out to your mailbox and there’s a single piece of mail. “Damn,” you think, “I’m all washed up.” But you read the note. It’s from your mailman. Please come down to the central office to claim your mail. There’s too much to fit in your box. Hooray! You hit it big! In the end, you’ve deposited $58,342 in your bank account. After fulfillment of the books and all up-front expenses, you’ve made a profit of more than $20,000. But that’s not even the best part. The thought that’s keeping a smile on

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your face is the realization that next month you can send out the same letter. But this time you won’t send it to 30,000 names — you’ll send it to 300,000! Your profit will grow from 20 Gs to 200 Gs! And you’ve just begun. Now imagine that it’s an eBook “Talent is helpful in writing, but guts (electronic book available via are absolutely necessary.” download from the Internet) with no printing or shipping costs. — Jessamyn West Suddenly your profits skyrocket that much faster … especially if you’re selling it through a sales letter email or web page. Now don’t go running off to write a book on the peanut diet. In fact, don’t go running off at all. There’s a lot more to the direct-marketing business than that. Direct marketing is a tough, sophisticated enterprise. It requires good judgment, an instinct for what sells, and a lot of hard work. Most directmarketing efforts don’t do as well as the example I just gave you. But that doesn’t matter. I’m not trying to convince you to become a direct marketer. I’m just showing you how the business works — when it works well.

A Single Sales Letter Can Launch Your Career The peanut diet example illustrates the potential power of a single sales letter. In this case, a simple, straightforward letter about a peanut diet made hundreds of thousands of dollars. If the letter hadn’t worked, it could not have been mailed again. But since it did, it can be sent again and again to new lists of similar prospects, and we know they’ll continue to respond to the same sales letter.

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Mailing out a successful letter to increasingly larger groups is called “rolling out” a winner. In the direct-marketing business, a successful letter can frequently be rolled out to millions of prospects, generating millions of dollars in sales. That’s the great thing about the direct-marketing industry. You can cut your losses short (by NOT rolling out letters that don’t work) and let your winners run (by rolling out). Very few businesses allow you to leverage your success this way.

The Point What does this mean to you, the potential copywriter? Simply this. If you write one of these letters, you can make a lot of money. And if you get a piece of the action (a royalty on rollouts, which some companies pay), you can make even more. And people will be happy to pay you, because your letter will be making them rich. I know it’s true from personal experience. The first sales letter I ever wrote was a big success. So big, it shocked the guy I wrote it for. So successful, it’s still mailing today — more than 30 years later. That one letter, with minor revisions, has been mailed to more than 100 million people and has generated tens of millions of dollars in profit. It didn’t make me rich (the guy I wrote it for sure got rich, though), but I did okay. Most importantly for me, it jump-started my copywriting career. Before long, a whole lot of people wanted me to write for them — for a lot of money. Now let me stop here and make a point. I don’t have a natural talent for writing. I’ve always liked to write, but I was never good at it. In high school, I barely got by. Later, I did better, but I’ve never felt comfortable stringing words together. I’ve always felt like a sculptor working without thumbs. So how did I become such a successful copywriter?

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I Really Wanted to Succeed Honestly, I think it was half because of my desire — I really wanted to succeed — and half because of the secrets I learned along the way. By investing in this program, you’ve proven your desire. My job is to teach you my secrets. And that’s what you’re going to learn. Secrets about how to write powerful sales letters. Simple secrets that have worked for me, Paul, Don and other members of our Panel of Experts, over and over again. Secrets you can learn and use to launch your own six-figure freelance copywriting career.

Success Clue

“I became a copywriter because I needed a copywriter. Some 30 years ago — my first book was published. It was called Zen and the Art of Writing. It was published by a small publisher, who like most publishers, knew nothing about marketing. I quickly learned that if anybody is going to sell this book it’s going to have to be me or somebody I hire.” — Joe Vitale, featured in AWAI’S Copywriting Genius: The Master Collection Joe Vitale invented hypnotic writing, using his hypnotist training to put the reader of his sales letters into a buying trance. His web-based sales letter for Hypnotic Marketing, Inc. earned him $25,000 in 24 hours!

Let’s Get Back to the Main Question Well, I’ve told you how the direct-marketing business works and I’ve revealed something about myself, but I haven’t answered the question I started out with: Why do copywriters make so much money? The answer lies in our little peanut story.

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Let’s say that, instead of being the guy who writes the letter, you’re a directmarketing publisher — and you’ve decided to sell a book about losing weight by eating peanuts. You hire two copywriters, Mutt and Jeff. Each writes a different letter. You mail both of them, at a cost of $10,000 each. Mutt’s letter results in $5,000 in sales. Jeff’s brings home the bacon — to the tune of $25,000. What do you do? Well you thank Mutt and toss his sales letter in the waste basket. Then you congratulate Jeff and mail his letter again. You mail it to 250,000 names this time and it brings in $100,000 in profits! Then you mail it again — to a million names — and bring in another $300,000. Now you want to start the marshmallow diet. Mutt gives you a call. Can he write for you again? “Sorry,” you say, “not interested.” But Jeff has made you over $400,000 from his letter, so naturally you call him. He’s flattered you called and advises, “My fee for our next project will be $8,000 plus royalties.” What do you do? Tell him to shove off? Argue with him? Of course not. You pat him on the back and pay him what he’s asking, because you really, really want him to write this next letter for you.

Direct-Response Marketers Are Happy to Pay Top Dollar for Winning Copy Money. That’s the basic motivation on both sides. Copywriters are not paid well because they are smart or talented or cooperative or because they type clearly or bring their copy in on time. They are paid well because their copy makes money. Later on, after we’ve taught you the secrets of writing great direct-response sales letters, we’ll show you how to get top dollar for your writing. Here’s the main point. Once you

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US Advertising and marketing expenditures reached a total of $259.9 billion last year. $39.7B on traditional advertising; $89.9B on direct mail; and $129.9B on digital marketing. Source: DMA Statistical Fact Book 2013

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know the secrets of writing powerfully, you can charge an awful lot for your time, and direct marketers will be more than happy to pay you.

“I’m always pretending that I’m sitting across from somebody. I’m telling them a story, and I don’t want them to get up until it’s finished.” — James Patterson

I’ve personally shown dozens of ordinary people how to become copywriters. Almost all of them have succeeded.

That’s why you’re in this program today. You’re taking your first steps toward that goal. It can happen. And faster than you think. And if anyone can help you, we can. Stick with us and you’ll see.

