7 keys to making more moolah from your copywriting

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Before you write one single word!

#1: Know what the heck you’re talking about. In other words, do your research. Spend time getting into the mind of your prospect.

Convince yourself this is the best product ever and everyone needs to know about it. Use the product!

I always request samples and use whatever I’m working on (with the exception of the male potency stuff. Doesn’t work for me and my husband swears he’ll never need it).

I want to see and feel a difference the product makes on ME. In other words, I’m convincing myself before I try to sell anybody else!

Many times, I’m so certain the product works, I write my own testimonial in my package!

If you’re working on a product and don’t believe its value -- do yourself a favor and turn down the job. The odds of failure are great — and why do you want to sell a crappy product anyway?

#2: Work with a few clients – and really get to know their business! I’m in my 8th year as a freelance copywriter. And I’ve found the years I worked with just 2 or 3 clients produced more revenue than when I worked for 6 or more companies!

Of the 14 packages I wrote last year, 9 were from one client. They were a variety of nutritional products – but all were going to the same demographics and files! That means I knew immediately whom I was writing to.

I didn’t have to “learn” my market every time – just had to get into the benefits of the product. And because I was familiar with the company, I knew their risk tolerance. That helped avoid a lot of edits from the legal department!

How to handle “writer’s block”:

#3: Stop staring at the blank screen! If ideas aren’t coming to you, get up and do something else. Give yourself permission to goof off. When I’m stuck, I take my 96-year grandmother to Wal-Mart...tackle a new recipe in my favorite crock-pot cookbook...or take a nap. Sounds contrary to SPEEDwriting, doesn’t it? Well it’s not. Here’s why...

Before I enjoy these diversions, I tell myself, “Ok, Carline, you can take a break, but you need to come up with a headline, or lead.” Then I get up from my computer.

What I’ve done is given my subconscious a direct order to start working. While I’m “goofing off”, my subconscious is free to be as creative as possible.

Many times I’ve burned a recipe because right in the middle of cooking, an idea pops in my head. I start writing it down and am usually back at my computer and raring to go!

Don’t believe me? Then read the book, "Psycho-cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz. You'll discover how to unleash the power of the subconscious mind. Then, try it for yourself. I promise—it’ll work for you!

#4: Never start with a blank screen! You get writer’s block ‘cause you don’t know what to say. Plus that blank page can be very scary!

So the first thing I do when I start writing is to quickly fill up the blank page. For example, you know you’ll need an order form, guarantee, testimonials and other static elements—so go ahead and cut and paste some standard ones into your document.

Then write the words, “Big freakin’ headline goes here!” – Hey, look, you’ve already got at least 3 pages of copy — and you haven’t even written a word yet!

Don’t worry, you’ll eventually tweak your original headline and make it stronger — but at least for now, you’ve got something!

#5: Take rest breaks: Tell yourself you’re only going to write for 15 minutes and then you’ll take a break. That’s easy right? What you’re doing is called “baby steps” – take a huge project and break it down into easy to handle segments.

After 15 minutes, you can take a break. But most likely, you’ll find you’re writing for 30...45...even an hour or more!

#6: Don’t reinvent the wheel: Ask clients if they have standard elements of a package they prefer to use.

For example, one of my clients uses a standard order form for his promotions. Why spend time writing a new order form when it’s going to get dumped and replaced by the standard one?

Instead, focus your time on writing a strong headline for the order form and killer copy for the positive acceptance statement (the “YES! I want to ... section of the order form).

#7: Minimize distractions: When you’re in heavy-duty writing mode, keep your momentum by eliminating distractions.

In the movie, “The Pursuit of Happiness”, Will Smith’s character found out he could save 8 minutes a day just by pushing the button instead of physically hanging up the phone after every sales call. And he saved even more time by not drinking water so he wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom.

What he did was maximize productivity by minimizing distractions. You can too.

Put your phone on mute while you’re working. Contact your client and request any additional info by e-mail only...let your neighbors know you really do have a job and not to “pop in”...and post a sign on your door that says “WARNING: DON’T BOTHER ME UNLESS YOU’RE BLEEDING!” In other words, do whatever you need to protect your writing time!

I know I promised you 7 keys to speedwriting. And I hope these are helpful to you. But a good copywriter always delivers more than promised. So here’s probably the real key to my success...

#8: Love what you do and “niche your passion”. When I first started copywriting, I took whatever job I could get. I needed the money and the experience. But I didn’t achieve real success until I focused on just one area and made myself an expert.

I love the alternative health field and I love writing about nutritional supplements. So now, 90% of my projects are for the nutritional health field.

I turn down projects that push me too far away from my niche. That way, I stay focused on the pulse of my market...and write faster, more profitable copy!

