3 Mentoring tips to boost your copywriting income!
Hiya Copystar!
“Wax on! Wax off!”
Those famous words from the movie “Karate Kid” brings back so many memories. Man — I can watch this movie over and over again — and learn NEW stuff every time!
Remember how new kid Daniel kept getting beat up by those bullies? And then one night old Mr. Miyagi, comes out of nowhere and CLOBBERS those dudes to save Daniel?
And now Daniel wants to master those kick-butt karate moves! Finally — Mr. Miyagi agrees to mentor Daniel — but in his “untraditional” way!
How about you CopyStar? Are you tired of getting kicked in the butt by low performing results? Do you want to learn some “unorthodox” moves that can turn you into a kick-butt copywriter? Want me to be your “Mr. Miyagi?”
YES — you say? Well keep reading!
In this issue — we’re going to talk about the power of having a mentor because a mentor can:
- Be a coach…
- Be a tutor…
- Be a counselor…
- Get you hired …
- Debunk myths…
- Give you shortcuts…
- Help sharpen your skills…
- Help boost your confidence…
- Connect you with key players in the industry…
…And even give you a little kick in the pants when you need it!
But don’t get it twisted. It’s a fluid relationship. Mentors can come and go easily — and some can last a lifetime.
Clayton Makepeace has been my mentor for over 30 years. You would’ve thought I would’ve outgrown him by now — but NOPE! I still tap into his vast knowledge and skills whenever I can! His knowledge has proved invaluable to me — and that’s why I believe every copywriter can benefit from a mentor.
I attend and speak at the annual AWAI copywriting seminars to help mentor copywriters. I send you this FREE CopyStar Ezine to give you hints and tips to boost your writing skills. And…
…I even wrote my ebook: Anatomy of a Kick-Butt Control: How to Create a Winning Promo from Start to Finish so I can walk you through the steps of writing a killer sales letter!
But right now — as your mentor — I’m going to share with you 3 of my money-making secrets to boost your income!
Money Making Secret #1: Learn the rules… and then BREAK ‘em! I’m not a stickler for rules — I break them all the time. You need to know when to break the rules. For example…
“Headlines need to be 7 words or less.” Early in my career, I was told too many words make your headline confusing. So I stuck with the rule of keeping my headlines 7 words or less. Short headlines helped me get rid of lazy words…kept my words punchy…and sharpened my sales pitch.
I wrote many headlines with few words that became controls. But — then I got to wondering…
….What would happen if I broke the 7 words or less headline rule? Hmmm…
So I started writing longer headlines and a crazy thing happened…
…I got MORE controls!
You wanna know the game changer for me?
I stopped counting words — and focused on making my words count! For example look at this control:
Holy cow! It’s got a whopping 29 words in its headline! Am I crazy? Oh yeah! Crazy all the way to the bank! This cover spanked those 7— word headline rules!
Money Making Secret #2: BE the prospect — and run with it! When your client talks to you about their product …don’t act like you know stuff — be ignorant! I do it all the time! I ask questions… and more questions…and even MORE questions! Here’s why:
I’m not the copywriter — I’m the customer!
So for example — if I’m writing for a nutritional supplement — I want to know…
- How long is this going to take before I notice results?
- How am I supposed to feel?
- Why is this supplement different from its competitors?
Guess what? Your reader wants to know the same thing! So BE his voice!
You’ve got to make your client convince you this is a really good product! Let him know you’re not looking for copy — you’re looking for conviction! Then…
…Convey this in your copy. Your reader will respond by opening his wallet!
Let’s move on to…
Money Making Secret #3: Treat your prospect like a spoiled child — and give ‘em what he wants!
He says…
- I want relief from back pain — so give it to him!
- I want my blood pressure to go down — now help him to do it!
- I’m not sure if I can believe these claims — so CONVINCE him!
Do that and your prospect will reward you with a control!
So CopyStar — I just gave you 3 tips to help boost your income. But what if you still want a mentor but just can’t find — or afford one right now — whaddaya do?
Here’s a bonus tip:
Peer mentoring works too!
Do you know other copywriters? By all means connect with them! At your next copywriting seminar — look around and find a copy buddy. Then agree to critique each other’s copy. Or you can join copywriting clubs on social media. They’re a great way to LEARN from others!
In the “Karate Kid” — Daniel saw an opportunity to get a mentor — and he jumped on it! When the opportunity pops up for you — snatch it up — even if it’s just for an hour…a day…or an ezine issue!
Don’t forget — you can also get my ebook — Anatomy of a Kick-Butt Control: How to Create a Winning Promo from Start to Finish. This ebook takes you by the hand and guides you through the entire creative process to write killer sales copy! It’s your ultimate “mentor-in-a-book”! So grab a copy and read it from cover to cover! Then watch your copywriting skills and success soar!
Yours for stellar results,
Million-Dollar Copywriter & Consultant