If you’ve been in the world of online marketing for more than a brief moment, you may’ve found yourself asking “What does a copywriter do?”…
“How do they get paid for projects, and how much could I expect to earn as a copywriter?”
What in the motherlovin’ world does one have to do, to type words online and print money like the U.S. Federal Reserve?
In today’s post, we’re going to clear them all up for you, and do much more than that!
First Off, What Is Copywriting, Really?
And most importantly, how do copywriters charge high-ticket prices for their valuable, highly-leveraged services?
I myself wondered these very concerns when learning how to become a copywriter beginning on my copywriting journey. I wondered how I could press buttons and make money on the internet.
My journey initially began in E-commerce, royally sucking at writing copy and having a limp bank account because of it.
I remember my first drop-shipping store, and my first Amazon products. I remember staring at screens, bewildered as to how to get my income up, with this one mountainous skill seemingly standing in my way.
Once it all clicked though, I went from being blown-away-happy by making my first residual income of $100 in a day, to being kind of pissed that I didn’t reach consecutive $500 days, or another $5,000 or $10,o00+ client copy package (explained in the secrets to building wealth article here).
Legitimately pissed off.
Until my recent personal developments and evolutions, I’ve only reluctantly given myself credit here and there for things I achieve, feeling I’m never “there”.
I remember my humble beginnings of stressing about coffees that cost a dollar.
Or, 20,000 Vietnamese Dong, more accurately.
I was so stressed, scared, and nervous that I wasn’t able to confidently go about my day…
Pay my rent…
Or pay for little coffees I needed to work at WiFi cafes… and ultimately?
Feeling a serious lack of self-worth and confidence, due to my lack of skills.
Fast-Forward to today, and a $3,000 copy project is not an interesting prospect. $5k is my floorboard, and recently I’ve landed clients at significantly higher rates than this.
Most importantly, my clients have all gone on to make serious amounts of cash and good will in their respective markets, with my copy deliverable assets.
Most of them have made my fee back as a result of running my ads, sales letters, and autoresponder campaigns.
This is the true metric of success for any copywriter. Not what they earn, but what they deliver!
So, back to your main question: what is copywriting?
The answer is varied as it is nuanced. But to keep it simple, there are several types of copywriting:
– Social Media Copywriting (not my strong suit)
– Blog Content Copywriting (also not my strong suit)
– SEO-Based Copywriting (not my strong suit either)
– Copyrighting – Trademarks and legally-protected IP
Ok, the last one is not even really copywriting (and not even in my interest). But some people get confused on the differences between.
But here we’ll be talking about my favorite, my first love, and the cause for printing money like the Fed:
– Direct Response Copywriting (my Iron Man strong suit made by Tony Stark)
… This is the “real” copywriting when it comes to online marketing and sales. This is the answer, when you ask “what does a copywriter do…” and the question ends in “… to make the most amount of REAL money?”
“So… What Does a Copywriter Do?”
The answer to this is just as varied, but as I mentioned, we’ll be focusing on D.R. Copywriting here…
Why?
Well, when answering exactly “what does a copywriter do?”, the broad answer could go like this:
– Writes blog posts
– Creates headlines & tag lines
– Writes social media posts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
– Scripts YouTube or Content Videos
– Optimizes blog posts
– Edits copy others have written
… and on, and on, and on.
But this isn’t what I do, and I don’t suggest you go crazy picking up 30 interests either.
Part of what Motive In Motion is about, is mastering your mind.
Mastering how to think.
Focusing on the 80/20, or, the 20% of actions that’ll get you the lion’s share or 80% of results.
It’s NOT trying to do 80, 20, or even three things at once.
Most of the time it’s just ONE. And the one thing here to work towards, is mastering your Direct Response Copywriting skills.
So the answer to “what does a copywriter do?” here, in a (proper) context of sales copywriting is…
You write high-converting sales material.
Boom, done, mic drop, thanks for attending this article!
Joking.
Your focus on sales materials that actually convert is paramount to your successful operation, as someone paid to bring money into marketing campaigns for clients.
Or, heck, even into your own business using product descriptions, sales letters, direct mail, direct response ads, and far more than that.
Masters like Gary Halbert, Dan Kennedy, Jay Abraham, and others have elevated their sales and marketing skills to get to this level.
It’s not out of the question that YOU can do this too…
But how? By focusing on your proper responsibilities.
What Are a Copywriter’s Main Roles & Responsibilities?
To know how YOU can get fantastic results as a copywriter, internet marketer, or business owner, first you’ve got to understand WHY people buy, HOW they prefer to buy, and WHAT stage your market is in (market sophistication)!
I’ve written copious amounts on Motive In Motion about this, so there’s no need to dive into greater detail than necessary here.