An Ever-Growing Demand for the Skills You’re Learning Thanks to the Web

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Video is available in the online version. Access it from your myAWAI Member Page.

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What Do You Need to Be a Copywriter? By Kieran Doherty

Kieran Doherty was a professional writer for nearly 40 years. He maintained a successful copywriting career, while authoring hundreds of articles for magazines and newspapers. Kieran also has 15 children’s titles to his credit, including William Bradford: Rock of Plymouth and William Penn: Quaker Colonist. His last publication, his first adult book for St. Martin’s Press — Sea Venture: Shipwreck, Survival, and the Salvation of Jamestown — was released in 2008. Kieran Doherty died in early 2010.

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e’ve told you how you can earn a great living as a copywriter. And we’ve told you that we do this while working at home or anywhere — without having to worry about bosses, time clocks, commuting hassles, and all the other things that go with working for someone else. Sounds great, doesn’t it? (Well it is.) Now, you may wonder: Do I have what it takes to be a good copywriter? What strengths and abilities do I need to be successful? A group of us at AWAI were sitting around one day discussing this very topic. We came up with a brief list of what we know — from experience — is needed by anyone who wants to make it in this business.

1. First and most importantly, you have to have the desire to succeed. Almost everyone has it. One sticking point people face in copywriting is that in order to succeed they have to sell. Now, I have to be honest here. When I hear the word “sell,” I have horrible flashbacks to when I was in college and thought I could make tuition by going door to door “pitching” encyclopedias. I tried — and failed miserably. I decided then that I never wanted to “sell” again. And, for much of my working life, I didn’t. Instead, I became a “serious” writer. In fact, I’ve written

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about a dozen non-fiction books and thousands of articles. I thought of myself as an educator or maybe an entertainer, but never a salesman. Then the copywriting bug bit me. Before I could make any serious money as a copywriter, I had to stop thinking of myself as a writer and start thinking of myself as a salesman. And that was tough for me to do until I started to look at it this way: llI like to convince people that my point of view is right. (Don’t you?) llI like to get my own way. (Doesn’t everyone?) llMore often than not, I do get my own way. (How about you?) You know what? That makes me a salesman. If you’re like me … if you like to get your way and use words to persuade others that your point of view is right … you already “I cannot teach anybody anything; I can possess what is probably only make them think.” — Socrates the main skill necessary for success as a copywriter. We are salesmen who use our abilities as writers to sell products, services or ideas. We use the written word to convince our readers to take action. Have you ever done any of the following? llPersuaded your spouse to go to the movie you wanted to see? llConvinced a friend to go shopping with you when he or she really didn’t want to? llCajoled an acquaintance into trying your favorite pasta dish, buying your favorite brand of shampoo, or going to your dentist? llGotten anyone to do you a favor? If you have, you’re enough of a salesperson to learn how to sell with copy — and enough of a salesperson to make a great living doing it.

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“Even a love letter is sales copy — you’re trying to sell yourself to another person.” — AWAI Wall of Famer, Suzy Sharpe, AWAI Member since 2002

2. You have to have some “speaking” ability — but you definitely DON’T have to be a good writer. Being a successful copywriter has nothing to do with “good” writing. And most good writers — men and women who publish novels, nonfiction articles, books, and poetry — don’t know the first thing about writing a successful sales letter. The direct-marketing business is crowded with copywriters who don’t know the difference between a compound sentence and a compound fracture — but they earn top dollar (six figures, year after year) writing sales letters. In fact, most of the very successful copywriters I know don’t consider themselves to be great writers. Many of us don’t even think of what we do as writing, per se. We certainly don’t write to entertain or to make our readers gasp with wonder at our creativity. We don’t want them to laugh or cry. We want to create a desire. We want them to act. We write to sell. That’s why we write “conversationally.” In other words, we write as we talk. If you can write as you talk — simply, directly — you can write well enough to be a copywriter. To be a great copywriter — to make the big bucks — you’ll need to know certain secrets. And explaining those secrets is our job.

3. You need to be willing to read. To talk somebody into something, you need to seem like you know what you’re talking about. That can’t be done without some basic reading — nothing painful. Before you ever write a word about whatever it is you’re trying to sell — whether it’s a peanut diet or an imported watch — you have to know something about your product. You want to know what’s good about it, how it helps your prospect. You want to know why this car runs faster, why

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this plane flies higher, or why this newsletter is better than any other on the market. And you want to share this information with emotion — from your heart — just as if you were talking directly to that person. So you need to do research to know how your product is made, how it works, how it helps your prospect, what makes it superior or unique. And to do all that, you’ll need to do some reading.

Success Clue

“Being a writer is one of the most wonderful jobs in the world, because you’re never bored. If you’re a writer, you’re also a reader. And if you’re near a book, you’re not bored. If there is no book but you have a pencil and paper, you’re not bored because you can write.” — John Carlton, featured in AWAI’s Copywriting Genius: The Master Collection Rodale hired John to write a promotion for “Sex: A Man’s Guide” because their writers couldn’t write “edgy” enough pieces to sell a lot of books. John’s promotion did the trick. His letter knocked off their top writer and continued mailing for 5 years to 30 million names (not counting Rodale’s house list). But that’s not all. Especially when you’re a beginning copywriter — and to a lesser degree later — you need to read the work of other successful copywriters. The AWAI “Hall of Fame: Great Selling Ideas from 50 SuperSuccessful Direct-Mail Letters and Direct-Response Ads” is an excellent place to start. Reading great sales letters gives you good ideas you can use for your own work. You’ll also pick up phrases you can borrow. Most importantly, you’ll learn the rhythms and structures of selling that can’t be explained or even understood any other way. That’s why your first two exercises are to read and copy classic direct-response sales letters — and why you’ll be seeing many more of these treasures before you’re through.

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Creativity — at least in the “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to world of copywriting — is NOT making something go after it with a club.” — Jack London out of nothing. It IS the art of taking two or three or four things that have been done successfully in the past and juxtaposing them in a new and powerful way. In fact, one of the most successful marketing pieces I ever wrote was a one-page letter that used elements from two other successful mail pieces I’d studied. One of those elements was visual: the other was a headline. Nobody else had ever melded those two elements together in quite the way I did. And when that letter mailed, it had a response rate of about 8 percent! I was hailed (for a few days, at least) as a creative genius. All I’d done was “steal” somebody else’s ideas and make them mine. In other words, there’s huge opportunity for writing sales letters and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each and every time you sit down to write a letter, a direct-response display ad or web page. But you do have to know what has worked in the past — and why. In direct marketing, there are proven formulas that have worked over and over again. That’s just one of the things you’ll learn in this program.

