Copywriting

Don’t Believe 6 Figures Can Happen For You?

Quick question…

Do you want to make 6 figures?

If so, then read this email very carefully, because I’m going to break down how to make it not just possible, but probable.

First things first, there’s a lot that goes into hitting your first $10K month…

No matter whether you’re working a job or you have a skill-based business like copywriting or closing.

Why You Must Believe 6 Figures Is Possible

You must first BELIEVE it is possible to make 6 figures in one year.

You must also believe it is possible for YOU.

Seeing others make 6 figures is one thing but if you don’t believe you can, then you never will.

You may have heard me say this before, “You’ll never make $100K with $50K per year habits”...

And it’s very true.

Because if you want to make 6 figures, you’re going to have to cut out all the things that don’t serve you.

TV, video games, partying, and anything else that eats your time but offers little return.

It’s possible you can do those things again after you see some success, but the question is ‘will you still want to?’

You should start viewing yourself as the CEO of your own business, and your business is your life.

Everything in your life should be worked on to be optimized, including your health and relationships, but today, we’ll talk optimizing your wealth.

How To Simplify Your Income Goals

I know $100K+ can seem like a lot of money.

Another part of making 6 figures is believing that it’s easy.

I like to break it down into a daily income goal, which I explain in under 2 minutes here >

If you’re working a job and there’s just no way you could ever get to $10K in that position, then the best option for you is to start a side hustle with a high income skill.

That way you can make money in your free time.

If you want to know what side hustles you could start to make up to $200 per hour, then click here >>

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know I believe a high income skill is the best way to make your first 6 figures.

Different Ways You Can Use Your Skills To Make 6 Figures

Depending on your skillset, you’ll need to structure your deals and pricing in a certain way.

If you’re a closer, you’ll likely make 10% per sale, so you’ll want to partner with clients who have high ticket products or services.

If your client’s package is $5K, and you make $500 per sale, you’ll need to close 5 sales per week to make $10K per month.

In this video, I break down some other ways you can use your skill to make 6 figures >>

If your skill is Copywriting, then there are 3 key things you must do to increase your earning potential and hit 6 figures.

The first two are obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many copywriters either overlook them, or ignore them completely.

The third one is less obvious and VERY counter-intuitive.

If you want to know the 3 things you must do to increase your copywriting income, then click here >>

What To Do If You Feel Like You’re Running Out Of Time

Now, you may feel as though you’re getting older faster, and time is of the essence.

If so, how do you master a skill fast?

If that sounds like you, then click here for the fastest way to master a skill >>

The good thing is you don’t need to master a skill to make 6 figures.

In fact, if you mastered any skill, you’d be making far more than 6 figures with it.

All you need to do is get good enough to make 6 figures.

But What If You’re Younger And Feel Lost In Life, What Do You Do Then?

In my opinion, narrow down a number of things you’d like to try and try each one until you find something you love.

If you’d like to know what one of my successful mentees Stephen did when he was in his early twenties and lost, then click here >>

A Final Piece Of Advice Most Never Think of When Striving For 6 Figures

When I was younger people would ask me all the time to do odd jobs for them.

I told them “I’ll pay for someone to come and help you, but I won’t do it.”

My goals were too important, I had to be working, and the same goes for you.

Let’s say you’re mowing the lawn to save money, and it costs you $25 per hour to hire someone, but your hourly rate is $50. 

You’re not saving $25 per hour, you’re losing $25 per hour.

Because in the time you spent saving $25 you could have made $50.

Just some food for thought.

Now, you’re armed with the right strategies to make 6 figures a reality, I wish you all the best and hope you achieve your goals.

To your success

Dan Lok

P.S.If you’re yet to get started with a high income skill and you’d to use the written word to hit your goals, then click here >>

If you’d like to use your phone to hit your goals and connect with prospects all over the world, then click here >>

Not Sexy, But VITAL For Your Biz Growth…

It’s time we talk about one of the least sexy parts of business…

Everyone online always talks about sales, revenue, and cash in the bank.

But what about the numbers that drive those figures?

I’m talking about marketing metrics.

As you may know, marketing online can get confusing.

You’ve got email marketing, social media marketing, paid advertising, Search Engine Optimisation, sales page conversions, and the list goes on.

So, today you’ll discover some of the most important metrics to pay attention to regarding the marketing channels above…

In the hope that you can improve your marketing so you can see even better results in your business.

Let’s get started

How to Tell If Your Email Marketing Is Hitting Or Falling Flat

Since you’re reading an email newsletter let’s start with email metrics.

Your ‘Open rate’ will give you a clear indication of how your subject lines are performing.

According to mailchimp.com, the industry average for all industries is 21.33%. 

You should always aim to improve your open rates, and you can do this by split testing two subject lines at once.

There are a few ways to split test, and your email software should do this automatically for you. 

Essentially, you’re testing two subject lines to see which has better open rates, by sending to only half the list, then the software sends the remainder of the emails to your subscribers with the better-performing subject line.

