I have wanted to become a copywriter for 2 years now. Suddenly I have started to realize that copywriting on the internet is dead. And that most guys is just a bunch of crooks that want to fill their own pockets.

Just look at that Sir Gary Halbert.. I was literally in love with this guy when I first started, now I see through that dark fazed of bs and nonesens.

His girlfriend that is a super model etc etc

But it's not only the lies, it's the "whole package".

Please tell me the nuggets that will make you rich from mr sir garys website??? See now, there is just a bunch of hype and a ****weasel here and there. If you seriously think gary gives you good advice then you have just falled for the hype yourself or otherwise you doesn't think BIG enough.

The question you MUST ask yourself NOW is... why do I want to write copy just like John Carlton or Gary Halbert???

Ask yourself that question and you will see that there is things in life that is much more rewarded in forms of money than listening to a bunch of hyped up copywriters.

Seriously, the attention span of the average surfer is about 4 lines, and I doubt more than 20% will read my thread right now. And just 1/100 will respond to this thread.

No, the future is VIDEO/AUDIO and a little teaser copy on the right spots if you want to be in the copywriting game.

Frankly, I feel that I have been cheated on to belive that there is lots of money to be made as a copywriter and that you are a "holy god sent" just if you can master copywriting/direct response. No, smart people see through all the hype and spot were the real money is made. Buzz marketing, controversial marketing and thinking outside of the box is just a few.

I know lots of you guys doesn't earn 1/10 of what Michael earn per month. So why do you freaking struggle on your dream when you can find something that you are born to do and earn so much MORE money. All you have to do is try new things, find your category, both offline and online. Maybe sales and marketing isn't for you, goodluck.

That's all for now

Hi,

I read it aat one stream, you knwo why because sincerity shine over it, a furious cry and I enjoy that at a moment you make limit on your speech this is good perhaps you have your own reason.

now I disgree with you in one thing :

Video and audio (in my modeste vision) will never be the futur of copywriting, why?

the reason is in this analogy :

"during last years some publishers thinked that the age of paper book is dead " and they were wrong.

paper book will exisit today and tommorow and for a long time again, you know why, because however there is ebook people prefere to smell the odor of old book (my case ) no seriousely people enjoy to have a concret book between hand.

so, I think that the futur isn't to turn the net in to a perpetual COmmercial TV SHOW, or Radio Show, I think that they exisit outside the net and people hav enought of them so they will dislike to see them on the net (the free medium and information support).

so the money is in salesletters, ans letters (I have the feeling that the wordl and money is in the descendant phase of evolution people are to go to the old stuff ) why?

NOSTALGY

this is my vision, happy to read you and please let read more.

Because they make a lot more money than me.

Who says we read their stuff and listen to them because we're looking for some kind of life fulfillment? My only reward will be, hopefully... making money.

1% conversion on angry copy written in broken english. I'd say that's damn good!

You have a point here, but the future isn't now. Not everyone can watch video online, comfortably. Me for instance. I live just outside of Los Angeles and my DSL is slow as molassas in January. Video is more of an annoyance than anything else to me.

The future yes... but there's a lot of marketing that needs to be done in the present also.

As for audio, anything more than a minute or so, and I don't want to listen anymore. I can read (or skim) much faster than someone can recite to me.

Um... then master those things. Write a controversial sales letter. Get some buzz. Think outside Gary Halpert's box for crying out loud.

Either you make a profitable living or you are just another mambo jambo clown trying to pretend you are the next John Carlton moffo. Sure he may make a $1 million dollars a year but so does my uncle Jim who have his own business.. you guys look up to this copywriters like they ran the next Berkshirehathway. They don't, they barely have a clue and they JUST gross $1 million a year not $1 billion.. maybe you are good at what you do and make a cool $50K and don't need more??? But just don't look up to Gary and the rest and think they are MARSIANS or something.


Abdellah, happy to read you too.. :P

Dude,

Who are you talking to/about?

Usually when I go on an angry rant, I sooner or later realize it's me I'm pissed at.

Sure there's screaming hype, deception and puffed out egos galore. And if you think the Internet is the be-all, end-all of copwriting, you're bound for glorious dissapointment.

The more I learn, the more I see copy as just one piece of the puzzle.

And I can't speak for Gary H., but I've spent a bit of time speaking with, and listening to John Carlton. I find him to be nothing but genuine.

If you can spot an emerging trend, more power to you. But you can take this to the bank. Long Copy Sales letters will continue to work for a great many businesses, and not just for Internet whores.

Andy

Hi,

I do this because I really enjoy it. I'm a single mom and I want to make a good living, but I don't care about making tons of money. If I didn't enjoy copywriting, I would do something else.

I don't like Gary Halbert, I find his personality truly offensive. And I don't want to idolize every copywriter who has made tons of money. I have more respect for selfless people.

I do believe in learning from people who have mastered the craft though. I especially like the Bencivenga Bullets. But I can't deal with anything by Gary Halbert. That's okay, there are plenty of other good copywriters to learn from, including the ones on this board.

Namaste,

Janet

The very first day that I ever dug around the net to learn about
internet marketing, I landed upon Gary's site.

What a site to land on your first day into marketing!

I read tons of the stories. I had no idea why at the time,
but I just kept reading. They were very entertaining to me.

After a while, I started printing off the pages and taking them
with me while on private investigation gigs. Spending 12 hours
a day in a van can be boring. It's not so boring when your
reading the Boron Letters.

When it came time for me to dip my hand into the copywriting arena,
I decided to charge like a pro. Right off the bat, with no experience
I was quoting $5,000 a sales letter.

Guess what?

The client paid it, and happily.

In fact, they just cut me another grand for this months royalty.

Your right,

This copywriting stuff sure sucks.

All hype.

let talk about Garry Halbert letters:

witch of them are making WOW, I don't know why but I really enjoy the OLD one, I don't know why.

Reading the Boron letter there is one part that make me in an other state of mind a part in witch he wrote :
"Now , I have to go into my trancendancy", (mean meditation).

this is what I want to talk about, hope that from time to other guru goes in thiers trancendnacy, making a deep selfcritic, to avoid copying themselves, to avoid borring other, to avoid saturation and other blocking stuff.

what to learn from Garry is the sprit of a speach, how to talk like consummers do, and how to be simple, some time Garry is the modeste copywriters I read, and the humble one, you know why because I am sure that he often said to him self :"heho be aware what would be the next step of arrogance" and he know that the next step of arrogance is insult and this deserve copywriting.

this was my thougths perhaps a litile out the thread but wanted to share them.

hope that help.

Dude, don't confuse message medium with the message itself.

Halbert creates MESSAGES that humans buy into.

Until you understand that it's your stories that are flawed - NOT - the idea of telling stories being flawed... then you'll continue to struggle.

"Video Marketing" "Buzz Marketing" all rely on skills that Halbert teaches.

Who do you suppose writes the lines for TV commercials?

Copywriters do.

Advice like "sell to a starving crowd" is timeless and fundamental - to all businesses.

I'd guess that you haven't successfully applied the teachings yet - don't give up, get angry if you must, but make sure you keep going.

Yes, long copy works great.. in the right starving crowd.