When you set out to write your copy make sure that, you are addressing the mind of your prospect and understand that you are speaking to their emotional side. We all make our purchasing decisions from an emotional stance. We are looking to solve some pain or increase some pleasure. Isn’t it really the little boy who is living out a childhood fantasy when he buys that high performance BMW fully loaded with all the lights whistles and gadgets?

You may be selling to professionals that you think have awesome sophisticated vocabularies. That may indeed be true in their professional lives. However, when selling a product you are really selling to the emotional mind and that can be the mindset of a ninth grader or below.

I know it sounds somewhat crass, but when you are creating your copy, you really want to write at a ninth grade level or below. Once upon a time, I worked in a place where the COO instructed all his staff to write memos to the professional staff that an elementary school kid could understand.

When I heard that that is what they were doing, I was a little insulted. But when I really think about it from an educated stance, I can see that the best way to communicate to a bunch of professionals who are often overwhelmed in a world that includes a lot of high stress and responsibility is to talk to their inner child in a much simpler style. After all, what do most of us do when we get home from work? Engage in some intense academic pursuit or kickback, watch some TV and relax.

It is that relaxed, chilled out prospect that you want to attract and it will be easier for you to do that if you are using simple understandable language.

You might be asking yourself how it is that you would know at what level a ninth grader reads. If you use Microsoft word, then you probably have a great tool readily available. It is called the Readability Index and you can set it to tell you at what level you are writing.

First, open your Microsoft word program. Go to tools then to options then to spelling and grammar. Check the box that says, “Show readability Statistics.” Then, when you are ready, have spell check run through your piece, correct or change what you think you want and when you are done you will get a little pop up screen that will give you all the statistics about that piece including the readability scale. Oddly enough, this blog post has a readability scale for the ninth grader.

Most copywriters work on a freelance basis. However, there are copywriting careers available in advertising agencies or similar companies. If you work for an ad agency, you will more than likely be paid a salary, so your money making potential will be limited. But if you set your rates wisely and work smart, selling your copywriting services to companies on a freelance basis will provide you with the opportunity to make an endless amount of money.

The pay rates for creating sales copy for businesses can vary as there are a lot of variables to consider (time, project size, etc.). Some copywriting gigs can pay as little as $50 per project and others can give you the opportunity to make hundreds of dollars per job. Some copywriters set their rates on an hourly basis, but most business owners prefer to pay a flat fee so they’ll know exactly how much money the business will pay out once the project is complete.

Copywriting careers don’t cost much to get started. All you need is a computer, an internet connection and a few business cards. To be successful in the business of copywriting you must have a sense of how advertising and marketing techniques work. You need to also be well organized, self-motivated and have good people skills.

There are a number of books, websites and online training courses that can provide you the opportunity to gain the knowledge you need to start you on the path to a successful, money-making copywriting career.

The subject of the copywriting assignment, without a doubt, is the number one factor in copywriter rates. This is the reason why some copywriter rates are higher than others. If the topic is vague or withdrawn from the mainstream topic, the copywriter rates may be higher. On the flip side of that coin, if the subject of the page is something that can easily be researched, the copywriter rates may be lower.

Some copywriters prefer to writer shorter articles over longer articles. For this reason, the copywriter rates for some authors will be directly related to the total number of words required per page. Shorter articles may bring one price while longer articles may bring another set of copywriter rates.

The final aspect of determining copywriter rates is the lack of pre-existing information on the topic. If a computer programmer is hired to write for a software firm, the rates may be lower than those suggested from a person with no previous knowledge of the subject.

If one thing is for certain, the World Wide Web is not finished growing and that means plenty of new websites in need of content and plenty of older websites in need of newer content. While there is no clear cut way to quote copywriter rates, every copywriter will eventually find their niche and run with copywriter rates reflecting that excitement.

Today, there are new avenues for aspiring copywriters who have access to the internet. There are many websites where writers can look to find assignments. Writing and copywriting are different, in that copywriting has more of a commercial element to it. Most copywriting involves promotion in some manner, either straight out sales writing, or a public relations aspect for informative and image writing.

If you are in a smaller town, you may be able to find employment at a local radio or television station as a commercial copywriter. From there, the path is open as you can move around to bigger markets and different jobs, just as disc jockeys move around in their careers. Larger towns offer more stations, newspapers or ad agencies. Employment at college or public stations is sometimes easier to obtain. Once you have the first job, you begin to assemble your portfolio of samples, from which you can expand to other businesses, such as advertising agency copywriting.

Effective copywriting can mean taking clear and concise marketing language and putting it into short time segments or small print ads, and that is not as easy as it may sound. The copywriter needs to be able to zero in and pinpoint the message, which is both a skill and an art. Natural talent is easier to hone than learned, but both are possible.

The copywriter enjoys taking basic information and making it understandable to a wide audience, and working the information into copy that will create interest. That copy should create interest strong enough to either generate a sales call, inform, or help create an image. It helps to have a very broad background of experiences upon which to draw, and an excellent knowledge of language and grammar. Spelling and proofreading are also very important to a copywriter.