Over time, you should have a good idea about what your audience responds to, so you can maintain high open rates.

If you’d like a list of eye-watering subject lines that compell your readers to open your emails, then click here >>

You should also keep an eye on how many people unsubscribe, so you know how your content resonates with your audience.

The second metric to monitor is the Click Through Rate (CTR).

This will be the percentage of people who click on the links in your emails.

Mailchimp.com states the average CTR across all industries for emails is 2.91%.

This metric achieves two things…

Firstly, it helps you to know whether your Calls To Action are good enough for your audience to take action on.

Secondly, it lets you know how compelling the body of your email is, so they actually read far enough to read the CTA.

Now, you may not know which needs improving straight away, but at least you’ll know something needs improving and you can slowly optimize your emails to increase your CTR.

If you’d like some tips to improve your email CTR, then watch this quick 1-minute video >>

How To Track Paid Marketing Metrics

Paid ads can be a great tool in an entrepreneur’s toolbelt for growing their business.

As far as Facebook is concerned, there are multiple objectives you can choose to achieve with your paid ads.

These include getting more traffic to your offers, increased engagement on your boosted posts or ads, increased video views, and lead generation amongst others.

Your metrics here will really depend on the objective you’ve set out for your ads.

For instance, a conversion could mean you make a sale, but it could also mean you acquire a new lead.

For paid ads, common metrics to monitor are Click Through Rate (CTR) and conversions.

As with email marketing, the CTR is the percentage of people who click the link on the ad, out of everyone who views it.

According to growthmarketingengine.com, the average CTR for Facebook ads is 0.9% across 18 industries. 

Here’s a video that will help you increase your paid CTR so you can pay far less per click >>

How To Make Your Ads Pay

To ensure your paid ads are profitable, you must know your ROAS (Return On Ad Spend).

This is how much revenue your business makes for each dollar it invests in ads.

This metric is even more important than your conversion rate because you could have high conversions, but if your margins aren’t high, then your ROAS will be low.

Done incorrectly, paid ads are a good way to burn cash and FAST!

Done correctly, paid ads will become your license to print money!

So, click here if you want to know how to increase your ROAS on your Facebook ads >>

While we’re talking about ROAS, there are three more very important numbers you MUST know if you want to scale.

These numbers are your Cost of Acquisition (CAC) per customer, your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV), and your cost per lead (CPL).

I shot you a quick video where I break down these numbers and why they’re so important >>

How To Get The Best Bang For Your Buck With Social Media Marketing

Even though social media marketing is free, you shouldn’t underestimate its power.

I know organic reach may not be as wide as it used to be, but there are still benefits of social media marketing, especially if you use TikTok which still has phenomenal organic reach.

Social media metrics give you a good understanding of your brand awareness and referral traffic to your website.

Engagement is key on social media, so even though it’s free, it pays to put a good amount of time and effort into your content.

Key metrics are likes, comments, and shares.

These are commonly known as vanity metrics, but they’re important if you want to know how engaged your audience is.  

Many believe free marketing like Facebook and Instagram is dead, but there are still ways you can increase your engagement on those platforms.

Here is a great video to increase your engagement on IG in 2022 >>

And if you want to increase your Facebook engagement, then you’ll want to watch this video here >>

In the interest of time, I don’t want to make this newsletter too long.

There are other marketing metrics you could consider concerning your Search Engine Optimisation, your sales pages, and your website.

Perhaps, I’ll save those for another newsletter, but I believe you have enough here to help you optimize key areas of your business to see HUGE results.

And of course, you’re welcome to do your own research for ways to improve a specific area of your marketing.

Until next time, go high ticket,

Dan Lok

P.S.If you want to know how to scale to $100K per month, then do yourself a favor and block out just 30 minutes to watch my Advanced Expert Masterclass >>

Inside you’ll get the exact strategies my clients and I used to hit consistent $100K months.

Growing Your Business’ Reach Through Client Ascension

When it comes to growing your business, there’s no better way to move forward than by helping your clients reach their goals. Achieving high ticket and sales ascension with client ascension processes is a method to increase profits for both you and your customer base. Read on for 6 tips on how you can use client ascension to grow your business:

Understand Your Customer’s Needs and Wants

When it comes to client ascension, it’s important to understand where your customers are coming from. Ask questions and listen closely to their answers so you can create a plan that meets their current needs and helps them reach their desired end goals.

To create an atmosphere of client ascension, you should also make sure to be open and honest about any changes or obstacles that may arise. When customers know what to expect, it builds trust and encourages them to continue working with you.

Create High-Value Offers

When customers are looking for high ticket ascension, high-quality products and services are what will help them move up the ladder. Invest in creating high-quality content that adds value to your customer’s experience. Ensure that your products and services are high-quality and reliable and provide real solutions to customer issues. By providing high-value solutions tailored to your customer’s needs, you can show them the path they need to take in order to reach their goals. Doing so will help create a strong bond of trust between you and your clients.

For example, if you’re providing high-ticket services like consulting or coaching, make sure to provide valuable advice and feedback in every session. Not only will this make customers more likely to continue the high-ticket ascension process, but it will also create loyalty and help customers recommend your services to others.