The Formula for Success: Preference and Trust

According to a study reported in DMNews, based on completed surveys from 2,226 U.S. consumers and 2,574 Canadian consumers, direct mail is preferred over email. In-depth information from the study is provided in a report titled, The Formula for Success: Preference and Trust. The research shows that despite direct mail’s reputation for being “old school” or expensive, it is the top choice of U.S. and Canadian consumers for the receipt of brand communications in almost every category, ranging from health to household products, to household services, insurance and financial services, including credit card offers.

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Obviously, you’re not going to plagiarize another writer’s work word for word. That’s a crime and it will get you in trouble. But you will borrow ideas and phrases … and, “readapt” them. When you get good at what you do, other writers will reinvent your ideas. In fact, that’s one of the ways you’ll know you’ve arrived.

4. You need to know your value. No matter how good the product is … no matter how good the company is … without the sales letter, money can’t be made. The sales letter you write starts the business going. It generates the cash flow. That makes you the most important person in the direct-marketing world … and that’s why you can and will make a six-figure income — even working freelance from home.

5. Finally, you need the drive and dedication to learn your craft — and the understanding that there’s nothing magical about writing powerful, money-making copy. What we (and other successful copywriters) do is not arcane or mystical. It’s a skill that can be learned by virtually anyone who’s willing to work and practice — like playing the piano, only easier. And, we’ll show you exactly how to do it, step by step. “I look at copywriting as a formula. You need to find that formula. You’ve got to be unique and you’ve got to get to that close and you’ve got to ask them for the business at the end. There is the formula. If you keep to that, and you keep practicing that formula, it’ll become easy.” — Al Serin, featured in AWAI’s Copywriting Genius: The Master Collection In his “Don’t Let Age Steal Your Life Away …” sales letter, Al was very frank with readers. He let them know the product was going to cost more but it was going to work. “Spend a few extra dollars. See the difference.” This approach worked, generating responses over 3%.

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5 Things You Don’t Need to Be a Copywriter

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y now, you should be pretty confident that you can become a top copywriter, and that you can do this simply by combining your own natural abilities and your desire to succeed with the skills we’re going to teach you in this program. Now, let’s look at the things you don’t need.

1. You don’t need a lot of money. Unlike other businesses that require deep pockets, you can start your own copywriting service with little more than a basic computer. Your main investment is your time and effort. You don’t even need a lot of money to market yourself once you learn the copywriter’s craft. Good copywriters — those who can consistently make money for their clients and themselves — are in such demand that you’ll be able to write your own ticket. Once you’re known at all, you won’t need to worry about finding work. They’ll be looking for you.

2. While you do need training — specifically the kind of training you’ll get with this program — you don’t need a college degree or a license or any kind of certification. Clients, the people who will pay you big bucks to write winning copy for them, couldn’t care less about certificates or training. You write strong copy, they love you. It’s as simple as that.

3. You don’t need to be a master of the English language. You don’t need the vocabulary of an English professor and you don’t need to be able to rattle off the rules of grammar. In fact, one guy I know, Steve K., never got beyond the 6th grade. Yet he has been writing successful

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direct-mail copy for 30 years — and he’s never made less than $100,000 annually during this time.

4. You don’t need extensive computer skills — or an expensive computer. While you can write your copy in longhand or print it in pencil, you’ll ultimately need to draft it on a computer, because that’s what your clients expect. But it doesn’t have to be a high-end computer. All you need is a good standard model with word processing, Internet access and email capabilities. Think of a computer as a down payment on your copywriting success … as well as your best friend. Today, you can buy a new desktop or laptop computer for under $600 … and you’ll easily make that back once you start writing for clients. A simple word processing program (Microsoft® Word®) will help you write and format copy very easily and will likely be pre-loaded onto your computer. Then you can email it anywhere for review and feedback from your clients. Plus, you can conduct extensive research online. Read on for details about the advantages of online research.

5. You don’t need to be a creative genius. You don’t have to come up with one original idea after another to sell unique products or services. The ideas come from your clients. They’re the ones who develop the concepts Choose from a wide range of clients for selling their own products. As a copywriter, your job is to There are hundreds of different types write mail pieces, display ads, of clients that need good copywriters. or online sales letters that work You’ll find them in different industries within those concepts. And from financial, health and fundraising to you’ll learn exactly how to do self-help, web, and Business-to-Business that in this program.

(B2B). Our own AWAI jobs directory, DirectResponseJobs.com, lists projects from dozens of different kinds of clients.

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You just need to know a few basic techniques for writing hard-hitting, focused copy.

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And a couple of tricks for structuring your argument. You’ll learn those simple secrets in this program, from professionals who use them day after day to write one control after another. Mark Ford has a history of taking untrained novices (just like you) and turning them into copywriting pros. One of his protégés — who’d never put a money-making word on paper before meeting Mark — earned $50,000 in his second year as a marketing copywriter — working less than 20 hours a week. Another protégé earned more than $150,000 last year, just three years after writing his first sales letter. And, Joshua Boswell is a prime example. He knew he was living the copywriters’ life the day he submitted his first proposal for over $30,000 and the company came back and simply said, “This looks fine.” He said, “The assignment only took me 6 weeks to complete, and I worked on it while concurrently working on two other projects — one worth over $20,000 and another worth over $8,000. That’s when I knew this was going to be good!” Since then, Joshua has become an integral part of AWAI. In addition to his copywriting, which won him the $10K challenge in 2007, he has hosted Bootcamp many times. The bottom line is that virtually anybody can join us and become a successful copywriter — once they learn the ropes. You can, too. Ready to work some more? Here you go …

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Here’s Your Second Exercise…

Exercise #2 Mark has selected another classic direct-mail letter for you to study and copy. The writer of this letter, John Francis Tighe, is an expert at instilling a personal quality in a sales letter. Even though the letter is about fishing, the language is enjoyable and understandable by everyone. We will get into the specific elements that make this letter a classic later in this program. For now, just soak up the style and nuances — and have fun with it. Remember — don’t worry if these exercises seem silly to you right now. In fact, I can probably read your thoughts: “I paid good money for this program and all they’re telling me to do is copy out letters …?” But you have to believe it when I say these seemingly “silly” exercises will pay off in spades down the road. That’s because, whether you realize it or not, they’re helping to “burn” good copywriting habits into your brain. And when it comes time to actually write your own sales letter, you’ll find yourself remembering how these winning techniques were used in the letters you copied — and automatically incorporate them into your writing. So please … trust us.