As a career, the copywriter usually will start with an entry type job, and with experience may move to better paying positions. Like much creative work, making a living as a copywriter is not easy, but with determination and drive, a person can enjoy a good income from this career. A college education is helpful, but not always necessary. The thing education can do for a copywriter is provide much general information, and open doors to opportunity.

The most important thing for a copywriter to have would be the ability to use language, create sales messages, and make their work of interest to the reader. Copywriting is an art form, and the wordsmith copywriter can truly enjoy creating their art.

There are tax implications of freelancing. You are completely responsible for reporting your income, although clients you do a large amount of work for during the year will provide you with a 1099 form for income tax purposes. It is up to you to save enough money to pay your income tax when you file.

Save all of your receipts related to business expense from the purchase of a new computer to any software you buy, and even website fees if you keep your own business site to attract clients. You can deduct all business expenses on your income tax report, although suffice it to say you will no longer be filing the short form for that purpose.

For most people it is a wise idea to seek the help of a reputable income tax preparer in order to be sure you are getting the proper deductions, it can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Recently I have asked for a refund from the group leader of the Global Alliance because  she has essentially left the group without any notice to the membership. She told me in a chat conversation that she was disappointed that I was a quitter. So I said that I was disappointed that she too was a quitter because she had essentially left the Global Alliance Group without any explanation, despite the fact that she had created the group. Immediately she informed me that just because she was leaving a group did not make her a quitter. Ergo the hypocrisy.

I’ve chosen to leave the Global Alliance because there is no alliance, global or otherwise. There is only control and anger and an overall feeling that one should submit to thier will. Thier rhetoric is that it is YOUR group not THEIR group but that is never the case. Beware. There is no integrity in the administration of The Global Alliance and I vanquish all affiliatition with such an organization. I will only and ever forth operate in an ethical and supportive fashion.

In my last post I spoke about a few of the bullet points to developing a mindset geared toward being self employed as a copywriter and making the changes in your life that will help you to be successful. In this post I continue my discussion about the kind of actions that you must take consistently to ensure that success.

In order for you to be a great copywriter you must read every day. As I am starting out I have subscribed to and read Early to Rise www.earlytorise.com, Bencivengas Bullets www.bencivengasbullets.com and The total package www.makepeacetotalpackage.com There are many other relevant materials out there you must chose what works best for you.

In addition it is important to read the kinds of things that your clients may be reading. You want to have substantial knowledge about the kinds of things in which they are interested and where they may be coming from. Also read any promotional product information about the product you may be promoting. Read fiction, novels and any one of a number of magazines. I like people magazine. It’s full of current interest stories and articles.

Write every day. It doesn’t matter what you are writing, just write something. In fact I have read that one of the things that some of the great copywriters did when they first started was to really study what great copywriters had done before them. Look at good and bad copy. See if you can take the bad copy and make it better. Also relax into this writing. Just write as if you were writing to a dear friend with great news about a product that is going to improve the quality of their lives.

I would think that doing your homework on your writing assignment before you actually sit down to write would go without saying. Really do the research. Study the product. Know the end result that the copy is intended to create. Knowing more than is necessary for any project will help prevent writers block.

And then there’s writers block. If you have substantially done your homework and you know more about the product or assignment than is really necessary then you may not suffer that indomitable feeling one gets when they sit down in front of the computer and nothing is coming to them. If this happens then go for a walk, take a shower, work out, do something that might jump start your imagination and creativity. It may be that you have to start fresh in the morning. One copywriter I read about just sits down at the computer and starts writing, even if it’s just about that he can’t thing of what to write about.

And finally have fun. It’s certain that the work will be much more difficult if this is not fun for you. Even in my offline business we have fun. I insist on it. And if we’re not having at least a little bit of fun, then something’s not working right and need to be changed.

Okay, here I go off into the wonderful world of copywriting. I’ve been spending a considerable time reading and collecting materials and trying to figure out where to start. And in the process I have established a collection of bullet points that I need to address while on this journey.

I am already a successful offline business owner. In that world know what is and is not work time is easy. The office is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, unless we get one of those snowstorms that essentially shut down the entire state.

Nevertheless in order to be successful setting a specific time when you are at work is important. You know you better than anyone so it is up to you to decide what time of day that will be for and for how long a period you think you will be optimally productive.

So establish that time and then give some thought to the myriad distractions that are a part of daily life. We have the home phone, the cell phone (I have two) the computer with its very tempting internet and or games. How about chat room notifications, the TV, the housework you were going to do, the gardening project that’s needed your attention. All of these and more will pull at your attention until you establish a definite work time and place and establish a plan of action for dealing with all of those.

Then create a schedule. You must establish the best time of day for you to do your work. Some like mornings others prefer afternoons or evenings. There is some argument that first thing in the morning is the best time as you are at your freshest. I have forever written out schedules, especially on airplanes when I am headed home from a conference that has inspired me to (more) action. If you need to, you can be as specific as possible with your schedule as in 5:00 get up. 5:30 to 6:15 exercise routine, 6:30 shower and so on. In order for this schedule to work the best for you, it must be reasonable, it must work for you and you need to write it down and follow it.

To be continued in the next post. Stay tuned.