Follow Up Regularly

It’s important to check in on ascension efforts regularly to ensure that your customers are making progress on their goals. This will help you stay engaged with them throughout the process, which is essential for client ascension success. To ensure follow-up, you can set automated reminders and emails to keep customers informed of their progress.

Provide Incentives for Referrals

Encouraging happy customers to refer others can be a great way to grow your business’s reach. Offer rewards or discounts for each referral, as this can be a powerful incentive for people to spread the word about your services. This will aid in the client ascension process by helping you reach more high-ticket customers who are likely to take advantage of high-value services.

Be Open and Honest About Client Expectations

One of the most important aspects of client ascension is setting realistic expectations from the outset. Make sure you’re transparent about what your services will and won’t do for them, so they understand the value you can provide and have realistic expectations of their results. When customers have questions, make sure to answer them honestly and promptly.

Final Thoughts

By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to growing your business’s reach through high ticket ascension, sales ascension, and client ascension. With a combination of high-value offers, excellent communication, and incentives for referrals, you can create long-term relationships with customers that benefit both parties.

If you want to learn more about client retention and ascension, attend one of our next events.

The Secret Blueprint For $10K Per Month

Back when I first started out, all I wanted to do was provide for my mom.

I knew that $10K per month was a good income and if you know my story, you’ll know…

I tried and failed at 13 businesses before I had my first success.

It took years of pain and struggle to finally hit $10K, but I managed it in my early twenties.

It wasn’t until I developed my first high-income skill that I began seeing financial results.

Over the years, I’ve taught and mentored thousands of people and helped them gain financial confidence with high-income skills…

And now it’s your turn.

There are 3 things you must do to develop financial confidence, achieve success, and live life on your terms.

  1. Decided you want to succeed and commit 100%…
  2. Choose a high income skill…
  3. Develop and hone that skill…

As you become more proficient, your marketplace value increases, and you can charge more for your service.

I define a high income skill as any skill that can make you a minimum of $10K per month.

My first high income skill was copywriting, or as I like to call it, “closing in print”.

If you want to know more about copywriting and how to get started, then watch this video here >> 

I remember, one afternoon I was speaking with a prospect…

I was telling him how I could help him when suddenly he said…

“STOP!”

“You speak with a thick accent, and in the last minutes you’ve made multiple grammatical errors, and you tell me you can write my copy?”

“I think you’re full of sh*t!”

*CLICK*

He hung up on me.

This shocked me and I didn’t know what to think.

But it was at that moment, I decided to get better at closing clients on my copywriting services.

As I honed my closing skills, I was able to close more clients at higher price points.

And now the pandemic has changed the business landscape, I believe it’s more important than ever that you have the ability to work from home.

And closing (like copywriting) is a great way to do that.

Even though it seems the pandemic is coming to an end, you never know when something similar could happen again.

If you want to know the easiest way to develop closing skills, then click here >> 

You’re not limited to closing and copywriting if you want to earn a high income and live on your terms.

But if you want time and location freedom a normal 9-5 can’t give you, then you must work online.

Here are some other high-income skills that may interest you.

Remember, you only need ONE to make it happen.

Each skill has a video linked if you’d like to know more:

I’m just scratching the surface here.

Every online business has a need for many of the skills above.

Personally, I like to choose skills like copywriting, closing, and digital marketing, and advise my mentees to do the same.

Why?

Because you’re selling money at a discount.

You’re generating your client revenue and you’re paid a percentage in commission or upfront fee.

You’re an asset to their company, not an expense.

It costs your client NOT to have you or someone like you in their business.

So, take some time to go through these materials and choose a skill you know you’ll enjoy, and go all in on that skill.

Find the best person to learn from and go deep, build your skills and knowledge in your chosen area, and over time you’ll watch your income increase.

If you’re more extroverted and feel like closing is your skill, then click here to check out my closing collection >> 

On the other hand, if you’re more introverted and love writing, then copywriting could be a good option for you >> 

To your success,

Dan Lok

P.S. – If you found this valuable, please comment below and let me know what high income skill/business topics you’d like me to discuss.

What Are They Saying About You When You’re Not Around?: 7 Steps for Building Your Personal Brand

Ever wondered why so many small businesses fail? Most business people and entrepreneurs focus on the operations of their business and forget to count themselves in the formula for success. If you pay close attention to successful businesses, you will notice one thing – a strong personal brand behind it. Whether it’s the executive or the business owner – there is always someone by whom people remember the business better. Building your personal brand is also what makes your business stand out. 

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber is one of Dan Lok’s all-time most recommended business books. It is somewhat of a cult classic in the business world. In it, Gerber makes a bold statement that most businesses fail because the people who run them are not entrepreneurs but technicians. Being good at your craft/technical role is not the same as being an entrepreneur. What it takes is knowing how to market your business and how to connect with people. 

