Just a quick reminder from the last post concerning how to look at the ad copy you are saving. Don’t think that because it is published on a website or any other type of media, that it is working.
I remember some advice I got about this years ago: if the copy is there, in whatever media format that is being used, for a week after week or month after month, it is probably something that is working very well. That’s one way that you can measure it.
Here are a couple of more tips on how you can use the copy you collect.
What has worked for me is to have three different categories for the copy. The first one would be for that which you consider or has proven to be the very best stuff.
Next you could make a file that has what you could consider about medium appeal: some good points and some that are weak.
Last (this may seem odd to you) and probably the most important would be the file with those that you know are terrible. Why are they so important? This is where you learn a lot about good copy. These you can take out and go over them looking for the points that are bad and what it was that makes it fail.
In other words, this is your training file. After all, we don’t collect files so that we can steal copy word for word. Remember we collect for ideas and inspiration.
As you develop and sell more products, you will always need to think of new ways to offer them to the public. That’s why it is good to occasionally look at these files and tinker with them until something starts to click. Then you can test them like we’ve talked about recently here.
Remember not to use these files to “steal” copy. Not only is it illegal, but worse for you, it will never allow you to create your own and become very skilled at it. Not only will this be good for your own products and services, but you’d be surprised at how much money a good copywriter can make on the side writing for others.
So I would encourage you to begin as soon as possible to be an avid collector of sales copy. You can never be good enough at this essential skill.
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