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How to overcome fear
and write copy that ROCKS!
Hi
CopyStar,
Dan G. writes:
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Hi Carline,
Love your newsletter. Since you asked
for feedback, here's my 2 cents...
I've read several articles of yours
dealing with that little negative voice
telling you that you suck as a
copywriter, etc. I've gotten a lot out
of how you handle that... and it's also
nice to know I'm not the only one
suffering from this.
I would like to read more about how you
deal with this.
Anyhoo... thanks for the newsletter.
You're an inspiration. Lots of respect!
All the best,
Dan
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What Dan?
You think successful, A-list copywriters
experience negative emotions?
Moi?
You betcha, dude!
In fact, just about every top level
copywriter I've ever spoken to has to
overcome those little voices that say, "You
suck". Here are a few tips I use regularly
and believe me - they work!
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Embrace
the fear!
Face it: Fear is a good motivator.
I fear being homeless, so I get up to work every
day. I fear the law of gravity, so I don't jump
out of 5-story buildings.
So, fear of failure can also motivate you to
success. Next time the negative tape kicks in,
try this:
Go ahead and let that tape play. But this time,
listen to it like a typical teenager - arms
crossed, head bobbing from side to side and
rolling your eyes. In other words, with
ATTITUDE!
When the tape is over, say, "Ok, are you done?
Because I'm going to prove you
wrong...Wrong...WRONG!"
If you already have a successful promotion, find
it and re-read it. Then ask yourself: "Hey, who
wrote this killer copy? Oh, yeah, I DID - and I
can do it again!"
Then get your butt in gear and move on to ...
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Baby
step your way to success!
If the project overwhelms you, then set some
small goals. For example...
Day 1: Just open the start
kit box and peek inside. Don't take out the
contents. Just see if anything immediately
grabs your attention. If not, that's ok.
You've accomplished your goal for the day.
Day 2: Remove contents and
organize your material.
Day 3: Read just one thing.
After that, stop. If you're starting to get
excited, then go ahead - you can read
another thing ... and another ... get the
picture?
Baby steps help you break down a large,
overwhelming job into small, manageable
tasks. If you're an organized person, then
schedule out the project. For example ...
By week 1: I plan to write
an outline.
By week 2: I will work on
sidebars.
Me? I'm more of an eclectic writer - I just
start reading and when I get an "aha" moment
- you know, when you read something that
just grabs your attention - I type up my
thoughts on the computer. For example ...
... I worked on a project for a major health
mailer for a book on diabetes. As I read the
book, I typed up interesting factoids and
bullets. I also jotted notes for possible
sidebars and came up with three potential
headlines.
By the time I finished reading the book, I
had the guts of the package already written.
All I needed to do was organize my thoughts,
add some additional connective paragraphs,
fine tune the copy and finalize the sucker!
A project that originally overwhelmed me was
now painlessly completed!
And several times throughout the reading
process, I purposely took the time to ...
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Dream
... Dream ... DREAM!
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I
would read about 30 pages of the book, and then
take one of many fantasy breaks. Imagine this:
Your client calls you on the phone and says,
"Carline (YOUR name goes here, by the way) we
LOVE the package! We think it's killer copy and
we love working with you!"
Then imagine so many royalty checks coming in
the mail that you have to buy a mailbox the size
of a Bull Mastiff dog house to handle all that
moolah! (Ok, - I said FANTASIZE!)
Now, as you reach your daily or weekly goals,
make sure to ...
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Copywriting
Boot Camp on
Steroids update
Things are moving along as we put
together our first-ever Boot Camp on
Steroids. My Conference Coordinator,
Miriam Saccomani, has been phenomenal
helping me plan this event. So, let me
give her a shout out right now:
THANKS, Miriam "Smack yo
mommie"!
Hey, and I can tell you another thing:
The folks who have already signed up are
definitely not shy at telling me what
they want to get out of this boot camp:
personal mentoring!
So that's exactly what you'll get! In
addition to me walking you through my
entire copywriting process - learning
how to create killer headlines...finding
the "hook" of your package...creating
killer sidebars...choosing the best
testimonials... honing in on the
offer...and going for the close...
I'm also carving out some serious 1-on-1
face time to help each and every one of
YOU with YOUR biggest copywriting
challenges! Phew! I think I'm going to
be exhausted when it's over - but it'll
be well worth it for you - and me too.
Why?
Because I'm hoping to find one (or 3 or
so) future copy cubs who can help me
with upcoming projects! Meeting you face
to face at the boot camp and seeing how
you work - and take crits - gives me a
great opportunity to know if I want to
work with you in the future! So this
1-on-1 mentoring thing will be a win-win
situation!
If you haven't
signed up for the boot camp yet - why
the heck not?
Remember, this is your one-and-only
chance to attend this first-ever boot
camp!
Even though Miriam is a great help -
this seminar biz takes a lot of time and
work! So I'm pretty sure this will be a
never repeated event! I guess I've
gotten lazy just sitting on my butt in
my office writing copy - and collecting
my royalty checks! I like that lifestyle
- I don't want to go back to "work" ever
again!
By the way, I've gotten several requests
from readers asking for a monthly
payment plan to pay the Boot Camp fee.
If a lump sum payment is preventing you
from attending this event - send me an
email at
carlinecole@bellsouth.net and we'll
work it out!
There's a handful of seats still
available - and once they're gone -
THAT'S IT! So invest in yourself - and
make the decision today to boost your
copywriting skills to new heights! I
promise to do my part to help you at the
Boot Camp on Steroids! Click
Here!
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