The success of your business doesn’t depend on your knowledge and skills as much as it does on how you present yourself and your business. A technician has the knowledge and skills in a specific area. An entrepreneur is a technician who also knows how to present himself or herself to earn client trust. It all has to do with personal branding. 

In this article, we will share 7 steps for building your personal brand. If you are ready to build a strong business and never wonder what people say about you when you’re not in the room – read on. 

What’s a Personal Brand?

Before we move into details of building your personal brand, let’s first clarify what a personal brand is. You see, the mistake entrepreneurs make is that they think that their business brand is more important than their personal brand. But this couldn’t be more wrong.

What people think about you has everything to do with your business. If people like you and have positive associations with the mention of your name, your business is doing well. You see – your personal brand is the public projection of everything about you, including your business. It’s a projection of your personality, skills, and values.

People make conclusions about others based on first impressions. What you wear and how you walk and talk all determine what people think about you. The key is that the personal brand is not a person. It is just a projection of perceptions people have of you. Very few people actually know you, but they know your brand. They have a rough idea of your personality and values. 

So what is personal branding then? It is actually the process of creating a unique personal identity around a leading attribute. It’s about managing the perception of your audience to create a certain feeling and impression of who you are.

“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder Click To Tweet

The good news, though, is that you can take steps to manage those perceptions by being mindful of the impressions you make. A great personal brand will pre-sell people to your business by making them aware of your character and strengths before they ever meet you. 

Here are 7 steps you can take now to start building your personal brand. 

#1: Get clarity around building your personal brand.

What do you want to be known as? The last thing you want is to appear as ‘just another’ person in the same business. What do we mean? You do not want to be another mortgage broker, another real estate agent, another web designer, another…anything. You want to be unique. Be known as something different and special. 

When Dan Lok first started his career as a copywriter, he gave himself a unique name. Dan came up with a strategy to call himself the “whiz kid of copywriting.” He was so young, and he knew that people might hold that against him. Business owners could decide not to take him seriously because of his youth. But he used this disadvantage of age as an advantage for himself. 

Later on, he realized that his name is not easily remembered. His Chinese name was preventing him from networking and landing clients. This is when he decided to change his name to Dan Lok. The moment he did this, he got more clients, and he became more confident as well. 

So think about it – how do you want to be perceived? As a strong and decisive leader? An innovator? A low-key, thoughtful, silent power—or as a charismatic and energetic catalyst for change? Brands are built based on the attributes used to describe them: authentic, charismatic, focused, influential, passionate, strong. What brand attributes best reflect you? 

Never wait for others to call you what you want to be. Never wait for others to refer to you as an expert. If you want to be the best - make the claim that you’re the best. - Dan Lok Click To Tweet

This will allow you to be the expert in your field because others will perceive you as such. 

#2: Understand how you are currently perceived.

So, what are people saying about you when you leave the room? Do you know? How can you find out?

While you may not currently be aware of it, you have a personal brand already.  The problem is that you’re unaware of what it is. You need to find out.

How? By asking others. You could ask trusted friends or colleagues, customers, and clients. You could also do a little digging online to see what kind of comments others make about you. What kind of language do they use when they talk about you? What results do you get when you Google your own name? Or your business name?

There are plenty of ways to gain insight into how you’re currently perceived. It’s a critical step to take in building your personal brand. For instance, you might take the list of brand attributes you selected to define your desired personal brand and ask your own group of personal advisors to rate you on each of these on a scale of one to ten. Where would you fall on a scale of one to ten based on the attributes you’ve selected? 

Once you gather this input, you’re likely to find some gaps. Look at your score and compare it to what you wish the perception of you was. How can you improve these scores?  By identifying the various opportunities that others have to form impressions of you, you can implement changes to match the perception with the vision.  Consider these opportunities—or brand touchpoints— and think about how they can serve you better. 

#3: Conduct a personal brand audit.

Now that you know that your perception doesn’t match your desired brand, you can fix it. That’s the good news. The most important step to take is to analyze the signals you send which contribute to your perception. 

Think about the following questions: 

  • Are you firm and decisive when meeting with business associates, or do you wait for them to lead the conversation and share their ideas?
  • Do you speak up confidently in business settings, or do you hang back, waiting for others to speak?
  • Do you forge ahead when making decisions, or do you vacillate and come across as indecisive?
  • How do your nonverbal signals support, or detract from your desired image?

Now, when you think about these questions and answer them, think about opportunities for change. What can you do to change the way you’re perceived? 

#4: Make some changes.

Marketers talk about ‘living the brand promise.’ But what does that mean? Well, that means that you need to stay true to what you project. Everything you do needs to be consistent with the perception you create and the experience your audience has engaging with your brand. 

If your brand audit reveals some gaps between how you’re perceived and how you want to be perceived, you need to make changes. And you need to make those changes before you start aggressively interacting with others. If you don’t, you won’t be living your brand promise.

This process will take time and effort. But it’s time and effort well spent. Think carefully about your interactions with people across all online platforms. Is the experience they have consistent across the board? Do you send the same message? 

