So how can you learn how to become a direct response copywriter? There are a few ways of brushing up your copywriting ability to the level that direct response copywriting requires.
To begin with, read all the books by the world's most famous copywriters. This includes books by David Ogilvy, Joe Sugarman, Eugene Schwartz and John Caples. The lessons they teach are as valid as they were decades or even a hundred years ago.
The second thing is to start a collection of copies of successful direct response sales copy. Finding examples of great direct response copywriting can be done by searching in Yahoo or Google. Google images, in particular, offers a quick, easy way of finding successful direct response sales letters and adverts. Then study every advert or sales letter to understand what copywriting tactics are being implemented and why the sales letter or advert was profitable.
Last of all, as always, practice makes perfect. Get some paper and write out the examples in your swipe file word for word. This helps you to recognize the thought process when the copywriter wrote them. Next try writing your own sales letters and adverts using everything you've come to understand from the last two steps.
Direct response copywriting types
There are quite a few types of direct response copywriting. Although the format and delivery mechanism might vary, they all have the focused goal of making cash.
Email copywriting - When done poorly, email is no better than junk mail. But email marketing can be an effective way of creating leads if you make a persuasive offer. When people respond it means you have gained their interest. Achieving this requires a lot of direct response copywriting skill, making it a nicely paid copywriting task.
Direct mail - These are the letters and post cards you get in the post to promote time shares, magazine subscriptions and other deals you didnt ask for. In each case, their purpose is to persuade you to react and confirm your interest in the offer, whether done by phone, email or posting a reply card. While the writing used in direct mail might seem simple, every word and sentence is carefully selected to get attention and build interest. You are competing with lots of other offers in the post for attention. Just getting people to read the first line of your message can be challenging. It is for this reason that direct response copywriters are the highest paid.
Sales letter writing - Direct response copywriters are hired to write the very long web pages used to advertise training courses, eBooks and other online products as well as for traditional sales letters. Offline sales letters are often shipped with brochures as an introduction and to develop curiosity in the product. Direct response letters can be just a single page or ten or more for a high value product. Writing sales letters of this length that are interesting to read and successful at getting readers to respond and buy the product demands a level of ability every copywriter aims to achieve.
Advertorial writing - These kinds of sales copywriting are created to look like normal articles in magazines and newspapers. They frequently have headlines announcing a miracle breakthrough or startling fact, much like the other articles in the magazine or newspaper. The big distinction is that after speaking about the subject discussed in the headline they rapidly transition to a sales pitch, presenting a solution to the problem mentioned previously. A response form or telephone number is another obvious sign that it is direct response copywriting.
Hopefully you now recognise how becoming a direct response copywriter calls for a lot of experience, practice and skill. It is also a very rewarding skill to build up, both as a result of the sense of achievement from creating income for clients and the boost in paycheck. So if attaining the status of a direct response sales writer is something you aim for, start studying all the books by the most highly respected copywriters and developing your sales writing skills.
