Hello Fellow Copywriters,

I decided to post this thread because I'm trying to get some objective advice.

My mom is talking about wanting to become a professional copywriter. The thing is, she isn't real web-savvy so I'm not sure that writing online sales letters is playing to her strengths.

I've started her with writing some emails for a few of my personal projects and she is surprisingly good for someone who hasn't had any copywriting training per se.

She was a top-salesperson for an art gallery for about 5 years, so she's already got the basics of salesmanship down. But that was a lot of traveling and time on her feet -- neither of which she wants to do anymore.

I don't have a problem with coaching or teaching her how to write copy, but I'm not sure what part of the copywriting industry would be a good fit for her.

Again, I'm struggling a bit to stay objective b/c it's my mom. Normally, I could give laser-focused advice very quickly.

If you had an older family member talking about getting into the copywriting industry, what would you suggest to them?

Thanks,

Mike

Hey Mike,

Have her stick to what she knows. You say she got her sales experience with an art gallery, so have her start there. Look for a local art gallery who needs copy written for promotions and art shows. Then she could even look into the individual artists' needs (brochures for shows, artist statements, CV's, etc..).

Also, since she has a background in art, she may even try your local museum. All museum exhibitions have promotional materials that need to be written.

So what if the web isn't her thing? With her background in art sales, I should imagine that there are plenty of offline opportunities for her to start out with. Once she has the hang of offline copy, you could slowly work her into web writing.

Just my two cents

I think that makes sense.

Can she sell herself?

That's the important thing. I find there are a lot of copywriters out there, and some damn fine ones that will forever live hand to mouth because they can't sell themselves.

Being able to write copy is a distant second to being able to sell herself (her services).

Learning to be a copywriter is the easy part.

Mike,

Online writing is just a very small part of a very big marketing puzzle. There are a lot of offline opportunities available. It sounds as if she has some very marketable strengths. If she can make the sale, she can learn to write effective copy. She should go for it!

My 17-year-old daughter is going to major in marketing in college, and I'm going to hire her to do some work when the time is right. I'm looking forward to working side-by-side with her as a team. I think you've been handed a wonderful opportunity to share something with your mom, and since copywriting is such a vast field, I'm sure there's a niche that she could succeed in. It sounds as if she has years of selling experience behind her, which is more than a lot of novice copywriters bring to the table.

Hey Mike,

As far as mom is concerned, I think she would be a great fit where ever her heart is.

As far as her art background, could you PM me with your contact info so I can hire her for a consultation? I have a personal project selling art I need some expert advice on.

Wow, that's some really good advice from everyone. Zachary, I sent you a PM as requested.

Thanks,

Mike

It all seemed such an easy plan. Life would be fantastic. Mother would love me forever.

I would take my own mother under my wing and train her to write just like my hero John Caples.

Things went so, so well. Mom would arrive for work on time in her old VW Beetle dressed to kill with her mount blanc pen and pad. Moms work was easily the best, so confident, so easy to read and boy could she lick those other guys at the copywriters board.

Then one day mom said to me, "Alan I want to be the worlds best copywriter, you will be history"! I was shocked. How could she do this to me, my own mom.

This created a tsunami like rumble through the office, I hardly slept for week. My hair began to drop out!

Mom was reading my ads, stealing my John Caples books, even hacking into my email to make sure no correspondence from clients would each me and be diverted to her. She even posted on the copywruiters board I had retired and she would be taking over.

The time had come; I had to ditch mom.

I knew what kind of reaction I should expect. I was right. In fact not only did she kidnapped my Rabbit and boil it, she even painted the following words on my car... "Alan writes like a sissy"

I was devastated. I cried for weeks.

Anyway after a long run in with the law, courts, lawyers and many meetings Mom in now in the local state institution. She isn't happy. She eats nothing but southern fried waffles and has gained 167 pounds in 4 months. Poor mom.
So when people say to me "should I train my mom to work with me?"

You can guess my answer!

Never work with mom!
Alan

Mike,

There are five big markets ripe for copywriters.
The money is still... OFFLINE. So I wouldn't worry
about being web savvy or whatever.

In no particular order here are the big markets...

1. Health
2. Sex
3. Biz Opp.
4. Financial
5. Technology

If I was starting out, here's what I would do...

(a) get a subscription to the SRDS

(b) pick one of those categories

(c) call each list broker and get a data card
and usage report for each list in the category
I decided to work

(d) look up each company and find the name of
the owner or marketing director. you want at least
200 to 500 prospects, by the way.

(e) mail them a hard-hitting self promotional letter

(f) follow up by phone

(g) repeat

This process will put any copywriter in touch with the
real players in the direct response industry. You're
sending a self promotion pitch to a targeted list. The
key is sending a good letter and following up.

You have to keep sending letters and making calls. Why?
Because you don't know when any of these prospects
need to hire a copywriter.

Since your mom has sales experience she should do
well following this strategy.

Mike,

A good fit for her would be HER.

So she begins with collecting and piling up on her dining room table, all the magazines she reads.

ALL the products she has personally purchased for herself or as gifts.

She SEES what her interests are (probably gets a few ART magazines every month)...

So YOU show her the pile of her interests and say;

"Mom. There are millions of women in your age and income bracket, what are they buying? From who?"

By having her physically DO this exercise, it will give her more than an intellectual understanding of her already built in EXPERTISE.

She should have a "swipe" pile of ads that have come to her via snail mail for offers because of the lists that she is already on. Each offer was done by a copywriter for someone somewhere.

Every AD in the magazines SHE already reads was written by someone.

You get her to start thinking about HER market, HER "peeps", HER interests...and then she can get a feel for the world of copywriting that is already appealing to HER market.

Sure, ART would be great...and you've gotten some great advice ( I especially like jcoolbaugh's advice)...

She is in an age bracket that AARP targets...she should join and get all their publications to see what they offer to people.

Take her to the local library on a field trip (ah, reverse the process) and show her the SRDS and have her copy a few pages from it to see what LISTS are out there pertaining to products that she has either bought or would buy.

Have her make a list of the products she currently uses and why...

Makeup. All cosmetics. Houshold supplies. Attire. Furniture.

ALL things that she buys and WILL find the need for copy in all these fields. Every Sunday ad that she looks at and thinks about "buying" or actually goes to the store...are all targets for her to get her feet wet with.

A good understanding of how direct response works is a good foundation to give her...and in my opinion, the best way to learn this is to become a buyer of stuff she already uses...via remote means.

Anything that gets delivered to her home has had some Copywriter work behind it. Have her watch QVC, HSN and note any infomercials she watches and would buy from or better yet, anything that she did buy from an infomercial.

OK. That should get her started in the right direction...in list form it looks like this:

1. Pile up all "junk mail", purchases, subcriptions on the table.
2. Sort it out as to her interests.
3. Have her analyze ads that got her to buy.
4. Have her pick a couple of "items" to write on.
5. Go to library get SRDS lists of people selling these items.
6. Have her write against the promotions she has found.
7. Have her look hard at Sunday inserts, coupon connections and any local mail she gets with an offer.
8. She can begin to write against some local ads for practice.
9. Tell her to write in her own voice as if she were writing to her sister and to put herself into the shoes of her reader...people like her, with her goals, aches, pains, problems, heart aches, joy, fun, dreams, ambitions, etc.
10. ENCOURAGE her to act upon this. BUT be a mentor, not a mother, OK?

Good luck,

gjabiz