Hey, I Need Your Help Here…

Ken says:

Hey John,

I learned copywriting mostly from AWAI’s course. I’ve read many other books about it and studied other copywriters, including you… ahem.

But it took me forever to get started with it. I remember really wanting to do it but taking forever.

For me, it was sheer lack of confidence and fear. Fear that I couldn’t be a good copywriter, and fear of ‘putting myself out there.’

As for the people you bang yourself in the head over…

I really believe it’s a combination of things. Probably the same things I experienced and others. I do know, as do you and others here I’m sure, that people look at writing like going to the dentist. Or having dental work done with no pain-killer.

You know many, most?, people are kinda lazy. Right? And you know writing can be hard work, especially in the beginning. I think that scares people. Almost every person who knows what I do has stated the following: “I can’t write.” Or… “I hate writing.”

I think it’s a combination of all of the above, as well as other things I didn’t think of.

And I think you know all that stuff, too. 🙂

See ya… Ken

John Carlton replies:

Thanks, Ken. Good input.

John

Michael in his jungle headquarters says:

Hey John,
This is a good thing for me to look at right now.
My biggest frustration around writing copy is working out what to say in a way that will connect with my prospects hot buttons. I’m no salesman in print yet but that’s an aside.

It is hard work for me because I’m also running live trainings and creating digital stuff too. I guess it hasn’t really hit home about how important the copy really is…despite being absolutely in awe of writers like your good self and other ace marketers…

I’m scanning around inside my cranium for any more info that will assist you to assist folks like me.

I guess the biggest issue or challenge is not knowing where to start and also not knowing what to do. maybe not in that order….!!

Hope that this helps,

Mike the Thai Guy

Marilyn says:

I have two major problems when it comes to writing copy. I have no personality and I can’t for the life of me change a feature into a “benefit” without sounding like a complete wanta-be faker. It sounds so put on and full of hype.

As to my personality, I keep trying to sound like a professional rather than someone people can relate to, even when I know it’s not the best way to get people to buy…feelings of Inferiority maybe? I actually never though of that before…hummm?

Now you’ve got me thinking! 🙂

John Carlton replies:

This is good insight, Marilyn. Thanks.

John

Karen says:

Great question!

For me, every marketing venture is an attempt to deeply (very deeply) understand human nature and what REALLY motivates people.

Then, when (if) I really, reeeeally ‘get’ it, the trick is to curl that around the fact that people are basically selfish – and they would rather satisfy desires than needs.

All my problems go something like that.

Does that help?

Paul Simister says:

John I am sure you see the irony of a world class copywriter and trainer saying “… I often run into a brick wall trying to get entrepreneurs and biz owners to truly understand the importance of writing.”

It reminds of a copywriting client of my marketing coaching who also found it difficult to write copy for that business.

The hardest thing is to get into the mind of your prospective target so that your copy reads like their inner voice and it crystallises the unspoken words of the subconscious.

The best way to solve the problem?

Ask them.

Ooo that’s what you are doing.

John Carlton replies:

Ooh, you got me.

This is research, Paul, as you noted. The best kind of research, too — straight from people who won’t blow smoke or mess with the truth of the way they see things. Readers of this blog, I’ve noticed, are a smart box of cookies. (Exemplified by you, here — clever, funny, and insightful. That’s why I’m going to you guys with this…)

Thanks for the post.

John

Rexanne says:

To those who feel that writing good ad copy is a form of manipulation … step back a foot and think about what you’re doing.

If ALL YOU DO is write ad copy, then yes, it’s a form of manipulation.

If you’re not worried about “writing good ad copy” but more concerned with writing good copy, period, you’ll be better off.

Likewise, if you’re trying to sell something via the written word that you know nothing about then you absolutely ARE manipulating your audience and don’t deserve their attention.

I don’t have blocks when writing copy – sorry John. Wish I could add to your quest and give you reasons but they just aren’t there.

Write about what you know, believe in and are passionate about.

If you’re stuck writing ad copy about a product or service that you know nothing about, don’t even like or are getting paid huge to write, then get to know all you can about that product or service so you CAN write good and converting ad copy FROM THE HEART.

Change your mind set towards your prospects and you’ll thrive.

Michael D. Walker says:

Hi John,
Great question with several answers as near as I can tell.

1. A lot of business folks/entrepreneurs I know don’t
like to write. They want to get into the nuts and bolts and bounce ideas around but god forbid you mention writing copy.

To them it sounds like being chained to a damn desk and
even worse, feels like being back in school with rules about
spelling & good grammar and all that crap.

They became entrepreneurs so they dont have to do
crummy desk work. They’d rather hire someone to write
for them.

2. Personally, I like writing. I know…need to have my head examined. But even with 30 published articles to my credit
in entertainment magazines, I found myself struggling to
write copy because I really have a tough time putting myself into my prospective customer’s head.

Sure, guys I admire like you, David Deutsch, Mike Morgan, Frank Kern, and Eben Pagan all say “do a survey”. But there’s two
problems I struggle with even after doing an ASK campaign.

Prob 1: 52 different answers, no clear cut top 3 or top 6 answers. Damn! I’ve got a list that wants such a broad range of stuff i don’t know where to start.

Prob 2: So I decide to tackle one answer at a time. But I’m still getting poor response rates on emails and I assume it’s cuz I still have a hard time getting into their head.

How so?

Well, I’m a self-driven rags to riches kind of guy so my answer to all problems is: Go study the living hell out of it and become a mini-expert on it. So, I admittedly do a poor job putting myself in their shoes.

I’m slowly getting better at it each time I write and winning your Kick Ass Copy Writing Secrets would ratchet my success up many a notch but I suspect many entrepreneurs are like me in that they are action takers and have a tough time getting into their customer’s head when they finally do decide to park their butt
behind the desk and take a stab at writing copy.

Long answer but hope it helps provide some insight….

Keep kickin’ ass!

Michael

Garrett says:

Well John, I’d like to take a crack at this. Maybe swing for the bleachers, but what the hell, you asked me nicely and I’d like to help you out.

I think there are a couple problems that newbies face when writing copy for the first time.

— #1 —-

You have to talk to the market! Press their hot buttons and game over. This is the only principle you really need to understand, in my opinion.

