2 Qualities You Must Have To Become A Successful Copywriter
hey there,
This post may stir up a little controversy, so I’m going to come right out and say it…
Maybe, just maybe you’re not cut out to be a freelance copywriter.
Sorry, I know that’s not what you want to hear… but in many cases – probably the majority, even – it’s true.
The life of a successful freelancer is amazing. You can earn a great living, you can work from anywhere in the world… and the work itself is a lot of fun…
… and that’s completely forgetting all the cool people you meet, and all the other intangible stuff.
Yes, it’s great. I love my job.
And recently, I’ve had a few experiences with other writers that made me realize that not everybody gets to do it – not everybody manages to make a living at this…
… and fewer still will achieve the honest-to-goodness-riches that make you feel like a lottery winner who writes copy for fun.
Now I’m going to talk you through why that is…
Imagine the scene – you’ve spent months, years honing the craft. Analyzing winning ads, writing them out by hand, seeing why they worked…
… you’ve started writing ads of your own for mundane household objects (believe me if you’ve never done this, NOTHING sharpens your benefit-finding chops more than writing a salesletter about your kitchen knives, or shower curtain or whatever)…
Maybe you’ve even hung out your own shingle, and you’re currently deeply mired in what John Carlton calls the “shameless whore” phase.
(You do know what that is right?)
And heck, maybe you’re getting good… really good. World class even.
Excellent… those are all nice things.
But… (and this is a big but, so listen up)
… even if you’ve got all that in place, and you’ve worked like crazy, you could still fail.
Know why?
Writing skill alone won’t get it done. Chops are a great thing to have… but they’re not enough.
You also need a big juicy dollop of something else.
Know what it is?
Desire.
That raw, ugly kernel of emotion sitting in the middle of your soul, directing you to do all kinds of crazy shit that you’d never otherwise consider.
To become successful as a freelancer, you need to want to push yourself… you have to KNOW that you’re going to get somewhere in this business, or die trying.
Without that desire – without the NEED to advance yourself, to always move forward, your career will eventually sputter and die. You may enjoy it for a little bit, may even make some money… but sooner or later the piper must be paid.
The funny thing is, I wasn’t even aware of that desire until recently when I was on the phone with freelance copywriting superstar Kevin Rogers.
Kevin’s a good friend, and we were talking about how weird it is that some guys never seem to get off the ground in this biz, but others take off like they’re strapped to a rocket.
At first we were stumped… I mean, why are some guys just so much more successful than others?
But we worked out the answer by retracing our own (very similar) paths to becoming successful writers.
It turns out that thousands of miles away from each other, and a few years from becoming friends, both of us stumbled onto the world of copywriting at about the same time.
And we both had the same reptile-level gut reaction:
“I’m going to learn how to do that. I don’t care what it costs, how hard it is, or how long it takes. I’m not quitting until I’ve got it.”
Ever feel that? The naked, unflinching need to know something… to immerse yourself in it… to butt your head against it until somehow, you actually begin to learn?
And begin to learn we did, with years of practice, sharpening the blade, breaking down successful letters, and mentoring under the best guys around.
Since that conversation a few days ago though, I’ve had the chance to mull it over. Let my subconscious go to work deconstructing it, and putting it back together in a way that suits my Fisher-Price level mind.
And I’ve come to a further conclusion.
There’s another skill that’s intrinsic in almost every single successful freelance copywriter I know. This, coupled with that cell-level desire is what separates these people from the poor $500 a job guys languishing on Elance and places like that.
The second essential skill is Opportunism.
Great freelancers can see the big chances coming. They jump on them with both feet, while the rest of the world snooze.
Let’s look at Kevin Rogers again.
Recently he was behind the biggest hit salesletter in Clickbank history – Mobile Monopoly.
It was HUGE, reaching heights that most product owners don’t even dare hope for… even becoming one of the top ten most visited websites in the whole world for a brief period…
… but realistically, Kevin had no idea it was going to be so big. He’s not psychic. He didn’t know the client wasn’t going to flub the launch, or any number of other disastrous things wouldn’t happen.
He just did the same superb job on the launch and the copy that he always does, shook the client’s hand, and moved on to the next one.
But when launch time came, and the world starting taking notice of the product, and the Clickbank gravity figure began its meteoric rise, Kevin made some very astute judgement calls. In fact, what he really did was start jumping on opportunities.
He immediately put together and launched a new copywriting site – LaunchCopyGurus.com…
Then he went to work letting the world know that he was the guy responsible for one of the biggest salesletters/launches of all time…
The coup de grace?
