Full-Time Freelancing

by Rebecca Matter

I’ve been on my soapbox for some time now saying that if you don’t learn to write for the web, you’re leaving money on the table as a copywriter.

Not to mention you may have trouble landing clients since almost every company, regardless of the market, has an online presence.

However, there appears to be some confusion as to whether the reverse is true.

Do you need to know how to write copy in order to be a successful web writer?

And the answer is a resounding YES!

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you need to be a full-fledged copywriter before you start writing for the web.

Nor am I saying that by any means do you have to spend a lot of time writing long sales letters.

But if you’re going to be a successful web writer, you must know how to write strong, persuasive copy.

There is no way around it.

Without a good copywriting foundation, your web writing will never be as good as it could be.

Which means it will not convert as well as it should. Which means you will not get as many returning clients, nor will you be able to charge the high fees you should be charging for your projects.

Need proof?

Take a look at some of the most successful web writers …

Web Writer Nick Usborne … started as a copywriter.

SEO Expert Heather Lloyd-Martin? Also a copywriter.

Highest-paid, email auto-responder guru Jay White? You got it … started as a copywriter!

Simply put, learn how to write copy well and …

1. You’ll land more web projects because you’ll be able to effectively sell yourself and your services.
2. Your copy will convert at a higher rate, which means your clients will give you more projects.
3. You’ll be able to charge more for your services since you’ll be in such high demand.

And I’m talking all web channels here …

Emails – they won’t get opened with lousy subject lines, and weak leads will cause your prospect to hit the delete key before even reading the email.

Landing Pages – weak headlines and leads will have visitors exiting the website before they even get to your call to action.

SEO and PPC – if you don’t understand sales copy, you’ll have a hard time targeting the right people for your campaigns, based on where they are in the buying cycle.

Social Media – your job here is to capture attention (copywriting principle), engage your audience (copywriting principle), and ultimately persuade them to take action (yep, copywriting principle).

Once you know how to write good copy, your web training will be cake. Because then it’s just simply taking what you already know about copy and applying it to the various marketing channels you want to work in.

Knock out your competition …

And knowing how to write copy will be the key factor that will differentiate you from every other “self-proclaimed” web writer out there. You’ll welcome these questions from potential clients …

How are you different than the other SEO experts asking for my business?

Because, not only can I get web visitors to your landing pages, I can actually re-write the pages so they stay and take action. Getting the top spot on Google means nothing if people abort your website 3 seconds after they arrive.

Why should I hire you for my PPC project?

“Pay-per-click campaigns are based on keywords and phrases. The words you bid on must be relevant to your ad copy, landing page, and your offer. But, it’s more than just relevance that is going to convince a random web surfer to sign up and enter an email address. It takes well-written, benefit-oriented copy. And you can only get that from a copywriter.” — Andrew Palmer, AWAI Advisory Board

What will you do for me as my social media writer?

“Copywriting skills are invaluable to building a targeted audience in social media. Knowing how to make crisp, concise benefit oriented, attention-getting statements can help you build your brand and attract more clients quickly. Your words are what others see long before they get to meet you, either on the phone or in person.” – Jim Turner, Copywriter and Social Media Strategist

Four tips for taking your web writing to the next level …

Tip #1: If you haven’t taken any formal copywriting training, do it now.

Personally, I recommend AWAI’s Accelerated Six-Figure Copywriting Program. And, no it’s not because of my affiliation.

I recommend it because it’s hands-down the best program available for learning how to write copy that converts. Ask any copywriting expert out there like Bob Bly, Chris Marlow, and Steve Slaunwhite, or the many successful working copywriters who have taken the program, and they’ll tell you the same thing.

Earlier today AWAI actually announced that its newly upgraded program is also available online now, so you can take your training anywhere you choose to be. Definitely check it out. (It comes with a FULL YEAR guarantee!)

Tip #2: Never stop learning.

Just because you’ve taken one copywriting program, doesn’t mean you’re done learning. You need to keep improving your skills, and the only way to do that is to keep challenging yourself to learn more.