— #2 —-

They let ideas skip through their head without writing it down. I get ideas in the weirdest of places… so I text myself notes on my cell phone if a pen and paper aren’t handy. Gee, a stylus sounds cool, doesn’t it?

— #3 —

Writing copy shouldn’t even be like selling. How about just skipping the ‘sales page’ and going straight for the jugular.

——–

Of course there are many other reasons, but I would say people don’t unsderstand how to simply talk to the market. They think they have to have these ridiculous headlines, when in fact, they just need to press the 1 hot button, in a real and transparent way.

Love your stuff. Keep it comin.

Tom Brownsword says:

John,

Is it resistance — or is it something else that is preventing people from taking up copywriting? I think it’s something else — because once you realize that you need to be a copywriter, you simply get up off your backside and do it. The resistance disappears.

Take me (especially if it involves a free copy of your Marketing Rebel course!). I’ve been seriously studying this “marketing thing” for over three years now and just yesterday realized that I must be a copywriter to reach the level of success I desire (it’s your fault that I came to this realization, by the way — and I’ll be glad to tell you that story if you choose me as the winner of this contest. I’m ready for your course!). And once I realized this important fact, there wasn’t any resistance. None. In fact, I only found out about this contest because I decided to act on my decision. I was visiting your website to see if I could buy something to learn more about copywriting — and here you are, giving away a copy of What I Was Looking For. Think I’ll wait a few days to see who wins your contest before buying…

So for me, it wasn’t resistance; it just took me forever to realize that I need to be a copywriter.

What took so long? Why did I wait over three years before deciding to be a copywriter?

1. There are so many other so-called “must have” skills, tricks, tactics, techniques — and just plain “distractions” that are preventing people like me from realizing that being a copywriter is the Most Important Thing. Like me, most people have the attention span of a hyperactive gnat that just chugged ten double expressos (with pure white cane sugar), and sure, copywriting is important — but hey, there goes a neat looking AdSense technique… No, wait, what was that affiliate strategy I just saw in my Inbox… Wow! Another super great forum post about article marketing…

How do you cut through that noise to get people’s attention instead of waiting for THEM to finally realize that there’s nothing more important than being a copywriter? Waiting for people like me to realize that could take years!

2. Far too many people associate writing with hard work. It was your confession that you are lazy that was one of the final nails in my “you’re now a copywriter” coffin (again, the full story is yours… Just ship that course to me!). But being a long-time system and network administrator, I know what you mean when you say that you are “lazy”.

On countless occasions I have written little scripts that will save me ten seconds worth of worth. On countless occasions, those little scripts have taken me hours to write. In other words, I’ll work long and hard to come up with a solution that’s going to save me ten seconds worth of work every morning — and the same principles applies to copywriting. You work long and hard to get the sales letter right — and can then sit back and let it bring in cash for a long time. THAT’S when you get to be “lazy”, and that’s the kind of laziness I want.

Sadly, lots of people want 100% laziness. They don’t want to do ANYTHING. And while writing a sales letter (or doing anything else worth doing) almost always involves hard work, the prospect of actually having to do something (especially something like writing) keeps people away — at least until the day they realize that they are going to have to do SOMETHING, so it might as well be writing sales letters.

In other words, copywriting *IS* hard work, and most people are just too lazy to do it — so they slip back into caffeinated gnat mode to find something easier. The real problem is getting people to realize that they need to do some work if they are going to find success.

And finally, to perfect the Triad…

3. People associate “copywriter” with “work for hire”. It just dawned on me yesterday that I can get somebody else to create the product, build the website, and All That Stuff pretty cheap — but writing a good sales letter costs money. So why not just write the sales letters for my own products and outsource the rest? It will still be my product, right? That way, I never have to sell my money for time if I don’t want to; I won’t just be another commodity for sale to the highest bidder. I’ll be writing for myself, which will be more than enough.

Not many people understand this.

So there it is. Distractions. Laziness. Fear of becoming a for-hire commodity. But the bottom line is that you aren’t a direct response marketer if you can’t write copy. Once you realize this, the resistance disappears — just like it did for me yesterday.

Best regards,
Tom

Isaac says:

Hi John:

Thinking about it… two main things.

1.- Writers block and/or impossibility to seat my butt and get the damn thing done.

You know that one? The product is going to see the light and the copy is not yet done, I’m not Stompernet so I can’t call Kern to fix it after calling you for advice… or sometimes a stinking copy is on the web for months and I must change it because the product is good and could do more sales, but that task is always waiting forever, jumping from one day to another and never being nailed and finished.

2.- Many times I don’t have a clear step by step process (many books read and everyone gives his formula, because they must sell something different of course, many letters in the swipe…), and above all I’ve not my own voice developed yet (working on it)

I know that one can not rely in a “formula” and that writing must come from passion and personality if it has to persuade… in fact when i read sales letter to inspire me I can clearly say (without knowing the writer) that this is Kern, this is Carlton, this is Clayton, this is Bencivenga… and the key is there, they’re themselves and if I try to mimic them many times I suck…

So lack of motivation + absence of clear steps to start = not getting the damn thing done ever…

Just my two cents, I hope it helps.

Regards.

Isaac

Tom Webb says:

First to answer your question about my biggest problem, it is taking in all the knowledge out there. I’m a definitely a rookie (at copywriting) I just found out you existed about 2 months ago and from them on I’ve been studying like a mad man. I run a company that has produced several products (consumer electronics, etc.) and mainly markets them over the web. I’ve bought MANY books from the greats you and other pros have talked about Caples, Ogilvy, Schwab, Schwartz, etc. (oh, and of course Claude Hopkins).

The second part of my problem is then organizing all that information and building it into a consistent, repeatable system of producing good advertisement (using the philosophy from the book “The E-Myth”) so I can eventually turn it over to employees and still have it work right without out my need for daily input.

So how did I go from not knowing you existed to studying like a mad man? With that I’ll try and answer your question about your “brick wall” with entrepreneurs and biz owners. From what I’ve learned in life in getting most people to act differently:

“The pain of change must become less than the pain of staying the same”

For example a person smokes and they’ve heard a hundred times how it’s dangerous and has all these negative effects but they still smoke anyways. Then something bad happens they get cancer or some other problem and all of a sudden they “realize” that smoking does kill people. It’s that moment when all their head knowledge goes into their heart and then they truly believe smoking kills.

