How to “collect” your own copywriting bag ‘o tricks

This is something the late great Gary Halbert talked about so you might know it already…

But for those who don’t:

If you truly want to become a great student of copywriting, what Gary suggests you to do is… As you are learning the craft and new concepts and ideas pop out at you, write each of them down onto a separate 3x5 inch card.

It won’t take long that you will have a couple hundred of these.

But you don’t want to stop.

Every time you find something new, something that helps you, something that’s worth remembering. Write it down.

And…

Don’t let them collect dust on the side of your desk(I might and might not be guilty of this…).

Use them.

From time to time, flip through them, read them, study them.

What I like to do is pick 10 to 15 cards each time and bring it with me wherever I go(yes, even there) and I just read them throughout the day.

If you do this…

What you will notice that you will start to internalize these concepts and ideas and lessons. You will remember the concepts and rules you used to forget just a while ago.

This is because repetition is the core of learning.

And this format - 1 idea per card - is great because it doesn’t get boring.

It keeps your mind engaged.

I must have a couple hundred of these by now and I’m adding to it every day pretty much. It’s one of my most valuable resources.

Also…

It just occurred to me…

If you build it up to a great number… You can even create products around the most unusual or most rare ideas or lessons.

Just something to think about…

Kristof Nemeth.

P.S.

I also heard this one back from Ben Settle. Back in the day he had a bunch of these. So many that it was literally in a tower that was around torso level. Crazy.