The most critical element of your marketing is your copy – whether we’re talking about the words on your website…on a sales page…in emails to your community members….or on physical collateral you may use…it’s the words that grab attention, position you as unique, pre-sell you as the trusted advisor you are, and lead you to profit by helping people buy.

While public speaking is typically ranked as one of the top fears most people have, writing has to be up there in the top 10. I think writing is and always has been one of the most important skills a professional can master. I’ve seen mid-level executives lose their jobs because they couldn’t write clearly and I’ve seen supervisors trapped at their level because they couldn’t write well.

As an entrepreneur, you’ve stared at the blank screen watching that cursor blink at you and gotten frustrated trying to write the magic combination of words that inspire your web visitor to pull out their credit card and invest in your services, your book, your course.

You’ve felt how anxiety producing it is to write good copy.

So you can understand how valuable great copy is.

I knew this was an important subject to tackle and I knew there was just one person for the job.

I was thrilled when she agreed to be on the show.

Today’s guest is my original copywriting mentor. I was incredibly fortunate to study with her and as a result I was able to produce some great results for my clients and employers including writing 5 emails that generated more than 16,000 opt-ins for one business and a sales kit that generated 400,000$ worth of new business in just 4 months for another one.

That’s what a great instructor she is.

I had no prior experience writing marketing copy when I was hired as a freelance copywriter. I took a fantastic training program with her and that’s the power of what she taught us.

This lady is an Award-winning marketer, world-renowned copywriter and creator of “The She Factor”. She is known as the top female copywriter in the info-marketing industry and she is dedicated to teaching the world it is possible to shift from hype-filled sales to a more modern version …marketing written with authenticity, trust, and rapport.

My very special guest this week is Lorrie Morgan Ferrero.

Listen in and you’ll discover…
• Why Lorrie thinks every entrepreneur needs to learn how to write their own copy
• Her best advice for how to get comfortable writing your own copy – all completely do-able and great news for you, especially if you didn’t exactly get an A in English or in composition
• How copy is like music and how you can get the rhythym
• What’s a swipe file and how to use it
• Lorrie’s favorite online and offline sites for headline research
• The scoop on testing – why it’s important and why you need to test one thing at a time
• Lorrie’s best tip for using your copy budget wisely
• The decades old psychological theory that’s still important to understand today when writing copy
• The research tool Lorrie and I both love
• How self care can help you write better copy

As always be sure to listen all the way to the end when I’ll share your cocktail exercise and action step for this episode.

Terms in This Episode That May be New to You

Avatar / Persona - This is a detailed overview of your ideal client 
Copy -- The words used to market or sell anything
Copywriting -- another word for Copy
Copy Cub -- a junior copywriter
Demographics -- the relatively easy to discover facts or direct data about a person or group, in this case your ideal audience
Neuroscience and psychology -- neuroscience is the study of the nervous system including the brain. Many people use the term to refer to the study of behavior which isn't exactly right. Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior.
Psychographics - the study of personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles of individuals or communities. This information is typically the most important when considering how to write copy that resonates with an audience.
Split testing - The process of using two similar but different pieces of marketing to see which one produces more of the desired action
Testing -- the general process of verifying which marketing tactic (or copy) produces more of the desired result

 

Links to Resources Mentioned 

Lorrie's "Secret Sauce for Sizzling Copy" full of tips tricks and a graphic that was only available to private clients

John Carlton -- a top copywriter and one of Lorrie's original mentors

Clayton Makepeace -- at one time known as the world's top copywriter, Clayton is semi-retired but has graciously left his fantastic blog up as a reference for all of us. 

Gary Halbert - A legendary copywriter who passed away. He was one of Lorrie's first mentors. Unfortunately he passed away but his family keeps his site alive. It's not pretty but it's full of great information.

Dan Kennedy -- a living legend when it comes to marketing and copywriting. He's been a mentor to or has inspired all the greats including Lorrie.

 

AWAI copywriter course -- the organization that Lorrie and I have both taken courses from when we started

Lorrie’s podcast, Red Hot Factor – Check out the episode about flow

Lorrie on Facebook

Lorrie on Twitter

Lorrie's main website

One Note
Evernote
Good notes – for iPad
SRDS – standard rates and data -- the top resource for media buyers. You can view it at your library.

Lorrie's favorite resources for headline research

Reader’s Digest
Men’s Health
National Enquirer -- Tacky yes but great for studying powerful headlines
AOL – celebrity headlines
Yahoo – celebrity

Join the Group

Have questions about tech but no safe place to ask them? Tired of posting to tech groups whose members make you feel stupid for asking what to them is a basic question? Join the show's Facebook group. It's a safe environment with like-minded professionals and tech experts who know how to talk to people without insulting them. You'll also hear about and be invited to participate in fun tech training and testing events so head on over and click the link to join.

About Us

Winnie Anderson is an award-winning copywriter and brand strategist, a
best-selling author, and respected instructor. She writes books,
creates courses, and provides limited one-on-one consulting with
and for introverted entrepreneurs who are ready to get their
message out in a bigger way and who hate selling. Learn more about
her here or connect with her on social media including Facebook and Twitter.

Judy Jordan is a virtual production assistant who helps
entrepreneurs get their message out in a bigger way using live and
recorded virtual events like webinars, teleseminars, live mobile
streaming, podcasts, and virtual conferences. Learn more about her
at her LinkedIn page or connect with her on Facebook.

Sue Brettell is brand developer and designer who acts as Winnie's creative director. Sue helps entrepreneurs communicate their brand essence by creating compelling visual brand elements and coordinating them into a strong, unified visual brand. Learn more about her at her LinkedIn page. Connect with her on Facebook.