What I’m trying to say is experience is the fastest, most effective way to get someone to believe that the pain of change is less than the pain of staying the same. Why else do companies give out free samples of their product?

So if you spent most of your time on finding out (through testing) the most effective way to deliver a remarkable experience of the importance of good copywriting then you should be able to get more people to believe in good copy writing.

Maybe comparisons of good copy vs. bad copy by showing specific stats, response rate, coupon returns, ROI etc. of what a little difference in the headline or parts of the body copy can do to the response rate? As you know specifics always trumps generalities.

I know I’m going to go out on a limb here but if I may…

If you’re having trouble reaching people before they “see it” maybe that’s not your strength? Maybe focusing more on becoming a coach’s coach or at least reaching those who have already discovered the importance of copywriting but don’t know who to turn to for straight forward advice? And you then hire/ partner with someone who excels at getting people to see it but doesn’t enjoy the training part.

Almost always your biggest success lies where you get the most fun, excitement, enjoyment, satisfaction, etc.… If you have to count the minutes until you’re done with that activity you will never be great at it… Of course you also have to have some true talent at it otherwise it’s just a hobby. A great book that helped me focus on my strengths was “Now, Discover Your Strengths” by Marcus Buckingham… maybe you’ve already read it.

Hopefully I don’t sound like a lunatic for what I wrote…

Michelle Matson says:

Hi John,
I’m going to answer your question from a different angle. In my observation working with entrepreneurial, small business owning financial advisors, I think they just don’t know what they don’t know (and maybe they don’t want to know)…

1) They are completely brainwashed by mainstream advertising and marketing ideas. They think that if they pay an ad agency a few thousand dollars to create a logo and a glossy brochure, that it will solve all of their marketing problems. And they want it to be that easy.

2) Because they are already brainwashed, it’s hard to have the “get” that long, direct response copy works, even though it’s not pretty. (Especially in a traditionally uptight financial market)

3) Everybody wants the easy fix, silver bullet that will magically grow their business. The last thing they want to hear is that they have to hone a new skill, that they percieve will take them away from the things they do to keep their business going. I think the general opinion is that writing is hard and painstaking, and they are far too caught up in the day to day of their business to redirect their focus on it.

The irony is that copywriting is probably the closest you can get to a magic bullet once you get the hang of it.

As for me, my biggest challenge with writing is feeling confident about it. Since I’m not a natural salesperson, I feel like it’s hard to wake up my inner salesman… but I just try to fake it and keep going.

Hope that helps! Thanks for all you do!
Michelle

John Carlton replies:

Great insight, Michelle.

John

Suresh Nair says:

Hi John,

I think its a simple answer.

Most of us do not appreciate being accosted (in real life, on the phone or online) by a hyperactive, extra-smiley salesperson “pretending” to be interested in our well-being when clearly all he or she wants to do is sell stuff.

So I personally feel more than a little awkward using the exact same approach when trying to sell stuff to other people online, even though copywriters insist that this approach WORKS!

“Do unto others…” etc.

On the other hand I really appreciate receiving and reading well-written, thought-provoking content where the writer quietly lays the facts before me, with all its pros and cons, and leaves me to decide what I want to do next.

My personal struggle is to find this tone in my writing, and not cross over into annoyingly persuasive copy – although this might mean that I will be less successful than I’d like to be.

Answer your question?

Cheers
Suresh

Tom Ash says:

Good Morning John:

I started my website called Agentspayingforward.com with somebody else doing the programming and site creation, but with me doing the copy. I thought I did a decent job, but, much to my dismay, I was told the copy wasn’t very good.

In my case, I tried to explain everything on the first page. The page was too much to read, and, given the collective ADD of this country, there was no way everybody would take the time to read it all. Furthermore, the calls to action weren’t calling loud enough. I hired a copyrighter to clean up the landing page, but I’m now having problems getting the site cleaned up with the programmer.

In todays society our education is pretty putrid, and people can’t write very well – apparently myself included. Professional writers have a huge advantage, since they actually can put to paper what most of us can’t.

Sasha says:

Hi John,
that’s the first time I’m commenting on your blog, so first let me say I’m your great fan. (I know you’ve heard this a thousand times but I do feel obliged so please accept the flowers 🙂 )

I’m gonna talk about one obstacle that probably has been sitting in the head of every beginning copywriter (or any other sales person). That is, the belief in the product you have to sell. We all know that there are excellent, mediocre, not-that-bad and really nasty products. The problem is, we don’t always have a chance to choose what to sell.

You know, when I was a student I took a summer job in a T-shirt store. The owner was a Jew (I’m not prejudiced, that’s just a fact – I believe Jews have a gift to sell things to people). One day he brought a pack of really ugly shirts and said “Sell these out by the end of the summer, you’ll be able to sell anything in your life.” Well there were two T-shirts left on September 1st, but that’s not the point. I mean you have to sell whatever you have to sell. And in the beginning it caused a real problem.

When you’re writing a copy, it’s sometimes just hard to tune your brain for this product and for a couple of days stay cocksure that what you’re offering is the best option for your audience.

Hope that’s useful 🙂

Warm regards,
Sasha

Roy Furr says:

John,

One problem? What the hell? Who has one problem?

🙂

Alright, so my problems are numerous yet I still manage to put ads on paper one after the other.

But I do have one big area I’m improving on now, that you could fast-forward my progress on, I’m sure.

Stories.

I can go down the line on persuasion formulas and make sure my ad contains every little element.

And my ads pull moderately well. But…

They still don’t have the X-Factor of even a measly hacked-out in too-big of a hurry John Carlton blog post.

And from what I can tell the difference is in the story I tell.

(Or lack thereof.)

So just the other day Scott Haines (another member of the Halbert clan, for those who don’t know) recommended one specific tactic for writing more like Gary.

And it involved doing something I was already doing on a recommendation from you.

Reading the Trav McGee books. Polished off The Deep Blue Good Bye in a couple days. Instantly went out and bought Nightmare in Pink.

And I plan to read all 21 one of those friggin things, 1: because they’re so damn good, and 2: because if that’s what it takes to embed the John D. MacDonald/Gary Halbert/John Carlton/Scott Haines storytelling prowess in my lizard brain, that’s what I’m going to do.

