Candidate,
You already know my copywriting course, Call to Action, closes tonight at 11:59pm.
But you might not be expecting what I'm about to write in this email. See, a normal "closing" email would tell you 24 reasons you "NEED" to join this course, and add in 14 bonuses and scarcity tactics.
So I'd like to talk about something different here, something most people wouldn't talk about.
I want to talk about three surprising revelations that helped me learn how to write great copy. They're not what you expect.
SURPRISING REVELATION #1: Being different is hard
Why do so many websites sound the same?
I'm not just talking about the 99% of life-coaching sites that use the exact same phrases ("Work with me") or the inscrutable language on enterprise software websites.
I'm talking about how if you ask people, "Do you want to sound the same as everyone else?" they'll shake their heads no. Then they'll go back to writing the same words, wearing the same Gap clothes, and holding the same Starbucks.
Just look what you're wearing, eating, and writing right now!
I get it. The same is safe. The same is comfortable. Shit, I like Starbucks.
But in business, the same is death.
When I started really learning copywriting, I was terrified of sounding like everyone else. I started with one hand tied behind my back — the name of my site, "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" — so I had to work twice as hard to make sure people wouldn't think it was a scam.
I tried to highlight how I went to Stanford. I highlighted my New York Times best-selling book, and even my photo in Forbes Magazine next to Warren Buffett. Still, I had skeptics.
But the thing that made the biggest impact was actually learning how to write in a totally different way than everyone else.
We've all had enough with the generic-sounding platitudes, the vague testimonials, and the "kumbaya" promises of being able to help everyone under the sun.
ENOUGH!
Think of the last time you looked for something online. Maybe it was eyeglasses, or a new salon. You look at 10 different places and they all sound the same, so what do you do? Go to Yelp? Read some random review?
That's exactly what your customers are doing to you.
You may have spent years working on your business, but your customers will give you mere seconds. They want to be convinced — they're actually BEGGING for someone to cut through the noise and help them — but if your copy doesn't show why you're different, you've failed.
Don't be misled by the identical-sounding copy in most markets.
You may think there's a reason they're all using the same phrases … but in reality, most business people have never studied copywriting at all! There's no method to the madness. They're just following the same worn-out path as everyone else.
(And frequently, the only difference is who can shout the loudest!)
I never wanted to play that game, because the minute you try to compete with 5,000 other sites using the same old tactics — scarcity! steal these headlines! make sure you include 4 bonuses, then an upsell worth 25% of the original purchase price! — you've lost.
In life, being the same is comfortable. In business, being the same is death.
SURPRISING REVELATION #2: The humility to learn from other people
Yes, I also find it hilarious that humility was a surprising revelation.
At a certain point, I started to get better at copywriting. I'd been reading books, practicing writing, and even selling a few small products.
Eventually, my business crossed the $1 million mark. Then $2 million. And beyond.
This was a pivotal moment because my business was now generating more than the people who I'd originally learned from. So I had two choices:
- Decide I was doing pretty well and I didn't need to learn from those books or courses. Kind of logical, since I was generating millions of dollars.
- Double down on learning. Who knows how much better I could get?
Guys, this isn't a hypothetical. Look at the email I got when we first launched this course.
