Tag: mindset

I’m in my late teens and I don’t get taken seriously as a copywriter. What can I do?

I’m in my late teens and I don’t get taken seriously as a copywriter. What can I do?

Here’s a question I got this morning (paraphrased): “I’m in my late teens and I don’t get taken seriously as a copywriter. What can I do?

“Sound familiar? It will to every oldie in the room. Young people think old people suck.
Old people think young people have nothing to offer.That’s the (general) belief.

There are many people who think the opposite (good on you all), but that’s not the point. This is reality for so many.

(it all changes once we get to know and trust that person – but that’s not what we’re talking about today)

It’s a belief system. We not only judge a book by its cover, but we adopt second-hand judging by others (mob rule is not going away anytime soon – “people like us stick together and make judgments on anyone not in our group”).

Belief systems are created for many reasons, some deliberately, some unconsciously by experience.When they’re wrong (and damaging), the only options are to ignore them or change them (there’s a 3rd option, use propaganda to spin a different story – but that never lasts very long).

So change them we must (if we want to get what we want ethically). That’s what copywriters do.The acid test of any offer is to test how low you need to go (in price) to get a sale (without changing the copy).

If you’ve been struggling, you’ll almost certainly discover that even zero (or paying the customer instead of them paying you) won’t cut it either.

They simply don’t see the value (or they’re not even interested).

You’ve got no option but to play the detective. Find out what they want. Find out how much they’re willing to pay.
Then match it with an offer.

How do you do that? There’s hundreds of ways.

Here’s an example. Find a problem people have. Email them with an offer to fix it.Repeat.
Send follow up emails showing them another reason they might want to get it fixed.

And if you’re still stuck. Apply the whole thing to yourself. If you’re in your late teens, what would it take to believe (and buy from) someone in their early teens?

Or if you’re an oldie, what would it take to be convinced by someone in their teens? (this will uncover a whole bunch of biases and beliefs).

To get more like this, join the International Copywriters Association

May 31, 2019

Copywriting Is More Than Just Words

When you want to uncover what truly drives results in marketing, start by asking questions and gathering information. For example, when someone clicks on your ad, that click becomes a valuable data point.

Collecting enough data points allows you to assess whether your ad seems to be working. However, interpreting these results is not always straightforward.

Did the visitor click because of the image?
Was it a particular word or phrase that caught their attention?
Could clickbait, intentional or not, be responsible for the engagement?

Each metric tells a part of the story, but often, the full motivation behind an action is hidden beneath the surface.

Why Surface Metrics Are Not Enough

Many marketers stop at basic analytics and assume their work is finished if they see positive numbers. For instance, traditional ads—such as those on TV, radio, magazines, or Google Ads—funnel people straight from an ad to a purchase offer.

This process seems simple: If the customer buys, the copy is considered successful. If profits are made, clients are pleased. But the real story often continues far beyond the sale.

Looking Past the Conversion

What happens after the purchase is just as important as the initial click or sale. If a customer is unhappy with their experience or the product, the effects go much deeper than most realize.

Negative reviews can damage your brand reputation
Word-of-mouth referrals may decrease
Employee morale might drop if complaints increase
Management decisions—and even jobs—can be at risk
Ultimately, families relying on those jobs could be affected

Copywriting’s Ripple Effect: A Quick Case Study

Consider a campaign for an online retailer. The copy convinced thousands to buy during a holiday sale. A quick spike in revenue looked great at first. However, unclear product descriptions led to confusion and returns. Customer support teams were overwhelmed. Over time, ratings dropped and repeat orders decreased, offsetting the initial profits. This example proves that effective copywriting is about creating lasting satisfaction—not just triggering purchases.

The Bigger Picture: Thinking Holistically

Effective marketing requires a broad perspective. Your job as a copywriter is to see how each word and strategy fits into the business’s larger ecosystem. Every action influences outcomes beyond immediate conversions.

Short-Term Focus	Holistic Approach
Increase clicks or sales	Enhance long-term brand reputation
Optimize single campaigns	Support customer satisfaction and loyalty
Consider success as profit alone	Factor in impact on staff, referrals, reviews, and business stability

Explaining Your Value as a Copywriter

When pitching to clients, communicate that your role extends far beyond boosting immediate sales. You are investing in their business’s overall health and long-term growth by creating copy that prioritizes clarity, trust, and a positive customer experience.

