5 Copywriting Tips For Beginners

Summary

This video offers five essential copywriting tips for beginners, emphasizing the importance of passion over degrees, mastering short-form copy before tackling long-form, dedicating 80% of your time to research, writing conversationally, and building a swipe file to learn from successful examples. The speaker highlights the difference between academic and copywriting styles, focusing on the need for relatable, clear communication that converts. Lastly, the video stresses learning from proven campaigns and avoiding unnecessary creativity, while encouraging viewers to explore a free training for aspiring high-income copywriters.

Takeaways

• 😀 **Desire over degree:** Copywriting success depends on passion and practical skills, not academic qualifications.
• 🖋 **Street-smart skill:** Copywriting focuses on selling and connecting with customers, unlike academic or formal writing.
• 📧 **Master short form copy first:** Focus on crafting short emails, social media posts, or ads before tackling long-form content.
• 🔍 **Research-heavy process:** Spend 80% of your time on research, understanding the customer’s needs, and 20% writing.
• 🗣 **Write conversationally:** Copy should sound like a one-on-one conversation. Keep it personal and simple.
• 💬 **Speak to one person:** Use 'you' instead of 'we' to create a direct connection with the reader.
• ✏️ **Write like you talk:** Short sentences, informal style, and even one-word paragraphs make the writing more engaging.
• 📁 **Create swipe files:** Build a collection of successful ads, emails, and campaigns to draw inspiration from.
• 💼 **Copy equals results:** Clients care about results, not degrees or how long it took to write the copy.
• 📚 **Learn from proven campaigns:** Study successful copy to recognize patterns that consistently work and generate profit.

Q & A

What is the first tip for beginner copywriters mentioned in the video?

The first tip is that desire is more important than having a degree. Formal education, such as a journalism or English degree, isn't crucial for copywriting success. What matters is if your writing can produce results.

Why does the speaker emphasize mastering short-form copy before long-form copy?

The speaker advises beginners to master short-form copy like emails, social media posts, and Google ads because they are easier to create and test. Starting with short-form helps build confidence and understanding of what works before moving on to more complex long-form copy.

How much time should a copywriter spend on research versus writing?

The speaker suggests spending 80% of the time on research and only 20% on writing. Thorough research helps in understanding the audience's frustrations, goals, and needs, making the actual writing process faster and more effective.

Why is writing the way you talk important in copywriting?

Writing the way you talk makes the copy easier to read and more relatable. The goal is to communicate naturally and personally, as if speaking directly to one person, rather than using formal or academic language.

What is a swipe file and why is it important for copywriters?

A swipe file is a collection of proven copywriting examples, such as emails, landing pages, and ads. Copywriters use these files for inspiration and guidance, making it easier to start new projects without facing writer's block.

How does copywriting differ from academic writing?

While academic writing is designed to educate and can often be dry and complex, copywriting is designed to sell and convert a prospect into a customer. It's more conversational and focused on achieving a specific result.

Why is focusing on creativity for its own sake discouraged in copywriting?

In copywriting, the goal is to produce results, not to come up with something entirely original. Proven strategies and tested formulas often work better than trying to be overly creative. The focus should be on effectiveness, not novelty.

How does building a swipe file benefit professional copywriters?

A swipe file allows copywriters to quickly reference successful campaigns and proven strategies. This saves time, reduces guesswork, and increases the likelihood of producing effective copy by drawing on past successes.

What does the speaker mean by ‘street-smart’ skills in copywriting?

Street-smart skills in copywriting refer to practical, hands-on abilities learned through experience and practice, rather than academic knowledge. It’s about understanding human behavior and how to craft messages that resonate and persuade.

What does the speaker suggest about copywriting for beginners who lack formal qualifications?

The speaker reassures beginners that lacking formal qualifications like a journalism degree is not a barrier to success in copywriting. The key is to focus on developing skills that can generate results, as clients rarely ask for degrees.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Getting Started in Copywriting

The speaker introduces the topic of copywriting, addressing new or aspiring copywriters. He emphasizes that desire and passion for copywriting are more crucial than having formal qualifications or a degree. The speaker shares his own experiences, revealing that he struggled academically and didn't have a journalism degree. However, he explains that academic writing is different from copywriting, which is more about persuading and selling. He reassures beginners that results matter more than credentials.

05:00

✍️ Master Short-Form Copy First

The second tip encourages beginners to focus on short-form copy before attempting long-form copywriting. The speaker explains that short-form copy, such as emails, social media posts, or Google Ads, helps new copywriters learn quickly and build confidence. Shorter pieces allow for faster feedback, making it easier to improve writing skills. He contrasts this with long-form copy, which can be intimidating and time-consuming, taking years to master.