Kevin also put together a screen capture video, breaking down EXACTLY what made this letter and this launch so special… and that video very quickly started making the rounds on the various marketing forums.
Smart moves indeed, and moves that have no doubt helped him book an extra few spaces in his calendar, and probably already put money in his pocket – money that wouldn’t have been there if he hadn’t acted on this.
And that’s the real secret ingredient – the ability to spot and act on a great opportunity. It’s also something shared by savvy business people the world over.
In fact, to become a successful freelancer, you need to be a smart business person too. Somebody needs to steer the boat, and if you’re a one-man shop, by default that somebody is you.
So let me ask you a question…
Would you have done the same in Kevin’s shoes?
Do you recognize a fat-with-cash opportunity when it taps your shoulder?
Most people can’t. They’re too busy getting through the day to day. They’re stuck in the engine room, stoking the furnace to make the ship move. They don’t have time to steer the damned thing too.
If you CAN see opportunity coming though, my advice is to act on it every single time. The rewards will far outweigh the failures… and the failures will provide lessons that are every bit as valuable.
So there you are – the two vital, yet intangible qualities that are exhibited by every copywriter worth his or her salt.
Tell me – when was the last time you jumped on an opportunity? And if you didn’t jump on it, why not?
I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments.
To the blank page,
-David
11 Comments
David Raybould
Teach Street Featured Blog
Wow. Dave, that’s a monster post.
(And not just because you managed to make me jealous of my own self by reading it.)
You’ve really taken the gloves off to expose the weakness that too many of us face: modesty.
As you know, quiet and humble just won’t cut it these days. This market moves fast. Sitting around waiting for people to “catch on” that you’re the guy they need on their launch is almost a crime.
You and I both had to learn this the hard way. It isn’t in our nature to be bombastic, but when you see it costing you money not to sound your own trumpet — well, there’s no better cure, is there?
In my case, I learned it at the cost of my comedy career. I could KILL a room full of strangers on any given night, but when it came to getting on the phone with bookers and agents, I was beyond sheepish (is “lambish” a term?) and it cost me dearly.
Good friends with equal talents grew balls and skyrocketed their careers while I stayed content with “good enough” money and enough gas to get me to the next gig.
(Perfect example: Billy Gardell, who remains my best friend in the world stars in his own CBS sitcom starting Monday night (Mike & Molly)… Billy decided it was time he got headlining gigs and did whatever it took to survive while he declined easy gigs for “middle money” long enough for the industry to catch up.)
So, my advice (not that anyone asked) is to never confuse humbleness with righteousness. So long as you offer great vale to people along with your boasts of success (see John Carlton) then you’re foolish if you don’t take full advantage of every opportunity.
Damn, great post Dave. You got me all riled up now.
Hey Kev, thanks for kicking off the discussion man.
I love your point about modesty having no place
in the game. Very true, but a tough lesson to learn
especially if modesty is second nature, which it is to
most writers (because let’s face it, we’re an introverted
bunch, generally speaking).
What is it Carlton says? If you have a product that
would genuinely help somebody, then shame on you
if you don’t do everything you can to sell them on it.
I guess that applies to us as copywriters too.
If we KNOW we could help a certain guy kill it on his
launch, then we should probably make him know it too.
It’s almost like we have a duty of care to our clients,
if you think of it that way isn’t it?
Interesting stuff indeed.
Thanks for the insight man, appreciate you taking the
time to post.
-Dave
Nice post David!
It takes something that most people don’t have to just call yourself a copywriter.
It takes guts to bleed into a project and then have the ultimate judge (the market) let you know how you did.
And it definitely takes a certain amount of hustle to do it over and over again, stay busy and produce results serious enough to really break through and make a name for yourself.
And it’s certainly not for everyone.
I wrote a similar post earlier today called “Why Copywriters Crack”…
I took a different approach than you did, but after reading your take on it, I’d agree with you. Most people aren’t cut out for the day to day life of being a freelance copywriter.
There’s definitely a level of ambition, hustle and other intangible factors that come into play.
You did a great job of explaining that.
-Scott
hey Scott,
Thanks man, appreciate your input.
I just read your post, and I think what we’re both saying
goes hand in hand for any budding copywriters out there.
If anyone hasn’t read Scott’s latest post yet, I’d definitely
recommend it > http://makestuffsell.com/
And you know, I never even considered the “guts” factor.
