I know what you're thinking; "Here comes another newbie!, quick, let's get out of here!"

But wait! I just need some direction. I'm interested in learning about Copywriting but there seems to be so many books and so much information available, I'm feeling overwhelmed. I have stacks of books and more website links than I know what to do with but I still have some basic questions. This board seems friendly and helpful and so I would like to pose a few questions.

1. Do employers expect a copywriter to do the layout for a project? If you are creating a brochure for a client, is it expected that the copywriter will format the brochure and add pictures if needed?

2. Should I invest in any desktop publishing software? I currently use Word.

3. There seem to be so many different areas to Copywriting that I'm unsure where to start. Some books say that I should generalize and take a variety of projects, while others say to specialize. My writing background consists of both creative writing (fiction, entertainment reviews, blogging) as well as technical writing for IT companies. Any ideas on what industries I should target given my background?

4. Can you recommend a really good beginners course to take? I would prefer something online.

5. What do you think is the best way to get some initial clients?

Any help is sincerely appreciated.

Fred Quattrone

Fred,

Although some copywriters do the layout and design, many just submit their work as a Word document. This is what I do. Others may tell you something different. Copywriters aren't necessarily responsible for the design. (I personally think it doesn't hurt to learn a little design, however.)

Some recent threads discuss good books/courses to take. Do a little research and see which one is the best fit for you.

Good luck!

Deb

Deb, thanks for your response. I've looked through the forum and found references to John Carlton's course and Yanik's course. Carlton offers a cheap course for $299. Is this worth it or should I put out the money for one of the more expensive packages. Cash is a concern right now.

Fred

Fred,

I haven't personally taken that course, but you can't go wrong with John Carlton.

Deb

I've bought tons of books but I haven't bought Carlton yet.

If money is tight, I advise against high-ticket items like Carlton's. Go with thegaryhalbertletter.com and some of the basic books:

- My Life In Advertising & Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
- Tested Advertising Methods by Caples
- Robert Collier letter book
- The Irresistible Offer by Mark Joyner
- 22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing, Jack Ries and Al Trout

Also, I'd go on Ebay and buy some of Gary Halberts audio products, like the Marketing Mastermind Seminar. There are used tapes available at affordable prices. If you do this, you'll spend the money of one course (i.e. around 300 bucks) but get the education of a lifetime.

Get going, study like crazy and start getting clients. The rest will come.

All the best!

Regarding specialization...

It's hard to specialize when you have no experience.

How do you know what kind of copy you write well? How do you know which kind of copy you enjoy writing? Etc.

Get some experience first. Then picking a specialty (or niche) becomes easier.

Ryan

I agree with Deb about the layout. Copywriter's are not responsible for layout, that's a graphic designer's job. You should try to find at least on designer to work with, preferrably more.

Generally speaking, though, you can format your copy to help the designer along. For instance, on a brochure, I'll put:

Front cover
Headline: Your benefit oriented headline here.
Logo: Company logo here
Tag: Tagline, preferrably call-to-action here.

Then, I'll put:

Inside front cover

Subhead: Subhead goes here.
Copy: Copy goes here.

That kind of formatting will help the client and designer what you have in mind.

Keep in mind, you don't want to overwhelm you designer with a lot of changes, so make sure you get your copy approved before you turn it over to the designer.

Hope that helps.

Rich

Like you, I'm just getting started...though I may be a couple steps ahead.

If you're on a budget, here's what I suggest:

1. Buy 8-10 books (you know the classics that everyone recommends) = $200

2. Buy only one course = $300

3. Study all the free stuff online (Halbert's letters, Fortin's articles, Makepeace's archive, Carlton's 11 free newsletters, www.hardtofindads.com, etc.)

If you do all that, and really study the stuff, you'll be more than ready for your first gig.

As for Carlton's kick-ass course, yes, it's good. Great content. And he's a master wordsmith. But something people don't mention is the length. Truth is, it's only about 120 pages - once you've removed all the filler and blank 'notes' pages. Of course he also throws in a CD (interview with Halbert) and a list of Power words. (IMO, those aren't worth much.)

So there you go. For $500, you can learn the nuts-and-bolts of the biz. And be on your way.

Good luck with it.
Mark

Hi again,

Interestingly enough, I just found this post (by Michael Winiki) in another thread...
[Sorry mod, not sure how to quote from another thread, so I've just copied it.]

Anyway, here it is:

Learning copywriting doesn't need to be expensive nor does it need to take "years" before you can start earning an income from it.

First off here's what I would invest in:

Brian Keith Voiles "Advertising Magic"... I've seen this on Ebay for less than $50.

Joe Sugarman "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word".

Jeffrey Lants "Cash Copy"

"The Robert Collier Letter Book"

Eugene Swartz "Breakthrough Marketing"

The Dan Kennedy "Ultimate Sales Letter" book

The Clayton Makepeace ebook.

The Robert Boduch headline course.

I'd also grab most of the free newsletters off of Gary Halbert's site and the years worth of free newsletters off of John Carlton's site.

I'd get a subscription to the National Enquirer.

I'd get a cheap product from Nightingale Conant, Boardroom Reports and Rodale in order to get on their mailing lists.


All told you'd have about $500 invested.

Everyday I'd spend a couple hours reading the above.

I'd spend an hour a day reworking real ads I found in my local newspapers, yellow pages, billboards, through direct mail and a website now and again.

The fact is after 30 days you would have enough knowledge and ability to create better ads than 95% of those you would find in your local paper and yellow pages. At that point you could begin prospecting locally for business. You aren't going to be ready to write for Rodale after 30 days but I know damn well you could get local work if you prospect properly.

In my opinion mastering the prospecting end of the business is more difficult (for most) as compared to the copywriting end.



Michael S. Winicki
Author of "Killer Techniques to Succeed with Newspaper, Magazine and Yellow Page Advertising" Copywriters Board

Thank you for the props Mark!

I wouldn't change anything I said in that old post.

I KNOW by following my "recipe" you would become a good enough copywriter to solicit work and create credible copy within 30 days-- again, as mentioned in the old post, you wouldn't be qualified to write copy for every potential client on the planet but certainly for many off-line & on-line businesses.