Fwd: Knowledge vs. Ignorance

Hi Steve,

A new member of The Marketing Rebel Insider's Club posted a question a few days ago.

He asked about something a lot of marketers overlook entirely, so I thought I'd shared his question and my response with you.

Q: It seems becoming a copywriter of any note is not about being born great. It's much more about hard work and a little science. To that end, it seems to me that doing research is a huge part of the copywriting process. Any tips on how to get into good habits from the get-go?

My response:

Hi. Remarkably good question. Thanks for posting it.

Step 1 of The Simple Writing System is Market Research.

For an excellent reason: If you don't nail that, you're probably not going to write a very effective ad.

I've spent a lot of time with many hugely successful copywriters. One thing I've learned is the ones who have a proven they can write ads that create more sales than other ads, in different markets, spend more time – much more time – on researching the market than they do writing the ad.

They define, in detail, a typical ideal buyer (or two). Who they are. What they do with their days. What beliefs they have. Where they go (online and off). Who they talk to. What they read. What problems they have that this product solves.

They give this person a name. Let's call her Mary.

Then they immerse themselves in Mary's world. They go the websites Mary visits and study the language used there. If Mary is 60+, good chance she reads magazines and newspapers, so they get themselves a few issues of those.

If Mary typically shops at Walmart, off to Walmart they go. They listen to what Marys talk about. If there's a department that makes sense, they hang out there and try to get Mary talking about similar products. Why is Mary there today? What's up in Mary's life? What problem is she trying to solve today?

They look at ads from competing products and other products Mary might see and buy.

If there are websites where Marys with this problem go – support sites, groups, Reddit threads, comments left in product reviews – they go there and study the exact language Mary uses to describe the problem, its impact, and solutions.

They pay careful attention to the support advice offered, because most products are either a better version of what's out there, or a new/contrarian secret Mary hasn't heard about, yet.

Top copywriters take notes and notes and notes.

All the notes and research in the world probably aren't going to help you all that much if you don't know how to structure an ad.

There are just a handful of templates (outlines, models, whatever you prefer to call them) that work in direct response advertising. And an infinite number of ways to do it wrong.

On this topic, like every other, knowledge is finite. Ignorance and stupidity are boundless.

If you understand the fundamentals of copy and selling, putting the notes together into a winning ad takes relatively little time.

Fundamentals -- from basic to super advanced -- are what we teach in The Simple Writing System.

Stan

. . .

Isn't it time for you to learn all the steps the A-List copywriters know and use to create winning ads?

To have a successful professional look over your shoulder and give you personalized tips and feedback on every step?

Hop over to SimpleWritingSystem.com for all the details.

Including how you get 4 extra weeks of coaching for free.

And the payment plan that makes professional coaching fit into most every budget.

Cheers,

Stan Dahl
John Carlton's Biz Partner and Co-Creator of the Simple Writing System

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