“A writer needs three things, experience, observation, and imagination, any two of which, at times any one of which, can supply the lack of the others.” — William Faulkner

And, in the wise words of the late Tom Hickling, “You should actually write out successful promotions. By not doing it, people miss out on the opportunity to put words together from masters who have actually done it right.” Now go online to access Exercise #2.

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Your Earning Potential By Don Mahoney

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kay. You’ve heard lots of good stuff so far. You’ve heard Paul talk about all the reasons copywriting is such a great profession. You’ve heard Mark explain how the direct-response industry works, and you’ve heard Kieran tell you what you do and don’t need to be a successful copywriter. This is all great stuff, but … Enough already! At this point, you want to know only one thing: How much money can I make? We’ve said this before, but I’m going to say it again right now. As a freelance writer (meaning anyone who writes for a living who isn’t employed full-time by a company), you can easily — easily — make many times what the average staff writer makes. Not only that, but as a freelance writer who specializes in direct-response copy, you can earn more money than most people make after 40 years on a job. Even more money than the average doctor or lawyer — with a lot less stress. But let’s talk about average writers first…

Most People Start at the Bottom Let’s say you’ve decided to be a writer. It’s creative and you don’t have to dig ditches, unclog toilets, or ladle out soup … Eventually, you hope to be able to work from home. Then, even if you don’t make a lot of money, at least you’ll be able to be your own boss, take vacations when you want, and take naps. So you set out to make a career in writing. You scout around and you’re “lucky” enough to get hired as a junior copywriter at an ad agency. You

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start out writing copy for brochures, magazine ads, billboards, and “nondirect-response” mail promotions (untargeted ads that are mailed out but not directly responded to by the people who receive them — for example, flyers for furniture, cars, or appliances that are purchased from a store or dealer). Your starting pay? Depending on where you live, around $35,000 to $45,000 a year (according to salary.com). And you learn very quickly that you are in a cutthroat business. To advance at all, you have to battle your way up the company ladder, stomping over bodies every step of the way. And what is that like? Here’s a quote from a 34-year-old copywriter at a New England agency, quoted in ADWEEK magazine:

“I’ve worked at three agencies — it’s always been stress city. I’ve seen women cry, guys melt down. I’ll give it another chance with another agency, but after that I think I’ll find a new line of work!” Sound like fun? Well, that’s …

Life in the Ad Lane! Let’s face it — it’s a bummer. There’s no real challenge, and you write crap. Everybody beats up on you, because writing is the easiest thing to criticize (even easier than movies or music), and everybody tries to get into the act. Even the mail clerk will be telling you how you should have tackled the subject. Then people climb all over each other for fancy awards that don’t mean anything. Oh sure, you might work on an ad that looks good (in which case everybody involved pats himself on the back and takes credit for this “winner”). But did the ad sell even one item? Who knows? That means you have no direct way to prove your value. No way to specifically track purchases back to your promotional writing. And that makes your position subject to the whims of the person you report to.

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Maybe you get lucky. You fight your way up the ladder. But you still wind up working far too hard, eating tons of crow — and not making nearly enough money to make it worthwhile. I know, I know — you’ve heard enough about what other people make or don’t make. You want the nitty gritty … the bottom line … you want to know …

How Much Can I Make? As we’ve said, the average agency writer starts at about $35,000-$45,000 a year (many well under even that shockingly low figure). Successful freelance copywriters who specialize in direct-response can make 10 times that.

Success Clue

“I realized I could earn a healthy living writing DM instead of pennies per line of a fiction writer and poet. Wow, did I find a treasure.” AWAI Wall of Famer, Patricia Ogilvie, AWAI Member since 2003 The most recent reported median household income in the United States was $50,054, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A good direct-response copywriter can make up to $100,000 a year. A very good direct-response copywriter has the potential to make between $200,000 and $500,000. And the best — well, I’ll tell you what they make in just a minute. Basically, I can sum up your opportunity in just a few words … With direct-response copywriting, you can write your own ticket. But, before I explain exactly how the business works, let me show you a little bit about the going rates for average freelance writers vs. copywriters who specialize in direct-response …

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Direct-Response Copywriting Pays! Here I’m comparing ordinary freelance article writing to direct-response copywriting. Take a look at a recent sample ad for freelance writers for a magazine:

FREELANCE LIFESTYLE •

Articles on moonlighting and night jobs or second careers, 500 to 1,000 words in length. Offer to pay: $50 to $150

•

Fillers (anecdotes, facts, gags to be illustrated by cartoons, news briefs or short humor), 35 to 250 words in length. Offer to pay: $25 to $100.

Let’s see … the top pay in this example is $150 for a 1,000-word article. But, in order to have an article accepted by the magazine, you usually have to submit, negotiate, edit (and probably re-edit) five separate pieces. So, by the time all is said and done, you may have written up to 5,000 words for that measly $150. Now, compare that to writing a 5,000-word sales letter or web landing page for a direct-response marketer. Well, I know I can easily get $2,500 or more for that type of assignment. So, right off the bat, I’m getting over 16 times what the magazine is willing to pay for the same amount of work! And once you prove yourself in this industry, so can you. But here’s the kicker … it’s also possible to get 1% to 2% in royalties on gross sales, which often average $100,000 or more. That translates into an extra $1,000 bonus for me. And many of my sales letters have grossed over $300,000, bringing my total income on a single piece to over $5,500 — over 36 times the top pay in the above ad. Here are some recent examples taken from online, staffing platforms, like Elance, oDesk, and others, where companies can hire independent freelance professionals for various writing assignments. Clearly, none of

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these have anywhere near the earnings potential of freelance writing in the direct-response world…

Long Term, Unlimited Article Writing — Native English Speakers Fixed Price: Less than $500 | Posted: 19 minutes ago | Ends: 2d, 23h | 0 Proposals

Long Term Article Writers — Daily Work and Pay

I am looking for writers that can take daily assignments of 5000 words with a 24 hour turnaround. Payment is $1 per 200 words so you can earn about $25 a day. Article topics vary greatly… Looking to hire immediately!