Discuss the dangers of misleading or ambiguous messaging
Share examples where focusing solely on conversions backfired
Highlight how honest, customer-centric copy helps boost referrals and build loyal audiences

Learn More and Grow Your Skills

If you are interested in deepening your understanding of copywriting and its relationship with business strategy, consider joining the International Copywriters Association. Stay ahead of the curve and connect with fellow professionals:

Join the ICA

March 29, 2019

Science of Copywriting – Are You A Jerk?

Some things seem hard in life. When we meet a jerk, our reaction is to label them as such. They don’t fit our expectations of how someone should behave.

We want to control them and ‘fix’ them.

And we fail, and so they continue (in our opinion) to be the jerk they so obviously (to us) are.

And we tell other people about them “you know that guy we met last week? Yeah, that one, what a complete jerk, hope I never meet him again”

And the message is passed on.

We say the same about annoying customers too. And we pass those on at network meetings (always quietly and in complete confidence).

When we get home, we sometimes reflect on this. We know in our hearts there’s something wrong. If someone calls someone a jerk, what does that make them?

I do this often. Make judgments about people. Sometimes I share them with close friends.

Sometimes I remember that it makes me just like them.

It’s one of the reasons I invented the compassion weapon. It allows me to see the people who reflect who I am for what they really are. People.

Humble people with problems.

It’s taking me years to retrain myself, but it’s worth every second. We are all truly equal under the skin. The differentiation to our jerkiness is down to the internal pain we all suffer from one way or another.

Next time you come across a jerk. Remember compassion. It will change your life.

February 26, 2019
The Tale Of Og and Pg

Do you have a todo list? In the past I’ve always found my todo list grew faster than the number of things I could ever possibly do.

I imagine that’s much the same for everyone – at least that’s what I hear.

Then one day I realised why – Complete Subservience to the Opportunity God (Og).

Og does us no favours. Og is ready and waiting for the Procrastination God (Pg).

As soon as Pg is around, Og shows up and we’re off to the metaphorical races.

The problem is, the races are not our races, they’re Og’s. And boy does Og know a thing or two about winning races.

So next time you’ve been struck by the Pg, ignore the Og and create your own race. That way it will be a race to the top and not the bottom.

January 29, 2019
There’s a Problem…

Ray Dalio started and headed the world’s most successful hedge fund. It’s called Bridgewater. Most people have never heard of it.

They manage 160 billion dollars of other people’s money and have moved relentlessly in one direction – upwards. That’s over the last 40 years.

How do you get to be that successful in such a tricky market (hedge funds are notoriously hard to run)?

You use principles. But not the type you and I use. The type that’s honest and scientific to the core (not made up in our heads and full of self-bias and delusion).

Ray uses a lens different from the rest of us. We see things through our own eyes. He sees them through the eyes of an observer.

We come up with questions like “how come they’re doing so well and we aren’t?”. Or “how do I get new clients when I’m just starting out?” (nothing wrong with those questions, it’s how we’re wired).

Ray asks “what’s the cause of the pain we’re currently feeling?”, followed by “what can we do next that will stop that pain?”, followed by “and how can we measure if it worked or not?”, followed by “and how can we make sure it never happens again?”.

That’s a different way of looking at life. Try it next time you’re stuck.

January 25, 2019
We’re All The Same Under The Hood

Never be afraid to contact people no matter how important or authoritative you think they are. I’ve made amazing contacts using this mindset.

For example, I’m now in direct contact with the CEO of a major £300m publishing business.

And all because I followed up on an invite put out on a podcast. As a result I’ve got a meeting with their international business director.

I didn’t say anything special, I just asked about something he’d mentioned and that I was doing a keynote in London next week.

You might say “Oh, you’re a keynote speaker. Well that’s not surprising then…” – but it is surprising. Keynote speakers are two a penny (never be afraid to contact keynote speakers).

The one thing I realised a decade ago was that under our clothes we’re all human. Strip away the glamour and trinkets and that’s all that’s left.

