Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 of 3: Seven Vital Questions

The hardest thing about copywriting isn't knowing HOW to write. It's knowing WHAT to write. Your challenge as a copywriter isn't your ability to write compelling copy. It's your ability to discover insights into what you are selling and who you are selling to. The best copywriters are the ones who ask the best questions.

About me

I'm your instructor, Alan Sharpe. I got started as a copywriter in 1989. In the years since then, I've worked as a freelancer and as an in-house copywriter at an ad agency. I have written in all of the channels—offline, online, outdoor, mobile and broadcast. I have written print ads, radio commercials, email sales letters, banner ads, brochures, slogans and plenty more. I got married, bought a house, and raised two kids on my copywriting salary alone. I have been teaching copywriting since 1995.

Why take this course

This course answers the two biggest questions that beginning copywriters have. Number one, what is copywriting, exactly? And number two, how do I discover what I should write about?

At the end of this course, you will know what is expected of you as a copywriter. And you'll know the questions you need to ask before you start any copywriting assignment.

Course structure

This course is divided into two sections. Section one defines copywriting, describes the major types of copywriting, and discusses specialized types of copywriting. It then introduces you to the two main audiences who will read your copy, and describes the types of writing that some people mistake for copywriting. Section one ends with a handy glossary of common copywriting and marketing terms that you need to know before you offer your services as a copywriter.

Section two goes into great detail about the seven questions you must ask before you can write great copy. We'll cover what you are selling, where you are selling, who you are selling to, why they should buy, who your competition is, the most important thing to say in your copy, and what you want prospects to do after reading your copy. Section two ends with a lesson on how to research a product or a service so that you can sell it with effective copy.

This course is filled with practical, step-by-step advice, tools, tips and tricks that I've learned over the years as a professional copywriter. I use dozens of examples from the real world of copywriting to help you understand what copywriting is, and how to get started on any copywriting assignment.

Ideal student

I designed this course for writers who want to write compelling advertising copy, but don't know where to start. If the thought of having to write one thousand words of promotional copy each day before lunch time fills you with dread, then this course is for you.

• About this Class
• Copywriting Defined Part 1
• Copywriting Defined Part 2
• Specialized Copywriting
• Types of Copywriting
• Your Two Audiences for Copywriting
• What kinds of promotional writing are not copywriting?
• To write great copy, ask seven questions
• Q 1: What are you selling?
• Q 2: Where are you selling?
• Q 3: Who are you selling to?
• Q 4: Why should they buy?
• Q 5: Who is your competition?
• Q 6: What is the most important thing to say?
• Q 7: What do you want your prospect to do?
• How to research a product or service so that you write great copy
• Study your prospect more than your product