An Interview With AWAI Member Joanne Sullivan
AWAI “Wall of Famer” Joanne Sullivan shares how she’s found success as a financial copywriter, as well as her top recommendations for building a career in this niche.
CI: How did you become interested in copywriting, and what affect did the AWAI programs have for you?
JS: My youngest had started school full-time, and I was thinking about going back to work. Working in the corporate world again really didn’t seem to fit for me. That’s when I received Don Mahoney’s “Last year I went through a bad divorce” letter about the AWAI program. I was really intrigued by the chance to be my own boss, work from home and the opportunity to make a great income.
What I really liked about the AWAI programs is that they are all about learning and mastering a skill. To me that meant anyone, with any background (even someone who had been on the “mommy track” for close to 10 years) who learned the principles and worked hard could succeed.
CI: Once you decided to become a freelance copywriter, what was your next step? Did you focus on prospects from all industries, or did you know you wanted to go into financial writing?
JS: To be honest, once I finished the basic program, I wasn’t sure how to “become” a working copywriter. The whole self-marketing piece eluded me. And then someone reminded me I couldn’t sit around waiting for the work to come to me – I had to be aggressive about seeking it out.
That’s when I started with the AWAI marketing programs (Selling Yourself – How to Become a Six-Figure Income Copywriter – Bootcamp – mini Bootcamps). I wanted to learn what marketing efforts worked for other copywriters and add my own slant to it. (Why reinvent the wheel?) What I like about those programs is that they really offer very practical tools on how to find prospects.
Bootcamp was key and really pulled it all together for me. At my first Bootcamp, I figured out that focusing on one industry made more sense. (I feel you really need to understand the market well to do the best job on a promotion – it makes the process that much easier.) So I started with some financial spec assignments.
The great part of the Bootcamp Job Fair is that you establish connections with publishing and marketing groups. And your connection with AWAI almost gives you instant credibility when following up with the marketers who are in attendance.
CI: Your first project was with NewsMax. How did you go about landing them as a client?
JS: They had offered a spec assignment at one of the Bootcamps. And it grew from there. I ended up doing a few short email promotions for them.
CI: After you landed your first client, what steps did you take to build up a steady client base and stream of projects?
JS: I focused on companies I wanted to work with – publishing groups that pay well and need a lot of promotional copy. I really got focused and sought them out. Almost two years ago, when AWAI offered a mini Bootcamp with the Oxford Club, I jumped on it. It was amazing. We met with the marketing folks, the editors, and their in-house and go-to freelance copywriters. As part of the Bootcamp, they “broke down” how they approach the copywriting process – what works in financial copy, how their copywriters go about finding ideas, etc. It was amazing. And then we also got to work on a “live” assignment for them.
They liked my idea, and I ended up working with Paul Hollingshead on the promotion. Which was incredibly helpful.
Around the same time I attended my second Bootcamp, I found out that another big financial publisher was looking for full-time financial copywriters. I met with them and, although I wasn’t interested in relocating, I wanted to see if they’d consider me on a freelance basis. They liked my work and gave me a chance. I just finished up an 18-month exclusive arrangement there. Now I’m looking forward to working on special projects for them as well as working with other companies and publishing groups.
CI: What skills do you think are necessary to succeed as a financial copywriter?
JS: You need to know what’s happening in the markets and read as much as possible. Also study successful promotions out there now.
In terms of financial skills, you need to be able to calculate gains or growth, etc. Also, it’s important that you’re comfortable navigating through Yahoo finance and 10-K reports. That’s where you can find some of your best proof and selling points.
CI: What are some of the best ways to develop contacts in this industry?
JS: Find opportunities/programs (like AWAI Bootcamp and mini Bootcamps) to meet marketers directly. And know what you’re looking for. Once I got clear that I wanted to specialize in finance, it narrowed down my world of prospects. Then I narrowed it down further to publishers I wanted to work with. You want to be able to understand their products and their businesses enough so you can position yourself as someone who can help them grow their revenue or their lists.
CI: What are the key points that you must cover if you want to write a successful financial package?
JS: It really starts with a great “Big Idea.” You need to come up with a compelling and different way to connect your offer with your reader. Even if it’s something that’s been written about a lot already (like gold or oil), you have to find a way to say something new and exciting. Maybe it’s a story or an incredible gain or type of investment they’ve never heard about before. The point is you have to say something that will stop your reader in his tracks and make him want to read your promotion.
Then you have to weed through all your research to figure out the best proof and selling points that will sustain and bring momentum to that idea. All of that needs to be followed up with a strong credibility, a strong track record and testimonials.
CI: What advice do you give fellow copywriters hoping to become financial copywriters?
JS: It’s definitely important to know the copywriting process and what works – but just as important is learning how to uncover great ideas.
Where do the best ideas come from? Well, you always have to be on the lookout for them. They could be anywhere … in an article … an interview … a book … and sometimes those ideas are buried in days of research.
Know well the newsletters or services of the companies you want to work with and pitch great ideas. Marketers love great ideas.
[Editorial Note: You can learn more about Joanne Sullivan on AWAI’s Wall of Fame.]
How to Land Clients in 21 Days with Just Your Computer
How do I land my first client? It’s a question every aspiring freelancer asks eventually. Now, there’s a proven system for landing clients that removes the guesswork. Best of all? No cold calling. Learn More »
“I now have the freedom to work at home, or at any place in the world, as long as I have a laptop and Internet connection. And, not having to battle the brutal Houston traffic each day is a huge plus!”
If yes, you could be in big demand, earning big money, writing just a few hours a day from anywhere in the world you choose to be.
Get Nick Usborne’s step-by-step system for creating money-making information websites.
In just 6 hours and 35 minutes, you can be in business earning $60 – $150 an hour writing simple resumes.
Learn the secrets behind succeeding in this in-demand career.
The work is plentiful … the pay scales are generous and the competition is scarce!
Get the answers to the hundreds of questions and concerns commonly asked in specific, step-by-step details.
Use this eight-step plan to make the leap from aspiring copywriter to professional copywriter this year.
Let your fellow AWAI members show you firsthand the easiest, most powerful way to land your first client … BEFORE you finish the program.
Writing for the web is a huge opportunity for copywriters. Let web expert Nick Usborne show you how to write blockbuster web copy in record time … even if you're a complete internet “rookie”!
It’s an opportunity to make $50,000, $75,000, $100,000 a year or more … working just a few hours a day.
A once complicated profession is now something you can do on a standard computer – even if you have little or no “artistic” ability.
It’s one thing to have a website. But if your website can’t be found by the search engines, it may as well not exist.
The Internet creates new income possibilities every day. The biggest among them: online video marketing.
Get the very techniques top-performing copywriters use to rattle off one groundbreaking control after another.
In his new book, Michael Masterson teaches you his very own formula for powerful persuasion and how to apply it to direct mail sales letters as well as online promotions.
Guest, Leave a Reply
Please Note: Your comments will be visible by everyone.