But wait… there’s more!

Or, maybe there is.

Is there more?

What else can I do to learn to use stories more effectively in my “salesmanship multiplied?”

Roy Furr

Reed says:

Dear John (couldn’t resist):

To paraphrase Nelson Mandela…”Who am I to be so great?” We think we are not good enough to write the words that connect with the consumer, when in fact we are the only one that can connect to them.

I struggled for months on copy and am still tweaking and evolving mine. It is not perfect, but that is what makes it great. It is getting more genuine, though!

The brick wall is a media driven phenom. We see these conglomerates with large multi-national marketing firms on retainer. We watch ads generated by competitors with marketing departments 5 times the size of our entire business. We are messaged from the day we are born that it needs to be cute, quirky, hilarious, powerful, or downright piercing to get through.

You have 30 seconds to compel someone to fall completely in love with you and your brand or you will perish: have a coke and a smile, just do it, what’s in your wallet, it’s in the game…those messages scream at us that if we do not come up with the same 7 words or less greatness we will FAIL.

Everything is riding on what message I use and how I say it, therefore I need ot hire someone who has done it before or who is trained to do it. Most of us do, with dismal results because what is said is nothing like we envisioned and does not do justice to our passion!

The reason I need to write the copy is I know my product, I have the passion, I believe in it, and I am the only component that will connect with the consumer.

Once I figured out that what they wanted to hear was honesty, passion, and a genuine message the lights came on in my big dark warehouse.

I went from telling my athletes all about evolving their game, about the next level, and greatness, and not training the status quo to a much more succinct and genuine concept…and the damned truth:

Get fast…the rest will follow. They come to our speed schools to get fast. They get fast and everything else will fall into place.

Our leads have increased by triple and when they sit down with me, now I can talk about confidence, work ethic, athleticism, greatness, focus, discipline, etc….BUT no marketing firm on the face of the earth would have been able to connect to our athletes as well as we did when we just asked ourselves why we were doing what we were doing and the words “get fast” came out.

Kristine says:

Hey John,

I can tell you what I USED to think about copywriting – and the first phrase that comes to mind is “What the hell is it?”.

When I first got started online and began following a few people who I felt were “in the know”, they would always drill “learn copywriting”, “read about copywriting”, “buy a copywriting book”.

And my immediate response was “WHY?”

No one had told me what it was or why it was important. Everyone that seemed to know more than me kept saying to “learn copywriting” but it didn’t sink in because no one really explained why it was important.

And here’s another nugget of information for you, at least from my perspective…

I had so many other things to DO that taking up and learning a brand new skill much less one that no one had explained to me the importance of just wasn’t in the cards.

Because I was so ignorant to the power of copywriting, I never really took it seriously, and just poo-poo’d people who were trying to sell me on it.

So to sum it up, my personal ignorance went something like this:

* I didn’t know what the hell it was;
* I didn’t know why it was important;
* I didn’t want to take the time to learn a new skill
* I didn’t understand the power of words (conversion examples would have been great)
* On a list of top priorities, copywriting (once I DID understand it) fell to the bottom of the list as the last thing I had to worry about.

– Kristine

Caleb Osborne says:

John,

I’ll be honest, I didn’t really have that many setbacks when I first started writing copy. I was so desperate to make money, I studied anything and everything I could find… and I was so willing to make a fool out of myself, that I put a sales letter out online right away…

But what held me back AFTER that point was the same thing that holds everyone back I guess. Laziness. I have trouble getting started on projects… once I get started — BAM!

It’s like I start having fun, I enjoy creating the copy, going through it a couple times and making it sing, etc… but I still always dread getting started on the copy.

I don’t know why really, I’m starting to consciously affirm with myself everytime I write now that “see this is fun, if you had started earlier you would be done by now and reveling in the new copy you’ve created”

But yeah, for me, and I would guess it’s this way for a lot of other writers — it’s getting started that’s the hard part.

Hope this helps!

Later
Caleb

Jason Smith says:

Hey John,

Great Question

In my personal journey I would have to say.

1. Ignorance
2. Poor Prioritization of Information

Here is a brief illustration to support the above points.

It’s your first day of business school you stroll into marketing class with fifty of your peers all eager to learn about the mysteries of marketing. You are ready pen in hand ready to soak up the proverbial wisdom of the ages. The professor stands at the front of the room with an almost messianic glow of the power point surrounding him. A shinning silver chain pulley swings lightly within arms reach of the lectern. He introduces himself and extends his hand towards is new disciples seizing the chain and unleashing chutes of fragrant manure. And you and your pen absorbs the knowledge with an intensity rivaling the first penning of the New Testament. Now after your first year it’s only up to your knees but as you progress and Graduate the level of inform… Manure has completely uncased you. But hope is not lost as you claw your way towards the light you hear the final words of your professor

“Now Figure out what’s IMPORTANT!”

That little irreverent story tends to personify the Ignorance on fire mentality that most college students are ejected from the university womb with.

Now, how would the above scenario be different if at orientation the Dean of the business school stood before you and said WELCOME students to a new year at Hogwarts… I mean BLAHBLAHBALAHHARVARD your only job for the next 4 years of your business education “IS TO GET NEW CUSTOMERS”

Now, how would You or Your Business be different if you filtered everything through the question “HOW IS THIS HELPING ME GET A NEW CUSTOMER?”

And the big revelation for me is copywriting is just the words and format to answer that question.

Still try to separate the critical few tasks from the trivial many

I’m new to the blog and to your material in general but i’m looking forward to learning.

Thanks, Jason

Jay says:

For example, I recently put up a landing page for an e-course that wasn’t converting too many of the clicks AdWords delivered. Eventually I just re-wrote the copy and it did start converting, but before that, I just kept thinking “what the hell, I’m doing seemingly everything right, but it still isn’t working! There must be some obvious mistake I’m making, that I just don’t see. Oh well….”

I would’ve loved to be able to compare my original, non-converting page to a list of commonly made mistakes, pitfalls, shortcomings, etc.

Ken C says:

The biggest challenge I face is in being able to step away from my products/services/seminars enough to do the sales detective work it takes to uncover “The HOOK”.

