I Did Copy Work For 12 Months. Here's The Results.
Inside this deep dive, I shed light on the single most effective habit I cultivated from a copy standpoint that took my writing and income to a whole new level. This habit is none other than copying out one piece of winning copy a day (20-60 minutes).
I know. I know.
This gets memed a lot on Tweeter and some people swear by it whereas others (including really great copywriters) laugh at it, but personally speaking it was a game changer for me.
So with that stated, here’s how it impacted me:
1/ Created a solid routine with a focus on revenue generation
I completed my twelve consecutive months when I first discovered copywriting (in my late teens).
At this time, I was really focused on running up the numbers with online biz. But as you may be able to relate, it can be difficult starting out and knowing what to focus on. Our natural focus isn’t geared towards sales and marketing, but more so feel good tasks that don’t really move the needle forward.
With this habit, I started each and every single day in the same manner: Wake up, open my laptop, and spend the first 20-60 minutes handwriting a piece of winning copy. This created a solid routine (that put me into flow quickly) and also programmed my brain to start the day by focusing on revenue generating activities.
After I would finish my encoding, I’d then spend the next hour or two in heavy sales/marketing mode with an emphasis on making money.
Just doing these two things one after the next (every day) allowed me to clear close to $100k that year (it was really the 80/20 of making money in the early days: learn marketing and make offers and then spend afternoons fulfilling).
2/ Taught me proven structure
When I was first flirting with committing to this habit, I wasn’t really sure how it’d impact me or whether it’d be worth it. But then one marketer I looked up to highly stated that with each piece of winning copy there is a structure or slippery slope that is invisible to most, but understanding this structure and creating it in your own copy is so crucial to keep people reading, moving along, and ultimately pulling out their credit card.
He told me I’d learn to spot this structure and use it in my own copy after exposing my senses over and over and over again to winning copy.
And you know what?
That’s exactly what happened and it’s probably the single greatest benefit I derived from this habit from a copy perspective.
This is the case because my speciality in the months/years to come after completing this habit would be writing long form sales letters. 10,000+ word beasts. It’s very difficult to get into writing these and making them successful if you don’t understand winning structure.
If I hadn’t completed this habit, I don’t think I'd have been able to make money with long-form straight off the bat for clients and later myself.
Which could’ve changed the trajectory of my life (in a bad way).
3/ Gave me a real world MBA in human nature
Before I started this habit, I used to brainstorm dozens of business ideas a day and would launch some, but hardly made any money.
This was extremely frustrating and made business seem so difficult.
But it was only difficult because I didn’t understand people and was selling shit nobody wanted to buy because these products were going against the natural wiring of human nature.
With this habit, however, I was exposed to one winning offer after the next. On a daily basis. Seriously.
Imagine 365 days of encoding one winning offer after the next. Imagine what that does for your pattern recognition abilities.
You start spotting similarities in the offers from all different niches. You start seeing why these offers sell so well and what makes them so effective. And then you start applying this sauce towards your own creations and that’s when the floodgates truly open for you and you start making real money with business.
All of a sudden it’s not as difficult as it once was.
Instead, it becomes easy because you learn to cook extremely appealing meals for starving targets.
(Goodbye money troubles.)
Those are the three biggest benefits I gained.
In addition to the above, I also:
Received endless ideas for new headlines, leads, angles/big ideas, offers to test in the market (take what’s currently working, put a twist on it, and run with it)…
Found it easier and easier to get into the natural flow of writing copy every single day (whether selling offers to clients or selling client offers)...
Felt like I was making the most out of my limited time (College days) building a real skill instead of wasting time and hoping and praying that I randomly luck into making some money…
Noticed an extreme uptick in my ability to write copy that would allow me to land new clients (if you cannot use your copy skills to get clients, you’re not good at copy. This is the easiest sale you’ll ever make)...
Grew confident in providing insight for offer creation and overall element design behind big promos (focusing not just on the final steps of writing, but running the entire process)…
Became absolutely obsessed with writing and sales and marketing and human psychology because my brain made the connection: better I get at this, more money I make (room was straight mad scientist vibes – people who’d walk in randomly would be like dude WTF are you doing?!?!?!)
SOOOO with all that stated, this is why I always recommend doing the above. Consistently. Day in and day out in the early days.
To me it’s the equivalent of a new doctor in training watching/shadowing an advanced doctor and learning.
This is how I personally learned best.
Books didn’t do it for me.
They were great for helping me think like a copywriter, but weren’t effective at helping me become a copywriter.
The above + learning a proven system was the 80/20 of getting good.
So if you want to get good, do the above.
That's it for this week's copy class.
See you next Monday!
Your friend,
/tej
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