I’m drinking a cup of coffee and typing at my computer.

This is what I do eight hours a day, five days a week (the writing part, that is; I’m usually done with the coffee by 11 a.m.).

Today is a little different because there’s a big storm system sitting over Denver. It’s dropping all kinds of snow right now.

We’re approaching a foot of accumulation, with somewhere between 18 inches and two feet projected.

Fortunately, I’m a freelance copywriter, so I get to carry on with my work and enjoy a cozy day in the office.

Better still, I’ve stayed exceptionally focused this week, so today I can take some time to read, tidy up the clutter in my office, and spend some time pursuing one of my many pet projects.

I seem to have a lot of those.

One of my friends asked me recently, “How many web sites do you own?”

“Do you mean how many domains have I registered… or how many web sites have I created and are live on the Internet? Either way, I don’t know.”

It was a pretty short conversation.

Let’s see… just looked it up because now I’m curious. 130 domain names registered. (I have set some to expire, so that number will go down this year.)

And it looks like I have 21 web sites that are actually up and running. (This doesn’t count a few I’ve pulled down because I felt they had outlived their usefulness or never achieved their purpose.)

If you accused me of not being focused enough, I couldn’t deny it.

What I’ve realized in the time I’ve been working online is that I’m not primarily motivated by money.

Sure, I like to have enough to pay my bills. (Who doesn’t?)

But beyond providing for my family and having a little extra for date nights, vacations, and field trips, I’m more interested in creating impact… changing minds… getting people to see things they haven’t seen before.

That’s what really gets me excited.

That, and snow.

I love snow days.

Talk to you next week,

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

• Please, Don’t Leave That on My Door Mat
• Coffeewriting and the Magic of Routine
• The Yin & Yang of Focus
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• Damn That Ray Edwards!

I publish a print newsletter periodically throughout the year.

My newsletter is free. But I only to send it to past, current, and potential clients. So:

• If you’ve thought about hiring me, but haven’t pulled the trigger…

• Or if you think you might hire a direct response copywriter like me in the future…

• Or if you often refer copywriters to the people you do business with…

…then here’s what you should do right now:

1. Send me an email at rhealy@gmail.com

2. Put “Print Newsletter” in the subject line.

3. Tell me your full name, business name, and mailing address.

Optional: Tell me a little about yourself and why you’d like to get my newsletter.

Once I receive your mailing information, I’ll add you to my newsletter mailing list.

Each issue typically includes: a brief editorial plus two articles. The articles sometimes come from my blog and are sometimes written specifically for that issue.

It’s 4 pages, full-color, easy-to-read.

Please respond by August 25. I’ll be sending out the next newsletter within a couple weeks.

My Best,

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

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I recently contributed to a collaborative article to be published in a direct marketing newsletter.

The article explores how technology has influenced copywriters and the art of copywriting. Here’s how I responded to the questions.

Are you still doing the same sort of projects you did five years ago? A year ago? Six months ago?

Actually, yes. I’m still writing long form copy. I’m still writing email campaigns. I’m still writing PPC ads and landing pages.

But in the last year I’ve begun writing video scripts on a fairly regular basis. Five years ago, this was not the case.

Has technology changed how you approach your assignments? Has it changed clients’ demands?

Yes, technology has changed how I approach assignments. For instance, I have a membership to a web site that archives successful direct mail pieces. I use the site to generate ideas for new projects.

I also recently installed Dragon Dictate. I’m now dictating first draft copy instead of typing it.

Client’s demands remain similar, although today I get fewer requests for help with web design. This is because WordPress and other publishing tools have made it easier than ever to publish sales copy to the web.

And, as I mentioned above, client’s are now demanding video scripts they can use to create sales videos. I see this trend gaining momentum as sales videos augment or replace long form sales copy in many markets.

Has the copywriter’s art been affected (for good or ill) by advances in technology?

Yes on both counts.