Be bold with this step too and dare to make whatever change necessary. Remember that Dan Lok changed his name to build his brand. He often tells his students this story. Dan realized quickly that his Chinese name is hard for people to pronounce and remember. Since his goal was to build a successful business, he knew he needed a name that’s easier to remember. This is when he changed it to Daniel. 

However, after a few years, he realized that name isn’t the right fit either. One day, he asked his mentor – What do you think about Dan Lok? His mentor was surprised at first, but then he smiled – Dan is a much better fit. He said – it sounded more straightforward and approachable – it sends a better message. And that is how Dan Lok brand name was born.

A recent Forbes article included feedback on personal branding from 16 members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) about changing your personal branding. Many suggest that letting in your followers and clients on the changes you and your brand are going through is a good strategy as well. Use the transition to your advantage and give everyone a little behind the scenes. This will increase their trust in your brand as well and give them a sense that they know you better.

#5: Maintain alignment across all touchpoints all of the time.

Now, just as Dan thought carefully about his name, you should think about every change you make. Keep in mind that your personal brand has to be consistent across all platforms. If your attire screams Dolce & Gabbana, but you drive an old used car, there’s a disconnect. If you’re committed to building a reputation as a fierce negotiator, but you capitulate immediately to even minor demands, there’s a disconnect. 

To establish a strong personal brand, you need to convey consistent signals across every touchpoint others may encounter. But ensuring alignment requires mindfulness and attention to detail. This isn’t an easy task. It will require difficult personal decisions and potential sacrifices. Why? Because the strategies that got you to where you are today, will not get you to where you want to go.

Think from the standpoint of where you want to be and plan your communication and branding accordingly. Take your followers and clients and customers on a journey through your brand development. Along the way, you can share your personality and provide value. This will make them trust you and your personal brand will seem genuine. 

Make sure you have a good connection between your personal and business trend by taking some of the additional steps recommended by Forbes: read and approve social media content, ask for feedback, specialize on commonalities, focus on foundations, stay consistent, model your company values,  let your actions speak for you. 

If you’re like most people, you want a friend who is reliable and with whom you simply “click.” Disney and Omnicom share that “consumers across all generations want and expect the same things from brands as they do of their friends and family — reliability, authenticity, and the feeling like the brands ‘get’ them.” Being consistent and connecting your personal and business brand show that you live your values and that people can count on you. 

#6: Create your elevator pitch.

An elevator pitch, or elevator speech, is a message you can deliver in about the time it would take to ride up or down in an elevator—about 20 to 60 seconds. The elevator pitch you create for building your personal brand should be a response to the question: “What do you do?”

Being asked this question gives you the opportunity to share your personal brand by succinctly and precisely stating what it is. The elements of your elevator speech should include:

  • Who are you?
  • What you and your company do?
  • The value of what you do for your target audience

A not-so-good elevator pitch would go something like this: “I’m Chris Jones. I own a software company.” 

A better pitch would go something like this: “I’m Chris Jones. My company ABC Software offers turnkey order processing solutions to online retailers.”

An exceptional pitch would sound like this: “I’m Chris Jones—I’m changing the way online retailers interact with their audiences by offering the best, and most seamless, order processing solution through my multi-billion-dollar company, ABC Software.” 

You’re more than a business owner. You’re a visionary, a fierce leader. Your elevator speech should make this abundantly—and immediately—clear. So should all of the other messages you’re sending across a wide range of potential channels.

#7: Spread the Word

You’re aligned, locked, and loaded. Now, you’re ready to spread the word through as many channels—personal, traditional, and digital—as you possibly can. You want to achieve the power of omnipresence—the ability to be present everywhere. 

Think about it – who is going to get their message out more effectively? Someone who is shy or someone who is outgoing? A withdrawn person or someone who is engaged? Someone who blends in with the competition or someone who stands out?

The goal is to stand out in meaningful and aligned ways through as many touchpoints as possible, so your brand begins to build and grow and support the attributes you’ve selected. Tell your story so you can shape how people view you and enable consumers to begin forging a connection with you and your company. 

Every encounter. Each impression. Every touchpoint that your audience comes across sends a message. Together these encounters create impressions that drive your personal brand. Be bold and authentic. Do not be afraid to share yourself and your vision. The bolder you are the more attention you will receive. Keep in mind this research – consumers need to see your brand five to seven times to remember it.

Remember Dan Lok and his red suit? Yes – be that bold and that loud. 

A few final thoughts… 

What are people saying about you when you leave the room? This is the question you, as an entrepreneur and business owner, must know an answer to. If you are not sure – your brand is in trouble. If you do not know what they say behind your back – do your research. 

When you’re clear on your vision and mission, make sure to analyze all your touchpoints with people. Are you projecting what you want to project? Are they getting the right message? The best way to build a strong personal brand is to work with people who already did it. 

To help entrepreneurs build the best personal brand, Dan Lok has put together an advisory board for elite entrepreneurs. If you’re ready to make your business to the next level, then this might be the mastermind group for you. 

