Category Archives: Writing

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This Is Probably For “Family” Only…

…my “reader” family, that is.

Which means you’re included, if you want to be.

Here at my company we’re in the midst of doing a lot of stuff designed to serve our readers and customers better.

One of those things is a project to simplify this site. We’ve now stripped the design down to the bare bones and will only add things back as they are needed.

Who decides what is “needed”? Hopefully, you.

Would you take just a moment to share your thoughts on the new design? Do you like the new “minimalist” approach? The LiveFyre comments?

Or is there something you don’t like or wish we would add or change? Please comment below and share your feedback. Thanks!

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Bought or Sold?

Seth Godin points out on his blog that there are products that are “bought”, and there’re products that are “sold”. Ice cream is bought. Life insurance is sold.

Seth’s point was: knowing which one you offer.

My point is: decide to offer products that are bought, thereby bypassing the need for selling altogether.

This doesn’t mean, by the way that no storytelling (copywriting) is required. Apple products are bought, but stories are told just the same. The “little hinge that swings big doors”: it’s often the storytelling that fuels the buying.

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A Day In The Life of A Six-Figure Freelance Writer

This is an update to one of my more popular posts.

I receive many questions about how I work, how I manage my time, and what my “systems” are for working as a writer and consultant.

First, this caveat: There are some significant changes now that we are operating in the “new economy”.

What’s different about the “new economy”? A few key points for freelancers and entrepreneurs – these must be understood and internalized:

The bubble has burst. Easy credit is gone. Houses of cards in the banking industry have come tumbling down. People have lost their jobs, their houses, their credit cards. The spending habits and market behaviors of almost all people have irrevocably changed, altered forever by the economic shift that took place recently. And if you’re waiting for things to get “back to normal”, this is your wake-up call… it’s never going back. This is the new normal. Get used to it. Adapt.

Competition is at an all time high. And thanks to Google it is easier than ever before to find all your competitors in a few seconds.

Nobody needs anything. In the Western World, even though we have experienced an economic shake up, we still have everything we need already. Yes, I know some people are in need and I am not ignoring them nor minimizing their needs – but I am also acknowledging that for most people, their needs are over-supplied. Do you have a roof over your head, clean water, and at least one meal per day? Then you are better off than most of the people in the world. To see how good you have it, check out how wealthy you rank in the world by clicking here.

What does all this mean? It’s time to review and evaluate how you do everything you do within your business or practice. Does it measure up? Is it effective? Does it produce profit? Is it the best possible use of your time?

That’s what I’m doing here – reviewing my current systems an findings. Hopefully it’s helpful.

I offer the following with this caveat: I’m still workin’ on it, and I don’t always follow the system perfectly. But each time I fall “off the wagon”, I get up, dust off my britches, and climb back on. So far it’s worked pretty well.

A “day in the life of Ray” is a busy one. Here are current projects I’m working on:

1. Private Client Copy Project. This was a big project, comprising 3 full video salesletters, email campaigns, affiliate email copy, and text versions of the sales videos. This project was a beast in terms of time invested, but it was fun. And it paid well.

2. Private Consulting Client. This relationship translates to regular phone meetings, a small in-house launch every quarter or so, and reams of copy generated for upsells, ridealongs, retention, phone scripts, etc. This is a retainer + revenue deal, just like all my deals these days.

3. Private Retainer Client. This client retains me strictly for two sales letters per month, for different products each month; again, I have a piece of revenue.

4. Private Client in the business opportunity market; this is only the third time I have been ripped off by a client. I collected the fee and wrote the initial copy. My client has, so far, stiffed me for 6 months worth of royalties. I did have some misgivings about this project in the beginning but suppressed them and took the job anyway. Lesson learned: trust my inner promptings. Just a note to my client, V. If you’re reading this, just know that if you want to make it right, send me the check for what you owe me and all will be forgiven. And if you simply can’t pay for some reason… at least answer my messages and let me know what’s going on. Maybe I can help.

5. Writing Riches Member Site. This is a “coaching club” I run for those who cannot necessarily afford to hire me but who want to learn from my work, get me input, and receive training from me each month.

6. Book Promotion. My new book on copywriting, Writing Riches, is a #1 Best-Seller on Amazon.com. It’s the best deal I offer on training and is available as a softcover or on the Kindle.

