How to get the most out of this book
A brief chapter to help the reader get the most out of the day-by-day chapters.
Includes:
How long it takes to work through the material.
How to get the most out of each day's chapter.
What you'll learn in Weeks Two, Three and Four.
"Help! I can't complete the material in a week!" How to proceed if you can only work with the material on weekends.
Confidence-builders, and encouragement for the reader to act on her ideas.
Information on how to obtain a password and join the online forum for the
book at the Digital-e Web site, and interact directly with the author.
Week One: Start Your New Business In Just Seven Days!
Introduction & Day One: Getting Started
The Introduction and Day One are included in the proposal, please see the Sample Chapters.
Day Two: your portfolio, prospecting and marketing
On Day Two, the reader takes the first steps in marketing her skills. She creates her bio, and begins to compile her portfolio, and writes a direct mail letter to sell her skills.
Includes:
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Copywriter's bio. The reader learns how to leverage her current experience and skills, and writes her first copywriter's bio. Her current experience and skills also show her which businesses she could begin targeting in her
marketing. Includes sample bios. (I include sample bios written by my
students – real-life student samples are included right throughout the book.)
Copywriter's portfolio. The reader begins creating her copywriter's portfolio by creating writing samples. An explanation of an electronic portfolio.
Market research. The reader learns how to find markets, and a prospecting
routine is discussed in detail.
First direct mail letter. The reader writes her first direct mail letter to send out to prospects; a sample letter is provided.
Day Two copywriting techniques.
Day Two Exercises.
Day Three: Writing Longer Copy
Day Three's theme is "news". The reader learns to write longer copy, including news releases and newsletters. She writes a news release for her new copywriting services business, and collects sample newsletters to study. She also learns the "Brain Dead"
writing process, so that she can quickly write copy, to order, and to deadline.
Includes:
News releases step-by-step. The reader learns to write a news release. She also targets media outlets to which she'll send her first news release.
Publicity is better (and cheaper) than paid advertising, so the reader writes a news release for her new copywriting services business. A sample news
release is provided.
Newsletters are excellent promotional tools. The reader discovers the elements of a newsletter. A sample online newsletter is provided.
Day Three copywriting techniques. Includes how to follow up on initial
contact, and turn prospects into clients.
Day Three Exercises.
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Day Four: Public Relations Copywriting
In Day Four, the reader will become more comfortable with writing long copy PR, and develop skill creating and working with ideas. She'll price her services. She will also create a tagline (slogan) for her business.
Includes:
Concepts and communications plans. The reader learns how to develop a
concept and communications plan for a client with a new product or service.
Pricing. The reader learns how to price her copywriting services.
Day Four copywriting techniques. How to use incentives in copy. Create a
Public Relations media kit: the reader discovers how to create a media kit for her new business, and for her clients. More on writing news releases --- how to avoid having a news release perceived as an ad.
Sidebar: What should a copywriter know? A method for the reader to become
comfortable writing the kinds of copy she's never written before.
Day Four Exercises.
Day Five: Specialist Copywriting
In Day Five, the reader considers her past experience, and her interests, and considers building a copywriting specialty. The reader also learns to build her copywriting practice one client at a time, and how to use each client's circle of contacts to build her own contact base.
Includes:
Copywriting specialization --- yes or no?
Build a specialty in three easy steps.
Networking and partnering with others. Copywriters who work completely
alone limit themselves to small projects --- and a smaller income. The reader learns to become comfortable sub-contracting work like graphic design, and
also how to work as a sub-contractor for others.
Difficult clients. The reader learns to rely on her copywriting services
agreement.
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Day five copywriting techniques. Add punch to copy. Find copywriting jobs
online. Create a mini-proposal.
Day Four Exercises.
Day Six: Focus on Marketing
In Day Six, the reader works on marketing her new business. The reader realizes the importance of marketing every day, and that all the marketing she does is cumulative.
The reader creates a marketing plan. We discuss ten easy marketing tools.
Includes:
Create a marketing plan for your copywriting business. Why creating a
marketing plan is important, what to include in the plan. Regular review of the plan for what's working and what isn't.
Ten marketing tools you can use. Includes: Internet job boards, building a Web site, writing promotional articles, and joining organizations.
Day Six Exercises.
Day Seven: Copywriting for performance
In Day Seven, the reader discovers performance copywriting: writing for radio and television, and writing speeches and presentations, as well as writing for video and multimedia (CD-ROMs). Performance copywriting is a huge field.
Includes:
Conversational style. The importance of developing a natural, jargon-free, conversational style when writing for performance.
Video scripts, speeches and sales presentations.
Copywriting for radio and TV.
Copywriting how-to: writing radio spots; working with multimedia
companies.
Day Seven Exercises.
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Week Two: Your copywriting services marketing plan and
more
In Week Two, the reader continues to build her business, by creating a more
comprehensive marketing plan. She continues with the work of Week One, marketing her business.
Includes:
More information on marketing.
Marketing using online resources. The reader learns to build an "almost instant" Web site, which she can use as an online portfolio.
The reader learns about pitching, and how presentations can build her
business.
Strategic alliances. The reader learns how to partner with other people like graphic designers so that she can target larger businesses.
Week Three: Copywriting for the Internet
In Week Three, the reader learns to write for the online environment.
Includes:
Why writing for the Web is different from writing for print.
Various types of Web sites, and how to write copy for them.
Understanding a Web site's target audience.
How to write Web pages step by step.
Tips for the reader to market her copywriting services business online.
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Week Four: Writing bios (biographies) and creating your own
media kit
In Week Four, the reader will do more work on promoting her business. She will develop a media kit for her business.
This chapter includes a final section: "The end of this book; the beginning of your new life as a successful copywriter". This section is a final wrap-up, with some reminders, and encouragement and motivation for the reader.
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Sample Chapters: Introduction and Day One