Writing 30 Articles About Wine in India

I would like to have 30 articles of 200-220 words each. Language: English. Articles must be original and new. Topics: Indian market, Indian type of wines, etc. The approach has to be brilliant and interesting. I’ll pay $3 each article.

Long Term Content Writing Opportunities: Articles, Blogs, Web Content

These projects will include SEO writing, content writing, blog posts, articles and news pieces — on a varied range of topics. The rate we can offer for general articles/blog posts is $1 per 100 words.

Looking for Writers for Our Auto Insurance Website

We are looking for writers for our auto insurance website. You will need to create short (20-25 word) write ups and small product reviews. We will pay $0.10/word to start up, then increase if it goes well. You MUST be interested in insurance to take up the job.

Health Articles on Conventional Treatments of 51 conditions

Fixed Price: Less than $500 We are looking for someone who can write in a straight forward and easy to understand manner on conventional treatment approaches to 51 health conditions. We are looking for around 1000 words for each condition. The complete word count for the entire project would be around 51,000 words. Ideally we would like delivery within 4 weeks with 12-13 conditions being provided each week as milestones until the job is completed.

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And, don’t forget… in every one of these cases, you’re writing on spec. That means you only get paid if your article is accepted — and rejection rates are very high. On the other hand, with “The freelance writer is a man who is a typical direct-response paid per piece or per word or perhaps.” copywriting assignment, you get paid for every piece — Robert Benchley you write. Even if a project gets killed before completion, you usually still get a “kill fee,” which is a percentage of the original agreed-upon rate. Well, I told you that you’d be able to write your own ticket. Now let me tell you exactly how it works …

How Do I Do It? First of all, like any freelance writer, as a direct-response copywriter, you’ll get paid a fee for each piece you write. Most of the time, a project goes like this:

A Typical Freelance Writing Assignment 1. Y  ou get a phone call or email from a client with an offer, quote your rate, and make a deal on the spot. 2. You receive an advance to start the job (usually half your total fee). 3. You write the copy. 4. You submit the copy. 5. It comes back to you with comments. 6. You make any necessary revisions and submit it again. 7. You receive the balance of your fee!

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Time elapsed? No more than one week, typically. Bonus! Royalty checks from time to time. The project could be as simple as a postcard with a reply form on it. It could be a one-page letter asking somebody to renew a subscription or take advantage of a tremendous sale. It could be a four-page promotion that’s mailed with a regular issue of a magazine or newsletter (which is known as an “insert,” because it’s inserted in the envelope with the primary material). It could be a 6-, 8-, 16-, or even 100-page piece. Or it could be an online sales letter, email promotion or web page. But here’s the bottom line. The most money — per project — is in a full sales promotion. It might be anywhere from a 16-page letter to a 100-page booklet, or crafting content for a major online catalog or website. And here’s what you’ve been waiting for: You can make anywhere from $2,500 to $25,000 per piece!

“The faster I write, the better my output. If I’m going slow, I’m in trouble. It means I’m pushing the words instead of being pulled by them.” — Raymond Chandler

Some people charge only $2,500 to write a “package,” as it’s called. But a seasoned writer will charge from $5,000 to $10,000. Big names charge anywhere from $12,000 to $25,000 to write a package.

And, as I mentioned earlier, many of them get royalties from the mailings, once they’ve established their ability to write sales letters that work. The average royalty range is $.01 to $.05 for each name mailed, or 1% - 2% of gross from online sales. Since a big mailing may run 500,000 to a million pieces, you’re talking about some serious money. At $.01 a name, that’s a $5,000 bonus for 500,000 pieces mailed. At $.02 a name, that’s a $10,000 bonus. And a good piece may mail several times. I’ve had pieces mail six times over the course of a year. The same can happen on the Internet.

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Occasionally, there’s a timeless classic that mails for years. For instance, Bill Bonner, who’s on our board of experts, wrote a promotional letter for International Living (a newsletter) that mailed for 20 years before the late Thom Hickling’s letter finally beat it.

Well-known pro, Lee Euler, wrote a financial bookalog, which is a promotion that looks like a small, paperback book. It was called Plague of the Black Debt. It mailed about 10 million pieces in a year, and he got a royalty of $.04 a piece. Get your calculator and do the math. (If that doesn’t motivate you to finish this program, I don’t know what will.) AWAI’s experts rank as some of the world’s best and highest-paid

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professionals. Many of them have written single packages that brought them triple figures. You’ll get to read these letters in the AWAI e-book: “Hall of Fame: Great Selling Ideas from 50 Super-Successful Direct-Mail Letters and DirectResponse Ads.” Now do you see where all the big money I’ve been talking about comes from? It’s quite possible to become “Editing is as important as the writing. wealthy from writing directI believe more in the scissors than I do response copy. Henry Cowan made $900,000 from a single in the pencil.” — Truman Capote Publisher’s Clearing House mailing in one year alone. And he reportedly commands a hefty $40,000 fee up front to write one. Not too shabby, is it? Where else can you make more money than the most successful doctors and lawyers, without even a high school diploma?

Why Do Direct-Response Writers Command So Much Money? The answer to that question is simple, really. In direct marketing, the response can be precisely measured. You see, if somebody writes a clever or catchy TV ad for a car or a beer, nobody knows how many people actually buy the product because of that ad. All they can do is guess. Remember the “A” ad for Hpnotiq earlier in the program? There’s no way to identify the reader of that ad with a purchase of Hpnotiq. But when somebody buys something as a result of a

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direct-response ad, like Ad “B” for Hpnotiq, the purchase can be measured. In the case of Hpnotiq, the customer follows the ad instructions (the “call to action”) for entering a contest to win $100,000 or other exciting cash prizes. The ad has a code on it, and the person needs to enter the code on a contest entry form or website. That code tells the Hpnotiq marketers exactly which promotion the sale came from. The code is entered into a computer along with the order, and that makes it possible for the company to calculate — to the penny — the effectiveness of that direct-marketing effort. And that’s your ticket to opportunity. This is the first thing I learned about direct marketing. As soon as you’re good, not only can you prove it, but everybody knows it. (Actually, the marketing people know it before you do, because they see the sales report first.) You’ll know you have a winner when they call you on the phone. All of a sudden, you’re king of the heap. It’s all smiles and sweetness and, “Hi! How are you?” Sit back and relax. They’re about to ask you when you can do another project. Now you’re in the driver’s seat. The better your piece did, the more they’re going to be willing to pay you to do the next one. Get a “hot hand,” and you can name your price. It’s worth it to them. Best of all, you don’t have to sell yourself. The black and white print of the marketing reports does it for you. You may not even need business cards. (I don’t have them.) Every day, I see people hustling for work, handing out business cards every time they bump into someone on the street. And that’s one way to start a relationship. But if you learn the secrets of direct-response copywriting, it’s like you hold