7. Three books in progress. One is a business book (first draft completed), one is a book for Christ-followers on the importance and power of forgiveness (first draft about 75% complete) (this book is being folded into the next one), and one is a book about achieving true, lasting success, called Taking Back Tomorrow.

8. Two monthly newsletters. I write one for my clients, and one for paying subscribers.

9. Workshops. I am planning a small, exclusive workshop in my offices this Fall. It will be me and four guests… and you’ll get my hands-on help with your project. Plus, my team will even build your site for you! This won’t be cheap – the price is $5,000. If you’re interested, please call my assistant Kathy at 509-624-2220 and let her know. Acceptance is not guaranteed, as this is not for everyone.

10. Copywriting Protege Program. My students write for clients who either (a) can’t get on my schedule soon enough or (b) can’t afford my fees. My team writes your copy, I critique the drafts for re-writes, and then I approve the final work that is delivered to you. This means we can deliver affordable copy that still receives my “touch”. (To inquire about a project, please submit your request here: http://RayEdwards.com/contact )

The Big Question

How is it I’m able to juggle so many priorities and projects? Through careful conscious choice, and good systems.

And quite frankly: it’s a work in progress.

In order to deliver the very best work to my clients and partners, and to still leave room in my schedule for rejuvenation (sleep, family time, time with God, and time to just plain relax)… I have to guard my time vigorously. And I have to be on guard against what Dan Kennedy calls “Time Vampires”. Some tactics that work for me in my current system:

MSR
My Morning Success Ritual is vital to my most productive days. While I don’t manage to get this in every day, I’m getting better at it. My goal between now and the New Year is to achieve 95%+ compliance with this ritual every day.

The MSR is summed up by the acronym WWW B PREP, which stands for:

  • Wake
  • Water (16 oz. filtered)
  • Walk (at least 20 minutes)
  • Bible
  • Prayer
  • Eat
  • Plan (the day)

The days when I follow this MSR, starting the minute my feet hit the floor out of bed, are invariably my best days (most productive, most joyous, most satisfying). Probably because the most important things were done first – and when I’m still in the “NDZ”: No Distraction Zone (meaning no email, no voicemail, no phone calls, etc.)

Writing
The first thing I *must* do each day, after my MSR is complete (and after I have showered, driven to the office, etc.) is WRITING. I am primarily a writer. So this is my #1 Revenue Producing Activity (RPA). At this point my phone is off, I have still not checked email, not checked voicemail, etc. Still in the NDZ. I write for a large block of time at the beginning of the day — often 4 hours. NOTHING gets to interrupt the writing — including (and even especially) the clients for whom I may be writing.

Email
My auto-check feature in Apple Mail is turned OFF. I only get email when I press the “Check Mail” button. I check it twice once per day, Monday thru Thursday Tuesday thru Friday. Usually around 11am Pacific and 4pm Pacific. This is one of my policies that tends to be unpopular with those who are “urgency addicts”, and who want me to have a constant email discussion about minutia with them. I refuse to sacrifice my highest valued commodity (time) for the sake of what usually amounts to trivia. I suggest you adopt the same policy.

Meetings
Any meeting that lasts longer than 15 minutes is probably too long. Not always, but most of the time. Any project that requires multiple meetings each week is probably in trouble. Long meetings = inefficiency at best, and postponement of the inevitable at worst. (As a sidebar: frequent short meetings are just a disguised way of having long meetings. HEAR ME: if you have “meeting-itis”, either you just want an excuse to talk about work instead of doing it, or something is wrong with the project … something another meeting won’t solve).

Phone Meetings / Conversations
Same as meetings, only worse. Conversations and phone meetings should be 15 minutes or less. Anything longer and you’re probably wasting time for at least some people in the group.

Instant Messenger
Just say no. The only time I use it is when I have SCHEDULED events on Skype (usually interviews). Also, I occasionally chat with family or friends — but again, this is SCHEDULED. I am NEVER “just available” to be interrupted. (If I was, that would mean that I was either doing something unimportant, or that I was doing NOTHING. If I’m doing something unimportant… WHY? And if I’m doing NOTHING, it’s a PLANNED nothing and it’s important that this not be interrupted!).

Office Hours
Yes, I have an office outside my home. I lease currently. I’m considering buying an office building. I keep regular business hours most of the time: Mon – Thurs, Tuesday – Friday, 8am – 5pm Pacific.