At the recommendation of Michael Masterson, I make myself read one non-fiction book a week, at a minimum. It ensures I have plenty of fresh ideas whenever I face a new project. I can’t even tell you how many article and product ideas have come from books I’ve read!

Tip #3: Learn from multiple sources.

Nick Usborne taught me this one …

Study the work of good copywriters who take opposing views on what ‘great copywriting’ means.

Someone may think they know everything about copywriting and may be convinced that their approach is the best one.

Not true. No single copywriter knows it all.

Find mentors who disagree or take very different views on copywriting.

That way you will broaden your views, and deepen your skills.

Tip #4: Write every day.

And I mean every day. Your writing will only get stronger.

Plus your confidence will grow whenever you look at how far you’ve come.

A few years ago I started an eletter called Copywriting Insider. At the time it was the ‘best copy I’d ever written’ and I was very proud. I look back now and think to myself – “ugh, I wrote that?” And then I think, “wow, I’m such a better writer now!”

It’s the perfect pick-me-up when I’m having a day filled with self-doubt.

Concluding thoughts …

Learn to write strong, persuasive copy. Your web writing business will only benefit.

This article appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc.’s (AWAI) Wealthy Web Writer, a free newsletter for learning how to effectively write online copy and market products on the Web. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/signup/web-writing/.

[Every writer’s had to face what William Faulkner called the tyranny of the blank page. You’re ready to write, but nothing seems to come. Writer’s block. We asked AWAI Board Member Don Mahoney – who is also one of the fastest copywriters around – how he deals with writer’s block. Here are his “14 Tips.”]

In this case, you probably don’t have enough information about your project. You will probably fix that when you …

1. Identify your creative time – early a.m., late night, whatever. That’s when to attack your work.
2. Study what’s working and, if possible, what’s not working. Sometimes your client’s marketing director can give you copies of promotions that flopped or competitors’ promos that mailed only once.
3. Research, research, research. Read promotions and immerse yourself in the product, whether it’s intellectual (written material) or physical (vitamins, gold coins, air filters, whatever). Google everything that’s related to your subject.
4. Identify the “point of maximum anxiety” of your prospect: what keeps your prospect up at night.
5. Identify the USP (unique selling proposition), the big idea of the main promise of your product.
6. Make an outline and begin filling it in.
7. Start ANYWHERE! If you can nail the headline and lead first, great! If not, write anything – the offer, the reply, the back cover, the close (think of the last thing you’d say to someone to get them to buy this product, then start working your way toward that line), sidebars, centerfolds, flyers, bios, premium copy, ANYTHING!
8. Set some reasonable goals for what you want to achieve each day in your writing.
9. “Almost cheating”: Type the name of the project, the date, and your name in the upper left corner. Then type a page, something like a memo to yourself and other readers. Describe what you see as the core message of what you’re about to write. Include a rough idea of how you expect it to look when it’s done.
10. “Cheating”: Jot down notes and ideas as you prepare. Then transfer them to your computer, punching them up as you go. Guess what? You’re already past the “empty page.”
11. “Advanced cheating”: If you know you always tend to have a problem with empty pages, record your first conversations about the product with the marketing team. You can use a little handheld recorder to do this. Transcribe the recording, and delete any fluff and irrelevant material. Start organizing any useful material into notes and/or sections of your project.

This should help you get out of the funk …

1. Take a break. Run, walk, meditate, go bicycling, listen to music … then come back to it.
2. If that doesn’t work, you need to do more work. Go back to your research and dig some more. Go back to your outline and see if some part doesn’t jump out at you as ready to go.
3. Brainstorm with another writer.

If you use these 14 techniques, you should have banished writer’s block. If it persists, put your work away and get a good night’s sleep. Start fresh in the morning and, in all likelihood, you’ll nail it.

This article appears courtesy of The Golden Thread, an e-letter from AWAI that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on how to build your freelance copywriting business. For a free subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/thegoldenthread

Do you make New Year’s resolutions?

I used to make them every year. But like most people, I made them unrealistic and immeasurable, and often tried to achieve too much too fast. Then a few months into the New Year I’d realize I’d already missed at least one of my resolutions, and shortly thereafter, would simply forget the rest.