Carline Anglade-Cole

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Reinventing the Inventor

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While creativity's essential to developing inventive ideas, those who wish to turn inventing into more than just a hobby must shift their mind-sets. That’s because the role of serious inventor isn't limited to simply creating the newest gadget or gizmo.

It’s easy to understand why many inventors feel that once the patent is filed, their product design is complete and their invention goes into production, they’re almost home free in terms of getting their product to market. After all, it’s taken a lot of time and effort to reach this point. In reality, though, the final element--sales--still weighs heavily on the invention’s success and shouldn’t be underestimated. To be successful, inventors have to look at their inventions as marketable products and have a clear sales strategy.

To launch a successful product, it's critical to approach the process from a business perspective. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you need an MBA or even specific experience in the business world. It simply means being as smart about running a business as you were about developing your idea. You already have an inventive mind and a creative spirit. You simply need to transfer those qualities to managing the business end of things.

To help you out, here are some tips to help you avoid some of the more common mistakes inventors make when managing a business:

1. Hang onto your cash, and research your product’s marketability. I can’t tell you how often I’ve talked with inventors who’ve spent thousands of dollars--in some cases, their life savings--on developing products that already exist or, even worse, products people just won’t buy. Remember, to sell your product, there needs to be demand. How can you know this for sure? Do your research before investing too much time and money in your project. A quick online search can turn up similar or competing ideas and can inform you whether the competition's selling.

If you move forward in developing your idea, maintain an open dialogue with your target market so you know what’s working and what isn’t. Initially talk to friends and family members, but move on to ask for unbiased feedback from more objective, informal groups. You could host a gathering at your house and invite friends of friends. Or conduct informal surveys by speaking to people at your grocery store, park, place of worship, kids’ soccer tournaments, etc. These are informal examples that can be a fantastic way to gather essential data while staying within a tight budget. If you do have extra capital, however, you can also hire a marketing company to assist you. Just do whatever it takes to ensure there's a need for your product idea.

You should also develop a sales plan. In other words, know which distribution channels you intend to use (direct sales, catalogs, online, retail stores, etc.) and/or which stores you expect to carry your product. View the feedback you get from industry professionals (store owners, buyers and managers) in this early stage as a gift. If you incorporate their feedback into your product and packaging design early on, you may save thousands of dollars in the long run.

2. Understand the value of a patent. Many inventors rush to file for patents before doing anything else. While a patent can be a valuable tool to protect your product, it’s not a requirement and isn’t necessarily the first step you should take. Be sure to closely evaluate whether you actually need a patent right away or if your money might be better spent on developing and manufacturing your product and getting a leg up on potential competitors in your marketplace. For more information, read "To Patent or Not to Patent?"

3. Use smart business practices. Every day, you make purchases, decisions about investments and insurance, and pursue many other activities that keep your household running. Use the same common-sense perspective when creating a business to support your product. This means shopping around for the right manufacturer, presenting yourself professionally when selling your product to potential retailers or distributors (whether in writing or in person), and keeping a close eye on your financials. A basic understanding of profit margins and markups is essential, and tracking every dollar of your income and expenses is critical. For more on managing your business's finances, read "Demystifying Profit Margins and Markups."

4. Get the word out. If you create it, they will not necessarily come. That’s because the general public doesn’t know about it. And with retailers controlling shelf space--where your product must compete with the store's own branded products--they're reluctant to give up that space unless there's strong evidence of consumer demand. You need to create awareness about your product so consumers will seek it out and buy it. That requires some marketing savvy.

Thankfully, there are many ways to get the word out that won’t require a huge advertising budget. E-mail blasts, PR and word-of-mouth are just a few low-cost ideas. Also, plan on attending relevant trade shows to present your product to potential retailers, sales reps and distributors.

5. Educate yourself. A good businessperson never stops learning. Even if you don’t have a business background, there are many resources available that'll help you teach yourself smart business practices. Do your research, read relevant business books, and keep up with business-related publications. You’ll be amazed at how much you'll learn about all aspects of running a business--from product development to finances to marketing to sales and so much more.

6. Consider licensing. If you love to develop products but don’t want to deal with running your own business, licensing your idea may be the route to take. But recognize that you'll still need to take a business-wise approach. Companies won't be beating down your door to license your invention. This'll take effort on your part, including the development of a working or presentation prototype, research about potential licensors, and creation of market data and a professional presentation. This way, you’ll be taken more seriously by potential business partners.

Tamara Monosoff is Entrepreneur.com's "Inventions" columnist and the founder and CEO of Mom Inventors Inc., a product development and manufacturing company. She's also the author of The Mom Inventors Handbook: How to Turn Your Great Idea Into the Next Big Thing (McGraw-Hill).

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