Copywriters only make *serious* money in this one way.

[RobbieFoston]

Hola Fastlaners,

I've made an observation and I'd love to hear your thoughts (especially if you have experience with advertising & copywriting).

Copywriting is undoubtedly a very high ROI skill to learn. Being able to turn prospects into customers through persuasive writing is a money printing machine.

But I've come to the conlcusion the only way to make the big bucks is through selling your own products or services. The more you study the great copywriters, the more you realise most of them made many, many millions through owning the products (or at least part of) that they sold. Recently finished reading Joe Sugarman's book and it opened my eyes – Joe's company owned most of the products they sold. That's where they made the real money. They leveraged their advertising & copywriting expertise to make money on their own products.

With more modern copywriters, all the ones who seem to be "rich" are selling copywriting courses. I don't see any of them actually writing copy for clients (unless they own an agency).

Now I've worked as a copywriter (and in the advertising industry) for close to a decade. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at what I do, and I've made my clients some good cash over the years. I've also made nice money for myself (around £80-100k per year). But it seems pretty hard to progress from this point: there's only so much you can charge for your services and there's only so many hours you can work to deliver the copy.

I don't really have a question and I'm not looking for advice. I'm merely interested in your inputs.

Do you think you can make over a million working as a copywriter without selling courses or your own products? I'm not sure it's possible (maybe with royalties but that's also close to impossible to secure nowaday).

Cheers all,
Robbie

 

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[Kung Fu Steve]

But I've come to the conlcusion the only way to make the big bucks is through selling your own products or services.

You've stumbled on the real secret.

If you really ARE that good... why not just do it for yourself?

(speaking as a consultant, I have an answer to that in a second)

The more you study the great copywriters, the more you realise most of them made many, many millions through owning the products (or at least part of) that they sold. Recently finished reading Joe Sugarman's book and it opened my eyes – Joe's company owned most of the products they sold. That's where they made the real money. They leveraged their advertising & copywriting expertise to make money on their own products.

The shortcut to copywriting with the big boys is understanding what Sugarman did:

If you can just prove your product does what you say it does, you don't need to sell it.

The copy isn't revolutionary.

They do a great job handling objections in the last few seconds, though. That copy is pretty smart.

With more modern copywriters, all the ones who seem to be "rich" are selling copywriting courses. I don't see any of them actually writing copy for clients (unless they own an agency).

The ones who "look" rich (you just see them running ads to sell their copy courses), sell courses.

The ones who ARE rich -- you don't even know their names.

They write ads, take a percentage of sales, and make a killing.

The copywriting legends like John Carlton and Gary Halbert made their fortunes LONG before they started teaching/selling courses.

It's MJ's philosophy, "what came first, your book teaching how to get rich... or you actually getting rich?"

Now I've worked as a copywriter (and in the advertising industry) for close to a decade. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at what I do, and I've made my clients some good cash over the years. I've also made nice money for myself (around £80-100k per year). But it seems pretty hard to progress from this point: there's only so much you can charge for your services and there's only so many hours you can work to deliver the copy.

I don't really have a question and I'm not looking for advice. I'm merely interested in your inputs.

And therein lies the rub.

Maybe you can eke out a few more clients and double your income to about 200k.

But you're still just in a job.

The leverage, as you've put it, is in recurring revenue from ads you wrote a long time ago.

But you know this as well as I do -- most ads have a pretty short lifespan. Whether the ad stopped working or the company just wants fresh eyes on it or they hired a new executive who wants to take everything that's working and throw it out the window? Who knows.

I wrote an ad for an investment product ... 12 years ago now? Funny thing is they just sent me $500 because they got another sale with it a couple weeks ago. It was pretty funny.

Do you think you can make over a million working as a copywriter without selling courses or your own products? I'm not sure it's possible (maybe with royalties but that's also close to impossible to secure nowaday).

Cheers all,
Robbie

You 100% can.

However, a lot is standing in your way.

Most companies move so fast and change things so rapidly that by the time you to get a solid ad, producing sales (and convince them to give you commissions on it) -- they're going to want to change it up.

Which is why I agree with you. Just sell your own products.

Then you're building a real asset. Something that will outlive and outlast any copy you created.

P.S.

The reason these guys sell courses is because they hit the point you're at now. They think "well I'm maxed out writing for clients... how can I sell more? courses!"

And some are pretty sleazy with it. Some are just fine. Some are great.

But they realize they just have a high-paying job and need to get into selling a product instead of a service. The only product they know, though... is copywriting.

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

Hmm the video would't load