Simply follow these links below for the rabbit hole down in Direct Response:
If you are to master copywriting, and thereby master your financial future, you’ll need to understand what a copywriter actually does on a daily basis…
To find clients…
And write for them…
Research their markets…
Come up with uniquely-positioned offers…
And get people to BUY said offers…
And of course, most importantly, to train and drill the sales techniques, persuasive methodologies, and grip on human psychology that will put the customer’s money in YOUR hands.
Understand that in Direct Response writing, the main objective is, you guessed it:
To get a “Direct Response” to what you wrote – whether it’s your ad, your sales letter, your VSL (Video Sales Letter), your e-mail campaign, or piece of direct mail.
It’s NOT branding.
It’s NOT putting cutesy, “clever and witty” copy in front of the business owner, to stroke the writer’s (or even sometimes the client’s) ego…
And it’s NOT funny, usually! Unless the humor helps drive home the emotional and logical points in the message and make the sale that much easier.
The objective is getting a response, and tracking that response.
You want to know exactly how much your advertising copy created in revenue, ROI, and profits for the product or service for sale.
You’re not worried about things NOT related to response, like a blog post, and update e-mail, or some Instagram photo…
UNLESS this helps you get the sale on the front end, get an up-sell from a customer, or retrieve a particular response.
This is very important.
You’re focused on response from the customer.
An opt-in. A sale. A response. A form fill out. A phone call.
Ok, ’nuff said.
What Does A Copywriter DO?! How One Professional Writer Drafts Up Profitable Campaigns…
Direct Response Copywriters are those magicians that create money from your raw marketing materials.
They’re both analytically minded, (in the research, tracking, and numbers portion)…
AND
Creatively minded, when crafting up new angles, unique propositions, offers, and market-messaging.
They both follow the science of advertising and marketing, and the art, to blend their skills and insights into money.
Now, this is an important part of mastering your marketing skillset.
You’ve got to remember that the money and response to your copy are trackable, and even inevitable when you know what you’re doing and never stop testing and iterating.
I repeat…
It is SO easy to get lost, caught up, and unfocused when creating copy, because there are (seemingly) so many tasks to get done.
You’ve got to research your market.
You’ve got to research the client’s product.
Review their past marketing materials, tone, and conveyed value proposition.
And you need to create quality, high-converting copy that stands out from the competition (one way is by leveraging pricing strategies in marketing).
But you may even slip into the mundane that doesn’t really help your case (and is NOT Direct Response), like…
– Writing blog posts
– Updating your (or client’s) Instagram or Facebook fan pages
– Responding to new requests from the client that weren’t billable/agreed upon
– Looking through the client’s website to see unrelated topics and information
… these will derail you quicker than you can say “quick”.
It can happen often, and it’s known in the consulting world as “scope creep”.
Client projects adjust upwards in time and energy exerted, until they’re unmanageable and not even focused on what they hired you for.
You find yourself doing extra work unnecessarily, and your effective “per-hour” rate goes spiraling the way of the Persian in the movie 300…
Keep your mind sharp, skills focused, and training up to date.
You won’t create profitable campaigns out of thin air without KEY strategies and tactics that get a hungry lead converted into a raving, loyal, and excited client or customer.
Never forget that.
Conclusion to the Question “What Does A Copywriter Do?”:
How to Master Copywriting, Make a Drastic Increase In Your Income & Control Your Financial Destiny
While crafting truly profitable, consistent, and cash-flow producing marketing campaigns is beyond the true scope of a “What does a copywriter DO?!” article…
I have a gift for you, that IS very much in this scope of work…
To increase your income dramatically, you need to control it.
How do you control your income, something that seems to arbitrarily jump up and down?
By mastering the SKILLSETS that enable that income. If you’re tired of letting someone else control your destiny… Tell you what to do… Where to go…
… and when to go to the bathroom, like in ANY typical day job? Then you need to take back the reins. People only PAY you more when you’re WORTH more in the marketplace.
The marketplace isn’t one for airy-fairy “value of each human being” philosophical discussions.
Each human has inherent value; life has an immeasurable worth.
What we’re talking about here is WORTH in the MARKET, one that ruthlessly judges you based on what you can actually provide and contribute.
Don’t have a valuable skill or product placed in the market? “Then GTFO”, the market candidly tells you.
One of the primary ways I’ve chosen to control my financial future, is by grabbing the reigns back from the proposed masters.
By learning skills and modes of thinking that let me earn whatever I want in a given week, month, or year.
I’ve learned this skillset dynamically.
It allows me to travel, work from anywhere with WiFi, connect with 6 and 7 figure entrepreneurs across this beautiful blue marble we call home…
And most importantly? Enjoy a life of FREEDOM.
I picked one of the (many) proper business skills to learn and master, and it enables this life.
Will you?
Check this page to see what a Direct Response sales message looks like in true form, and see what the market will say when you show up to its doorstep.
Will it welcome you, or tell you to “GTFO?“
Click here to control your financial freedom, future, and happiness NOW.
Until next time, over and out…
Your man E