As technology advances, it provides more and more opportunities for copywriters to find work.

Whereas in 2001 an online business may have only needed written copy for a landing page, now that same online business needs copy for the landing page, copy for an email campaign, copy for sales videos, even copy for affiliates to use in their promotions.

So the amount of work that needs to be done is continuously expanding.

On the negative side, technology has given most people on the Internet severe attention deficits. They’re overwhelmed by information and constantly distracted by incoming emails, new updates on Facebook and Twitter, cell phone text messages, etc. Their attention spans are extremely short.

So while reaching consumers is probably easier today than it’s ever been, the copywriter faces a bigger challenge now than in times gone by. He must be able to get attention and keep it long enough to get the desired action, which is not an easy task.

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

• Video Killed the Copywriting Star?
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My friend and copywriting colleague Ben Settle has agreed to do something unusual…

He’s agreed to answer YOUR questions about copywriting… in depth… right here on this blog… for FREE.

In case you don’t know Ben, he’s an amazing copywriter with a knack for writing some of the most interesting subject lines on the planet. What’s more, he’s a genius at coming up with big hooks for emails and sales letters.

Ben has written copy for health products, self-defense products, golf products, and more. Many of those sales letters have generated tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of dollars in revenue and profit.

Which means the opportunity to ask Ben any copywriting question you want is a BIG DEAL.

Here’s how it’ll work…

Simply type the question (or questions) you’d like to ask Ben in the comment section below. I’ll select the best questions and shoot them over to Ben to answer.

As soon as they’re completed, I’ll publish all Ben’s written answers (i.e., copywriting gold) as a brand new post here for you to read, study, print, and save.

With that in mind, go ahead and submit your questions below now…

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. I’ve done interviews with Ben before — and he always over-delivers. For example, check out this post: Ben Settle Bares All (Well, Almost)Similar Posts:

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Yesterday’s post about copywriter burn-out really struck a chord with a lot of my readers.

Even though it was a U.S. holiday, there were lots of passionate and encouraging responses. (Thank you!)

One thing Jefferson said in the comments stuck out to me. After managing product launches for clients, he concludes: “Instead of doing launches for other clients, I’m going to do them for my best client of all: Me, Myself and I.”

The reason this stuck out to me is because of something else I had highlighted in a book more than two years ago. The book is not well-known. It’s called Anybody Can Be in Advertising… It Beats Working for a Living by Stan Cotton.

It’s a pretty good book. Stan outlines 12 steps to starting your own advertising business, then includes a bunch of space ads he wrote along with his analysis of why each one worked.

But the part I want to share with you here is actually… on the acknowledgment page… before the book even begins! Stan writes:

For over thirty years, I have searched world wide for the perfect client. At long last, I have found him. T’is I. Therefore, this book is dedicated to me.

No matter if you’re Claude Hopkins or Stan Cotton, it seems every working copywriter comes to the same conclusion: Writing copy for clients is good, but writing copy for yourself is better.

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

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I am a copywriter.

More to the point, I am a freelance direct response copywriter who writes sales letters, manages product launches, and blogs about business growth.

I make about 90% of my gross income from fees, commissions, and retainers for writing direct response sales copy for clients.

But this year, I hope to change this.

In fact, I’m doing everything in my power to shift the bulk of my income from selling my time to selling products that don’t require any direct ongoing investment of time.

Toward that end, I’m planning to release one new product (or one newly updated product) every single month this year, starting on March 15.

So… the first new product I’m releasing will be released on March 15, and then each successive product release will happen approximately every 30 days thereafter (April 15, May 15, June 15, etc.) — unless one product or business really takes off and is worthy of additional leverage.

Crazy or Necessary?

This may sound overly ambitious or even downright crazy, but I believe it’s necessary.

Because for the last few years, my goal has always been the same: to increase the percentage of my income derived from product-based businesses while reducing the percentage of my income derived from service-based businesses (like my copywriting business).