Sometimes, it really does take brass balls to release your
work into the wild, and have it succeed or fail with the
whole world watching.
Personally, I used to DREAD launch day of any project…
… I’d literally sit there waiting for a slew of emails to
arrive, telling me they’d found me out, that I was a
fraud after all.
Thankfully, they never came, and these days I’m usually
pretty psyched by a launch.
All part of the learning process I guess.
Thanks for stopping by Scott.
-David
Awesome post David. I found it on Kev’s Facebook page.
I think you hit the nail on the head. I gave Kev and Vin Montello that advice after they rocked the world with their copy…
Why?
Because it worked for me after my first $1,000,000 day.
As my daddy used to say… “If you don’t toot your own horn, no one will.”
I’ve lived by those words.
Some rookie copywriters may see that is shameless.
My advice?
Get over it. YOU’RE IN THE FREAKING MARKETING BUSINESS!
If you can’t market yourself, good luck selling that product that should be a huge winner if onlysomeone could sell it…
Great stuff David. You got the stuff to join the million dollar club.
Cheers,
Million Dollar Mike
Hey Mike,
Thanks for stopping by man.
Glad you liked the post. You’re absolutely right.
If you want success in this biz, at some point in
the game “aw shucks” won’t get it done. You
need to man up and start telling the world how
awesome you are.
And if you can back those claims up, it’s not even
bragging – it’s just stating fact.
Self promotion is a tricky proposition for some of us,
but I wonder how many excellent writers out there
will never break through because they can’t do it?
Like you say, this is the marketing business. The
most important thing we have to market is ourselves.
Thanks for posting Mike,
-David
Hey David,
Great post and oh so true…
It took me a while to get to the point I felt I could actually tell people ‘I write sales copy’ but I’m well and truly over that now and have no shame in letting everyone know.
You need to put yourself out there and truly believe in yourself, I think the belief is almost as important as the desire because without the belief you’ll never make enough noise to let anyone know about what it is you do.
I now openly tell people and jump at the chance to write their copy… asking for it (I’m not yet at the level where people instinctively come to me… note I say yet!) as soon as I get a whiff of them launching a new product or service
… and you know what I now get people saying I didn’t realize you were ‘THAT’ good and telling other people about me too
What a boost : )
Anyway I agree with everything you’ve said here, thank you for sharing it
Keep posting so we can all keep learning
Pete
Hey Pete,
That’s excellent – the “secrecy hump” as I call it
is a big hump to get over. I remember it well. I
guess it comes from being a little afraid that the
person you’re speaking to may not know what
a copywriter does…
… couple that with the fear that most of us
have initially – that we suck – and you get the
exact reason that most of us start out working
in a vacuum.
Glad to hear you’re past that point Pete – sounds
like you’re ready for some shameless whoring
Keep at it, and you’ll see success I’m sure.
-David
Great post David. I agree with all that. You need to definitely be willing to go all in at everything you want to succeed at. I love learning as much value in marketing and copywriting as I can and
then putting that into action right away. I think a lot of people get caught up in learning and then not applying that and then they wonder why things don’t work out.
A lot of my friends all the time tell me they could never do their own thing because they don’t like not knowing how much money your going to make week to week. That’s what I love about being a marketer, copywriter, and entrepreneur…Writing your own paycheck. Forget the 9 to 5 and only being paid hourly or salary.
Like you talked about…Provide max value and give it everything you got. This makes success in copywriting, marketing, or anything else you want to do. Oh ya, I think also a good one to add is never be afraid to fail and if you do learn from it, look at it as a learning experience, make it better, test, and continue till you make it work.
Hey Eric,
Thanks for posting.
I agree with you totally. Personally, I LOVE
the fact that it’s completely up to me what I
earn. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
And yes, there’s definitely a lot to be said for
diving in and giving everything 100%. Sure, you
may fail initially, but if you keep going at 100%
it won’t be too long until you generate your
own success.
Thanks again Eric,
-David
Thanks for sharing this. I’m just dipping my toes in this industry, not knowing what to expect, what to look for, what to avoid…. So, right now I’m “secretly” learning and investing….
Some questions: do you think it is necessary to promote yourself with a site/blog as a ‘guru’ (and perhaps offering related products)? Or can you make a (good) living ‘anonymously’ (i.e. not marketing yourself online, without ebooks, marketing-products etc.)?
Also, I notice you write in 2-line sentences, (probably) similar to how you speak – is that your general style, or just here for the web – does it make you write faster or do you still go back and forth, adjusting and editing?