But about five years ago, I learned a lesson from Michael Masterson when I first started working with AWAI that changed everything. And I’m not longer an “oh well, maybe next year” kind of gal.

Instead of making New Year’s resolutions … I now set goals.

Rather than making empty general resolutions like I’m going to drink less, make more money, and exercise more; I’ve learned to develop an actual plan that’s designed to ensure I succeed. And you can too.

Instead of banking your success as a web writer on a New Year’s resolution, I’d like you to set a career-building goal to get you to that next level – whatever that “next level” is for you …

If you’re just staring out, maybe your goal will be to land your first paying client …

If you’ve successfully launched your web writing business, maybe your goal will be to land ten new clients …

Or maybe it will be to clear the six-figure mark, so that you can quit your full-time job.

Whatever it is, make sure your goal meets the following four criteria:

It must be specific … Instead of setting a goal to make a lot of money from your web copy, set a goal to land 5 clients worth at least $20K each.

It must be actionable … Winning $100K in Vegas is not an actionable goal. But winning enough projects to bill $100K in fees is.

It must be time-oriented … While landing five clients worth $20K each is a good goal … landing five clients worth $20K each by October 31st is a better one.

It must be realistic … Landing five clients worth $20K by October 31st may be an aggressive goal, but it’s possible. Landing those same five clients by January 31st is not.

Once you have a goal that meets all four criteria, write it down. According to successful people like Michael Masterson and Brian Tracy, this one simple step can spell the difference between achieving your goal, and failing completely.

Next break that goal down into small objectives, that each take you one step closer to your goal. Write the objectives in the order they need to be completed, and assign a deadline to each one.

Let’s say your goal was to land five paying clients by August 31, 2008. Your first couple objectives may look like this:

Objective 1: Complete phase one of my web copy training by February 28th. Objective 2: Send out 150 solicitations for prospective clients by March 31st. Objective 3: Write on spec for a client in each of the web areas I target by April 15th.

So on and so forth.

Then, break each of these objectives down into even smaller measurable tasks. Make sure you specify exactly what needs to be done, and once again assign a time frame.

Using the same example, let’s say you plan to specialize in writing website content and SEO (search engine optimization) copy, and area about half way through Nick Usborne’s Million-Dollar Secrets for Online Copywriting. You may break the first objective like this:

January 1-11, read pages 171-239 of the Usborne program and complete the exercises.

January 12–18, finish the Usborne program. Read pages 241-273 and complete the exercises.

January 19- 31, start researching potential web clients, and collect all relevant contact data. Write my self-promotion letter selling my website copy services, and practice my new web skills on spec assignments offered by AWAI and my own copywriting website.

February 1-14, learn how to write SEO copy by watching Heather Lloyd-Martin’s SEO Copywriting Success DVD homestudy program, and practice writing SEO copy on my copywriting website.

February 15-18, attend the Web Copywriting Intensive in Austin, Texas, learn the skills needed to be a working web copy specialist, and submit at least one of the spec assignments to Rebecca Matter.

February 19-28, contact 50 potential clients and offer my web copy services.

You’ll want to create a tracking system so that you can easily keep track of these tasks. I personally like to use an 8 ½ X 11 calendar that when opened, lays flat on my desk and shows me a month at a time. One of AWAI’s Marketers, Tammy Lawman, prefers to keep a single word document that she updates daily.

Whatever you choose, make sure you can access it easily. Then check your tasks daily, and your objectives monthly to make sure you are staying on task. If you need to adjust any deadlines, go ahead. But don’t let yourself make excuses for not sticking to your plan.

So what goal will you achieve in 2009?

Take 30 minutes right now, and write it down along with the objectives it will take to achieve it. Remember to be specific and realistic. And then get ready to achieve it!

_______________________

This article appears courtesy of The Golden Thread, an e-letter from AWAI that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on how to build your freelance copywriting business. For a free subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/thegoldenthread

“Brain-writing” is not my term. But we’re going to make it our own by revising it a little to make it more productive…

You brainstorm to get ideas when you have none.

Ideally, you do so in a group. So you can feed off each other. So you can legitimize sitting around drinking coffee. So you can get others to do all the hard thinking for you.

