Write better copy... by avoiding writing like it's pagued

One of the activities I recently adopted just to waste less of my valuable time was immersing myself in the world of OG copywriters.

Guys like Gary Halbert, Gary Bencivenga, Jim Rutz,…

You know, those who actually knew a couple of things about this marketing thingy and are worth learning from, not like the majority of us on social media nowadays.

And now please don’t think I’m trying to separate myself from “them”, no not at all.

I’m by no means a professional, not even an intermediate.

Hell, I don’t even think I have 1% of this game figured out. But these OG guys had it figured out, and they figured way more out of the game than just a mere 1%.

For example, I overheard John Carlton(this guy has the best writing style I have EVER witnessed, seriously, and he is a damn good copywriter too) say in an interview this little nugget.

Most of it probably will be already familiar if you have been “properly” studying this stuff for a while now, but still I’m gonna share it:

!Not exactly as he said it, just the main idea!

“…You know, I think what most guys can’t wrap their heads around is Copywriting is just salesmanship in print. That’s it. There is no magic here.

All you really need are the fundamental sales skills and you are good to go. And honestly, there is no better way to develop your sales skills than to interact with other people and especially try to sell to them.”

He then went into a couple of ways he did it, and also what he thinks are some of the best ways to “grease your sales skids”.

Cold call people, sell door-to-door, get a sales job,… or do something that will get you to sell to others, not through the written word by mainly by actual words.

And if you can’t do these?

Get people on a Zoom meeting and try to sell your services to them.

(…I’m not just chanting you here, trust me I need to do these too. I’m guilty of slacking off on these.)

Because you can become a copywriter just by writing. It is certainly possible.

But talking from experience… The insights, nuggets, and experience I got from the calls I made with potential clients and clients were… invaluable.

You see that person’s reactions to your statements in real-time.

You see the objections they bring up. You see what gets them excited, nervous, motivated…

And the more you do the better of a salesman you will become. And the better of a salesman you will be…

The better copy you will write.