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Maslen on Marketing
 

How to prepare like a pro

Hi ,

Thanks for joining this copywriting mini-course.

There's no time like the present, so let's dive straight in with the first installment.

Today, I’m going to explain how great copywriters prepare themselves to write that killer copy that seems to charm people’s wallets open.

Stick with it, because the very first thing I’m going to tell you will sound, well, just plain wrong.

You have a deadline. A short one in all probability. You feel this is copy you could probably just get started on. So…

Do not open a new document. Do not start typing. Do not go near a computer of any kind.

Instead, find somewhere quiet. Grab a pencil and a pad of paper. Or a big fat marker pen and a flip chart.

Now. Think about and then record your answers to these three questions.

One. What keeps your prospect awake at three in the morning?

Two. What can you promise them to ease that pain?

Three. Why might they not believe you?

There, in just three questions, you have the essence of the preparation you need to craft some truly compelling copy.

Answer question one and you have psychological insights into your prospect’s needs, desires and motivations.

Answer question two and you translate the features of your product into its deep underlying benefits.

Answer question three and you identify their objections, which you can then start to overcome.

You’re using old-school materials because they move your brain to a different space than when you’re typing at your computer.

You can see connections between ideas, and nothing is so perfect it can’t be scribbled out.

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TODAY'S EXERCISE

Take a recent campaign you wrote copy for, or better yet, a campaign you're about to start work on, find a quiet space, and run through the three questions in today's email.

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Until tomorrow.

Yours for more profitable copywriting,

Andy

PS To give you ongoing support, I will send you a new issue of our membership newsletter every month. You'll get a free article giving you new ideas about more profitable copywriting. And why not check out our Blog. You'll find over 150 articles about copywriting.