7 Copywriting Cardinal Sins

“Your Copy SUCKS…”

“We’ve got a whooping 3 sales in the past month. You’re invited to celebrate the massive (FLOP) launch…”

“Whoa, I officially want to give you a title for your copywriting achievements, ‘Mr. Rainmaker’ your copy has generated millions of (not dollars), but hopes.”

These were the exact words of my first client.

A GREAT marketer/copywriter himself.

I was new to the copy world.

It has only been 6 months.

Even I don’t believe how John [name redacted] agreed to work with a newb like me.

Anyway, fast forward to three weeks.

I had to write a mini sales letter (which honestly I had never written).

I was excited.

And spent the rest of the day researching the big idea, positioning.

Furiously scouted the internet.

To look for a few examples sales letter examples (to ethically swipe).

Landed on this website swiped [dot] co.

Read all the sales letters.

And loved ‘Amazing secrets ad by Gary Halbert’

Decided to model my writing based on Gary’s ad. It took me 3 days to research and write a 2000 words mini sales letter.

I completed the letter late at night.

And with a sort of sanguinity shared the google doc link (with the comment rights) with my client.

And slept.

Next day, I woke up with enthusiasm.

Took a looked at my phone.

And my heart sank to the bottom.

A friggin’ 100+ notifications.

All saying the same thing, John added a comment.

My face went pale, heart beats started racing.

I opened the doc (while wiping the sweat off my face)…

Phew…it wasn’t what I had expected…

But it was worse than that.

A literal BLOODBATH.

Fiasco!

All my words, sentences, and paragraphs were longing for help.

Covered with blood.

They tried fighting a fierce battle.

But lost.

Jokes apart, John had literally ripped my writing to shreds.

And to salt the wound.

I received an email from him with a meeting link and with a note.

We need to talk, book a call at a time that suits you.

John wrote the note subtly. But I could sense what’s gonna happen.

Are they gonna fire me?

What worse could happen?

With a fear on my face, I joined the meeting.

And I was surprised by what John said next…

“Look buddy, I know you’re new to the game. And I appreciate your hustle. But here are 7 most important things that you should keep in mind, if you aspire to become a rain making copywriter…”

What?

He ain’t firing me.

That call proved to be a game changer for me.

The lessons that John taught me were profound and helped me advance in my career.

Here are those 7 lessons:

1) You ain’t writing to impress other writers

If you want your copy to convert.

Love to research and know more about your target audience.

It should exactly call out their problems, desires, and wants.

2) No one got time to read your sh*t

Hook your readers’ attention with the headline.

Your hook should give them a powerful reason to stop and read till the end.

Spend most of your time perfecting your headline.

3) F Grammar

Everybody is doling this hat, grammar ain’t important.

Certainly true.

But elements of grammar like poetic devices can make your writing more interesting and fun.

Learn to use metaphors, alliterations, and simile to break down complex topics.

4) Verbatim copy and pasting

Swiping doesn’t mean you have to copy and paste the exact phrases.

Rather, try understanding the ideas and frameworks.

A copy never converts because of certain phrases and tactics.

It converts because of how a certain idea is communicated to the reader.

5) Slapping features

Features are like the uncle who loves bragging about himself.

Features don’t connect and trigger emotions.

Instead, walk the talk by dimensionalizing your features.

Aka benefits.

Don’t only tell what your products have, show how the product can make a difference in their lives.

6) Making your readers yawn

Ah, sh*t here we go again.

Another BORING sales pitch.

Your writing shouldn’t sound boring and salesy.

Instead, it should talk to the target audience.

Talk to their problems, wants, needs, and desires.

7) Procrastinating on research

No research is ever enough.

Don’t make this mistake of not doing enough research.

But the fundamental question is when to STOP researching.

The moment you have the answer to these questions…

Who your target audience is, their wants, needs, challenges, and motivations.

What your product does, how is it different from others?

Avoid these 7 mistakes and write a banger copy.

Thanks for reading!