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2 women who boosted my
copywriting biz to new heights!
Hiya
CopyStar,
Did I tell you this is my 10th year
anniversary as a freelance
copywriter? Yep - Happy Anniversary
to me!
In fact, it was January 1999 when I
officially hung up my freelance
shingles - and never looked back on
corporate America!
And I remember that it was August
this time a decade ago - I still
hadn't gotten a copywriting client -
and I was really starting to sweat
bullets!
Fortunately, I had ONE client who
hired me as a mail plan consultant -
so I was at least bringing in some
steady income. But I still hadn't
broken into copywriting - my REAL
goal - yet.
But perseverance paid off and I got
my "big break" writing copy for a
male potency product-and as the
saying goes, "the rest is herstory..."
A decade later, I'm still wearing my
P.J's and bedroom slippers to work -
and lovin' my job! As I reflect on
my freelance career, I realized that
I made a bunch of mistakes - but I
also made a few good moves - and
that's what I want to talk about in
this issue:
3 good moves
that helped me work fast... boost my
income... and establish me as an
A-Level Copywriter!
One of the BEST
moves I made didn't happen until my 5th
year in biz. It was a simple move - but
it changed the entire way I worked my
business. Wanna know what it is?
Good Move
#1: I "niched" myself!
Yep - when I
stopped trying to be a "Jill of all
Trades" - writing financial, health,
self-improvement and you name it copy -
and specialized in writing primarily for
the alternative health field - it
changed my life in 3 ways:
#1: Worked faster! No
more trying to learn a new market place
with every new project. I stayed in the
health field and I got to know it inside
and out. The result? Shorter learning
curve and faster turnaround time for my
project. Bottom line: I went from
writing 6 packages a year to 12! Yep - I
doubled my copywriting income and nearly
tripled my royalty income in one fell
swoop!
#2: Became an "expert" in my
industry. Who woulda thunk that
turning down jobs would actually give me
MORE business! Certainly not me -but
it's true.
Once I started
letting prospects know I specialized in
the alternative health field and
actually turned down non-health projects
- and recommended OTHER copywriters for
those jobs - I was getting more requests
to write health promos.
Prospects saw me as a focused specialist
in one area. And if health was their
field - they wanted a health specialist!
And the other writers I referred for the
jobs I turned down actually reciprocated
and gave my name to clients looking for
a health writer! Bottom line: I was now
only working in the industry I loved and
gaining more experience with every
project to build onto the next. Plus, I
was invited to speak at seminars and
webinars and dubbed "an alternative
health specialist writer." Woo hoo!
#3: Multi-tasked and multiplied
my income! Now that my schedule
was set with mostly health projects - I
had a better picture of what was in
store for my next 6 months. So if I knew
I was going to work on a hormone...
colon... heart... and liver projects - I
would create a dump file for each
project. And as I'm working on one
project - I may come up with an idea
that doesn't fit well with that project
- but would be PURRfect for another
project.
So I jot down the idea and throw it in
the dump file. Many times, when I'm
ready to start a new project - I've
already got 5...10...20 pages or more of
research copy/ideas already in the file!
The package nearly writes itself - and I
just collect the checks! Like I said
earlier: working FASTER + Being more
EFFICIENT = Additional INCOME!
By the way, I do take on occasional
non-health related projects - just to
avoid burnout. You can check out my
Oprah project if you haven't seen it
yet:
Oprah promo
Ok, so that was my
first good move. This next move proved
to be a huge time saver - and a major
credibility booster for my promotions.
What is it you ask?
Good Move
#2: Got a researcher!
I didn't take this
great step until about 5 years ago - but
boy am I glad the light bulb finally
went off in my head!
Here's how my life was "pre-researcher":
Client offers me a job. Client sends
"whatever he has" about the product.
This may include previous samples,
research on the product, books,
articles, newsletters about the doctor
and product samples.
If I didn't get enough good stuff - I
would now spend hours searching the
internet trying to find it. Very time
consuming. Very exhausting.
Now, here's my life "post-researcher":
BEFORE I accept an assignment, I ask the
client about the research information he
has. If it's not adequate, I highly
recommend he/she get a researcher who
can deliver a solid copywriting kit full
of credible sources, information on each
nutrient in the product, and whatever
else is needed to support any claims the
client makes about the product. This has
proved beneficial in soooohhh many ways.
Here are just a few:
#1: It makes the client
accountable for his product. My
job is to write convincing sales copy -
not to develop the client's product. If
the client isn't sure what his unique
selling proposition is - he usually
doesn't have credible research. How
could he? He doesn't know what the heck
he's selling or who he's selling to!
Good research helps ground the client
and his product and helps me pinpoint
and highlight the best the product has
to offer.
#2: You get MASSIVE credibility
in your copy. A good researcher
is a hidden gold mine. She gets you
reputable sources, expert testimonials
and a bunch of other essential
credibility factors - and that helps
your copy KICK BUTT!
#3: You save lots of TIME.