We’re all fearful of certain things. We all get excited about certain things. We all get sad.

We all get happy.

But above all, we all need others around us (the real recluse is an extremely rare beast).

I had “respect” for authority beaten into me at school (literally) and it took me 35 years to beat it back out again.

This is why compassion and empathy are the most important mental tools I know. You cannot fail in business if you adopt these things.

November 26, 2018

It’s Just As Hard At The Top…

It’s Just As Hard At The Top As It Is At The Bottom

If you are stuck in your new copywriting career and not sure what to do next, remember this one idea, it is just as hard at the top as it is at the bottom. Olympians still need trainers. Pros need coaches and mentors, not because they are weak, but because they want to grow without guessing.

That is why it is easy to poke holes in other people’s work, and so hard to do it for ourselves. We all need help getting out of their own way. You are not alone.

Why Top And Bottom Feel The Same

Beginners and veterans wrestle with many of the same challenges, only the stakes change. The feelings do not go away, they just get more subtle.

Challenge	At the Bottom	At the Top
Clarity	What should I write, who am I writing for	Which hill to die on, how to focus a complex project
Confidence	Imposter syndrome on first client	Pressure to outperform your last win, fear of plateau
Feedback	No trusted reviewers, random opinions	Too much deference, not enough honest critique
Process	No repeatable system	Systems get bloated, hard to change what once worked
Visibility of blind spots	Unknown unknowns everywhere	Success hides flaws, small leaks become expensive

Why Coaches, Mentors, And Trainers Matter

Even elite performers use guidance to see what they cannot see. In copy, that extra set of eyes saves time, reputation, and money.

Role	Primary Focus	How They Help Copywriters
Trainer	Skills and reps	Daily drills, headline sprints, voice exercises, briefs to sharpen speed
Coach	Process and mindset	Goal setting, debriefs, overcoming blocks, structuring your workflow
Mentor	Direction and judgment	Positioning, pricing, client selection, career moves, pattern recognition

Quick Case Studies

New Copywriter, First Clients

Sam had two small retainers and constant doubt. A mentor reviewed one landing page per week, pointed out muddled value props, and gave a three point checklist. Within six weeks, Sam shipped faster, raised rates by 20 percent, and booked a larger retainer.

Seasoned Pro, Flat Results

Taylor had big wins, then a dry spell. A coach audited Taylor’s research process, found shallow voice-of-customer notes, and added a simple interview script. The next launch used richer language, beat the control by 18 percent, and restored momentum.

Getting Out Of Your Own Way

You do not need to wait for perfect confidence, you need a small plan. Try this simple loop.

Define the job, write a one sentence brief that states audience, promise, and outcome.
Draft fast, set a 30 minute timer, write without editing.
Park it, take a ten minute break, then return as an editor.
Edit with a checklist, clarity, proof, offer, CTA, objections, next step.
Get outside eyes, ask for one thing to cut, one thing to clarify, one thing to strengthen.

What To Post When You Ask For Help

Specific requests get specific answers. Use this structure when you post in a group or to a mentor.

Goal, what success looks like, click, reply, booked call
Audience, who they are and what they care about
Draft, paste the copy or link to the doc
Constraints, word count, tone, brand rules
Targeted questions, which headline is clearer, where does it drag

Template you can copy, Audience, goal, draft link, two questions. Thank you.

Self Coaching Prompts

When you cannot get live feedback, use these quick prompts.

What is the one job of this piece, did I do only that
Where would a skeptical reader stop, did I handle that moment
What is the most concrete proof here, can I make it more specific
If I had to cut 25 percent, what goes, what actually gets better
What is the next click, reply, or step, is it obvious and easy

Simple Weekly Practice Plan

Consistency beats intensity. Keep it light and steady.

Monday, 10 headline reps from customer language
Wednesday, one page teardown of a control you admire
Friday, ship one micro asset, email, hook ideas, bullets
Weekend, one mentor touchpoint, a question, a review, or a short call

You Are Not Alone

Ask any questions you like in the Facebook Science of Copywriting group. I will help if I can, and many others will too. Keep moving, keep asking, keep practicing.

November 4, 2018