There Are Some Skills Without Which a Copywriter Can No Longer Succeed
Many moons ago you could succeed as a copywriter simply by writing your copy on paper and then having it typed.
But once personal computers came along, copywriters who didn’t use them found they were being left on the sidelines, marginalized and ignored. Learning a few basic programs like MS Word became a basic requirement of working with clients.
Then the web came along and we all had to learn how to use browsers, do research and communicate online. Today it would be pretty tough to survive as a copywriter without being able to communicate via the web.
You don’t have to be the first copywriter to learn to use a computer or get savvy with the web. There seems to be a grace period. But then one day you wake up and it’s no longer OK to be behind the times.
We are going through that same process right now with online copywriting skills.
Just a couple of years ago you could be talking with a client or prospect and he might ask, “I love your print work, but I was wondering, do you write for the web as well?”
Back then, if you said no, you just worked within traditional media, it wasn’t a problem.
But with online copywriting we are now moving past that grace period. We are at a time now when it is no longer OK to tell your clients that you don’t have training or expertise writing for the web.
They know that online copywriting requires a very particular set of knowledge and skills. And they know that they need copywriters who have those skills. Across the board companies are moving more and more of their marketing budgets online.
So here is the question you need to ask yourself. “Can you afford to wait any longer before upgrading your copywriting skills to include writing for the web?”
I think the answer is no. Not any more.
It’s not OK to tell clients you can’t use a computer. It’s not OK to say you don’t use the web. And it’s not OK to say that you haven’t studied and built up a professional level of expertise in the field of online copywriting.
If you do, you will find yourself being pushed to the side, and others will take your place.
Not a good thing to happen – whether you are a freelancer or employed.
Now for some good news. Copywriters who learned how to write for the web a few years ago are doing very well. There is massive demand, and it’s growing fast.
In fact, billions of marketing dollars are moving online every single month.
Not millions … billions.
This means that if you upgrade your skills now, you’ll find a ton of online copywriting work waiting for you.
[Ed Note: Nick Usborne has been a copywriter for 30 years now, 11 of which he’s dedicated solely to online copy. He’s worked with, and has been a Web-copy consultant to, companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, Disney, America Online, and The New York Times.
He is also the author of Copywriting 2.0: Your Complete Guide to Writing Web Copy that Converts, a step-by-step guide showing copywriters how to apply their skills to writing for the web, and confidently present themselves to any company, large or small, as an expert who can transform their online presence.]
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 »
“That moment when you close your eyes, suck in your breath and say a silent "yes!" happened just recently when I got a royalty check in the mail. That one project has turned out to be quite profitable.”
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.
Thanks. I really think all these articles are so valuable. The information on this site is rich, rich rich!
RJR – September 8, 2009 at 6:58 pm