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Copywriting Secrets of the Masters:

Michael Masterson

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How to Fail Forward – to Ensure Success

I recently received the following email …

Dear Mr. Masterson:

My name is Carol and I am enrolled in your Advanced Program for

Six-Figure Copywriting.

I am overwhelmed at this point. I thought I was doing well with

each assignment, but now that I have my letter pretty much in

order and complete, I find myself reading and re-reading – which leads to writing and re-writing. I just feel like I can’t get it together

anymore.

Am I the only one who is overwhelmed or do others get this way?

I keep reading and re-reading information in the lessons and I get

more confused. What can I do? Do you have a suggestion for me?

I appreciate any thoughts you can give me. Again, thank you.

Carol Snyder Yuma, AZ

Here’s my advice for Carol – and anyone else who may be feeling the same

way …

First, I can’t say the AWAI copywriting program is mine. It was originally

based on my observations about good copy. But it has been consistently improved since then to include the insights and specific copywriting

techniques of many of today’s most successful Master Copywriters, including

Bill Bonner, Bob Bly, Paul Hollingshead, Don Mahoney, John Forde, Clayton Makepeace, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Jennifer Stevens and others.

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Carol’s problem is not uncommon. At last year’s Bootcamp, I had a conversation with a young man who was dealing with the same issues. He

called himself a “perfectionist.”

I told him what I’m going to tell you now.

When you’re writing copy, you can’t know what perfect is until you test it in

the marketplace. Copywriter A may believe his copy is better than Copywriter B’s, but if the latter outpulls the former, then copy B is better.

Direct-response copywriting isnota subjective arena. It’s like sports. The team with the most points at the end of the game is the better team.

When you find yourself rewriting and re-editing your copy constantly, it is

because of one of three things:

You have the idea that there is some ideal, perfect copy out there that

you can achieve by refining your copy

You are writing copy before you have identified your prospect’s core complex.

You lack self-confidence and are afraid to subject your writing to criticism.

Do any of these reasons seem relevant to you?

If so, here’s what to do about them:

1. Banish the idea that you can create perfect copy.

There is no such thing as “perfect copy.” There is only copy that works well and copy that works less well. The marketplace is the judge of

copy, not you and not anyone else you know – not even your mentor.

The closest approximation you can get to the market is by doing a peer review (properly) with five or six people. Create a network or

support group of fellow copywriters and subject your leads to peer

reviews as soon as they are pretty good. Don’t wait for them to be perfect!

The great thing about peer reviews is that if the copy rates a 2.8 or

above on a scale of 1 to 4, you can usually bump it up a little in less

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than half an hour – in other words, take it from good to very good.

Remember, very good is good enough to mail. Nobody – no matter how experienced – can predict how well very good copy will perform.

Good marketers know this. They know that their job is to get good copy up to very good and then test that very good copy as soon as

possible.

2. Discover your prospect’s deep core complex.

Sometimes you end up rewriting copy a lot because deep down you know the copy is mediocre. Rather than wasting a lot of time on

revisions, subject it to a peer review after you’ve completed the first draft.

If it scores low – below 2.7, say – then go back to your product and

customer research and keep digging until you come up with a new and

more exciting core complex. Remember, the core complex is a single, subtle feeling combined with a single tipping-point idea that, together,

create an intellectual/emotional impulse to buy.

3. Often, rewriting is simply a way to avoid criticism.

You don’t want to find out what you secretly suspect: that your writing

isn’t so good. Nobody does. If you feel that way, consider this: Every Master Copywriter began as an incompetent copywriter. To become

masterful at any skill, you have to be willing to endure the reality of being incompetent … and then the reality of being simply competent

when you want to be better.

You have to put in the time. With good instruction and mentorship, you can achieve competence in about 500 to 600 hours and mastery in

2,500 to 3,000 hours. And if you use the AWAI peer review system,

you will avoid unnecessary and hurtful negative criticism and you will learn faster. I strongly recommend you master that.

In short – and as odd as it sounds – you should take a “ready … fire … aim”

approach to your copy. Get it ready. But don’t spend too much time aiming it. After you fire, you can see where the bullet hits and make any necessary

adjustments. Fail forward! It’s the fastest way to succeed.

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Did you miss the AWAI Fast Track to Success Bootcamp last year? Don’t despair. Now you can still learn from some of the best copywriters in the

business for a fraction of the cost with the AWAI Fast Track to Success Bootcamp Homestudy.

Find out more here.

This article was originally published as part of The Golden Thread

MICHAEL MASTERSON – There is no one more qualified and experienced

than copywriter, entrepreneur, and business-builder Michael Masterson to teach you the art, craft, and business of copywriting.

Michael started his first business – a fifth-grade publishing venture – at age

11.

After finishing grad school at the University of Michigan in 1975, he spent

two years in the Peace Corps, where he began his writing career.

Several years later he was working as a writer for a small newsletter publishing company in Washington D.C. Then, in 1982, he learned the art of

copywriting and launched the first of dozens of successful direct-marketing ventures, many of which have become multi-million dollar companies.

All told, he’s been directly involved in the generation of over ONE BILLION DOLLARS of sales through the mail and online.

He’s also a highly successful author. He’s published more than a dozen

books, including several which have become Wall Street Journal, Amazon.com or New York Times bestsellers.

Today, Michael consults mainly for newsletter publishing giant Agora, Inc., and writes regularly for Early To Rise, one of the most popular self-

improvement newsletters on the Internet, and for The Golden Thread, AWAI’s weekly copywriting newsletter.

But there’s more to Michael Masterson than just his writing and business

skills.

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Michael also has a knack for taking just about anyone with a burning desire

to upgrade his lifestyle – no matter what his background or education – and transforming him (or her) into a top-notch copywriter:

He’s the one responsible for transforming Paul Hollingshead from a 35-

year-old minimum-wage grocery store stock boy into a copywriter earning upward of $300,000 a year … and Don Mahoney from a

woodworker to a $300,000-a-year copywriter living in Miami Beach … He’s mentored other copywriters who have gone on to generate

hundreds of millions of dollars in sales each year through their copy … He’s shown people in their 50s and 60s – people preparing for

retirement – how to successfully change careers and become well-paid

freelance copywriters … He’s taken young people fresh out of college – with no “life experience”

at all – and turned them into top-notch copywriters and newsletter journalists …

He’s taught housewives, bartenders, and laborers to excel … He’s even helped “professionals” – doctors and college professors –

leave successful careers to enjoy the big money and stress-free lifestyle copywriting offers

Discover how Michael can do the same for you with his

AWAI Accelerated Program For Six Figure Copywriting.

Michael Masterson

"For more great free information on how to take your copywriting

career to the next level please visit www.ProCopyWritingTactics.com

and don't forget to collect your free Pro Copywriting Tactics Reports