nick usborne's guide to online copywriting
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Excess Voice Newsletter
June 2007, Issue # 157
In this issue:
>> Intro: What we would do...
>> Review: Teleteach for Profit
>> Article: How long does it take to write good copy?
>> Survey: Do you have enough time to write good copy?
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Find out about my COACHING service for freelance writers and copywriters.
And get your free copy of the Freelance Business Growth Checklist.
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Greetings,
In the last issue's survey I asked you about what you would do with your time if you didn't have to worry about making an income.
There were some great responses...most of which fell into two categories.
1. I would spend more time on charitable work.
2. I would do something I love, without regard to its potential as a source of income.
It would be great to spend more time doing both of those. Now if only I really could take one of those biz-op online courses and make a million dollars by the weekend...
In this issue the article takes a look at time from a different perspective – how much time does it take to write good online copy?
And, as always, please take a moment to check out this issue's review, and respond to the survey.
Until next time,
Nick
Nick Usborne
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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REVIEW: Teleteach for Profit
In a world of online video and webinars, the idea of conducting teleseminars may seem a little "old school".
And I like that. I like the fact that everyone's attention is focused elsewhere.
I plan to start creating some teleseminars soon. I am choosing the teleseminar format for a two main reasons:
1. Teleseminars are easy for everyone. Listeners don't have to log in online and hope their Internet access is fast enough to handle multimedia webinar presentations. All they need is a telephone.
2. Teleseminars are portable. Download the call to your iPod or any other mp3 player and you can listen to it whenever you like...on the couch, riding a bike, while you're walking, in the car...anywhere.
I have been thinking about creating teleseminars for a while. So it brought a smile to my face when Marcia Yudkin asked me to review her course, Teleteach for Profit.
It's a long, comprehensive course. And I like that it's from Marcia, as I see her as one of the very few hype-free and totally trustworthy sources of information out there.
Read my full review here:
http://www.excessvoice.com/teleseminar-course.htm
POPULAR PRODUCTS AND REVIEWS:
#1. Nick Usborne's Million Dollar Secrets to Online Copywriting
This is a "professional-grade" course written to address the full complexity of writing online. It is a strictly how-to course in which I go through the process of writing all kinds of web pages, emails and newsletters. Take this course and you'll know everything I know about writing for the web.
More details here:
http://www.awaionline.com/onlinecopywriting/index.php
#2. Writing Rituals
My productivity guide for marketing writers and copywriters. This set of 5 rituals will help you stay focused on your writing tasks, avoiding the perils of procrastination and writer's block.
Learn more...
http://www.writingrituals.com/
#3. Michael Masterson's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting
Other than my own, this is the only copywriting course I wholeheartedly recommend to any copywriter who wants to write copy that drives results.
Read my review:
http://www.excessvoice.com/michael-masterson.htm
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ARTICLE: How long does it take to write good copy?
I just completed writing a landing page for a client.
It is a little over 500 words.
And it took me four days to write it.
Not that I spent all day every day on that one page. Far from it. But I was making changes to the text right up to the end.
What I find a little scary is that I made a significant change to the headline on the final day. And almost completely rewrote the call to action just an hour before the deadline.
So what's that all about? How come it takes me four days to get the headline right?
Here's what's happening...
When I am writing a landing page or sales page, I know that the copy I write can have a direct and immediate impact on my client's revenues, one way or the other. So I always ask for a reasonable deadline. I set aside a big chunk of time for the job. And I estimate accordingly.
Then I approach these pages in a very different way, when compared to writing an email or a site content page.
When I start to write a sales page, I don't try to get everything perfect. Nor do I try to write the page in a single sitting.
I write a bit, just getting some words in place, and then walk away.
An hour later I come back, make a few changes and keep writing.
By the end of the first day, I generally have an imperfect first draft in place.
I then print it out and put it to one side.
Day 2...
On day two I read the printed version and make notes where I can see places that need improving.
I also look closely at the formatting of the text. Maybe I'll add some more subheads. Maybe I'll change a block of text into bullet points and indent them.
Then I print it out again, put it to one side and leave it for a couple of hours.
When I read it again, I'll see some more areas that clearly need work.
So what happens on days 3 and 4?
On these last two days I go through a process which either identifies me as a very good copywriter, or as a reasonably good copywriter who does a good job of compensating for his weaknesses. I'm not sure which.
Here's what I do.
I print the latest version of the copy and read it very carefully.
While I'm reading, and feeling the flow and persuasion of the page, I try to identify moments when the flow hesitates or stumbles.
These moments can be very, very, very subtle.
As soon as I identify one of these moments I stop and try to figure out what the problem is.
I'm actually listening to an inner dialog in my mind. A very quiet and very smart part of my brain is saying something like, "This is weak. You need to work on this phrase, sentence or paragraph." And a loud, vain part of my brain is saying, "Rubbish, it's fine. Let's keep reading."
Unless I go through this process and really focus carefully, the loud voice will always win.
And here's the big learning point...
On those last two days, when I make changes they are almost always changes to WHAT I'm saying, and not to HOW I'm saying it.
I can spot the HOW to say it problems easily enough on days one and two.
But where I really, really get to make my copy work harder is when I identify a spot where WHAT I'm saying is wrong.
As an example of what I mean, you can look at one of the examples from my article in the last issue, in which I wrote about expressing offers.
Here's how I wrote two ways to express an offer:
Version 1: "Get your 2 week FREE TRIAL at nicksaudiodownloads.com"
Version 2: "Get FREE AUDIO DOWNLOADS at nicksaudiodownloads.com"
The second version is stronger. I didn't make it stronger by changing HOW I wrote the first version. I made it stronger by changing WHAT I said.
Concluding thought...
In the title to this article I ask how long it takes to write good copy.
For me at least, the answer to that is that it takes the time I need to be absolutely certain that WHAT I am saying is as close as possible to being exactly right, from the beginning of the copy right through to the end.
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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SURVEY: Do you have enough time to write good copy?
We all have to work within deadlines. But are you given enough time to do your best work?
[ ] Most of the time, yes
[ ] Most of the time, no
Comments.............
(NOTE: Any comments and your name may be published in the next issue, or on the Excess Voice web site.)
Cut and paste your replies to me at mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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NICK USBORNE'S SERVICES:
Yes, I do more than write articles and publish newsletters.
Ask me to give a training seminar or webinar for your writers or web team.
http://www.nickusborne.com/speaking.htm
Ask me to write for your site, emails and newsletters.
http://www.nickusborne.com/copywriting.htm
Ask me to optimize your key offer pages...
http://www.nickusborne.com/consulting.htm
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