Incongruous juxtapositions, figuring out how to get a pithy hook into the headline, continues to be a challenge; I create dozens of headline alternates and usually find something that’s pretty good, but hard as heck still to get blockbuster pithy “one legged golfer” type headline hooks/usps for my own stuff.

-ken

Robert Woodring says:

I’m a little odd in my approach to anything. The only way I can learn is by doing, screwing up, shown what is wrong and fixing it. Most of the time I need help learning the basics, once I get past that stage I’m ready.
For me I need internship to learn a new skill. I have never found anything I wasn’t or couldn’t be good at.
I know my niche or market ’cause I am part of that market and I know what the hell I’m talking about when I write about it. My problem is that I tend to lecture and talk down because I’m so passionate about it.
So again the basics, Headline, introduction, body, close. Learn each by repetition in isolation but in order.

Kyle - Former Rat says:

John,

You already know the answer to this, so why are you really asking?

You and Halbert answered this in the Scuttlebutt Series. Gary summed it up with one sentence: “They (inexperienced writers) want to know your TRICK.”

You know there’s no trick. I know there’s no trick. Frank, Rich and Eben know there’s no trick. Anyone whose taken the time to really learn to write copy knows… there’s no trick.

Everyone else is saying: How do I find the hook? How do I write bullets? What should I write first? I can’t find the inspiration? What hot button should I use?

They’re trying to find the one ‘trick’ that will set them ablaze and make it all real for them. And the truth is, that ain’t gonna happen. Not from learning one more copywriting tactic. They won’t know what to do next.

You’ve said it before – some of us “get it” and other don’t. Some of us are willing to put in the time reading the books and copying the ads. Becoming SERIOUS students. Others aren’t. And you can’t change that. You can give them nibblets of information/tactics here and there, and they’ll set out to learn those for a couple weeks.

But they still won’t “get it.”

You know John, more so-called marketers right now are entirely focused on the media (internet).

They’re saying to themselves: “How can I get ranked faster in Google?”… “How can I buy AdWords cheaper?”… “What niche should I go after that’ll make me a bundle really quick?”

But NONE of them want to look at the copy that makes it all work, that brings in the dough. They want software that shows their quality score. They’re concerned with traffic traffic traffic. They’re concerned with staying ahead of the technological curve.

They are woefully unconcerned with their message.

They want to know your trick.

-Kyle (misses the Forum.)

John Carlton replies:

Nice point, even if it’s mine, recycled. Thanks — you’re the only one who brought this up.

JC

Glenys Power says:

I’ve been reading about Internet Marketing since Feb this year. I can tell you that after months of learning and reading the importance of copywriting and especially “How it fits into the big picture” has not come up.

The time suck with information all seams to revolve around SEO PPC, the latest tools, Keyword research and of course all the big launches that fill our email eboxes every day.

So when someone starts to talk copy writing I can understand why most people stare blankly, It just doesn’t seem significant in amongst all the rest of the information that is out there.

Emette E Massey says:

John, you don’t know how happy I am to be participating in this little exercise right now.

Here’s why . . .

For years I’ve said it out loud not only to my wife, kids, and good friends—even folks I don’t know that well “I want to be a copywriter.” I’ve even had the gall to tell folks I AM a copywriter and back it up by writing copy for them on rare occasion.

But here’s the real problem: Time, Distractions and Confidence. I seem to encounter too many distractions during my “quality” writing time. For me quality writing time is usually between the hours of 9 pm till I can keep my eyes and brain open which these days are around 10:30 pm, sometimes 11:00 pm.

And let me tell you, if anyone says writing copy is easy—well that’s just plain bullshit—at least for me anyway (I’m still a raw rookie) it takes every ounce of skull sweat I can muster—and them some trying to get it right!

My daytime gig literally drains me of both mental and physical energy. I provide front line desktop and networking computer support for a large Psych State Hospital of about 1200 staff members.

I typically roll out of bed at 5:30am and usually don’t get home till 6:00pm.

By the time I get home my family and extended family (the critters) demand my time and attention. When it’s finally my writing time my brain is nearly shut down.

Sometimes I try and sneak down to my writing cave in the basement and get a jump on a project or two but soon I’m BUSTED: “Dad, can you help me with this!” or “Honey, did you remember to run by the grocery?

It’s hard enough trying to stay focused when my brain is at full tilt. But trying put out excellent copy (or any copy for that matter) under these circumstances is damn near impossible for me.

And to top it off, I’m afraid of trying to sell my copywriting services to real clients because I feel like they deserve and should receive only my absolute best. And deep down inside I don’t feel at this stage of the game I can honestly do that.

My confidence plummets especially when I’m drained. I’ll sit down at the keyboard and start composing and all of the sudden that little devil sitting on my left shoulder poking with his pitchfork says, “Who are you kidding? You can’t write copy that sells? Leave it to the pros. Besides when do have time to write copy?!”

Yea, I know that I’m no different that anyone else out there. We ALL have something gnawing away our time whether it’s trying to earn our writing chops, dealing with spouses, kids, pets, or full time jobs.

I do believe there is a way to handle this issue while still maintaining your sanity. I’m just not sure how at this point.

John, let me close by saying thank you once again for sharing your marketing brain with us here in your blog! Your insights are invaluable!

Peace,

Emette

peter murphy says:

I notice that a lot of business people, even those who are ok about selling, hold back because of resistance to selling as effectively as possible – referred to negatively and incorrectly labeled as hard sell.

It is as if they feel guilty about having too much power over the prospect and that wouldn´t be right or “nice”.

By buying your stuff this underlying issue would need to be avoided by not using what you teach!

Mark Hammersley says:

Hi John, what stops me from writing adverts?

1) The fear of wasting my money in a magazine. As a business owner it is my money I am spending not a company I work for. Lost money in the past holds me back.

2) The fear of looking like a tit, against my peers in the industry who see my ad and think how lame. (I guess I pretend that this isn’t true but it is)

3) To write good copy you need to know who your customers are and my small business like so many others is all over the place. We rarely have two types of the same customer. This is bad I know but not that easy to solve. I mean you have to pick a market but in the meantime still earn cash to keep going.

