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19 secrets to making your ad copy more effective
The sales letter is the key; the sales letter is the key - echoes through the Internet marketing mountains. Ad copy, sales copy, sales letter, copywriting or whatever you want to call it – the goal is the same for every Internet marketing business....

Does Your Copy Look "Fake" To the Search Engines?
by Karon Thackston © 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword From the early days of search engine optimization, keywords and content have always been vital to achieving your goals. Starting back in the days when we used to shove every...

Sticks, Stones and Lawyers
“But how can you say, 'It was only talk, so no harm was done?' Were this true, then your prayers, and your words of kindness, would be a waste of breath.” - Nachman of Bratslav Defamation ... slander ... libel. It doesn’t take a rabbinic...

The Rich Jerk
Review Of The Rich Jerk (Reviewed - December 2005) Quick Summary Internet Marketing Course Overall rating - highly recommended - Editor's Choice The Rich Jerk Review Not too long ago there was a big buzz on...

Writing Helpful Help – A Minimalism Checklist
User documentation is all too often written by programmers for programmers. It tends to focus on the product’s features, rather than the user’s tasks. Generally, programmers aren’t in the ideal position to be writing user documentation. They’re too...

 
Freelance Copywriting Advice #1: Take the Scary Jobs

From time to time you will be faced with an opportunity that looks downright scary.

The temptation is to think, "Hey, that's way outside my level of expertise. I'm not ready for that."

My advice to you is this: Do it.

When you are faced with opportunities that are larger, more challenging and ultimately 'scary', that's when you learn fastest, stretch yourself the most and build your inner confidence as a copywriter.

Let me give you a couple of related examples.

Within my first two months as a direct marketing copywriter I was presented with the opportunity to write a mailing for Franklin Mint.

As some of you may know, Franklin Mint is a very, very sophisticated company when it comes to direct marketing. I seriously wondered whether I might end up looking like an idiot, wasting my time and theirs.

But I took on the job. Scary, yes. But it worked out fine. I learned a great deal and continued to do work for them.

Here's another, related example.

In early 1998 a friend of mine was invited to speak to a few hundred people at a conference about marketing online. He got cold feet and asked me to speak in his place. The problem was, I had only a week to


Officials: Obama To Back New Infrastructure Plan
Administration officials say President Obama will call for new investments in the nation's roads, railways and airports that would cost at least $50 billion.

Businesses In Cherry Hill, N.J., Get By Without Hiring
Morning Edition is examining one of the bigger questions facing the country this fall. It's an economic question, and it has big political implications. The question is why employers haven't been hiring even though the economy has been recovering. Business owners in Cherry Hill, N.J. have been holding off hiring new employees.


prepare my talk.

I had never spoken to a crowd that large before. I had no idea what to do. I was terrified.

But I did it.

In hindsight, that first talk was not a great one. But it got me started. Since then I have spoken at dozens of conferences and given full day seminars to numerous companies.

Speaking has made me quite a bit of money, and has led to many copywriting jobs I would otherwise have never received. It has also helped establish me as an expert in my chosen field.

And I came so, so close to saying no.

How close? Probably not as close as I think. Looking back, I have always said yes to the scariest challenges.

It's how you grow. It's how you find new opportunities. It's how you make your name as a copywriter worth doing business with.

About the Author

Nick Usborne is a freelance copywriter, author and speaker. For more on making money as a freelance copywriter, visit his site, http://www.FreelanceWritingSuccess.com. For more on developing your skills, read his review of this copywriting course byMichael Masterson.