A few months ago a customer left saying:
“I’m just heading in a different direction now…focusing more on content creation and design than copywriting.”
Which, really, made little sense.
And the reason it made little sense is, I don’t just teach copywriting.
Far from it, in fact.
Frankly, if all I did was teach copywriting I would be bored out of MY own mind.
But… in a way he was not necessarily wrong, either:
Because everything I teach is still technically copywriting.
For example, I recently sent an autographed copy of one of my novels to the great Dan Kennedy along with a framed piece of original artwork from the first Email Players Comicbook I published a few years ago. And in the note I partly blamed his copywriting training I have learned so much from over the years for how even that novel is written in “copywriting” style.
In other words:
Fast-paced, no fluffy prose, written from a paranoia to not bore anyone… as each page is intended to “sell” the reader on reading the next page, each book is intended to “sell” the reader on reading the next book, which then is intended to “sell” the reader on wanting to read any future fiction, or non-fiction maybe, I write, too, etc.
i.e. it’s all copywriting, baby.
Everything in life is when you learn this stuff.
For example:
* That traffic ticket you try to talk your way out of is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That piece of “value” content you shot on your phone and put up on social media is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That text you write to get your girlfriend to agree to do something is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That social media post telling all your followers about your latest political take you think is hot but that everyone already agrees with is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That response to a stupid health take on Twitter is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That pure “content” eBook/course/video/podcast you publish supposedly giving “value” is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That subversive meme you create is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That review you write (good or bad) is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That design you foolishly used so-called AI to shart out is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That phone conversation you have with a potential client negotiating a deal is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That apology you send someone is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That zoom call to someone’s audience teaching them whatever you teach is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That consult you do with a paid client is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That reply to your client who doesn’t like what you did/wrote is copywriting, if you do it right.
* Those back & forth emails with a client persuading him to test your ads is copywriting, if you do it right.
* That price reduction you want to negotiate is copywriting, if you do it right.
* And so on, and so forth.
Note the qualifier: “if you do it right.”
Do it right, and everything you say, write, record, publish is “copywriting.”
By “do it right” you have to first realize everything is about making agreements. And you get agreements with persuasive communication. And you engage in persuasive communication by using all the principles and fundamentals of… copywriting. Thus, if you are writing anything, in any format, meant to persuade/influence/change minds/make agreements/air a grievance/ask for something… then you, whether you like it or not, wish it or not, or would “risk” it or not… is copywriting.
That is unless you hate money, getting what you want, and having peace of mind, I suppose.
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Ben Settle