By the way, my office phone is answered by a LIVE HUMAN (not some stupid voicemail torture device) Monday – Saturday, 8am – 6pm Pacific time. Why do I have the phone covered even when I am out of the office? Because other members of my team keep different hours… and because emergencies DO happen, and I like to be available if a TRUE emergency arises. My phone team knows how to reach me in those cases.

Why The Emphasis On Not Being Interrupted?

Interruptions cost you dearly.

As a writer, I know that allowing myself to be interrupted by a client or vendor (“Hey Ray – got a minute to talk about the new logo?”) can seem harmless… but it isn’t. That interruption costs me (a) the state of “flow” I was in while working, maybe impossible to recover, (b) the time of the interruption itself, and (c) the time it takes me to get back into the “zone” with what I was working on… minimum 20 minutes, maybe longer.

I can’t afford to let that happen. Especially not in the “New Economy”.

My clients and customers can’t afford for me to let that happen.

I once had a client who loved to call me at 11pm at night and talk for two hours. I tried to tell him I worked set hours and was available at those times, but he didn’t seem to understand. When our first project was finished, I fired him. His dysfunction did not automatically become my problem. Be warned – people will WASTE your time if you let them. Will you let them? be polite, be loving… but don’t be a victim.

In the end, if you guard your time, you are being most respectful of other people. Think about it: if you allow yourself to be interrupted, or your time wasted when you should have been doing something else… who suffers? Your clients. Your customers. Your family (“Sorry honey, I have to stay late because I wasted 2 hours today listening to the web team make excuses…”).

You’re not serving anyone by being a poor steward of your time.

New Experiments In Time Management

I’m currently going through a re-vamping, refining, and re-evaluating phase and I thought it might be useful to you if I shared some ideas I’m trying out. While I’m sold on the stuff I mentioned previously, I’m telling you right now these next items are EXPERIMENTAL. If they prove successful, I’ll have more to say here in the future about them.

1.Three-Sentence Emails. If you receive a lot of email, you know what it’s like to feel overloaded by it. This is a personal policy that all email responses regardless of recipient or subject will be three sentences or less. Read more at http://three.sentenc.es/
This practice, I have abandoned. I also am not using the ubquitous “I’m so busy I can’t answer your email for at least 2 days” autoresponders. I have come to view these as slightly (at best) obnoxious. I still only check email once per day, and even though I have abandoned the “email policy” signature and autoresponder, I don’t get any complaints.

2. Fifteen Minute Meetings. Just like the above, only not quite so regimented. *Most* meetings will be 15 minutes or less. That’s my default meeting length. If it needs to be longer, we can negotiate in 15 minute blocks. If it needs to be longer than 45 minutes, we better be working on something like the Middle East Peace Talks.

3. Free Days. I used to cheat on this. I’m sorry to admit it. But no more. I “fell of the wagon” on this one again. Embarrassing. But, as it says in the Book of Proverbs, “though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again”. So here’s the practice I’m aiming for… a “free day” is one in which there is NO business activity of any kind: no emails, no blogs, no IMs, no phone calls, no reading articles, no business books… NOTHING. Right now, I have at least one scheduled FREE DAY per week (Sundays). The purpose is to allow for real refreshing, rejuvenation, and creativity to arise. My goal is to eventually reach 3 FREE DAYS per week. This does not mean that I’ll be spending 3 days a week doing NOTHING… these days will be filled with family time, spiritual and charitable pursuits, and yes, even recreation. For more on this, see Dan Sullivan’s “The Time Breakthrough”.

This was a long post – I hope it was useful to you. If you have questions or want to add some ideas of your own, please do it below!

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Ray Edwards Copywriting Week In Review

This week was all about the copywriters. Here’s what you missed, with links to each article all in one handy place.