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the key to Solomon’s mine. The people who write the checks will find you. After a while in the business, you’ll see this scenario more than once: Someone will boast and brag about how good you are, and how you can double response rates, and so on and so forth. You can be quiet as a church mouse … never say a word … When the numbers come in, there’s no doubt about who’s best. Whoever writes the better piece brings home the bacon and gets more assignments. And in fact, that’s how companies decide what to mail or broadcast online. They take their strongest promotion (called a “control”) and test it against a new piece (cleverly called a “test”). The winner takes all. When these results come in, it doesn’t matter who likes you, or who thinks what about your piece, who dresses better, or who has better skin and teeth — the winner is the package that brings in the most cash. And it becomes the new “control.”

Time for Your Piece of the Pie Now, in the beginning, you’re not going to get the big fees. I mean, get real! You’re probably going to have to take some assignments on the lower end of the scale and you probably won’t get royalties at first. Not until you prove yourself, anyway. But you can easily make twice what “Failure is success if we learn from it.” the average freelance editorial — Malcolm Forbes writer makes, right off the bat. Don’t worry. One “hit” and your name will be golden. Then again, success may not take long, either. One of our AWAI board members started at less than $30,000 a year, but his first piece brought in a couple of million dollars. Within a few months, he was getting royalties — and by the end of his second year, he was earning over $100,000 a year … That’s the opportunity, in a nutshell. As you proceed through this program, you’ll learn all the different

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components of a direct-response offer. We’ll show you tricks and specific structures to make your copy the best it can be. And we’ll walk you right through writing your first direct-response copywriting sample.

“Style means the right word. The rest matters little.” — Jules Renard

Sure, there’s a lot to learn. But just like anything else worth doing, your greatest ally is persistence. Stick with it.

Keep in mind that your potential market is getting wider and wider as online retail sales around the world continue to grow rapidly. So roll up your sleeves and sharpen your computer skills. You’re on the path to an income and lifestyle that most people only dream of.

Where’s the Glicken? By Mark Morgan Ford

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any years ago, I was a marketing consultant for a group of men I came to think of as a sort of “Jewish Mafia.” They were in their fifties already, and together controlled a good deal of what was then called the “pink sheet” segment of the stock market. Each of these gentlemen was very successful in his own right. Together, they formed a financial juggernaut. Get in their way, and you were likely to get drowned. I liked working for them, because, like the celluloid versions of their Italian counterparts, they were colorful and fun. When they met, sequestered in the basement of one of their mega-houses, stories were told — hilarious anecdotes of their cons and schemes. They never killed anyone. And they never intentionally broke the law. But they bent a few, and they prided

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themselves on the degree to which they could take advantage of any business situation. I remember one such meeting where a certain Mr. S. was boasting about a particularly good deal he had made putting two small companies together and bringing them public. Each company was worth very little on its own — and very little was what Mr. S. paid for them. But when he combined them and cleverly marketed them, their share price shot up 400% in less than a month. Mr. S. sold half his stock, retained control of the company and doubled his money. All in 28 days. “Plus,” Mr. S. bragged, “I had a cut … six percent of all retail sales for 10 years.” “That’s impressive,” a Mr. K. replied, “But that’s all?” “Isn’t that enough?” “It’s enough,” said Mr. K. “But where’s the glicken?” Immediately everyone else at the table joined Mr. K. in a taunting chorus: “Where’s the glicken? Where’s the glicken?” By hanging around these guys for so many years, I had developed a pretty good Yiddish vocabulary. But I had never run into this word before.

Just a Little Bit More … The “glicken” is the cherry on the cake, the little extra sweetness you get after you have already had too much. You don’t need glicken to make a deal worthwhile. But if you get some, well … As it turned out, Mr. S. had indeed gotten himself some glicken — a promise by the company’s new CEO to put his inexperienced, recently graduated niece in the company’s management training program, which made him a hero in the family.

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For you, too, there will be small rewards that go beyond anything you would ordinarily expect from copywriting. Yes, you’ll make money. That we’ve already established. (How much and how fast depends — at least in part — on how serious you are about following this program.) And you’ll never be bored. You’ll be reading and writing about all kinds of interesting subjects, from stocks and bonds to natural health to exercise and diet to travel and entertainment. You’ll slip into history and science, aerospace, and literature. You name it, you can do it!

Success Clue

“I like the constant sense of discovery when you have to learn new things to write new packages. You’re getting paid to Google for hours on end. Where else can you get paid for this, other than a think tank, where you might have to wear long pants and maybe even a tie?” — Jay Livingston, featured in AWAI’s Copywriting Genius: The Master Collection Jay uses the “light-handed” technique to take his promotions from an 80 to a 93. After he completes his almost-final draft, he rewrites it in a light fashion. His promotion for The Oxford Club has grossed well over $5 million and counting. Other benefits of copywriting include the prestige of being a professional writer, the security of knowing your skills are always in demand, and the fun of meeting fascinating people from all walks of life. Plus, you’ll have a skill that’s entirely transportable. You can live anywhere. Travel, hide out, whatever. And that’s not even counting the glicken.

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So, Where’s the Glicken? Glad you asked. First, let me tell you a story about my old friend Jack, a fellow copywriter who has often used his talents to add a little glicken to his life … Early on in his copywriting career, Jack had a relatively new girlfriend. He wasn’t exactly flush with cash, but he wanted to impress her. He knew she loved the play “Guys and Dolls” and he had heard that it just happened to be playing on Broadway. He bought tickets for the show and train tickets to get to New York. But when it came to booking the hotel, he was running out of money. Rooms at the Paramount, the nicest hotel near to where the show was playing, were averaging more than $200 a night. What to do, what to do … Jack remembered that journalists sometimes get complimentary rooms, tickets, meals, that sort of thing (a long-standing, professional courtesy) — if they’re writing about them as part of an assignment. Now, Jack wasn’t a journalist, but he did know that the principles he was learning to apply in his direct-response pieces work for all kinds of things, including letters, stories, books, and articles. So he figured he could at least give it a shot and try for a comp with the Paramount. He contacted the editor of a travel newsletter and asked her if she could use a short piece on a nice, somewhat eclectic hotel in Manhattan. She said, “Sure.” (Of course, the Paramount would fill the bill nicely.) Then he wrote a letter to the Paramount about his

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“assignment,” using the newsletter editorial office as his press contact. On the big day, Jack and his lady put on their show duds and caught the train to Manhattan. When they arrived at the Paramount, a key was waiting for them — a key to a room on an upper floor … a corner suite with two marble bathrooms, a master bedroom, and a small living room … complete with a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries and the Paramount’s trademark oversized Vermeer painting hanging over the bed. At checkout, Jack returned the key, got a “Thank you for coming,” and that was that. No bill. No tab. Not too shabby. That’s glicken. Today, Jack makes a great living as a copywriter. He lives in New York and travels all over the world. And he’s never lost his knack for getting glicken.

