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“My Top 10 CopywritingResources (Both Paid And Free!)”People keep asking me what my top copywriting resources are. I still get thesequestions almost monthly via my sites and my email lists.If you have experienced what GOOD copy can do for your business, you get it.If you think paying for good copy is a waste of time then you will NEVER realizeyour true profit potential.Even if you have no inclination to understand how to write good copy youshould at least, as a business owner, director/manager know what good copylooks like.I’m going to outline my top 10 copywriting resources every marketer needs toconsume if they want to excel in copywriting and marketing. This will be a mix ofpaid and free resources, so there’s something here for everyone.1) “Kick Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel” by John Carlton.This is the course that got me started in copywriting. I firmly believe everymarketer needs to go through this course. Even if you don’t plan to write copyyourself, you need to have some basic copywriting and salesmanship skills inorder to succeed online.The price is not cheap, but it is a worthwhile investment. Carlton has a writingstyle that is very easy to follow and understand. If you have the dollars, I wouldhighly recommend getting this course.You can find a link to the course here: John Carlton’s Copywriting Course.2) The American Writers And Artists Institute Accelerated Six-FigureCopywriting Course.This is another course I went through when I got started copywriting. It mostlygoes through how to structure a sales letter. This was written more for copywriterswho want to write offline direct mail packages; however, the copywritingprinciples are still the same.
Again, this one is not cheap, but it is a worthwhile read. The course also includesa member’s forum and a swipe file of winning ads.Here’s the link: AWAI Copywriting Course.3) The Gary Halbert LetterGary Halbert was one of the best copywriters who ever lived. Unfortunately hepassed away several years ago, but his newsletters are still online. You can readthem here: The Gary Halbert Letter.The Gary Halbert Letter: The Most Valuable Website On The Internet!Not only will you learn some critical copywriting and marketing tips, but studyingGary’s conversational writing style in each newsletter is an excellent lesson incopywriting by itself.4) The Bencivenga 100 SeminarThis resource, however, is NOT free. Gary Bencivenga is another top-guncopywriter who used to write for major mailers such as Boardroom, Phillips, andAgora. He retired several years ago and held a final 5000-per head seminar for100 people—hence the name “Bencivenga 100”.You can buy the DVDs for the same price as the seminar ( 5000). You’ll also geta lot of Gary’s promotions as well. The price is steep but if you’re serious aboutcopywriting and marketing it’s an excellent investment. It’s just that good!If the price is a little rich for you, then I would at least read the sales letter for theDVDs: Bencivenga 100 Seminar. It’s one of the few examples of Bencivenga’swriting on the Internet.
5) Rich Schefren’s Tribute Blog Post to Billy Mays.Billy Mays, the pitchman for many infomercials such as Oxy-Clean, passed awayon June, 28th, 2009. A week later, Internet marketer Rich Schefren posted anawesome blog post outlining how he turned ordinary products into multi-billiondollar businesses.Rich Schefren's Billy Mays Tribute Post: Greatest Marketing Blog Post Ever?It goes into great detail about how his products were chosen for direct responseTV. It also goes into the sales process for each infomercial—including manyvideo examples. This is a must-read post: Rich Schefren’s Tribute to Billy Mays.6) “Personality in Copy” by Dan KennedyThis is an excellent audio taken from a seminar where Dan Kennedy talks aboutcreating an attractive character. He also talks about how to create a “herd” ofcustomers that will keep buying your products again and again.This is one of the top reasons copy does not get read. Either the copy lackspersonality, or the person/company behind the product is just “ho-hum”. DanKennedy has created a successful brand and people flock to his seminars andbuy his books again and again.Mostly because he just acts like himself.Anyone who follows Dan Kennedy can attest that he is a little “grumpy”, reallyloves horses, and is extremely anal when it comes to time management. This issome of what endears people to Dan Kennedy and another reason whypeople are repelled by him.But that’s OK, because the people who follow him are going to come toseminar after seminar. He’s created a customer base that’s loyal and will keep
buying his products for years. This is definitely a must-listen if you’re serious aboutcopywriting and building a successful business.You can buy the audio and workbook here: Personality In Copy by DanKennedy.7) Copy DoodlesHere’s a great way you can make your sales messages stand out. Copy Doodlesallows you to add handwritten graphics to your promotions—such as arrows,circles, and small drawings such as dollar bills.I’ve used these many times. The key is not to overdo them, as it will make thepromotion look messy. However, when done right, it does a great job ofattracting the attention of your prospect who has seen tons of promotions.To see CopyDoodles in action, here’s a link: CopyDoodles.8 ) “Million Dollar Mailings” by Denison HatchEvery copywriter and marketer should have a swipe file of winning ads. This isprobably the cheapest way to get started. This huge textbook shows proven adsyou can use as a template for your own.Million Dollar Mailings: Your Instant Swipe FileOne of the largest mistakes most beginning marketers make is using a promotionthat wasn’t successful as the basis for their own. You should always use winningpromotions when swiping, and this book is chock-full of them to study.
9) “Breakthrough Advertising” by Eugene SchwartzThis book was written by one of copywriting and advertising’s legends: EugeneSchwartz. This book was so valuable that, when the book was out of print, copieswere being stolen from libraries and sold on eBay for over 1000.However, the book is now back in print and you can purchase it from Amazonfor 95 as of this writing.Breakthrough Advertising: You No Longer Have To Pay 1000 On eBay To Buy It!Schwartz goes into great detail about learning the “sophistication” of yourmarket or how many ads they’ve seen before yours. For example, if youcreated the first weight loss product ever, you could probably get away with aheadline that read, “Lose Weight Now!”However, since weight loss is a competitive and highly sophisticated market,that headline wouldn’t work. That’s because most prospects have seen manypitches for weight-loss products, and you have to have a headline that breaksconventional thinking in order to get people’s attention.An example of an unconventional headline would be, “Lose 4 Pounds Per WeekEating Cheeseburgers!” It defies convention since most people thinkcheeseburgers are the last thing you want to eat to lose weight.Here’s a link where you can get the book: Breakthrough Advertising.
10) “How To Write A Good Advertisement” by Victor O. SchwabHere is another great book on copywriting that is a little dated since it waswritten in 1964, but gives a good primer on everything from how to write aheadline through writing the body copy.The best part is this book can be had for less than 20 on Amazon.com. This is anexcellent resource if some of the courses and books I’ve recommended are alittle outside your price range.You can get the book here: How To Write A Good Advertisement.ConclusionI firmly believe every marketer should learn basic copywriting skills—even if theynever plan on writing their own copy. You’ll be able to know what to look for ina copywriter, along with whether or not the writer you hired did a good job.These resources will help you get a leg up in your copywriting education and willallow you to beat your competition.In any profession, I believe it is critical to keep learning and reading throughoutyour entire life. I personally aim to read 1 book per week in copywriting andmarketing—which equates to about 1 hour per day of reading time.So turn off the boob tube this evening and start going through these resourcestonight!
Gary Halbert was one of the best copywriters who ever lived. Unfortunately he passed away several years ago, but his newsletters are still online. You can read them here: The Gary Halbert Letter. The Gary Halbert Letter: The Most Valuable Website On The Internet! Not only will you learn some critical copywriting and marketing tips, but studying Gary’s conversational writing style in each .