The Captain Kirk Guide To Romancing Your Customers

Simple Tricks Top Copywriters Use To Sell More

3 Ways To Write Better Copy Faster

Top 5 iPad Apps For Copywriters

What It Takes To Succeed as a Freelance Copywriter

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3 Ways To Write Better Copy Faster

One of the keys to making more money as a freelance copywriter is being able to write good copy quickly. The faster you write, the more you can write. The more you can write, the more money you can make. Here are three tips on how to write copy faster (and probably better, to):

  1. Work from an outline. If you’re a copywriter who’s earned your stripes, you already have an intuitive sense of the structure of good sales copy (different structure for different media or format, of course… But always a basic structure for each). It’s a good idea to have that outline available to use as a template (in Microsoft Word, for instance). Save yourself the mental effort of having to create the structure from scratch each time; organize your notes, clippings, and bits of copy within the outline. That way, when you’re ready to start writing, all your preliminart scribblings are at least in the right order.
  2. Speak, don’t type. As long as you aren’t experiencing physiological or neurological problems, you speak much faster than you type. If you’re working from an outline (as suggested above) you should be able to dictate your copy at an incredibly rapid pace. You can either use software, such as DragonDictate, or you can pay to have a human being transcribe your copy. Either way, it’ll be much faster and more efficient. Unless you’re my friend Michel Fortin, who has supernatural typing ability.
  3. Build up a bank of “copy chunks”. Chances are, if you do much writing for clients, you end up writing very similar opens, guarantees, closing segments, and so forth. Why not start collecting those “chunks” of copy, so you can simply cut and paste them into your first draft? This technique alone can save you many hours of laborious and needlessly repetitive work.

Here’s to speedier copy for you.

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Thank You.

I will admit, I didn’t really expect this outcome.

My book, “Writing Riches”, is now officially an Amazon and Barnes & Noble bestseller. We hit #1 in two different categories on Amazon, and peaked at #9 out of all books on Barnes & Noble.

I want to thank everyone who bought a copy of my book, and also want to thank all the generous souls who helped get the word out over the last few days. I know who you are, and I will not forget your support.

Thank you!

You can, of course, still purchase a copy if you haven’t done so yet. Just click here, pick your favorite vendor, and order as many as you like. :-)

In the midst of all the hubbub about the book, I realized that there is another opportunity you run the risk of missing.

Here’s the story…

Quietly, last month, I launched an online community for those who want to learn to make money with their writing. It is called, not coincidentally, WritingRiches.com.

This too has been a resounding success.

As a member of this community, you get an unprecedented level of help and access from me personally.

For instance…

We do a website critique webinar once per month

We do a live Q&A call once per month

And we have a discussion forum that is becoming more and more active.

What this all means is you get to receive the benefit of my consulting, and the experience I have with my various clients, all for a fraction of my normal fees.

For example, to hire me to do consulting for your company on a retainer basis, you would invest $10,000 per month (that’s what actual clients really pay).

But to become a member of the Writing Riches community is a mere $97 per month — that comes out to less than three dollars a day.

However…

For the next three days, you can become a Charter Member of the site for only $47 per month.

This is a $50 savings, and absolutely comes to an end at midnight January 31st.

So if you wait to make your decision, and you log onto the website on February 1, you’ll discover that the monthly rate has gone up to $97.

Which, quite frankly, will still be an extraordinary value-but why not get in at the “grandfathered” rate of only $47?

Aside from the live interaction we have each month, there’s a ton of other content already inside the web site, including video tutorials, audio trainings, and lots more.

Get the details here.

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Book Recommendation: “Writing Riches”

Okay, cards on the table: I’m the author, so of course I would recommend this book!

Even so, you might want to buy a copy right now:

Order from Amazon: click here.

I have taken all my most valuable copywriting secrets… all my best tips, tricks, and checklists… and put them into a step-by-step handbook.

Think about it.

You’re getting the same systems and copywriting tips I use myself when creating copy for my $50,000 clients… for less than a fine dinner for two — at McDonalds!

Inside “Writing Riches”, you’ll discover:

  • The 14 Magic Building Blocks of Sales Copy That Sells Your Products Like Crazy (page 1)
  • How To Create Headlines That Grab Your Readers By The Eyeballs and Suck Them Into Your Message (page 19)
  • The Secrets Of Quickly Writing Magic Emails That Make You Money (page 35)
  • How To Write Bullet Points That Virtually Force Your Prospects to Buy (page 57)
  • The Secret, Triangular “Vice Grip” That Always Sells More (page 77)
  • The Most Explosive Tactics For Making More Sales, More Often, With Less Human Effort Than You Ever Dreamed Possible (page 95)
  • The Effortless Way To Attract A Flood Of Web Site Visitors As Easily As Turning On A Water Spigot (page 109)
  • The Secrets Of Getting Your Prospects So Excited About You They’ll FIGHT For The Privilege Of Buying Your Stuff (page 129)
  • Secrets Of Writing Blockbuster Sales Copy… By Watching Movies (page 149)

Grab your copy of the book right now by clicking here:

Order from Amazon: click here.

