Recently I asked for your input about different topics to write about for future weekly newsletters.
And one of the most popular things people wanted to know was how to get started as a copywriter and find your first client.
So, in this week’s newsletter we’ll cover just that.
Ready?
What Does a Copywriter Do?
Before I learned copywriting from my mentor Alan, he explained to me what it was.
Like most people, I mistook it for Copyright.
I thought it had something to do with patents, but I was wrong.
So, if copywriting is new to you, in simple terms it’s what I like to call “closing in print”.
A copywriter’s goal is to get the reader to take a specific action.
That action could be anything such as clicking a link or signing up to a masterclass, or buying a product or service.
Why Copywriting Is So Powerful
When you can read your prospect’s mind you can write to them about their problems and position your solution in such a way that they absolutely must have it… you’ve got a very unique skill indeed.
If you look around online, everything that’s not a picture or a video is copy.
It’s everywhere in the online and offline world, and yet no one seems to realize.
They don’t realize they’re being sold everywhere they look.
From signs and billboards, to emails, to ads, to books, to movie scripts.
Everything is selling an idea.
Some of the highest paid people in the world are professional copywriters, so not only is copy creative and fun, you can also make great money doing it.
How To Find Good Copy To Study
If you’re signed up to different newsletters or email lists like mine, you’ll get marketing emails a few times per week, sometimes even daily.
Now of course, not all emails are good to study, but if you’ve been on my email list for a few years, you can study my old emails.
Make a list of the niches you’d like to write for and find email lists to join and begin studying the emails you receive.
You’ll start to notice patterns, and you’ll pick out things that make a good sales email.
Another site I highly recommend is swiped.co which is a database of all different types of high converting sales copy.
PRO TIP: When I started out, Alan told me to hand copy winning promotions.
It’s up to you if you do it, but I’d strongly suggest it if you want to get good fast.
Why Email Is A Great Place To Start
In my first year as a copywriter I wrote sales pages for my clients.
But to be frank, sales pages are difficult to learn straight out the gate.
They require a huge amount of research and time and are often 40 or more pages long.
Most beginners would feel overwhelmed, this is why I suggest you start with email.
As you know, emails are far shorter, this means there is less chance of error and the learning curve is not as steep.
Your goal with the email is to get them to click the link, and if you’d like 5 Copywriting tips for beginners, I shot you a short video here >>
How To Write Your First Email
As I mentioned, copywriting is everywhere online, which means you can find a product to write for very easily.
So once you’ve found a product to sell, craft an email that prompts the reader to click the link and takes them to the blog, store, or the sales page.
You’ll need to find a unique angle for your email that makes the email interesting to read.
I’ve got a great video to help you do this, you can watch here >>
Because when you’re selling, it’s important you offer value and don’t appear sleazy.
There’s a fine line between pitching your product and selling too hard or being too salesy.
Now although emails are more simple and easier to write than sales pages, email can become a very deep topic which is why you’ll want to study on your own.
How To Charge For Your Services
Once you’re ready to write for clients, there are many ways to price and charge for your copy services.
When I first got started, I remember Alan asked me to raise my prices often.
Every few months I’d go to him and he’d ask me to double my price.
I was so nervous I had to practice saying my new price in front of the mirror until I could say it comfortably.
There are specific ways to price your services if you want the power to increase your income.
And I speak about the right and wrong ways to charge here >>
How To Find Your First Client
I think in the early stages you just want to get some paid work so anything is good for your first gig.
I recommend my students to even start out on sites like Fiverr or Upwork.
But eventually you’ll want something more stable and reliable.
The clients you work with are crucial to your income stability and avoiding what I call the “income rollercoaster”.
I teach my students to go to clients with high ticket products or services who need regular copy each month.
One way of finding clients like these is on ‘Facebook Ad Library’ or ‘YouTube’.
When you see an ad for a niche you like, you’ll need to do some detective work and enter their funnel to check out their offer.
There are many ways of closing clients but one effective way is by writing them a sample email they can run to their list.
If they use it and it performs well they may want to do more work with you.
How To Cold Email Your Prospects
Cold emails should be short and to the point.
Business owners are busy and no one wants to read an essay.
Rather than me explain how to write a good cold email, which would take a long time, I found this great video for you to watch >>
I hope you’ve found this newsletter useful.
Copywriting is a learned skill that takes time but if you stick with it you could get good faster than you think.
The program is 7 weeks long and teaches you what I believe are the best areas of copywriting to focus on if you want to make a good living as a copywriter online.
To your copy success,
Dan Lok
P.P.S. – If you want to know what books to read, here is a great list to get you started >>
