Its Time To Start That Swipe File

Just as great fiction is an art, so is great copywriting. Beneath the art, however, there's a foundation of basic knowledge and skills. The craft that goes into your writing.

Craft comes first. Art follows.

You learn the craft of writing by educating yourself, by the actual process of writing (the doing), and by reading incessantly. Every successful writer will tell you that reading has been and still is the cornerstone of developing his craft.

Reading presents you with a written illustration of what works and what doesn't, of what you like as a writer and what you don't. It helps you understand the possibilities, and offers practical instruction of how the rules of your craft are used.

Most writers, when they start out, mimic their favorite authors. I have a friend who became incredibly adept at writing like Stephen King. For several years, everything I wrote had a Ray Bradbury flavor.

Eventually, we developed our own styles, which were richer for having first gone through this mimic stage.

The point is this: part of any effective learning process is to mimic what has been successful before you.

This is true of copywriting, too. And it's the reason you need to start a "swipe" file if you want to become a successful copywriter.

What is a "swipe" file? It's exactly what it sounds like ... a file of great copywriting examples that you've collected, studied, and can access whenever you're in need of a little inspiration. These are not examples meant to be plagiarized. You aren't copying work here; you're adapting it to your own copywriting needs.

For example ... suppose you're writing a sales letter for an Internet site that sells an expensive men's wristwatch and you're in need of a great headline. You search through your "swipe" file and find a sales letter for The Oxford Club (actually taken from my own "swipe" file) with the headline: A Man's Right To Wealth. How To Master Every Situation And Prosper On A Grand Scale.

You toy around with it and come up with this: A Man's Right To Elegance. How To Impress In Every Situation With A Watch That Does Far More Than Keep Accurate Time.

See how a good "swipe" file can help?

You can use it to adapt opening sentences. Or the layout of a sales letter. Or the guarantee you or your client offers. Even the pace or the emotional "tug" of a piece.

By using your "swipe" file, your creative juices are instantly flowing. There's no blank page. You already have something to work with. And as any good writer will tell you, it's easier to edit than it is to write.

So where do you get the material for your "swipe" file?

The quickest and easiest source is the Internet. Start checking out website sales letters. Print them out. Good or bad (even the bad ones can inspire your work). Study them. And keep them close by in a handy file.

The other great source is from mailing lists. If you're already on a few lists, then start filing those pitches away when they arrive instead of tossing them out. If you're not on a list, try purchasing a product or asking for a catalog. It won't be long before you're on a number of lists and your "swipe" file is growing exponentially.

Two good places to get started are: Publisher's Clearing House, 101 Channel Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050; and Nightingale-Conant, 7300 N. Leigh Avenue, Chicago, IL 60648.

Try them both. Try any others that come to mind, as well. Just start building your "swipe" today!

David B. Silva
The Successful Writer
http://thesuccessfulwriter.com/copywriting/

---

Four Things Every Web Site Headline Must Do

As you know, I'm constantly making the point that the text on web sites is not given enough attention. Which is unfortunate, because the headlines on site... Read More

Writing Suitable Copy for the Press

Summer is finally here and school is out, but learning for the rest of us continues. Whether you're a seasoned PR professional working for a top agency,... Read More

How You Can Become A Freelance Business Plan Writer

As with any business, becoming a freelance business plan writer can be a challenge. The first challenges involve factors such as cash flow, getting clients, and maintaining... Read More

How To Really Connect With Your Customer In Your Copywriting

One of the least talked-about areas in copywriting education is voice. This is probably because it's tough to set general rules for something that's so personal to... Read More

3 Steps To Better Sales Copywriting

Whether you're wet-behind-the-ears or a seasoned copywriter, your craft will benefit by remembering one thing:You're nothing more than a salesperson.There's an old saying in the "business" that,... Read More

Can Honest Copywriting Succeed?

I confess--I'm a marketing heretic! I've built my career on breaking all the rules--and one of the rules I break is that I don't hype.Do I put... Read More

Why Copywriting Is The Secret To Your Online Success

Over the last decade, the number of companies selling their products and services on the Web or sharing information online with their target market has exploded.It's no... Read More

Help, Help, Help, Sell

Here's a fundamental difference between copywriting offline and copywriting for the web... - Give or take, my job as a copywriter offline was to sell, sell, sell,... Read More

How Ghost Writing Articles And Booklets Can Earn You Big Money!

Do you want to make $5000, $10,000 or more every month as a freelancer? Does your current published materials earn you that much or are you still... Read More

5 Critical Mistakes Most Freelance Copywriters Make

Think you have what it takes to be a freelance copywriter? I wasn't so sure I knew when I first started in 1999. All I knew was... Read More

13 Steps to a Slippery Slope Online Sales Letter

Many of the solo professionals whom I coach are people who offer services. They're coaches, consultants, creatives. And many of them are also beginning to sell information... Read More

Top 8 Techniques - Secrets - Create Ad Copy For Your Business To Sky Rocket

Perhaps the most important benefit in the material that follows is its ability to provide you with the necessary concepts and constructs which are critical for becomingsuccessful... Read More

Your Article Headlines will Make or Break Your Business

Most people with an online presence will have to regularly deal with the issue of coming up with an appropriate headline. The problem is that most people... Read More

Five Keys To Leaner and Meaner Copywriting

Grab 'em and don't lose 'em. Every marketer knows that one. Human beings have very short attention spans, so you can't afford to waste your prospect's time... Read More

Freelance Writing As A Career

Most people would love to make a living from freelance writing. If you tell people that you are a freelance writer, chances are that they will respond... Read More

Discover Your Creativity

You have a choice. Do you want to be constructive and positive in a unique way? Or do you want to be destructive and negative in a... Read More

Copywriting: Secrets of a Freelancer

Lately, I've been getting emails from other copywriters who ask me questions like "What's your secret?" and "How did you do it?" and "Can I be your... Read More

Long Copy vs. Short Copy? If You?re Still Debating This, You?re Missing The Point!

I've seen this ongoing debate debate jump up again recently in several Blogs and message boards and I can't help but laugh. It's not a new debate?... Read More

Steps to a Writing an Effective Press Releases

Want to get the most media attention and spotlight for your business? Then the first place to start is with a GREAT press release. Now I can... Read More

11 Reasons Not to Hire a Freelance Copywriter (and Why Theyre All Poor Excuses)

Think you can take the Copywriting Challenge on your own? Allow me to convince you otherwise! Here are eleven reasons why business owners typically choose not to... Read More

3 Reasons why Content is Still King

Back in the late nineties, the phrase 'Content is King' was repeated and repeated and repeated by site owners and marketers alike. The belief was that the... Read More

3 Tips For Writing Better Headlines

The single most important element of your website's copy is the headline. Take away practically everything else and you can still manage a sale (if the headline's... Read More

Top 3 Rules for Writing Effective Copy

One thing all successful Internet marketers have in common is that they're good copywriters. If you want to have a profitable online business, you need to know... Read More

How To Find Freelance Copywriting Jobs

Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance copywriting jobs, but how do you get them? The most important factor in finding these jobs is... Read More

How to Make the Most of Your Website Copywriter

Many people feel uncertain when dealing with copywriters. Like any artform, writing is subjective; instead of black and white, most business owners and marketing managers see indistinguishable... Read More

How Your $2-an-Article Ghostwriter is Like a Cheap Pair of Pants

Web marketers: have you figured out that article marketing is the secret to your success on the web?And did you realize that the more web articles you... Read More