10:03

🕵️‍♂️ Prioritize Research Over Writing

In the third tip, the speaker stresses the importance of spending 80% of the time researching and only 20% writing. He advises new copywriters to deeply understand their target audience by researching their frustrations, goals, and desires. Doing thorough research allows copywriters to craft messages that resonate with the audience, making the actual writing process faster and more effective.

🗣️ Write the Way You Talk

The fourth tip highlights the importance of writing in a conversational tone. The speaker explains that copywriting should feel like a personal one-on-one conversation. He advises using simple, easy-to-understand language, and even encourages breaking traditional writing rules, such as using one-sentence or one-word paragraphs. The goal is to connect with the reader and make the message relatable. The speaker contrasts this with academic writing, which is often too formal and difficult for readers to engage with.

📁 Build Your Swipe Files

The fifth tip discusses the value of creating a 'swipe file'—a collection of successful copywriting examples to reference and get inspiration from. The speaker explains that professional copywriters don’t start from scratch but instead study and adapt proven ads, emails, and campaigns. He emphasizes that this approach is not about creativity for creativity’s sake but about effectiveness. Copywriters should build an extensive swipe file to make their work faster and more efficient.

📚 The Power of a Massive Swipe File

The speaker elaborates on the importance of having an extensive swipe file, sharing that he personally has thousands of examples in his library. He describes how this archive allows him to reference successful campaigns from the past and apply similar techniques to new projects. He concludes by emphasizing the financial potential of copywriting, calling it a high-income profession, and invites the audience to learn more by clicking a link to his free training.

Keywords

💡Desire

Desire refers to the internal motivation or passion for learning copywriting, which the speaker emphasizes as more important than formal education. In the video, the speaker explains that his initial insecurity about not having a degree didn't matter because desire and persistence in honing skills are key to success in copywriting.

💡Copywriting

Copywriting is the art of writing text designed to persuade readers to take action, such as making a purchase. The speaker contrasts copywriting with academic writing, highlighting that it is more practical ('street-smart') and focused on generating sales rather than education.

💡Short form copy

Short form copy refers to brief, concise pieces of writing such as emails, social media posts, or Google Ads. The speaker advises beginners to start with short form copy to build confidence and skill before tackling long form pieces like landing pages or direct mail.

💡Research

Research is the process of gathering information about the target audience's frustrations, goals, and pain points. The speaker emphasizes that 80% of a copywriter's time should be spent on research to ensure the message resonates with the audience before any writing begins.

💡Write the way you talk

This concept suggests that copy should feel like a natural conversation, using simple, clear language that connects with the reader. The speaker contrasts this with formal or academic writing, advocating for a more personal tone that speaks directly to the individual reader.

💡Swipe file

A swipe file is a personal collection of examples of effective marketing materials, such as ads, emails, or landing pages. The speaker advises copywriters to study and save successful pieces to use as inspiration for their own work, rather than starting from scratch.

💡One-on-one communication

One-on-one communication in copywriting refers to writing as if speaking directly to a single person rather than addressing a group. The speaker suggests using personal language ('you' instead of 'we') to create a more intimate and compelling connection with the reader.

💡Academic writing

Academic writing is a formal style of writing typically found in educational settings. The speaker contrasts this with copywriting, which is designed to sell and persuade. Academic writing is described as dry and informative, while copywriting must be engaging and results-oriented.

💡Creativity

Creativity in copywriting refers to the ability to craft engaging and persuasive messages. However, the speaker warns against trying to be overly creative for the sake of originality, suggesting instead that copywriters should rely on proven methods and ideas from their swipe files.

💡High income copywriters

High income copywriters are professionals who have mastered the craft of writing persuasive content and can command high fees for their work. The speaker notes that copywriting can be a lucrative career, emphasizing the importance of developing expertise and building a swipe file for continued success.

Highlights

Desire is much more important than having a degree for copywriting success.

Copywriting is street-smart, not school-smart, focusing on selling rather than academic writing.

Master short form copy before diving into long form copy.

Short form copy includes emails, social media posts, and Google Ads, which are easier to start with.

Spend 80% of your time on research and only 20% on actual writing.

Researching the prospect's pain points, goals, and frustrations is key to crafting effective copy.

Write the way you talk; keep the language simple and personal.

One-sentence or even one-word paragraphs work well in copywriting because they’re easier to read.