4) In my mind some activities have gratification. Such as getting a project finished, fitting fires, solving problems. Writing ads and copy seems to fit in my self indulgent category of things I would like to do more of but cannot. I almost feel guilty writing copy for my business. Having no previous wins with copy means that my brain sees it as a waste of time.

5) My copy sucks.

Hope this helps,

Thanks

Mark

Dan Sauer says:

Thanks to Rich Schefren and his Emergency report, I am here. To whit… my choking point is my copy sucks.

My thoughts on your question are simple, yet very deep in reality.

America has lost the desire to be great. Why be great at anything, when often times ‘good enough’ is well… good enough?

Why expend the time and effort to learn how to write great copy that will sell, when I can spend a few hours searching other peoples ‘average’ websites and ad materials? Right click, copy, paste, done. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me!

I can make a few extra bucks with “my” business. It will pay for a credit card bill or take the family to the movies. Yea, that’s good. It’ll keep em quiet, I’ll look good, and that’s ah… good enough.

Being great at something requires effort. Being great requires time. Being great is not something that can come with the instant gratification that we have come to expect… no demand.

Being great also requires you to be different and not fit in with the masses. Taking responsibility for your own actions and your own situation. It is much easier to sit with the masses, and complain about what you don’t have, as opposed to not doing what you need, to get what you want.

Selling and copywriting is about making people want your products or services. As long as ‘good enough’ copy is acceptable, great copy, and great teachers, just won’t be in demand as “we” don’t want it bad enough.

Personally, I am tired of good enough…

I am looking for great.

John Carlton replies:

You make a great point, though, Dan…

Thanks.

Margaret Gedde says:

People avoid copywriting because it is hard. It is hard because it gets to the core of the complex, dynamic, magical intersection of buyer and seller – the sale.

So why is THAT hard?

Here’s the core for me: Too often when writing copy the person foremost in my mind has been the person who DOESN’T want what I’m selling. The person who will never buy my product and will be critical, mean or even hateful. Maybe make something up and report me to the Feds.

John, I think you call this selling from your heels.

So what happens if instead of focusing on the bottom 20%, we focus on the top 20% or 1% of our audience – the people who have been waiting desperately for what we’re selling?

Writing is much easier and more effective when you write with your fans in mind. Every decent copywriter knows this – get to know your market, and write to them. Narrow your focus to a single person, and write to her.

But if those “ghosts” of disapproval continue to float around in our minds when we write, we can’t reach the person who WANTS to hear from us.

Writer’s block or just avoiding writing is often blamed on perfectionism. Perfectionism is fear of disapproval. And when all I can think of is those who disapprove, fear of disapproval rules.

Let’s face it – there will ALWAYS be someone who disapproves, maybe in an offensive or frightening way. Face the issue, and face the fears. Live with the fact that in taking a stand you may end up with enemies, just for standing up – no matter how completely unjust that is.

Know the bottom 20% are out there. Take any precautions that seem right to you. Then put your “anti-fans” out of your mind.

Focus on your top 20% – the people who love what you have to say and have been waiting for you to show up so they can buy from you. And don’t be surprised when they say, what took you so long?

So John, that may be a piece of it: marketers avoid writing copy out of fear, partly unconscious and not yet faced, that the “haters” will disapprove.

Eric Canja says:

What keeps ME up at night – besides all of the THOUGHTS of becoming a WORLD FAMOUS COPYWRITER – the whimpering of my one year old daughter…

…because I am not sure if she is going to stay awake or fall back asleep

Oh yeah – then there is my other daughter – she usually comes in AT LEAST once a night to tell us she needs a drink of water…

But I guess that’s not exactly what YOU are looking for…

It was about two or three years ago – when I received my first sales letter offering a course on how to make millions by becoming a copywriter – of course…

The “Demon Of Skepticism” reared it’s evil head in my own mind and IMMEDIATELY started blowing it’s fiery flames of doubt in which I had no confidence to extinguish…

Bill says:

Hi John

I find when you ask someone to write it flicks a switch in their brains that signals ‘essays, school, marks, failure, all nighter, doom, destruction’

I can’t remember the last time I worked with an entrepreneur who got an A in English, and actually enjoyed writing.

Business people who enjoy writing are as rare as hen’s teeth. A lot of them have trouble sitting in a chair in a quiet environment…and actually thinking.

One of my clients said that unless their was chaos, panic and disorder…then he couldn’t get anything done.

Why?

Because that was his day-to-day reality of running a busy business. So getting him to sit down and write some notes on his clients and market was like pulling teeth.

When i work with clients I completely avoid the word writing.

So..”can you write a brief bio of yourself, fill in a questionnaire and maybe write me a case study of two”

Has turned into

“We’ll get on the phone and I’ll quiz you on the info i need, don’t worry I’ll record the whole thing so you don’t have to write”

Clients mostly ‘get’ how important copywriting is. Writing is something they left behind in high school…and it aint ever comin back into their life!

Master Of The Universe types not only get it, but learn how to do it really well.

I have a friend who is very successful, and the best I could get him to do was to record one of his sales people during a pitch…and then transcribe it.

I told him he had the structure of a great sales letter and all he had to do was format and plug in guarantee, testimonials, ps etc
“what you mean i have to write them myself? what order do i put them in? Can’t you just write it for me…cheap!”

To make copywriting ‘sexy’ I think you would need to incorporate voice recognition software so they can ‘talk’ the salesletter, letter templates and something like glyphius, just to give it some ‘this is a fun game’ feel. Otherwise, they just don’t wanna write!

Hope that helps

Bill

Yoav says:

Hi John,

Before I begin to answer your question, I’d like to say thay I’m a huge fan.

I read your blog regularly for almost 2 years now and it’s the first thing on my news-feed that gets read.

For me you are THE go-to guy in the copywriting industry. I trust you and believe what you say/write completely.

But I haven’t purchased your stuff yet, here’s why…

I’ve divided my answer into several parts…

My profile (as a potential customer)
—————————————–

I am an entrepreneur. I own and manage a company that develops and sells software.

We use the internet (PPC, SEO, email marketing) as the primary sales medium.

We sell mainly to CPAs and small-business owners.