Last year was my biggest, most audacious push yet to start a business to replace my copywriting income.

In fact, I outsourced more work than I ever have in my life just to make it happen. I took a big risk… invested thousands of dollars… and yet the risk did not pay off anywhere near what I had hoped.

That said, I don’t accept this is a complete failure. It’s just one more business experience I’ve been able to learn from. This year, I feel more prepared than I’ve ever been.

Why I Want to Change My Business

It’s not that I dislike writing copy for clients. I actually enjoy it very much.

It’s just that I’m constantly juggling three, four, and five different copywriting projects with multiple deadlines. It can be stressful. And it doesn’t provide the kind of flexibility I would like. (I haven’t taken a real vacation since June 2007.)

Sometimes I feel burnt out.

Like I just need a break.

Or maybe even an extended absence to really recharge my batteries.

And sometimes life throws us curve balls that practically force us to stop working for a time. (This happened to me recently, and I’m just glad the “curve ball” wasn’t more major than it was — because I would not have been prepared or even able to take a full week off!)

My First New Product

As I mentioned above, I’ll be launching the first of my new products/services on March 15.

This particular “product” is called Paid On Time – The World’s First Affiliate Trust Seal. It is an idea I had based on my 5th business prediction for 2011.

• If you run an affiliate program (and would like to attract more higher-quality affiliates), then you may be interested in becoming a network member.

• And if you have access to people who own or manage affiliate programs, then you may want to become an affiliate. (We will be paying healthy recurring commissions.)

You can learn more about the Paid On Time Affiliate Trust Seal at www.PaidOnTime.net. You can also subscribe to the priority notification list here so you’re first to know when the Paid On Time seal is available.

It’s going to be a good year, and I look forward to helping you and inspiring you along the way.

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

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Got a tough question in my inbox today…

Hi Ryan,

I have a question I can only ask a copywriter/marketer who is a parent.

See, since I don’t have kids, I have a different kind of pressure to face than you do.

Recently my main laptop crashed, which erased my entire product launch information.

While I back-up my stuff every week, well, let’s just say it crashed about one day before the weekly update.

This resulted in major stress, not being able to meet my personal deadline.

Since all this happened, I’ve re-written the entire product launch, but at the expense of any and all other productivity.

My question is this – since you’re a parent and you have to constantly keep your act together and keep going, what do you do to re-stabilize after the shit hits the fan?

Reading an email like this makes me cringe because I know the kind of anxiety you feel in the pit of your stomach when you lose hours of work.

That anxiety is magnified tenfold if you’re facing an imminent deadline.

There are a few things I do to recenter when I’ve gotten the proverbial smack down from things outside my control.

First, I remind myself that it’s times like these that define who you are. Are you going to give up? Or are you going to grit your teeth and just get ‘er done?

Second, I remind myself that I can’t control everything. It’s part of being human. But I can control my actions and behaviors. I can control how I react… and… what I do in this moment.

So I try not to waste too much emotional energy when bad stuff happens. “Don’t cry over spilled milk” and all that. I just get back to the grind with energies redoubled and do my best to make something good out of the bad.

Third, I usually have a couple Bible verses replaying in my mind, specifically Proverbs 24:16 and James 1:2. I find encouragement from these verses. Maybe you will, too.

“…for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…” Proverbs 24:16

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” James 1:2

I find that memorizing a few key quotes can be especially helpful in tough situations. They don’t have to be Bible verses. Just some brief words of wisdom that help you quickly recenter.

Fourth, I visualize great moments when people have overcome insurmountable odds to win.

Have you ever seen a great football game where the underdogs prevailed? Reliving moments like these can galvanize you, light a fire in your belly, and give you great mental fortitude.

Borrow the emotion from other people’s heroic moments and that will help you become the hero you need to be when bad stuff happens.

Hope this helps.