Focus on personal communication by using 'you' more than 'we' to connect directly with the reader.

Copy equals money; good copywriting drives results, not just creative originality.

Build and maintain a swipe file—an archive of successful copy—for reference and inspiration.

Professional copywriters don't reinvent the wheel but refer to proven ideas for successful campaigns.

It's not about creativity for the sake of creativity; what matters is the result your copy generates.

The time spent on writing doesn’t affect the money earned; results matter more.

A swipe file is essential for beginners to study and learn from proven, successful copywriting campaigns.

Transcripts

Are you a new copywriter

that's just getting into the business,

or, maybe you want to learn copywriting

and you're not so sure how to get started.

Today, I'm gonna share with you

five copywriting tips for beginners.

So, if you are a beginner, you're just getting started,

this video is for you.

Tip number one, and that is,

desire is much more important than your degree.

Don't be intimidated by the idea

of learning how to write copy.

I remember when I first learn about copywriting,

I thought to myself, I was a bit unsure

and I didn't have a lot of certainty.

Could I do this?

'Cause I didn't do so well in school.

I flunked English twice when I was in high school.

And, I don't have a journalism degree.

Could I actually do this?

And what I realize is that when it comes to copywriting,

a lot of the things that we learn in school,

maybe even in journalism, those skills don't apply.

Those proper academic writing,

it's very, very different from copywriting, right.

Academic writing is designed to educate, right,

that's why they're kind of dry, could be very boring,

or kind of textbook like.

Copywriting, it's a form of writing

that is designed to sell,

to convert a prospect into a customer.

So, it's a very much a street-smart kind of skill,

not so much school-smart, right.

You think about school-smart, it's, you know,

accounting and engineering and all these skillsets,

versus copywriting, it's much more street-smart.

Over all these years I've had maybe, maybe,

one or two clients and prospects asking me,

"hey, do you have any degree in writing?"

"Do you have a degree in journalism?"

They do not care.

What they care is, can your writing produce results.

Copywriting tip number two, and that is,

master short form copy before you learn long form copy.

Now, what do I mean by that?

So, when it comes to copywriting,

there's so many different types of copywriting.

Long form I'm referring to, it could be a long landing page,

right, could be like five, 10 pages,

or crafting a webinar, crafting a direct mail piece

if you're doing any kind of direct mail,

that's okay, but it takes years

to learn and hone your craft.

I always suggest to my copywriting students,

when they're just learning,

when they're just getting started,

learn a short form copy.

I'm talking about, it could be an email, right,

it could be an autoresponder sequence in an email.

It could be a social media post,

it could be an Instagram post,

it could be a short form Facebook ad,

even Google Ads with just a headline and a few lines, right.

You're learning how people respond.

You're basically crafting short paragraph or headlines.

Once you get feedback and you get data

and you kinda develop this sense of,

hey, this would work or that wouldn't work,

then you're honing your skill,

and also, it builds your confidence, right.

'Cause sometimes when you write a long page,

it's like 10, 20 pages, it is so intimidating, right.

It might take you three weeks to craft something,

versus if you craft something short, a short email,

it might just take you 30 minutes,

if you're good, or an hour.

And you can test it, you can send it to your clients.

So, I think it's much easier way to get in the game.

Copywriting tip number three, and that is,

spend 80% of your time doing research

and only 20% of your time writing.

Now, one of the mistakes I see

a lot beginner copywriters make is, they get all excited,

they can't wait to go to their laptop,

or you grab a pen and you grab your legal pad,

and they start writing.

That's not what you wanna do.

You wanna spend a majority of your time

researching about your prospect,

getting to know, what are their frustrations,

what are their pain points, what are their goals,

where do they wanna get to?

Once you know a lot about your prospects,

you're much easier, you have a much easier time,

crafting a message that speaks directly to them

something that they would resonate with,

versus you rush into it, you just want to write.

If you do your job right, if you do your research right,

when you actually write that copy

it is so much easier and so much faster.

So, spend a lot of time thinking about it,

just researching about it, right, just think it through.

Think about the hooks, think about the pain points,

think about the messages, before you write a single word.

Copywriting tip number four,

and that is, write the way you talk.

See, that's why having the degree

and getting the formal education

is actually not that important,

because when it comes to copy, it is about communicating,

you connecting and communicating with your customer

or your prospect or your reader.

So, you wanna write in very simple language.

So, I'll give you an example.

Sometimes you might use what I call one-sentence paragraph,

which in English is not very proper.