I also spend between $200-$5000/month on marketing training/information/services

My objections to buying your Stuff
—————————————

1. Becoming a copywriter isn’t a priority for me because

a. I perceive the process as a long and hard one

b. I need actionable tactics that can help me improve my conversion rate in a week or two and not in 6 months

Having said that, if you would produce a product titled (just an example)…

“7 tested Techniques to improve your landing page headline that will increase your conversion rate between 10%-100%”

I would buy it.

And here is the BIG POINT…

If it worked, I’d BUY ALL YOUR STUFF IMMEDIATELY.

Case in point – I bought your “How to get your emails delivered and read” tele-seminar, because that promised to have an immediate impact on my bottom line.

2. Most of the examples you provide in your landing page/blog/interviews are from your famous golf ad or Self-Defence ads.

This makes me doubt that you can help me, because …

a. I sell a boring product. A product that’s not related to anyone’s passion.

b. My product is not an information product (it’s a software product the prospect can evaluate before he buys)

This is important for two reasons:

i) Long copy is less effective because the prospects wants to try out the product ASAP (has no time for my bullshit)

ii) there is no curiosity going on, the prospect can try and see what he’s going to get

Having said that, if the product was titled…

“7 tested Techniques to improve your landing page headline that will increase your conversion rate between 10%-100%

Techniques that work especially well for BORING products like rubber-stamps and Accounting Software”

I would fumble over myself to get the credit card out.

Note:

I believe that 95% of small businesses sell boring stuff.

3. Price point – I have a problem spending more than $100 on an experiment because I’ve bought so many stuff that didn’t work.

Having said that, if the product was priced at $97 I would buy it immediately, considering that the great John Carlton is the source of the information

4. I need advice on what to write much more than I need advice on how to write…

For example, I understand that setting up an auto-responder and following up with prospects can double my sales

However, I don’t know what messages to write in the auto-responder and in what sequence.I know for a fact that repetitive sales messages will anger and alienate my prospects.

Having said that, if you had a product called…

“How to plan and create a kick-ass 50 part autoresponder sequence that will bond your customers to you, make them happy and double your conversion rate…

The kick-ass autoreponder technique works especially well for BORING products like rubber-stamps and Accounting Software”

I would buy that product and if it made sense, I would immediately buy the “Simple writing System” because there’s no sense in producing 50 poorly written emails.

Other Remarks
—————-

1. I’ve got a couple of other products I would gladly buy from you like … “How to use copywriting/email marketing to create a kick-ass perpetual-motion link building campaign”

2. I think that when you analyze the responses to this survey, you should delete all the responses you got from copywriters and focus on those you got from business owners/entrepreneur.

The copywriters here are a smart bunch, but they are not your target audience for this survey and that makes their answers … Just Noise.

Is this “advice” self-serving?

Of course it is. But it’s also true.

3. I apologize for being long-winded and somewhat forward in this response. But I feel deeply indebted to you for all the knowledge you shared with me and I wanted to help

Plus I wouldn’t mind getting a copy of your kick-ass writing course

4. If you’d like to discusses any of the things I wrote here in more detail, I’ll be happy to do so.

Writing VERY long comments and stayin’ frosty,
Yoav

Mark Brighouse says:

Hi John, will try and answer your MAIN question ie What keeps you up at night?

How to block out all the background noise and distraction that the Internet brings with it.

If someone is coming to your site you can bet most people could be going to a dozen other sites and while they pick up things around the sites YOUR problem is how to make people focus on just what John Carlton is saying. Is that posible for you John? What can YOU do that brings people’s eureka moment, when everything else become’s irrelevant and they have seen the light!

John, Eddison said “Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration” We probably all come to your site (and other’s) having put in the 99% perspiration looking for the 1% inspiration from you. I wonder if it is 1% of copywriters who make a decent
living and actually live the dream??

Can that 1% be coached in or is the ability to short circuit your prospect’s brain with there own personal eureka moment, when all the answers they seek are answered and the most natural and sensible thing in the world to do is click the order link to your marvelous offer.

Can that be coached or is it something you “get” or not, John, if you can convince people that you can deliver that 1% then you will indeed be “the man””.

Regards and best wishes to everyone

Mark

BrentSpy says:

John,

Change! This is the main reason I have not implemented more copywriting in my business.

I sell business to business and I know if I make x number of cold calls (yes I said cold calls – it still works for business to business – I just closed a $1.5 million dollar deal and made $30,000 profit off of a cold call.) I will get applications. My pitch is quick, simple, and effective; so why should I change what I am doing? It’s human nature!

In my mind I want copywriting to work, because it might be able to help open up some other opportunities, but for now I will stick to smiling and dialing.

Paul Roberts says:

Some food for thought, John.

The greatest management consultant in the world today, according to INC Magazine, is a man named Ichak Adizes. Google him, and read about the 4 basic types that comprise a successful business, in his way of looking at things. They are PAEI – production, administration, entrepreneurial and integrative/visionary.

All of us in business have one dominant characteristic. Some have two strong ones. No one has all four.

People like you and the late Gary H are pretty much pure E’s as far as I can tell. And your appeal seems to be primarly to others who are very much like you. They get your value proposition, and they agree with it, and they look to you as one of the best in the business.

But most REAL businesses aren’t started and run by E’s. They’re started and run by I’s – the integrative-visionary guy or gal who really sees in his particular product and/or service something that’s going to make this a better world somehow.

And while some of them will appreciate a pure E mindstream yammering at them, a lot of them won’t. It’s like the men are from mars and women are from venus thing. They’re just different kinds of creatures than you are. They don’t get ecstatic about selling as a process, per se. They get ecstatic about building a real company, with real value, and bringing that value to the marketplace. They see selling as a necessary component – but they’re focused on a bigger picture.

A good analogy in rock would be Springsteen..or Bono. They were always about rock n roll, but they always about something a lot bigger than rock n roll, too.

Now as long as your happy selling to people who are just like you, and the fishin’ is good in that particular fishin’ hole, there’s no need to think about this. But all good things come to an end – especially in a free market society.

Go back and re-read Eugene Schwartz’s BREAKTHROUGH ADVERTISING – the part where he discusses how markets mature over time. Think about the very specific market you’re targeting – these entrepreneurial types, as you call them.

There was a time when there were a few fishermen in that pond, and a lot of hungry fish. That was back in the day when Kennedy, Abraham, Halbert and you were coming up.

