by Ray Edwards
This article will go over a few tips and tricks on how to maximize your sales letters. This information comes directly from Dan Kennedy’s book The Ultimate Sales Letter. Dan Kennedy is one of the foremost experts in the copywriting field and his books are very helpful.
Copywriters are a little unique in that they use their own work to bring in more business. If your work has been inconsistent you should consider using a sales letter to generate leads. Once you figure out how much business you can expect from a certain amount of sales letters sent out, you can better control your work load. You can make sure you have business when you want it; you can send more letters out when you have more time to work or you can send out less when life get busier.
A sales letter can help you make more money from your telemarketing clients, or help gain new telemarketing clients. Telemarketing has become much more difficult in recent years due to new laws and extremely high turnover. A well made sales letter can make telemarketing more effective and potentially reduce turnover. If you can quantify your savings and train employees in better sales techniques, other telemarketing clients will want your business because you have demonstrated yourself effective in their difficult field.
Approaching dentists and doctors is another way to improve your business. Quite often these professionals are looking for new clients and you can use a sales letter to help stimulate more referrals.
These were just a few methods outlined in Dan Kennedy’s book. If you’re just starting out in copywriting, or even if you’re a seasoned profession, this article, and Dan Kennedy’s books, can help you discover new business sources. Hopefully this article will help you maximize your sales letter and make you a more successful copywriter.
July 30th, 2008
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Ray Edwards |
Writing & Speaking |
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by Ray Edwards
This article will focus on a few ways you can improve your writing.
First off you should read any book by Dan Kennedy. He is a leading copywriting expert, especially in Direct Response Copywriting. Direct response writing is where the reader is able to immediately respond to the offer, such as direct mail advertising. A great book to start with is The Ultimate Sales Letter.
You’ll find a great introduction to copywriting at your local library, which will house at least one or two books on copywriting. The Internet is another great resource. Here are two sites with great tutorials on copywriting: www.sherus.com/business/copywriting/ and www.adcopywriting.com/Tutorials_List.htm. Each site has different tutorials that allow you to learn one step at a time and not all at once. They also allow you to learn at your own rate and on your own schedule.
You need to write every day as well. Writing everyday will help you consistently improve your skills as a writer. You must also continue to learn about your field. There’s a great deal of information out there, so don’t try to learn everything over night. Instead, study slowly and become proficient in each skill. Becoming a good writer will require continued education and persistent writing.
Hopefully this article has illuminated some ways you can improve your copywriting skills. Find some books or some resources on the Internet and start learning. There are enough resources out there that you can find material that will best fit your learning style. Good luck on improving your skills as a copywriter. You will find it to be very rewarding and flexible. Perfecting your writing abilities will improve all of your work; Websites are a great example. You must have good web-content if you want to effectively sell your product or service.
July 30th, 2008
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Ray Edwards |
Writing & Speaking |
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by Ray Edwards
This article will discuss the salaries and rates for an employed or a freelance copywriter.
Depending on your expertise and well how you sell yourself, you can earn a little or a lot. Advertising Age reported that in 2005 the average employed copywriter made around $60,000 after bonuses. (quoted from http://www.collegeboard.com)
The income for a freelance copywriter is more difficult to estimate. Some charge their clients for each project while others charge an hourly rate. To help you better understand what a freelance copywriter can make, here are some rough figures from 2005: Freelancers generally charged $1000 to $2000 for a lead generating sales letter and $300 to $400 for a website.
About two out of every five copywriters earn somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000 a year in gross income. If you would like to learn more about copywriting rates, you can find more here: http://www.excessvoice.com/copyfees.htm. Take advantage of these survey results so that you don’t undercharge yourself.
These figures are all a median from those surveyed, so if you have technical knowledge in a particular field that others don’t, then you could earn significantly more money. If you take some time to increase your knowledge and skill level, then you will develop a competitive edge and earn more money.
Hopefully this article helped you better understand what you could earn as a copywriter. If you want more information and more specific numbers then go to the link listed above and purchase some survey results, this will help you immensely.
Remember though that all these figures are the median, if you know what you’re doing you can earn much more than this. Build up your skills, study the surveys and make sure you’re not undercharging yourself. This will go a long way and help you earn more money.
July 30th, 2008
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Ray Edwards |
Writing & Speaking |
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by Ray Edwards
This article will examine how to increase your client base and improve your writing.
Improving these two skills will dramatically increase your income. Many copywriters are very skilled but fail to attract clients. To overcome this you must learn to sell yourself, this will help you set yourself apart from other freelance copywriters on the market. You need to make a portfolio of all your best work. It should also include a letter showing your qualifications, examples of your work, as well as testimonials from your previous clients. This way they can see some of your past projects and who you’ve worked for. If you can, reference as many Fortune 500 companies you have been affiliated with. Do not include potential customers in you letter if you are just starting out as a copywriter, only include past clients. If you are starting to do some freelancing work, be sure to include some of your work from an advertising agency if you can.
There are two ways that you can acquire more clients. The first is to post your availability and portfolio on a website such as elance.com or directfreelance.com. These sites also allow you to research companies that you are considering writing for and advertise yourself. Another way to find new clients is to read the business section of your paper and cut out articles with companies in your field. These companies could turn into potential leads.
Improving your writing is very important as a copywriter. The best way to do this is to read books by the experts such as Dan Kennedy. His books are extremely helpful and will illustrate how to write successful copy. Specifically check out “The Ultimate Sales Letter,” it will help you improve your writing immensely. It is easy to read and he goes through several examples to illustrate his points.
Hopefully this article has helped you learn how to sell yourself and improve your writing. Time Magazine once quoted Stephen King stating that writing was like working out: The more weight you lift, the stronger you become. Copywriting is the same. If you apply these skills and write often, you will become a better copywriter.
July 30th, 2008
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Ray Edwards |
Writing & Speaking |
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by Ray Edwards
Here we will investigate the benefits of occupational copywriting.
Copywriting as a trade carries with it a great number of benefits. A copywriter will earn more than the average salary in the United States. In 2005 the average income for copywriting, after bonuses, was around $60,000 according to the magazine Advertising Age. You can suppose that this number will be larger today because of inflation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a slightly lower number of $57,000, but again, you can expect this number to be higher now.
Copywriting is more versatile than other jobs. You do not need to worry about keeping a set schedule because your focus is on writing good copy, not punching a time card. This allows you to plan your work around your schedule, giving you more flexibility to live your life. Most jobs are not able to do this.
Copywriting often brings with it a great workplace environment. Many copywriters work within an advertising agency, which can be a great place to work. You often have many other creative people around whose energy you can feed off of. This can be great because you will often be challenged by their intelligence and creativity. There are many different sizes of advertising agencies that can better suit your personality. A smaller advertising agency will produce an intimate group of people to work with, but a larger advertising agency will offer more competition. Clearly there is a great deal of flexibility within your work environment.
You will also find that your job will never get boring because you must produce good copy, which can be very challenging. If you work at an advertising agency, you will often have many different types of clients and thus your day-to-day project list will change. This means that no two days will be the same.
No matter how you look at it, copywriting has many benefits. You will make a very good income with the average being around $60,000. On top of that, if you work hard and produce good copy, you can establish yourself as a master copywriter and make much more money than that. Quite often your work environment will be teeming with creative energy and far more adaptable to your life than most other occupations.
July 30th, 2008
Posted by
Ray Edwards |
Writing & Speaking |
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