In all those respects, group brainstorming is a good thing.

But what do you do when you’re writing in isolation?

Brain-writing is a way to kick ideas around … jumpstart your engines … and get into that “zone” of creativity that you normally hope to get in a group session.

In fiction circles, there’s something similar called “free-writing.”

USUALLY, it simply means setting a timer, putting pen to page, and letting the ideas pour.

Whatever it is, you write it down. You don’t stop until your pen runs out of ink or your elbow balloons like a grapefruit.

But there are two problems with free-writing when you apply it to writing promo copy:

First, pens come with a lot of ink these days. Even the dime-store ballpoints could keep you scribbling well past deadline. Second, sometimes it’s the very prospect of a blank page … the sight of a blinking cursor… and the notion of all that cerebral “freedom” … that’s got you stymied in the first place. There is a more efficient way to get started.

If you were about to make bricks, would you begin without clay? If you were getting ready to make glass, would you begin without sand? If you wanted to make punch, would you leave out the hooch?

Of course not.

So why is it writers of any kind so often try to start conjuring up ideas out of thin air?

For all the reasons to get “blocked,” this is the easiest of them to resolve.

Before you begin your solo brainstorming session (or a group one, for that matter), get yourself a hefty stack of “stuff” about the product.

Aim for height. An inch is too little. A foot is too high. Somewhere in the middle ought to do it.

Next to this, put a fresh stack of index cards … a legal pad … and/or a computer.

This is where the “brain-writing” comes in. Start reading. Start taking notes.

The process remains “free” in the sense that you shouldn’t try to organize the ideas at this point. Record them as they come. You’ll sort later.

However, contrary to popular creativity myths, discipline has a role. For instance:

You’ll need to keep yourself from focusing too long on any one aspect of your research.

You’ll need to force yourself to write in full-fledged ad copy, rather than just recording notes.

And you’ll need to make sure, always, that the central promise of your ad is the magnet pulling you through the muck of ideas you’ll produce.

You should have at least six kinds of things in your “brain-writing” stack before you begin:

Competitors’ ads.

If you write direct mail, you know there’s no excuse for not being seeded on competing lists. Keep a box of other people’s promos by your desk.

Samples of the competitors’ products.

You can probably get comped, as a professional courtesy. But, at least once in awhile, go through the subscription process anonymously. You might learn something from the way they do business.

Printouts of relevant web sites. Yes, printouts. If you’d rather, you can make handwritten notes while scrolling a screen. But avoid the temptation to bookmark links, save pages, or copy and paste text into word documents. No matter what you think … the only way to really absorb the ideas is to re-interpret them for your own notes.

Relevant magazines and newspapers. Big media has the budget to gather persuasive stats and anecdotes. Again, copy the information in your own hand. Don’t just clip and count on coming back to it later. HOWEVER, make sure you note your sources with every factoid – both for legal reasons and because you’ll get extra credibility when you cite a respected source.

History and non-fiction bestsellers. Sometimes, nothing can be more valuable than going down to your local bookstore to see what your prospects are reading. It’s an excellent way to put your thumb on the popular zeitgeist. Restrict yourself, however, to buying two books … tops. If you’re under any kind of deadline, you won’t have time for more than that.

Your product manager’s “best of.” Any good product manager will give you the following items when you start a copywriting project: product-related e-mails, raw testimonials, 3rd-party reviews and endorsements, product-related news clippings, free “giveaways” that come with the offer, notes from past brainstorming meetings, past control packages, tapes or transcripts of conversations with customers, customer service letters, interviews with core people connected with the product, and phone numbers of people you can call to talk to about the product.

This is, of course, just a partial list. You could add more. But even with only the above, you should be drowning in new ideas before day’s end.

(At which point, you’ll have a different problem – more ideas than you can spend in one piece! Every copywriter should be so lucky, right? Save the leftovers for the test mailing.)

The beauty of this simple approach is that you don’t need a soul around to help you make it pay off. In fact, isolation makes it easier.

Tip: At some point, you’ll make it to the bottom of the stack or you’ll feel in your gut that you’ve got all the key points somehow covered. AT that moment, stop and get up. Put on your coat. Go shoot some hoops, take a walk, knit an afghan (the sweater, not the citizen).