But what happened over time? More and more fishermen, and an increasing sophisitication in that market.

How many people are selling what you sell online right now, compared to even five years ago?

How many casinos can Donald Trump build in Atlantic City?

It’s that WHO MOVED MY CHEESE story, and it happens in every business niche, sooner or later.

Now you have a choice: you can decide you want to keep fishin’ in the same hole – or you can look for a new hole with better fishin’. Right now you’re asking the fish in your fishin’ hole to tell you how you can catch more of them…but is that the RIGHT question?

Frankly, I bet you already know your natural market really well. So I’d be surprised if you get any real epiphanies from this call for input. Who reads your blog, anyway? Mostly people who are E’s, that’s who.

Here’s something to think about: Appealing to the people you do, in the way you do, puts you way out on the tail of the bell shaped curve. If you’re a misfit, speaking to misfits, you’re leaving yourself out of the fat part of the bell – the part where there are LOTS of business people who don’t relate much to the misfit stuff, who could care less about your Marlboro Man persona (I forgot what you call it) and won’t respond to the kind of song that tickles the heart of a pure E.

If you want to reach them – a much bigger market, with much bigger pockets – you’ve got to start thinking like them, and talking like them, and figuring out how to meet them where THEY live, not where you life.

You know – think like the fish, not like the fisherman…right?

I hadn’t been on your blog in a long time…but once in a while I stop by, and saw this. I remember your kindness to me some years back when I was first trying to put my life back together after the death of my daughter. It meant a lot to me back then, and I thought all weekend about whether I should write this or not.

If it seems to have some truth content for you, great – and if not, I wish you the best either way. You are a dedicated teacher, and you really do care for the people you work with.

Best,

Paul Roberts

John Carlton replies:

Hi Paul. Good to hear you’re doing well.

Interesting point here about the disconnect between outsider and the integrative type. Of course, I’ve been aware of it since the beginning of my career — if I hadn’t been able to tell the agencies I was freelancing for to go screw themselves, while I ran off and saw the world with Halbert and Abraham and their feisty ilk, I would’ve left advertising long ago. It was just too soul-crushing.

And I’m gonna think about what you’ve said here. I know you’re a smart cookie.

However… you may not be aware that our marketing seminars have, from the very beginning, actually NOT attracted just entrepreneurial types, but rather were always well-represented by the more traditional biz owner. It’s true I’ll never get invited to go sit in with any Fortune 500 crowd (unless some of my prior clients replace the Old Guard on that list — and it could happen)… or, if I did, I wouldn’t get listened to.

But Abraham has made great inroads to that crowd, starting thirty years ago. There are precendents.

And the Web has changed the biz landscape dramatically — there actually IS a constantly-replenished pool of fresh entrepreneurs poppping up every day, as well as more traditional biz owners who realize they gotta get hip to the way entrepreneurs are rocking the bottom line. Our last few Hot Seat events have all had these types represented.

Still, that disconnect between a guy who isn’t thrilled by the freedoms and weirdness that motivates his entrepreneurial brother, but still has a biz to run, is worth exploring more deeply. (A Boardroom exec has been hectoring me about this very subject for years now.)

Especially the “basic DNA” angle.

Not that I could ever tone it down, or change my style to accomodate them. Especially in this current market chaos — I think more and more will be suddenly alert to the ways “rebels” like me and my colleagues are able to create results.

Thanks for posting. I appreciate the thought you put into this.

John

Aldo says:

I think there is more than one problem with copywriting and they are all connected. I will try to put them in order:
1) Copywriting is a word that is more easily associated with writing than with selling. So there is a problem in accepting the thing because of the way it is named. If it was called direct selling or distance selling or internet selling (you name it), it could penetrate more easily through the resistance towards an activity deemed by most entrepreneurs as pleasant as a root canal.
2) We don’t know well enough our markets. We think we know, but we really don’t. And it’s not that easy to speak with someone you do not know. It’s always uncomfortable to start a conversation with a stranger. If we had a way to discover their deep desires, needs, fears, problems and aspirations, it would much easier to speak with them.
3) Even if we know our market, it’s very difficult to relate with it as a person to another person and not as a person to a market, and therefore the tone of the writing can get so impersonal and fake that after the first attempt, one does not want to have anything to do with copywriting anymore.
4) Sometimes we don’t know the basics on how get in touch with them, where to find a good list etc. And therefore writing a message seems to have the same chances of reaching the target as sending a message in a bottle.
5) Sitting in front of a blank screen with one or more of the above problems in the back of your mind is not so enjoyable. Better go out and do some real work.
I started recently to read your blog and I like it. I hope my comment was useful. See you,
Aldo

Paul Roberts says:

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about, John…it actually was mentioned here more than once. The I guy may or may not be the chief salesperson for the business. If he’s read Adizes, or the E-Myth, he knows that his best chances for growth is outsourcing the various functions of his business to people who do them better than he does…and he’s managing the crew and steering the ship.

So if you tell him that he’s got to learn how to write his own copy, and he’s already working 12 hours a day, six or seven days a week, you’re disqualifying yourself as a service provider to him.

But if you go to the same guy, and talk about teaching his terrific face to face salesperson to learn how to do salesmanship in print, and that will let him double or quadruple his business – and you can hook him up with other experts that know how to leverage this amazing thing called the net…AND HE DOESN’T HAVE TO DO IT ALL…well, now you’ve got his attention.

It’s a small shift, really – but a critical one. Kind of like the opening of the woman’s erotica market. Of course women like sex – and sex researchers have found that they are even physiologically aroused by straight porn images – but that arousal doesn’t turn into conscious desire when they were queried by the researchers.

But re-package the same sex act in a soft, gauzy and romantic wrapper, and a whole new market opens up.

Think like a fish, Gary B said…not like a fisherman. One of the true epiphanies I personally have had over the past ten years in my own journeyman’s journey into the fascinating world of sales and marketing.

Celeste Star says:

hi there, i just stumbled your site listed on bing, and i must tell that you express interestingly well via your site. i am truly motivated by the way that you write, and the message is outstanding. anyway, i would also love to know whether you would like to exchange links with my web portal? i will be certainly more than happy to reciprocate and put your link off in the link exchange area. waiting for your answer, i would like to convey my appreciation and have a great day!