 Act now to start a journey that will help you earn a position among the most elite entrepreneurs in the world. Become part of the Dragon 100™.

How Publish Your Own Book For The First Time

You always wanted to publish your own book, but the thought of it terrifies you. Perhaps you played with the idea for some time now, but you don’t know where to start.  If writing is your passion, thinking about writing and publishing your own book for the first time can be extremely overwhelming. 

Writing a book takes an incredible amount of time, energy, and skill. You probably did your homework and explored the do’s and don’ts of publishing a book, but all the different advice and tips can be confusing. How do you decide what makes sense for you? 

While learning how to get your ideas out into the world is easier than it ever was before, figuring out what ideas to get out is a little harder. The truth is, you can write a book easily, but writing a successful book is more difficult. You can publish your own book easily too, but you have to be strategic about reaching the right audience. 

To help you avoid some of the most common pitfalls of first-time authors, we will share with you helpful tips for finding the right formula for a successful book.  

Why Publish Your Own Book?

There might be a number of reasons why you would want to publish your own book. Regardless of what reason moves you most, one of the main purposes of your writing should be to establish yourself as an authority in your field.

Think about it, when someone says “I am an author” or “I wrote a book” what are the thoughts that come to your mind?

“Oh! She must be an expert in that field!”,

“She has a lot to say about the subject! That means she’s good at it!”,

“I know celebrities who have written books, maybe she is a celebrity too.”

“It would be great to work with her.”

“I want to know more about her.”

These thoughts label someone as an expert in your mind immediately. If you publish your own book, you will also be perceived as an expert almost instantly. 

It’s a bit like when you go see a doctor. Without seeing his qualifications, you already perceive him as an expert. And you trust him instantly. This is the power a book can create for you. 

Like many successful doctors, writing smaller pieces prior to writing a book helps establish that authority you want. If you start with blogs, copywriting, and videos, you create a following. Dan Lok developed his career with short pieces before launching his successful books. 

Now, let’s look at the key steps for writing and publishing your own book for the first time. 

1. Write With Purpose 

“Successful people write a book with an end in mind.” Click To Tweet

This is one of the first principles of copywriting that Dan Lok teaches all his students – have a clear goal for your written piece, and your message will be heard. If you send a sales email to someone without a clear purpose, do you think it will prompt them to action? Probably not. 

The same is true for a book. If you publish your own book, that’s an achievement in itself, but it’s not enough. If you write a book with no purpose, you are going to fail. As a matter of fact, you might even fail at finishing the writing itself if you don’t have a clear purpose. 

If your purpose is to use your book as a marketing tool, then it would be a different type of book. This goal might affect not just the content but also things like the length of your writing. To start the marketing process, you might want to write a short book. 

Students in Dan Lok’s High Income Copywriter® Program always learn how to research the audience before writing even a single word. If you miss this step, you risk writing something that your ideal reader won’t notice. Pay attention to the type of writing they read and think about your purpose to determine the length. 

So before you even set out to begin writing, make sure you are clear on the purpose of your book. Setting a clear purpose and intention for it will allow you to define the type of book you should write. 

2. Keep Your Reader in Mind 

Have you ever heard of the term “Psychographics”?

This is a concept that Dan Lok teaches all his students in the High Income Copywriter® Program. It is one of the most important things that successful writers implement in their work consistently. Dan Lok team relies on it to get all our messages across. 

In short, psychographics is about understanding the personality of your audience. It’s about understanding what your audience does, how they do it, and why they do it. 

Most first time authors tend to write based on their own perspective. They write books based on their understanding of the subject. But successful writers write with their audience in mind. What do we mean by this? 

Let’s suppose you are writing a book about getting a six-pack. You start writing your book and provide 10 very effective exercises that helped you get your six-pack. Let’s suppose that your book only included these exercises.

What do you think will happen? Well, by only writing about the exercises, your book would miss 2 very important steps to getting a six-pack: strong mindset and good diet. 

You see, all copywriters know that writing from your personal perspective and about yourself doesn’t resonate with people. If you do this, you make a lot of assumptions. In the example above, the author assumes that the readers have the same mindset, making the method in the book unsuccessful for those with a weak mindset and a bad diet. 

So if you want to write about getting a six-pack, it would make more sense to first research and think about the people who would want a six-pack. Think as a copywriter:

What do they struggle with? 

Can you identify their needs and desires? 

How can you really help them? 

Thinking like this helps you focus on your audience’s needs, which will lead to more sales.

Meet Your Readers Where They Are

As you think about your audience, think about where they are on their personal journey. If your book does not meet your readers where they are, they will not benefit from it. They might try your exercises, but they will also give up quickly because they are not seeing results fast enough. Unless you educate them on the importance of having the right mindset and pushing through the pain, they will not see value in your book. 

This is why it’s important that you use the right language. In his High Income Copywriter® Program, Dan Lok teaches all his students how to research their audience and find the best way to speak to them. Without this, your book could go entirely unnoticed. 

Your book should match the language that your audience will understand. Using complicated words that might look good to fitness experts will do a disservice to your readers. They will not understand your points and won’t take the right actions.