Like Dave Barry Says, “I’m not Making This Up!” Other copywriters I know have traded their skills for free televisions, computers, sound systems — you name it. Richard, a copywriter from Florida, moved to Montana to get away from it all. Even though he loves life in Montana, he missed his passion — scuba diving. A couple of years ago, he was visiting Grand Cayman, home of some of the best diving in the world. While he was there, he checked out who on the island was doing direct marketing. He met with the owners of a luxury resort, a scuba magazine, and a travel agency. He showed them a few of his winning sales letters and ended up with three new

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clients in the Grand Cayman. Now they fly him down a few times a year for “creative sessions.” That’s glicken. A well-known copywriter in California sold his million-dollar home without a broker by writing his own advertisement and placing it in an upscale magazine. The ad was so strong he had several buyers competing with each other to buy it — and none of them had ever seen it! That’s glicken. Another copywriter from South Florida wrote a full-page ad that landed him a gorgeous fiancée. He started with the headline — Generous Businessman Wants to Find a Hot, Sexy Woman with a Good Sense of Humor — and went on from there. That’s glicken. Yet another copywriter I trained used copywriting secrets to get her novel published. Normally, it’s impossible for an unpublished author to get an experienced agent (the only way to get published). Finally, she came up with the idea of “selling herself.” She got a list of 24 top agents and sent them a cleverly worded sales piece about her book. The next day, she had 18 faxes from agents eager to represent her. That’s glicken.

The Lessons You Learn in This Program Will Enrich Every Part of Your Life As a copywriter, you’ll use your new powers of persuasion in many unexpected ways. One writer told me a story about the time she treated her mother to a night at a very expensive hotel in Paris: “It was a big deal for both of us,” she said. “After we had settled into our very elegant room, there was a knock on the door and we were presented with a huge basket of fruit, compliments of the manager. When we opened the basket, we found that half the fruit was rotten. Instead of getting upset,

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I sat down and wrote a note to the manager. I explained what it meant for us to stay at that hotel … how much we appreciated his gesture … and that we were sure he had no idea the gift we were given in his name was bad. “The manager responded by thanking me for the nice note, comping our room that night, and inviting me to come back as his guest for one night at any time in the future. Even more rewarding was the look in my mother’s eyes when she saw the way I was able to use my writing skills to handle this situation.” That’s glicken. I’ve used what I’ve learned from copywriting to find top-notch employees when my competitors were complaining about the lack of skilled candidates. I’ve helped friends find work with super-strong resumes and cover letters. I’ve helped others develop strategies to get hoped-for bonuses. (I showed them, for example, how much more effective it is to send a carefully worded memo outlining their accomplishments, cost savings, etc. than just to ask the boss for a review.) I’ve also used my skills to support several “The best way to get a good causes that are important to me. I’ve written letters to influence members idea is to get a lot of ideas.” of my community to vote for or against — Linus Pauling certain proposals — pointing out real benefits for them that they might not have been aware of. And I’ve helped create successful fundraisers for my children’s schools and Little League teams. (Now, that’s glicken!) AWAI members have used their persuasive copywriting skills to save thousands of dollars on auto repair, to get elected to public office (a lifelong dream) … even to woo a wife!

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There’s So Much You Can Do With the Secrets You’re About to Learn There are so many unexpected ways to use your copywriting skills to make money, acquire some luxuries, and generally make your life more satisfying — even if you decide to retire from copywriting some day. The point is, being able to sell with words will bring you much more than money. It will bring you a lifetime of interesting work, enjoyable experiences, and unlimited challenges. You’ll be better able to solve your problems, because you’ll be shrewder, wiser, and more resourceful. Learning from the Masters — Listen as Rebecca explains how your copywriting can take a dramatic leap forward by following past and current copywriting masters.

iting r w y p o C f o MASTERS David Ogilvy on The Science of Advertising By Mark Morgan Ford, Paul Hollingshead, and Don Mahoney

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avid Ogilvy wasn’t born with a silver quill in his hand, to debase a phrase. He grew up in Lewis Carroll’s house in Guildford, England, the child of a “bigoted agnostic” father and “a beautiful and eccentric Irishwoman.”

At the age of nine, in 1919, he was sent to private boarding school where he was known to be smart but argumentative. In 1931, he was expelled from Oxford. From there he traveled the world, taking odd jobs and playing the bon vivant while his boyhood friends were becoming successful young doctors and lawyers and politicians.

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Seventeen years after his ignominious departure from Oxford, he started a small advertising business on Madison Avenue in New York City. His natural talent for argument — combined with a determination his colleagues envied — brought him early success. He started with smaller clients who spread the word, and soon middle“To succeed, we must first believe sized and even national accounts were beckoning for his copywriting we can.” — Michael Korda services. By the time his advertising business was full-grown, as he liked to say, its clients’ revenues exceeded the revenue of Her Majesty’s government.

A Copywriting Legend By almost any standard, David Ogilvy must be considered one of the all-time great copywriting masters. Not only did he create one of the largest and most successful advertising agencies in history (which stimulated billions of dollars in sales), he also made himself a handsome fortune doing so. David Ogilvy spent the last few years of his life living in a beautiful château in France, not far from the château where Bill Bonner now spends a great deal of his time. Ogilvy’s credentials include breakthrough advertisements for American Express, the American Cancer Society, AT&T, Arrow Shirts, Bell Telephone, the Book-of-the-Month Club, Bristol-Myers Company, Bromo Seltzer, Cadillac, Campbell Soup, Ford Motor Company, Greyhound Bus, Guiness Stout, Hallmark Cards, Hathaway Shirts, International Paper, and Ivory Soap — just to name a few. Like Claude Hopkins, David Ogilvy developed and promoted many of the most useful concepts advertisers use today. One of the most fundamental and important was this: Advertising should work.

