Here’s how to make 2020 YOUR year for copywriting success!
Hiya CopyStar!
On January 1, 1999 — I hung out my copywriting shingle. And now — 21 years later — I gotta say: That was the BEST decision I ever made in business! And you know what?
I’m still loving every work day — and still writing crazy, killer copy for my clients. In fact — I’m feeling pretty darn POSITIVE this is going to be my BEST YEAR EVER! I’m pushing myself even more outside of my comfort zone — and doing some really cool and CRAZY stuff with younger writers! For example…
…On January 1, 2020 — I officially launched my unique 12-months to 6-figures Mentorship Transformation program! This special invitation was offered ONLY to my CopyStar readers. And let me tell you — the number of writers who wanted IN on my program was MIND BLOWING — to say the least.
But I narrowed down my selection. I chose the writers who were really ready for this unique opportunity to work with me for an entire year on real projects for real clients to make real bucks!
Now — I only picked a handful of writers for this mentorship. And if you weren’t one of them — don’t worry. I’ll help you continue to hone your copywriting skills to make you a better, stronger and more lucrative writer in 2020! Here’s how…
I’m going to take you on this year’s AMAZING journey with me!
During this entire mentorship year — I’ll share some real gems from my special program. You’ll learn kick-butt ideas… practical suggestions… and great ways to boost your copywriting skills.
Plus — I’ll introduce you to the writers selected for this exclusive program — and you can hear directly from them about how they’re growing and creating killer copy!
Take advantage of this special opportunity CopyStar — it won’t cost you a dime — but the lessons you’ll learn will be invaluable for your writing career!
And right now — I’m working on a few more really COOL projects to help you beef up your copywriting muscle — so you can nail new clients — and deliver killer controls!
But to kick off this New Year — I want to share with you my 3 secrets that help me work faster… 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.
Killer Move #1: I “niched” myself!
Yep — when I stopped trying to be a “Jill of all Trades” — writing financial, health, or self-improvement — 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 marketplace 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 TWICE that amount! Yep — and then I more than doubled my royalty income!
#2: 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 year. For example if I knew I was going to work on a hormone… colon… heart… and liver project — 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.
Bottom line: 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 dump file! The package nearly writes itself — and I just collect the royalty checks!
#3: 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 — 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 — then they needed to hire me to write the copy!
For the jobs I turned down — I simply referred the prospect to other writers. And these writers actually reciprocated by giving my name to clients looking for a health writer!
Bottom line: I was now working exclusively in the industry I loved and gaining more experience with every project. Plus, I was invited to speak at seminars and webinars and dubbed “an alternative health specialist writer.” Woo hoo!
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. But they’ve got to be pretty darn awesome! That’s why I said YES when an opportunity to write for Oprah came knocking at my door!
Ok, so that was my first killer move. This next move proved to be a huge time saver — and a major credibility booster for my promotions.
Killer Move #2: Got a researcher!
I didn’t take this great step until about 16 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. 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 the nutrients and whatever else is needed to support any claims. This has proved beneficial in sooooo 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. He/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 how do you find a good researcher?
Well, I’m fortunate to have worked with one of the BEST in the industry. Her name is Sandy Ferguson — and she’s DA BOMB at “digging stuff up”. When I get a copywriter start kit with Sandy’s research — I know I’ve got some good gems!
Over the years we’ve created NUMEROUS winners together! Sandy has since retired but shares her lucrative secrets of internet research here.
Since then I’ve had success hiring a few of my copywriting cubs to do research for me.
Now — I gotta tell you — this 3rd move — took me around the world — without ever leaving my house!
Killer Move #3: Got a website!
Yep — it was about 16 years ago when I entered cyberspace. Now, I can’t live without my website!
Here’s how my website REALLY made an impact on my business:
#1: Fast access to my samples! When a client asks for my samples I just give him my website address: 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! In fact…
… I give my website credit for finding me a client that paid me over $200,000 in one year! Yep — he found my website… read my samples… and hired me on the spot!
#2: International recognition. Great news is that direct mail is growing in other countries — especially Europe. I’ve even started writing for European clients who translate my English promo into their language! And received invitations to speak and teach their in-house writers and marketing team.
Because of my website — they 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, with my European samples — I can impress the heck out of my friends with how fluent I’ve become in 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 I’ve got an e-store right on my website carlinecole.com. Now – folks from around the world can get access to 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 a win-win.
So do you have a website? If not — WHY NOT?
Don’t worry — if you need help getting started — you can use the company that created my website: Integrisdesign.com. Ken Carroll and his team do a great job creating and maintaining websites. Tell him I sent you: Kcarroll@integrisdesign.com.
There you have it — my 3 secrets that boosted my copywriting career to new heights! I’ve got plenty more ways to take your copywriting career to the next level. Make sure you check them out in my ebook, How to Write Kick-Butt Copy: Straight Talk from a Million-Dollar Copywriter and devour them!
Make 2020 YOUR year to skyrocket your copywriting income!
Yours for stellar results,
Million-Dollar Copywriter & Consultant