Sometimes when I write I even use one-word paragraph.

So, imagine if I'm actually talking and writing,

one word paragraph, period.

And then I will start the next paragraph.

Again, this is very unconventional,

but when it comes to copy, it works.

Why it works, because it's easy to read.

So, you wanna write the way you talk.

You want your prospect, when they are reading your message,

they can almost hear you talking to them.

They can hear your voice, right,

versus when you read something,

you're like, ah, man, this is like,

I can't even, you're losing me, I'm confused,

or this is so difficult to understand, right.

'Cause sometimes as a academic writer, you know how it is,

they try to write something to make themselves sound smart,

but it's not very easily understandable by the audience.

So, you don't wanna do--

write the way that you talk.

Also, when you're writing, think of,

you are writing to one person

versus writing to a group of people, okay.

So, instead of using a lot of, you know, we,

or, using a lot of ours, use a lot of you, right,

it's a one-on-one communication, a lot of you, a lot of I.

It's me sitting across the table.

I'm just communicating, I'm talking to you,

versus our company is blah blah blah.

That's not very personal, right.

The more personal it is the more powerful,

the more compelling, your copy is.

I'll read you a short paragraph here,

and you just pay attention to it, okay,

this is very academic writing, right.

Professional communication helps

meet the challenges of today's digital world,

where communication is more important than ever.

Do you see it's very wordy, it's very like, huh, what?

So, here's the way I would express

exactly the same thing, okay, in three words.

Copy equals money.

Copy equals money.

You see a difference?

Copywriting tip number five, and that is,

building your own swipe files.

Now, what do I mean by that?

Think of your swipe files,

they are your copywriting vault, okay.

So, as a beginner, because you don't have a lot

of experience, what you wanna do,

you wanna study other people's work.

You wanna look at other people's email,

other people's landing pages,

other people's letters and marketing messages

and catalogs and everything that they do, full-page ads,

because when you study other people's work,

you start picking up patterns.

So, when you need to write something,

the last thing you wanna do is, you turn on your computer,

and you're staring at a blank screen,

and trying to come up stuff.

That's very, very difficult to do.

That's not what professionals do.

Professional copywriters, they have this archive

of swipe file they would refer to.

Hey, you know what, I need to write a campaign

for a supplement product, okay.

Instead of trying to, (breathes deeply) well, let me think,

it's gonna be, I think I'll sell it this way,

this will be the offer,

no, they would go back and say, okay,

in the last five years, 10 years,

what are some of the ads, what are some

of the proven offers, selling this similar product, right,

maybe in a supplementage, that I could look at.

Oh, here's a hook that works, here's an angle that works,

here's a headline that works.

What they do is they look at all of that,

and say, okay, I think I can come up

with something that's similar, right,

or maybe I can change the angle a little bit,

depends on what you're selling, and then boom, there you go.

So, it's not about creativity for the sake of creativity.

Oh, I wanna come up with something

that no one's ever, ever came up with.

That is stupid, okay, you don't wanna do that,

because when you go to the bank,

when you deposit your copywriting check, right,

someone hires you to write the copy.

No one's gonna ask you, hey,

is this your original idea here?

Right, the teller's not gonna ask you that.

The teller just wants to know how much you deposit.

They don't care, they do not care.

So it's not about creativity.

And is they also don't care how long it took you

to write this piece of copy.

They do not give you less money if you say,

oh, it took me like a long month, man, you have no idea.

I was sitting in front of my computer spending hours on it,

or, you know what, I spent one day on it, that's it.

They don't give you more money for spending more time,

they don't give you less money if you spend less time,

it doesn't matter.

So, be smart building up your swipe file.

I have a massive, massive swipe file in my library.

I mean like thousands and thousands,

just to give you an idea.

You know those three-ring binders,

like those binders with like, this thick?

I've got probably 60, 70 of those in my library,

that I've collected over the years.

I could easily think of, if I need a campaign,

hey, here's a campaign from x number of years ago,

that has produced $5 million, $10 million, right there.

I would know what are some of the proven campaigns

and winning pieces that I could

get ideas and inspiration from.

So, build your own swipe file.

You see, one of the things that people don't understand is

there are many aspects to copywriting,

and copywriters are among some

of the highest paid professionals in the world.

I call them high income copywriters.

If you want to learn how to become a high income copywriter

or, you want to know the different aspects of copywriting

and which one you should pursue, your path,

and what types of copy you'd focus on,

click the link below and check out

my free on demand training, on exactly how to do that.

So, go ahead, click on the link.