FIVE MINUTE FRIDAY #15 w Patrick McGovern
Full Transcript:
Copywriting: the ability to persuade and motivate someone to action through the written word.
This skill is arguably one of THE most important to have in business today. Master this craft and you will be able to make money flow towards you almost magically.
And yet…
Most of us suck at copywriting.
We don’t know how to get started. Or what to say.
We talk too much about features and not benefits. We make our content too much about US and not enough about the CUSTOMER.
And many times we don’t know how to close and ask for the business.
I get it. In fact, I’ve been there. The truth is, sometimes writing copy is a painful chore.
But what if you could change this? What if I could give you a technique that can turbo-charge your skill and turn you into a better writer almost overnight. Would this be of interest to you?
Because what I know is that by being a better copywriter you can:
● Create more sales for your business, your product, your service and get the kind of life
that you have worked hard to achieve.
● Communicate and connect better with your team members. Say goodbye to confusion and welcome clarity.
● Connect and engage with more people on social media. You will be able to meet new people that could help you grow your business. You may even meet someone you could fall in love with!
If this sounds like something of interest to you…then let’s move on starting with a bit about me. I promise to keep this part short.
My name is Pat McGovern and I’ve been in marketing and advertising my entire career. That’s over 25 years! And copywriting has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember.
Throughout my career, I’ve made it a practice to study copywriting to better understand the techniques and tactics that would help make me a better writer.
I’ve read the books, gone to the seminars, purchased online courses. You name it – I’ve done it.
Even to this day, as soon as I see something about copywriting come through my feed I’m drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
Some of these resources have been helpful. Some have been garbage. And, if I’m being honest, some courses and books I’ve purchased – I never even looked at! That’s right. I downloaded the product or ordered the book and never did a damn thing with it. What a complete waste.
But this technique I’m about to share with you is different. It’s fast. You can start using it today.
And there’s no cost. It’s free baby!
Nothing you have to attend. And NO slimy sales pitch at the end. I don’t want to sell you anything. You probably have too much stuff anyway.
This technique is 100% pure helpful.
Copy Work
The technique I’m about to share with you is called: Copy Work. And it’s a technique that has been around for years. Like thousands of years.
In ancient times, Greek and Egyptian schoolboys would copy great works from their culture into clay tablets.
More recently, the famous journalist Hunter S. Thompson would type pages from Fitzgerald’s
The Great Gatsby and Hemingway’s For Whom The Bells Toll just to understand how these two authors wrote their amazing novels.
And in today’s world, Sam Parr and Shaan Puri, hosts of My First Million podcast (one of the top rated podcasts on Business) often talk about using this practice to help them with their writing.
So How Do You Get Started?
It’s simple. Find a piece of work you admire. This could be an advertisement. A sales letter. A webpage. An email. Anything that made you stop and think – and maybe even consider buying something.
If you’re stuck on what to use don’t worry – I gotchu. At the end of this post I’m going to give you links to some amazing pieces for you to use.
Now, get a sheet of paper and start writing the piece you selected. The exact piece word for word. Warning: this is going to feel a little weird at first. Kind of like the first time you got on a new piece of equipment at the gym. That’s ok. Stay with it.
Start writing the headline. Then move to the body copy. Keep your pen moving. Work your way through to the ending and the closing words.
You’re done. Now, take a sec.
What did you notice? The choice of words that were used? The length of sentences? How about the punctuation? Or how the piece ended?
And let me ask you something else…
Did you start to feel at any point like these words were… your words?
Did you know what the next word was going to be, or how the writer was going to make a transition from one thought to the other before you even got there?
Even if you didn’t, that’s ok because something else was occurring as you were writing.
Something you probably weren’t even aware of.
The mere act of doing Copy Work was igniting your brain to action. It was priming the pump getting you ready mentally for creating your own work.
Not only that, it was etching the techniques used by experts into YOUR brain for instant recall when you need it. Think about that!
Try it again.
Go through the same process. Each word you copy, each sentence you complete puts you closer to how an expert in communication is thinking. And the result: you are becoming a better writer.
This Technique Works
That’s it. That’s Copy Work. Fast. Simple. Proven. I mean after all the ancient Greeks used it so you know it’s legit, right? Start it today – use it often. It will help you become a more persuasive writer.
One last thing. For those out there that start using this technique, drop me a line I want to hear YOUR success story. You can reach me at: pmcgov@gmail.com
Resources
As promised, below are links to a few pieces I love and go back to again and again to learn from. Each time I do I find something new.
The first one is David Ogilvy’s classic work for Rolls Royce. The headline is kickass for sure…but I love the numbers Ogilvy uses throughout the ad. That is a trademark he will use over and over throughout his career. Lucky Strike Bonus: I also love his ad: Guinness Guide To Oysters. Love the layout and the copy. It’s an approach that can be used with a lot of different products.
This is the gangster of all sales letters. Before Tim Ferriss killed it with the 4-hour Work Week, Joe Karbo wrote this letter: The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches. He made a bazzillion dollars with this bad boy. And there’s so much here to take in. The writing. The testimonials. The bullet points. In today’s world, this approach can easily be adapted for a landing page. But the real gold here is how Karbo has effectively tapped into a key human emotion: Work less and make more. It’s a theme you can use and reuse forever!
Last one. Twitter is alive and well with an enormous amount of great writers. One of them is a person I’ve already mentioned: Shaan Puri. Take a look at two of his tweets that went viral. The hooks he creates and his ability to move you down the slippery slope from start to end is worth studying. The first link is describing the Game Stop short sell that occurred last year. The second is his take on the rise and fall of the app Clubhouse.
https://twitter.com/shaanvp/status/1353951035224694785?s=21
https://twitter.com/shaanvp/status/1371972261004070913?s=21
And here’s a piece written by Sam Parr that Shaan uses for his own Copy Work.
http://www.theantimba.com/copywriting-skills/
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