Before I had a researcher, here's how my
day went:
Ok, I'm working on a sidebar about gout.
So I go online and search "gout". Then I
see gout is arthritis of the foot. Foot?
Hmm... I need some new shoes. And the
next thing you know - I've spent 2 hours
online shopping and ordered 6 pairs of
shoes! No kidding!
With a researcher - I can leave space in
my copy for specific research I need
with a note that said "credibility quote
to come" - and then I keep on writing
without getting distracted!
Now, don't go thinking I'm stuck-up and
don't do ANY research at all. I do. But
my research stays focused on ideas that
are relevant to the theme and direction
I'm going with my promo - not to general
positioning of the product. And I'll do
personal research on my down time - not
during key copywriting hours!
So where do you
get a good researcher?
Well, I'm
fortunate to work with one of the BEST
in the industry. Her name is Sandy
Ferguson - and she's DA BOMB at "digging
stuff up". Sandy and I have worked
together so long - she instinctively
knows the stuff I like.
When I get a copywriter start kit with
Sandy's research - I know I've got some
good gems! Plus, she's adaptable and
easy to work with - and that's
priceless! We've created NUMEROUS
winners in the past 5 years.
You can check out Sandy's website at:
www.FergusonResearchGroup.com
Now - I gotta tell
you - this 3rd good move - took me
around the world - without ever leaving
my house! Here it is...
Good Move #3: Got a website!
Yep - it was just
3 years ago that I finally entered
cyberspace. And quite honestly, I
wouldn't have done it without the help
of my webmistress Lynnette Taylor!
Lynnette got my website up and running
while I was away on a beach vacation.
Since then, she's grown the site to
include samples of my controls - and
even added an e-store!
But here's how my website REALLY made an
impact on my business:
#1: No
more mailing out samples!
Pre-website: I used to talk to a
prospect and when he asked for my
samples, I'd tell him I'll overnight
them to him. Guess what?
In this day and age - overnight mail is
TOO SLOW!
Within 24 hours - the prospective client
has already forgotten about our
conversation and is dealing with a bunch
of other work-related stuff. That means
when my samples arrive - they get put
aside on the "to do" pile - and probably
end up in the trash UNREAD.
Post-website: I talk to a client and
when he asks for samples - I just give
him my website address:
www.carlinecole.com. Usually
WHILE WE'RE TALKING - he's checking out
my site and my samples. But it gets even
better...
... I get calls from prospective clients
who say they've seen my website and my
samples - and want to book my schedule
with the first phone call! Yep, my
website has paid for itself time and
time again!
#2: International recognition.
Great news is that direct mail is
starting to grow in other countries -
especially Europe. I've gotten several
calls just in the past few months from
European mailers who want me to write a
package for them - and they'll translate
my English promo into their language.
They now know me as the "American
copywriter woman who writes kick butt
copy".
The title's a little long for my
business card - but I LOVE IT! I would
NEVER have met these folks if it wasn't
for my website! What's more, when I get
my European samples - I can impress the
heck out of my friends with how fluent
I've become in Dutch, German AND French
- overnight!
#3: Passive stream of income:
Like I said, direct mail is growing in
foreign countries. But while you and I
get dozens of promotions in the mail
each week - international folks get
little to none! Mailers and foreign
writers are desperately trying to "stay
in the loop" to read promos.
So Lynnette set up an e-store right on
my site. Now, anybody in the world can
get copies of my promos. Some of these
promos are "classics" - no longer in
print - and can only be found in my
e-store.
Plus, I offer e-books and other
copywriting services in the e-store.
The e-store makes life easier for folks
searching to find strong controls to
study. And it creates a passive stream
of income for me. That's win-win. You
can check out my e-store at: e-store
So do you have a
website? If not - WHY NOT?
Don't worry - if you need help getting
started - I'll share my webmistress
Lynnette with you. She's reasonably
priced and she'll create a site that's
"Taylor-Made" for you. Contact her at:
Lynnette@TaylorMadeSolutions-4u.com.
There you have it
- my 3 best moves that boosted my
copywriting career to new heights - and
the 2 amazing women who helped me get
there. None of these moves is brain
science - but man do they WORK! So go
for it!
Call Sandy and Lynnette - and tap into
their vast knowledge so YOU can get your
business on the fast tract and rake in
the moolah too!
Back to Dallas!
My grandson Dallas
just turned 6 months old - and life will
never be the same. He's mobile. Yep,
he's up on all 4's crawling, pulling and
yanking anything in his path!
And Dallas LOVES hair (maybe 'cause he
doesn't have much of his own!) I think
I've got a couple of bald spots from
where he latched on to my locks and
wouldn't release until my scalp said
UNCLE!
He's saying "Mama" and "Da Da". But more
importantly, he KNOWS ME - and breaks
out in a grin whenever he sees his
"Coco"! That just melts my heart!
Ok, here's my favorite Dallas photo for
the month:
"Irish" Dallas at 5 months
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