Copywriting is a real art form and skill. It’s an invaluable weapon in every good marketer’s arsenal.
Can anyone learn the skill of copywriting? Yes, they sure can – but it takes study, practice, testing, and persistence in order to become a good copywriter.
What is copywriting?
Copywriting is the art of using the written word (and images) to promote, market, and sell goods or services.
Effective copywriting is about getting attention and holding it long enough to persuade, influence, and motivate someone to take a specific action – which could be making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter, etc.
It is a valuable skill and one that can pay handsome dividends if mastered to a suitably high level.
Where is sales copy used?
Sales copy is used in adverts, direct-response sales letters, emails, banner ads, and video ads – literally anywhere where products or services are sold. Sales copy, also known as ad copy, is the text that you read whenever you read an advert.
You can think of the copy as the script of the advert. Whenever you read an advert in a newspaper, or read a long-form sales letter promoting a product from a big brand – what you’re reading is sales copy that has been written by a professional copywriter.
If you view ads on TV or online, those video scripts will also have been written by a professional copywriter. Copywriters are the people behind the scenes.
They may not direct the fancy TV adverts or design the fancy logos or billboard ads, but they are the people that come up with the words that get read- and it is these words which ultimately do the selling.
What are the benefits of good copywriting?
A professional copywriter is able to create compelling ad copy that can grab the attention of their prospects and make them stop what they are doing long enough to read their ads.
Everyone has had the experience of leafing through a newspaper or magazine only for the headline of an ad to grab your attention and arouse enough curiosity and intrigue to make you want to read the rest of the advert.
That’s the job of a good copywriter.
They create compelling headlines that can literally stop people in their tracks and make them want to read the rest of the ad. You may have the best product or service in the world, but if no one knows about it you won’t sell any. Ads are only useful if people pay attention to them, and professional copywriters are masters at getting people to pay attention.
That’s the benefit of having good copywriting skills.
When you get good at writing copy, you can create compelling sales copy that uses the power of the written word to influence, persuade and motivate prospects to buy your product or find out more about it.
A good copywriter knows how to get their ads noticed with attention-grabbing headlines. These headlines draw people into reading the first paragraph of their ad, and that paragraph leads them to read the rest of the ad copy.
You can think of sales copy as a “silent” salesperson that does the selling job via words. In fact, I believe it was John E. Kennedy, an advertising exec from the 1900s who said:
“advertising is salesmanship in print”
The sales copy does the job of getting and holding the attention of your prospects, introducing them to your product or service, stating the benefits and advantages of using your product, introducing them to your offer, and leading them to make a purchase.
That’s the benefit of good copywriting. Good copy can lead to you selling thousands of products, and bad copy can lead to you selling nothing.
Copywriting is an invaluable skill that can help you to attract more customers, sell more products, boost your business, and make more money.
Can anyone learn how to write copy?
Yes, anyone can learn copywriting, but to be a good copywriter takes some effort.
Copywriting, when done well, really is an art and science. There is a right way to write sales copy and a wrong way.
Thankfully there are so many copywriting resources around that learning this valuable skill is easier than ever. It’s also more valuable than ever. The internet has created a level playing field for people wanting to start their own businesses, sell products, or even sell other people’s products via affiliate marketing.
Whatever business model you use and whatever advertising channel you use – email, search ads, social media, display ads, video ads – all of them need good sales copy. There has never been a better time to learn the art of copywriting.
There is a growing need for good copywriters, and it is a professional skill that pays very well. Some of the best copywriters can earn thousands of dollars from writing one single sales letter, and many of them earn hefty royalties based on sales performance.
Companies and big brands are always looking for good copywriters that can help them to market and sell their products and services more effectively.
Is copywriting hard to learn?
Copywriting is a skill, and like most other skills it requires practice, dedication, and persistence in order to get good at it.
Thankfully there are a number of resources you can use to learn how to write effective copy. Some of the legendary copywriters like David Ogilvy, Joseph Sugarman, Victor Schwab, and Gary Halbert, to name just a few, have all written excellent books on the principles of effective copywriting.
There are also tons of videos, podcasts, and blogs you can watch, listen to, and read in order to gain valuable insights into the science of copywriting.
Can you learn copywriting from books?
If you want to learn copywriting I would recommend you read as many books on the subject as possible.
There are some great books out there, written by some of the best copywriters to grace the industry. Advertising legends like David Ogilvy, Gary Halbert, and Claude Hopkins have all written remarkable books that have stood the test of time, and whose teachings are still relevant today.
Although many of these legends wrote copy for the mail-order and direct-response marketing industry, the copywriting principles they espouse are still relevant today and work just as well online as they did offline.
In fact, many of the online marketing gurus and experts today still teach and use these exact same principles, they have just adapted them for use in online marketing. You can really learn a lot from these old-school legends, as well as reading books by more modern copywriters.
It’s good to have a balanced view from a variety of different writers, so try and read as many books as you can.
Click here to check out my review of some of my favorite copywriting books.
Are copywriting courses worth it?
If you are serious about learning how to write effective sales copy then doing a copywriting course is definitely a good idea.
Learning from professional copywriters is one of the best things you can do in order to learn tried and tested skills, knowledge, and insights from people who have been there and got the t-shirt.
There are great courses out there, but as you can expect, there are also some pretty bad courses. The best copywriting courses are the ones that have been created by professional copywriters who have a proven body of work that has earned them praise, respect, and recognition from their peers in the industry.
These pros have demonstrated time and time again that they can write effective sales copy that can generate millions of dollars worth of sales. Pro writers can do this in different industries and with different products because once you understand the key principles of copywriting you can apply them to any industry, product, or niche you want.
The best copywriters are those that have been able to consistently get good results with their sales copy, in a variety of different industries. They have performed hundreds of tests to see what works and what doesn’t, and have learned what works best for specific markets and audiences.
These are the copywriters that you should study and learn from.
Recommended copywriting courses
If you want to learn copywriting then you should learn from the best in the industry.
The AWAI (American Writers & Artists Institute) is a professional writers association and membership organisation that has taught some of the best copywriters in the industry. They offer a number of different courses, all at very reasonable prices. Some of the biggest names in copywriting are graduates of AWAI’s programs, so there isn’t really any better endorsement you can give them.
As well as excellent courses, they also offer tremendous support and resources for anyone who wishes to break into the industry and land their first paid professional copywriting job.
They are a big name in the copywriting industry, and one of the most trusted and professional training organisations out there.
For more information on the AWAI and the courses they offer check out my review of their flagship training program here – The Accelerated Program For Six Figure Copywriting.