3. Write About What You Love

One thing is for sure, writing your first book is going to be hard

For that reason, we suggest that you choose something that you are passionate about. There are a few reasons for this.

A. Never Give Up 

Like anything in life, everything you do for the first time is hard. If you are not passionate about the subject of your book, you will give up quickly. 

Think back to the first time you drove a car. Or the first time you skied. It was hard. If you did not like these activities, you would have given up. In the same way, if you don’t love what you are writing about, you will give up quickly because it is too hard. 

However, if you are passionate about your subject, you will push through the pain phase. You might even complain about it. But because you love this subject, you will push through and complete the book. And when you write about something you are passionate about, it does not feel like work. 

This is why Dan Lok says that he never feels like he’s working: his life and work are perfectly integrated because he does what he loves. This is what your book should be to you too – pleasure. Publish your own book by making sure you love working on it. 

B. Become an Expert 

When you are passionate about your subject, you will most likely be an expert at it. This is because you most likely consume countless videos, articles, and books about your subject. In the process, you will most likely learn a lot that you can share with others. 

As more and more people read your book and get value from it, your status in your field elevates. You become someone people recognize for their knowledge and expertise. 

When you write a book as an expert, you will do so faster too as you already know your subject matter inside and out. The words will flow to you naturally and it will be a more enjoyable experience overall. 

C. You Know Your Audience

When you write something that you are passionate about, you are your audience. So you know exactly what they’ve been through as you’ve been through the same journey. For example, if you achieved a six-pack after years and years of trying various things, you know the frustrations that your audience is going through because you are that audience. 

You will know your ideal readers’ psychographics. You could simply look back a few years, remember what you used to do wrong, and what you had to change to achieve your results. This will allow you to create a book that your audience will want to read and that they will benefit from the most.

This is one of the most valuable things that Dan Lok offers through his High Income Copywriter® Program – the lessons he learned on his own journey. The lessons resonate with his students because he was once an inexperienced beginner in copywriting. He knows exactly how to motivate and move them in the right direction. 

 4. Use the Power of Persuasion 

If you want to write a book, you must do so in a way that allows you to sell your ideas. But no matter what your book is about, your reader needs to be persuaded by you. They need to believe in your ideas and concepts for the book to really resonate with them. 

Dan Lok always teaches his copywriting students –  what you think and feel transports to paper. If you don’t fully believe what you write – your audience will sense that. 

Going back to our exercise example, your readers need to be sold on your ideas and concepts in order to implement them. Once they are sold on these new ideas, they can take the right action and finally get the results they want. Therefore, if you are not selling your ideas in your book, you just wasted your time writing.    

Dan Lok teaches all his students about the importance of selling through written words.

“No matter what the goal of your writing is, being able to persuade your readers is the key.” Click To Tweet

Here are 3 ways that can help you better sell your ideas and concepts to your audience.

A. Sell Your Main Concept – The Hook

The reason we suggest that you make sure you understand the purpose of your book first is to be able to write a good hook. You see if you already know your ideal reader and you have a clear purpose in mind, then you have to have a hook to attract your reader too 

Without the hook, people will walk past your book at the bookstore without stopping. Without the hook, your book will be invisible. No one will pay attention to it, and it will be lost in the sea of books lined up on shelves.

However, with the right hook, your audience will feel attracted by your book, even if they are not looking for it. The hook is what gets the reader interested. People will feel the urge to share it with their friends and family even before reading the first page.

Benefits Hook

To achieve this effect, make sure the hook mentions the most important benefit that the reader will get from reading your whole book. It must be so compelling that it draws your audience’s attention from afar.

The hook is usually in the title of the book. Let’s take for example the book The 4-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss. This book has such a compelling message and value that it sold more than 2.1 million copies worldwide in 40 languages.

As for Tim Ferriss’s book, the main goal his audience is after is working 4 hours a week. This is why this is such a successful book.

Similarly, if you want to write a book that will sell, you want your title to be as compelling. Determine the purpose of the book as discussed in step 1. Then, identify the keywords that will relate most to your audience as discussed in step 2.  Use these to create your title.

B. Sell Your Chapters 

The same way you create a hook for the title of your book, you want to create a hook for each chapter. Having compelling titles for each chapter will keep the reader wanting more.

Here are a few examples of chapter titles used in another bestselling book, How to Win Friends And Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.   

      “The Big Secret of Dealing with People”

        “Do This and You’ll Be Welcome Anywhere”

        “A Simple Way to Make A Good First Impression”

        “If You Don’t Do This, You Are Headed for Trouble”

As you can see, these titles are all offering very compelling promises. Many of them are digging into people’s desire to learn “a secret” or giving them “a simple way” to achieve something they need.

Even though you don’t know what is in these chapters, you want to read them. Wouldn’t you agree? This is the same feeling you want your readers to experience when going through your table of contents.

C. Sell With Stories

Even if you’re not writing novels, you should always have compelling stories in your book. The fact that you write about something technical or business oriented doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be relatable and memorable. Quite to the contrary actually. 