While you take a break, your subconscious mind is mulling over everything you’ve come across. Absorbing. Sorting. Editing.

The next morning, put the pile of stuff in a box and get it out of your sight. Everything happens now inside your pile of notes. Re-read all the material. Twice.

Take the points that stand out and re-write them on a fresh page. Some things will stand out. Others will strike you as complete garbage. Distill and polish. Narrow. If you need to accelerate the process, mail or e-mail the notes to a trusted (and patient) friend to read.

If you try this technique and you’re STILL stuck for ideas by the time you reach the bottom of the stack, you might consider buying yourself a push broom. Or running for public office.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: John Forde shares his copywriting insights regularly in his eletter, “The Copywriters Roundtable.” If you aren’t already a subscriber, I highly recommend you go to his website today and sign up: http://www.jackforde.com.]

This article appears courtesy of The Golden Thread, an e-letter from AWAI that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on how to build your freelance copywriting business. For a free subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/thegoldenthread

Whenever you sit down to write a Web page – whether it’s a home page, a sales page, a subscription page, or an information page – there are seven steps you can take to ensure that your copy is the best it can be.

Define the purpose of the page.

This may sound obvious, but too few online copywriters and marketers sit down and establish a clear, clean purpose for a Web page.

All too often, Web pages are created as “content dumps.” Some boss somewhere decides he or she wants a page on some topic, the under-boss passes along the request plus some background information from an old brochure, and the writer is asked to write the page.

Not a smart way to do it.

Far better to sit down for 10 minutes with others involved in the project and ask the simple question, “What is the primary purpose of this page?” Or, to put it another way, “What is it we want this page to achieve?”

Is its purpose to …

close a sale? secure a subscription or registration? help people find a particular product or service page on your site? invite participation? pre-sell a product or service and then move the reader forward to a sales page? educate the reader and then direct him or her forward to one of your main category pages? Write down the answer, in 10 words or less, and pin it to the wall in front of you.

Now you know what your page needs to do.

Understand your audience

Who will be coming to this page? Kids? Retired people? Who are they? Where do they live? How much money do they have?

And, broadly speaking, what is their interest in coming to your site? Are they there to learn? Or are they looking for a new car? Insurance? Garden furniture?

Based on their even knowing about your site, you can get a pretty good idea about who is coming there and what their general interest is.

So here’s the question: “Who are these guys?”

Write down your answer on that same sheet of paper.

Get clarity on your visitors’ expectations.

Now we are getting more granular. We want to know why these people are coming to this page specifically. What do they want? What are they hoping for? What are their expectations?

There are clues and trails you can follow when trying to identify the specific purpose someone has in mind when coming to a page.

First, ask yourself where they came from. A link from the home page? So what did the link say? What is the exact wording? That link text will give you a very clear idea as to your page visitor’s expectations. In fact, the link text will largely set that person’s expectations.

The same is true of someone arriving via a search engine. To find your page, they typed a few words into the search engine’s search field. What phrase did they use? Again, those words give you a strong clue as to the visitor’s expectations.

Maybe they came via a link in an email. What expectations did the email build up and set? What was the promise?

Follow these trails and do your best to determine the visitor’s expectations.

This is vital.

You will always maximize the effectiveness of a Web page by getting as close as you can to matching the visitor’s expectations.

Remember, those expectations are set immediately before the visitor arrives on the page.

This means your headline and opening text has to be a direct and immediate match with what that person is hoping to find.

Don’t waste time or words. Match your reader’s expectations immediately.

Get to the meat faster.

The Web is not the place to write clever introductory text. It’s not the place to do some grand scene-setting.

Determine your reader’s expectations and get to the “meat” of your message immediately. No meandering. No fluff. Just get out of the way and let them do what they came there to do.

That action might be to read an article. Or sign up for a newsletter. Or compare three different laptop computers. It doesn’t matter. Whatever it is that they want, give it to them immediately.

Write only as much as you need to.

As copywriters, we are often told how much copy to write. We need to fit a certain format, fill a page, or write enough text to fit in an 8-page letter.