Sell the Product If that sounds absurd, it shouldn’t. Even today, most agencies on Madison Avenue don’t care a whit whether the ads they write (and charge their

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clients for) actually sell. The advertising geniuses we read about in novels and view on television are visionaries who conjure up works of art. They receive awards and the praise of their colleagues. They are talked about at cocktail parties. They hobnob with professional athletes and movie directors. All that glitters is not gold, and in the world of advertising that’s an understatement. Ogilvy and Claude Hopkins were pioneers in understanding and promoting the idea that great advertising had one primary purpose — to sell the product. Early in his career, Ogilvy observed that far too often the copywriters he knew talked incessantly about “creativity” and seldom about whether their ads actually worked. In Confessions of an Advertising Man (Athenaeum, 1963), Ogilvy writes that although he wrote his share of “creative” ads, he never strove to write creatively. Instead, he focused his talents on presenting the product in a way that made it attractive. No, irresistible. His sole concern: making sure the client made more money from his ad than he spent to produce it.

Write for Your Customer — Not Your Client That’s a radical idea to some. There are actually three schools of thought when it comes to defining good advertising. The cynics claim it is merely and only whatever the client likes — and is willing to pay for. These hardened souls argue that the smart copywriter writes solely to please his client. If his client wants the headline to consist of four words, each beginning with X, so be it. If the client wants the ad to talk about him, that’s okay, too. The well-known advertising man Raymond Rubicam, founder of worldfamous ad agency Young & Rubicam, best expresses the second view. Rubicam is reported to have said that good advertising is that which makes a dual impression: The public buys it and the industry is impressed by it. The public and the advertising world, Rubicam said, remember “great advertising for a long time as an admirable piece.”

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Ogilvy says good advertising is that which “sells the product without drawing attention to itself.” Instead of saying, “What a clever advertisement,” Ogilvy admonishes, the prospect should say, “I never knew that before. I must try this product.” Ogilvy has said that it is the duty of the copywriter to “conceal his artifice.” When Aeschines spoke, his countrymen said, “How well he speaks.” But when Demosthenes spoke, they said, “Let us march against Phillip.” Ogilvy was for Demosthenes. During his reign as head of Ogilvy Good advertising is that which Advertising, he forbade the word “sells the product without drawing “creativity.” He urged his magazine and television writers to study attention to itself.” and emulate the work of direct— David Ogilvy response copywriters like John Caples, Book-of-the-Month Club founder, Harry Scherman, and Vic Schwab, author of the classic “How to Write a Good Advertisement: A Short Course in Copywriting.”

How Does Your Product Benefit Your Readers? The copywriter’s primary task, he said, was to understand how his product benefited the prospect audience, list those benefits, and then decide which of them to stress. Ogilvy realized that the best ads were those that featured one benefit prominently and subordinated the rest, so there could be little or no room for doubt in the prospect’s mind. By identifying benefits and stressing the strongest, the copywriter could evoke the greatest possible response. And evoking response was his primary duty. Benefits are usually expressed, directly or indirectly, as promises. “How to Make $800 a Day Selling Lemonade” presents a benefit (making $800 a day), but it is especially effective because there is the implied promise in “How to” (that if the prospect reads this ad, he will know how to make $800 a day selling lemonade). Promises. Promises. Two hundred fifty years ago, essayist, poet and author Dr. Samuel Johnson said, “Promise, large promise,

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is the soul of an advertisement.” And Ogilvy agreed. If you get the promise right (by identifying and stressing the strongest benefit), the product will practically sell itself. It won’t much matter whether you express yourself in perfect English, so long as the ideas are clear and easy to understand. Figuring out what promise sells best is not a creative effort, according to Ogilvy. It isn’t the copywriter’s job to guess what headline to write, but to write one based on some kind of empirical evidence. Ogilvy advised his writers to go to libraries and out on the street and research the buying habits of their intended audiences. Study trade journals, he advised them. And read all the data you can that pertains to the ultimate buying decision. Understand demographics, psychology, and economic trends, but most of all research the actual results of advertising campaigns similar to those you are engaged in. Direct marketing is all about measuring responses. Gauging one promise against another, one headline, one benefit, one price. Make your decisions scientifically, he exhorted.

Advertising as a Science Ogilvy believed in the scientific approach to advertising, because he recognized that it was only through the process of systematically testing and measuring responses that one could ever arrive at a reliable understanding of how and why consumers respond. Since he firmly believed that the The advertisers who believe in the copywriter’s most important job selling power of jingles have never was to sell the product (and not make himself look clever), it was had to sell anything. only natural that he would come — David Ogilvy to embrace and defend directresponse copywriting as the highest and best form of copywriting. That is one of the reasons we direct-response copywriters like David

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Ogilvy. He rose to the top of the advertising business. He won awards. He was widely acclaimed. He had all the fame and fortune any writer could hope to achieve. And yet he never forgot his roots, or abandoned the practical sense that gave him his great achievements. David Ogilvy was the quintessential direct-response copywriter. Take a hint from David Ogilvy. The next time you feel that irresistible “writerly” urge to embellish your copy, to elevate your language, to write in such a way that your prospect’s attention will be drawn to you and not the product — well … restrain yourself. There is a reason direct-response copywriters make more money than any other kind of writer. And that reason was recognized by David Ogilvy a long time ago. Heed it and prosper. Listen as legendary ad man, David Ogilvy, talks about the value of direct-response copywriting…

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Suggested Reading

Suggested Reading How “Structural Priming” Will Make You a Better Copywriter,” by Will Newman “How I Went From Layoff to Payoff,” by Penny Thomas “Who is Elmer Wheeler … and how can he boost your response rate?” by John Wood Ogilvy, David. Confessions of an Advertising Man. Atheneum 1963; revised 1989 More about American advertising pioneer: Raymond Rubicam

Additional Resources AWAI Members-Only Groupsite Forum Direct Marketing Association “AWAI’s Hall of Fame: Great Selling Ideas from 50 Super-Successful Direct-Mail Letters and Direct-Response Ads” Direct Response Jobs — http://www.directresponsejobs.com AWAI Wall of Fame — http://www.awaionline.com/wall-of-fame/ American Writers & Artists Inc. Panel of Experts Elance oDesk Flexjobs MediaBistro

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