One thing that Dan Lok always teaches his students is that stories sell. Why? Because they are memorable and pull people in. This is especially true for well-crafted stories. The guiding principle behind copywriting is to establish an emotional connection because people act on their emotions.

So whatever your book focus might be, make sure you include memorable stories. Stories are filled with emotions. Using a story, you can explain your concepts and ideas and make them relatable and interesting to the reader too. 

Why are stories so important?

It is rather simple. From the start of time, humans have always loved a good story. Even in ancient times, people assembled around a fire to tell stories to entertain each other. Stories are also great ways to share wisdom or to teach a concept while keeping the audience engaged.

Simply including some stories in your book will bring life to your ideas and concepts. Stories are also key to allow the reader to feel present and part of the journey you share through your book.

Stories also help the reader experience some of the concepts and ideas that may seem vague or abstract. They allow the reader to visualize the scene and feel the emotions. A story can inspire a new decision that can be life-changing. 

5. How to Publish? 

So you wrote a book – what now? You finally accomplished your life long dream of becoming an author and finished your manuscript. But where do you go next? 

A few years ago, the most popular way to publish a book was through a publishing company. That has changed

Traditional Publishing

For this to happen, the aspiring author had to call as many publishing companies as possible. And their chance of being published was minimal. For example, the original Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times by publishing companies. 

Apart from the fact that it might take weeks to a year before you get an accepted offer, there is a lot more that happens after a publishing company accepts to publish your book. From drafting and negotiating contracts, to royalty conversations, there is a lot more behind publishing a book than meets the eye.

Fortunately, things have dramatically changed. Amazon has given the ability to anyone to write and publish their own books. 

Self-publishing

Self-publishing means publishing one’s work independently and at one’s own expense. 

The cost of publishing your own book varies greatly from $100 to $2,500. The potential costs you might want to incur include editing, cover design, formatting, marketing, and more. One of the most popular self-publishing companies for authors is Kindle Direct Publishing

By following the steps on the platform, you could publish your book within days. This includes providing you with the right book template to use based on the purpose of your book. Kindle Direct Publishing also gives you ideas of cover design you might want to use. 

Most importantly, Kindle Direct Publishing shows you the step-by-step process to have your book listed on Amazon so you can start selling your book online.

6. Promote Your Work 

Listing your book on Amazon will increase your chances of having your book read by more people. However, just having your book out there is not enough. You still need to sell your book.

Most authors who self-publish think that their book will sell just by being available. Unfortunately, it does not take long for them to realize that no one is interested in paying to read their book unless they are convinced this is a good investment. 

What these authors are doing wrong is this – they are not proactive. It is true that they have done a great job to finish their book and get it published. However, the work does not end there. They have to sell the book. This is why it’s important to have a copywriting mindset and a sales strategy.  

There are 2 main ways to effectively sell your book at a minimum cost.

Become An Amazon Best Seller

This method involves good planning. Usually you start the book launch 14 days before the date of the actual launch. At this point, you want to start building the intrigue about this new book that you have written, and it’s the launch date. 

Over the 2 weeks period, prepare a series of content about your book, ready to go out to your social media audience. Make sure you use all the networks you have at your disposition from email lists, customers, business partners and even friends and family. You want to make sure as many people as possible are aware of your great book launch.

It is relatively easy to become a bestseller on Amazon. The bestseller award is given based on a 2-hour window. If your book is sold more than other books in the same category within the first 2 hours after launching, your ranking improves and could be ranked #1. 

Testimonials and Endorsements

Another great strategy is to perform interviews with various influencers where you get the chance to promote your new book. Throughout the 2 weeks process, you want to spread out content about your book. You want to keep the intrigue around the content, while also selling the benefits the book will bring to your audience’s lives. 

Grow Your Book Sales

Now, another very important step to take to make sure you have a successful book launch is to create a highly converting sales page

What does “sales page” mean? 

The sales page of your book is the description of your book. The reason some books do not sell as well as others is that authors of successful books use all possible ways to promote. 

As you can see in The 4-Hour Work Week book example, Tim Ferriss successfully used the description of his book as the sales page. 

To create a highly converting sales page you want to use all the strategies we shared in this article and those that Dan Lok shares in his High Income Copywriter® Program

Write Your Way To Success

As you can see, the process of writing your first book and getting it published is rather simple. What is hard is to make sure as many people as possible get their hands on your book and benefit from your work. This process involves a lot of selling in print. Unfortunately, this highly valuable skill is not taught at school or at university. Still, it is the most important skill for every writer and entrepreneur.  

Knowing how to “read” your audience, persuade your reader, and promote your writing is the key to a successful book. If you want to discover all the secrets of influencing and selling in print, then you might want to check out Dan Lok’s High Income Copywriter® Program

As the author of 13 bestselling books, Dan Lok decided to put together this webinar that teaches you how to take your writing skills to the next level and generate reliable income with any writing project you chose. Register to the webinar for this free webinar by clicking here now.