As if this weren’t a great deal already, I have really made this an irresistible offer — like any good copywriter would! Here’s the story…

…when you buy the book this week (and this week only), you get a free, “live” web class taught me personally. The estimated retail value of the online class is $197.

It’s called “7 Simple Ways To Double Your Profits In The Next 12 Months”… and registration is easy! You simply send me your online receipt for your book purchase, and you get a free pass to the class!

Get the book here:

Order from Amazon: click here.
Do this right now, while you’re thinking about it.

Then email your receipt to support [at] rayedwards.com

And thanks in advance for buying the book!

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3 Essential Skills Every Freelance Copywriter Should Have

There are, in fact, essential skills that anyone who wants to make their living as a freelance writer needs to possess. You may be surprised to learn that these are not exotic skills, limited to a talented few.

They are skills that few possess; this is, however, by choice and by habit, not by gift or talent. While this is not the exhaustive list of skills required to succeed as a freelance writer, these are three crucial skills absent from most of those unable to make a go of it:

  1. Discipline. To get lots of copy written, one must apply liberal amounts of backside to chair, and repeat daily. Your results may vary (but if you fail to apply this skill, your results will be depressingly uniform).
  2. Chops. In the world of music, if you are a talented player, you are said to possess “chops”. The same is true of writing as is true of music: if you want people to listen, you’ve got to be able to play. This is distressing news to some, who for some inexplicable reason believe they can be a writer without being able to write. For information on how to become a better writer, see skill number one.
  3. Invulnerability. To make it in this business, it’s essential you are invulnerable to unjust criticism. You’ll get plenty of it. Because writing is so akin to speaking, everyone thinks they can do it. Which is, of course, amusing – since very few people seem able to do either. You get to ascend one full level of mastery when you learn to distinguish just criticism from unjust. Take a moment to let that one sink in.

Yes, you will need other skills in addition to these three; but these three can cover for a multitude of other sins. Try them on for a while. They are all eminently learnable.

If this topic of making money with your writing skills interests you, then you might want to join me for a live, once-only, no-recording-available later webinar. It is entitled: “The Hidden Opportunity For Anyone Who Can Write (In 2011 and Beyond)”.

Long title. Short path to a new profit paradigm if you’re a writer.

Do you have the discipline to show up and learn something? Then click here and register now.

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Opportunities To Watch For In Copywriting 2011

I sent an email about this to most of my email subscribers late the evening before the Christmas Holiday.

And I didn’t check email over the Holiday, so I was shocked to see what a huge response we got.

After all, the email wasn’t about a “magic button”.

And I made it clear I had identified an opportunity, but that the opportunity would require work…

…but for those who can write, and want to make their living from doing so, I believe this can be a true game-changer.

If that’s you, this is important.

I have identified what I believe to be the biggest “hidden opportunity” I have seen in a long, long time.

If you have any writing chops, you need to see this.

If you also have some marketing know-how… you’d be foolish to ignore this.

Strong words? Yes. But I think I can back them up.

This is a potential windfall for anyone who can write a basic business memo.

I believe this to be the most potentially lucrative, high-leverage, low-risk opportunity for anyone with writing skills that I’ve seen since I started writing copy.

I think (with good reasons for thinking it) anyone who ignores this opportunity, who fails to make this distinction, faces more potential “hard times” in 2011…

…while those who can grasp the reality of the situation stand to profit (with relative ease).

I am sharing this opportunity during a live webinar tomorrow (Thursday) evening.

Click here to register for that webinar now.

This webinar WILL NOT BE REPEATED, and there is NO replay.

You need to  decide right now if this is important to you.

AND YOU NEED TO SHOW UP FOR THE WEBINAR.

I wonder if you’ll take the time to register right now? Click this link:

Click here to register for the webinar now.

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The Art of Framing

You’re going to like this…

“Framing” is how you set the stage for what comes next in a given communication. It is, in essence, what you say before you say what you want to say.

If you start a conversation by saying, “You’re not going to like this…” your message will be received in a certain way.

It will be responded to in a certain way. A different way than if you had started the conversation by saying, instead, something like, “This is really important.”

It might be useful to examine the way in which you routinely frame your conversations.