The Web isn’t like that. A page can have two lines of text or a thousand lines of text. There is no fixed length.

The tendency online is to write more than is really necessary.

Don’t do that.

Go back to your notes, confirm what it is your visitor wants to do, and write only enough to enable them to meet their goal.

Write enough to get the job done, but not a word more.

Tell people what to do.

Again, this sounds obvious. But there are a zillion pages online that are beautifully written, but then sag and sputter at the end.

If your reader takes no action after reading the page, you have failed. You need them to do something.

Hopefully, if you have done a good writing job, the link they click will correspond exactly to the expectations they had before they arrived at your site.

For instance, before arriving at your page, they might have been thinking, “I need an insurance quote for my new home.”

The best outcome for you is when they click on a link on your page that says, “Get an insurance quote for your home.”

It’s only by securing an action that you can succeed in matching their expectations.

Tell them the next step.

Some expectations are more complex. Maybe someone was thinking, “I want a new digital camera, but I would like to check out my options.”

They then arrive on your page, which includes a digital camera comparison chart.

Good job so far.

You have helped them compare cameras. But they aren’t ready to buy. So what’s next?

Well, people who compare cameras are at different stages. Some are almost ready to buy, others are still early on in the research process.

So how do you get them to take an action?

You provide options.

For those who are early on in their search, offer a free downloadable guide to choosing digital cameras.

For those who are ready to buy, provide a link to the sales page for each camera.

Be aware of the options your readers might find attractive, and offer them.

The Place Where People DO Things

All of these points are focused on understanding the visitor and getting him or her to do something.

That’s what the Web is. It’s a place where people DO things.

And you need to write accordingly.

Know your visitors. Know what they want. And help them achieve their goals.

[Ed. Note: Thanks to the web, the demand for freelance copywriters has skyrocketed in the last few years. So all this week we’ll focus on finding the best paying jobs, and writing web copy that sells. Nick Usborne, often referred to as THE expert of online copywriting, will be giving you the inside scoop … so stay tuned!]

This article appears courtesy of The Golden Thread, an e-letter from AWAI that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on how to build your freelance copywriting business. For a free subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/thegoldenthread

I’m sure you’ve heard the Gene Fowler quote: “Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.”

Even now, with nearly 15 years of promotions under my belt, I still find the blank page paralyzing at times. But I’ve developed a series of techniques I rely on to get into a project.

One surefire strategy is to start with a story. And this is a great technique if you’re just starting out as a copywriter.

Because you already know how to tell a story. You’ve been listening to stories since you were a toddler on your mother’s lap. You tell stories all the time in your day-to-day life.

A good story is like comfort food. It brings with it an emotional response – exactly the kind of response you want your reader to have.

A well-told story …

Gives you a practical way to get into your sales letter. Creates a friendly, personable, and conversational tone for your copy. Makes your promise (and your product) “real” to your prospect. Makes your message easier to remember. Here are five places to find stories that can work in your leads …

1. Customer Testimonials Have your clients send you the letters their customers send them. Sometimes the perfect one comes in the mail. Other times you may have to follow up with a person who sent in a testimonial to get the details to fill out the story.

Here’s a great testimonial used in the lead of a promo to sell a book on household hints:

My guests were due to arrive in just 15 minutes!

But the toilet was clogged. And I couldn’t find a plunger (or a plumber)!

I called my sister, who has a copy of your new book,HOUSEHOLD MAGIC.

“Just squirt in some liquid dish detergent,” she told me. “Wait 15 minutes and you and your guests will be good to go.”

Well, it worked just like you said – like magic!

– Plungerless in Seattle

Though that may not have happened to you, the story strikes a chord – because it clearly could happen. It relates to a situation none of us wants to be stuck in. And it shows that this product provides solutions.

2. Biographies and History Books You find so much information on the Internet these days. And so much of it sounds the same. So look beyond that resource to history books, economics books, and biographies for authentic, seldom-told stories that will, by their unique nature, catch your reader’s attention.