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

• Secrets of a Mega Launch
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Attention in the 21st Century is like light that has passed through a round cut diamond: It is fractured in a thousand directions.

The copywriter’s job is to capture that fractured attention and refocus it on the sales message of the product he is selling.

Eugene Schwartz writes on page 15 of Breakthrough Advertising: “It is the copy writer’s job to force the prospect to read his client’s full story — not just a skimmed version of it.”

Joseph Sugarman advocates a similar approach to ad writing. He says, “The sole purpose of the first sentence in an advertisement is to get you to read the second sentence.” (Advertising Secrets of the Written Word, p. 32)

The purpose of the second sentence is to get you to read the third. And so on.

There’s a lot of time spent making ads more scannable in an effort to appeal to the least-interested prospects.

Why not put more time and effort into fully capturing your prospect’s attention so he can’t help but read your entire sales message?

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. For access to my best copywriting lessons, consider joining Copywriting Code.Similar Posts:

• 3 Easy Ways to Start Writing an Ad
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• Does the World Really Need Another Copywriting Book?

If you’ve been a student of copywriting for any length of time, chances are you’ve encountered most of the classic books on the subject…

• Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
• The Robert Collier Letter Book by Robert Collier
• Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples
• The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy
• Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz

With so many perennial favorites, does the world really need another copywriting book?

Having just reviewed Ray Edwards’ new book Writing Riches, I can confidently answer that question in the positive.

The biggest drawback to so many of the classics is that they were written during a time before the advent of the Internet.

As you know, the Internet has changed everything.

It hasn’t changed the principles of salesmanship, of course, but it has certainly changed the mechanisms, devices, and techniques we use to sell.

What I like about Writing Riches is that it breaks down the process of writing copy for the web into an easy-to-follow sequence of steps. And each chapter is like a succinct “mini-course.”

Inside, you’ll find “mini-courses” on writing sales letters, headline writing, bullet writing, email marketing, writing PPC ads, and even writing copy for product launches.

The best part: Writing Riches is only $14. And if you visit the link below, you’ll find out how you can get a $197 gift from Ray as a thank-you for purchasing the book.

• Click Here to Get Writing Riches for $14 And Get Your Free Gift

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Although I did get a review copy of the book back in November, I don’t get anything for making this recommendation. If you are a copywriter… or if you simply want to make more money from your copy… then Writing Riches will be worth far more than the $14 you’ll invest in it.Similar Posts:

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Staying power is an underrated concept.

I first began paying attention to it back in my Amway days. What I noticed was that the most successful distributors weren’t necessarily the best or brightest of the bunch. They were the ones who simply took consistent positive action longer than anybody else.

The people who “tried out” the business for a few months… usually fizzled out… and never had much success. But the ones who stuck around (and followed the system) seemed to do much better.

I then noticed this same phenomenon in other industries as well: real estate agents, mortgage brokers, even copywriters.

When I became I copywriter, I began thinking for the long haul. Of course, I had short-term goals — like how much I needed to make each month to pay my bills — but my overall goal was to outlast my competitors.

Because what you’ll notice after a couple years is that the competitive landscape changes. Some competitors leave, decide to pursue new opportunities.

Every time a competitor leaves, there’s a vacuum. And those who benefit the most are the guys and gals who are still standing. They get to pick up the business their competitor left behind.

Staying Power in the Bible

In Luke 14:28-30, Jesus says:

For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

When you set out to accomplish something — in your business or in your personal life — how much consideration do you give to what’s required to complete it?

If you’re like me, you probably start many things that are never finished because you’re in love with an idea. Rather than count the cost, you just get started.

But if you truly want to succeed, it’s critical to think about what will be required of you each and every month — and whether or not you can keep it up long enough to finish what you set out to accomplish… and… outlast your competitors.

That’s staying power.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. This is not an endorsement of Amway, by the way. If you discover you’re involved in something shady, fraudulent, cultish, etc. — get out!Similar Posts:

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