Here’s one, for instance, that a copywriter dug up in a book at his local public library …

One hundred and thirty-one feet below the surface of the Baltic Sea – just off the coast of Finland – a treasure trove belonging to Russian Empress Catherine the Great lay undiscovered for almost 230 years.

Tales of the Vrow Maria – a famed “treasure ship” – enticed scores of deep-sea hunters to search for its exquisite paintings, jewels and precious cargo …

In 1999, the wreckage was found.

Four years later, Charles Deveroux traveled to Europe to explore the site of the sunken cargo ship. It was the single greatest moment of his deep-sea diving career …

You can’t help but keep reading. You want to know what happens next. This lead does exactly what it’s meant to do: It draws the reader in.

3. Personal Stories From Gurus, or Product-Creation Stories If you want to make money in the stock market, who better to listen to than someone who’s done it time and again? If you want to travel the world and get paid to do it, who better to follow than someone who has been cashing in on her trips for the past 20 years?

Here’s a “guru” story from Alexandria Brown, the “E-zine Queen” …

I used to be where you are right now!

Seven years ago in New York City, I had a marketing communications business that I started because I wanted to “control my own destiny.” But instead, I worked like a dog, was a slave to my clients, struggled to market myself, and I had no time or freedom. Owning my own business was a chore instead of a joy.

The money was all right most of the time, but my cash flow was UP and DOWN. One month I’d get a bunch of checks and pay down my bills … the next month I was broke once more, clipping coupons, racking up debt again, and considering moving back in with my parents in the Connecticut suburbs.

(Know what I’m talkin’ ’bout?)

I felt like a BIG FAKE! …

You’ll find great credibility in the stories of real-world experts who know how to “do it,” whatever “it” may be.

So if the product you’re writing about has associated with it a “character,” play that up. Tell the story of how he discovered his secrets, developed his product, or built his wealth.

Stories like that make your “guru” real for the reader. They help make him (and his product) believable.

4. News Stories Read newspapers and magazines, listen to the news on the radio, catch the TV news on occasion. Those are great sources for “real world” stories that can also give your copy a certain built-in urgency. Pegging your promotion to something going on in the world right now is a smart way to infuse it with the need for your reader to take action.

Here’s a news story that leads a promotion to sell a report on privacy protection …

Loretta Wiley, an 88-year-old woman, lent her teenage grandnephew – Willard – $18,000 to buy a used Chrysler.

After a night of drinking and partying, Willard drove the car off a railroad bridge, totaling the Chrysler.

His passenger and fellow party-goer, Mark Varjak, lost a leg in the accident and was paralyzed from the chest down.

Despite his reckless behavior, Willard was NOT prosecuted …

Yet three years later, a jury found Ms. Loretta Wiley liable … to the Varjak family to the tune of $950,000 in damages – her entire life savings!

That story is rich with detail … and injustice. You feel outraged when you read it. And you immediately worry that something like that could happen to you, too. You want to protect yourself. And so you read on to find out how …

(An aside: If you use a news story in your copy, document where you got the information and be sure to provide that documentation to your client.)

5. Your Imagination Stories help to paint pictures for your reader. And those pictures help to take him out of his “element” and put him, well, right where you want him.

Use your own imagination to create “story images” that will help transport your reader. Like this …

Imagine lounging on your deck, a book on your lap and a cocktail in your hand. Just steps away, turquoise waters slip gently up onto the talcum-fine sand. Overhead, palms rustle and pelicans squawk.

As the sun slips behind the red horizon, your cook lights a lantern on the table and brings you the dinner she’s prepared – fresh-grilled fish with mango chutney, a salad, a bottle of wine …

You look up at the clear night sky and wonder, for a moment, if it isn’t all a dream … After all, it’s just the kind of extravagance the rich and famous enjoy …

But you don’t have to be a celebrity to live like one.

Now, keep in mind that it’s best to create positive images. Putting your reader in a “bad” place will just serve to annoy him. He won’t want to be there. And he won’t stay to read your letter.

Paint an enticing picture, on the other hand, and you’ll immediately charm your reader into your copy.

This article appears courtesy of The Golden Thread, an e-letter from AWAI that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on how to build your freelance copywriting business. For a free subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/thegoldenthread