Right Vs. Left – Which Side Are You On?

In This Issue:

• Main Essay: Right Vs. Left—Which Side Are You On? by Krista Jones
• Resource Referral: A Ready-Made Market for Lefties
• Quick Copy Tip: Track Your Time Like Any Other Job

Right Vs. Left—Which Side Are You On?
by Krista Jones

A few weeks ago we received an email from a reader who is worried about whether she can become a successful copywriter because she is left-brain dominant. I understand. I had that same concern before I entered the field.

Matter of fact, being the left-brain thinker that I am, I drew up a list of pros and cons when I was weighing the decision about whether to become a copywriter. And being very analytical—a classic left-brain trait—was number two on my list of cons.

I was aware that right-brained people are more creative and spontaneous. And I thought that would hurt my chances of becoming a good copywriter.

You may have the same concern. Or you might not be sure which side of your brain is dominant. If that’s the case, take a minute to answer the following questions:

When you walk into a theater, classroom, or auditorium (assuming there are no other influential factors), which side do you prefer—left or right?

When taking a test, which style of questions do you prefer—objective (true/false, multiple choice, matching) or subjective (discussion)?

Do you have a place for everything and keep everything in its place?

Do you like to keep your furniture in the same arrangement or do you prefer to move it several times a year?

Can you tell approximately how much time has passed without a watch?

Speaking in strictly relative terms, is it easier for you to understand algebra or geometry?

Is it easier for you to remember people’s names or to remember faces?

If you selected the first choice or answered yes to most of the questions above, I’m sorry to inform you that you’re a lot like me—and the left side of your brain is probably dominant. That means, among other things, you are orderly; you look at parts rather than the whole; and you like to process information in a linear, sequential fashion.

Knowing you’re a left-brain thinker is all well and good, but how does it affect you as a copywriter?

More than anything I think knowing you’re left-brain dominant—and being aware of the associated traits—will help you plan appropriately. For instance, here are the three primary ways being a left-brain thinker has impacted my career:

• Because I am so analytical, it takes me a while to digest all the facts, concepts, and ideas I encounter on each project. The result? It probably takes me longer to come up with big ideas and selling themes than most right-brained copywriters.
• It’s hard for me to write fast when I’m drafting copy. Even though it’s just a draft I have to force myself not to dissect every sentence before moving on to the next. It’s an annoying habit, but at least I’m aware of it beforehand so I schedule plenty of time in for creating drafts.
• I have a hard time evaluating copy—either someone else’s or my own—on the fly. I need a little time to look the copy over and analyze a few options before I’m ready to suggest a stronger alternative.

So, in my experience, the biggest downside of being left-brain dominant is it slows you down. But there’s also a pretty big upside…

As left-brained individuals, we like logic, structure, and following rules. Remember the 3R’s that we were so fond of in school—reading, writing, and arithmetic? Well, a good sales piece adheres to the 4P’s, the 4U’s, AIDA, the 4-legged stool, and other formulas. So we don’t have to worry too much about being creative—following a formula or checklist keeps us in our comfort zone.

Here’s the bottom line: Don’t let being left-brain dominant scare you off of copywriting. Just be aware that you’ll likely spend more time than you think on a project, then follow these five steps and I think you’ll do just fine:

1. Learn everything you can about the product. This is standard protocol no matter what side of your brain is dominant!
2. Give yourself time to process the information. Everyone needs time to do this effectively but we lefties may need a little extra time. It’s hard to quantify how much more time you’ll need, but I can tell you I like to schedule in a day or two after completing my research to come up with concepts, ideas, and a selling theme.
3. Take breaks. This is important because when you stop thinking about the project or you do things that don’t require much thought (such as driving a car, taking a shower, or jogging) the left brain is basically suspended and the right brain emerges as dominant. When this happens, you experience some of your most creative and best problem-solving thinking. I carry a digital recorder with me so I can capture these powerful ideas as they emerge.
4. Get excited about the product or service. This will help you get past your internal sensor and write as quickly and passionately as possible.
5. Follow a formula(s). There’s a science to writing good copy. And while that might be a right-brained person’s curse, it can be a left-brained copywriter’s savior!

Whether you usually dwell on the left or the right side of your brain, keep in mind (no pun intended) you learn and think best when both sides of your brain participate in a balanced manner. So we should all take steps to strengthen our less dominant side of the brain to become the best copywriter—and most well-rounded person we can be.

Resource Referral: A Ready-Made Market for Lefties

If you’re really concerned about being a left-brain thinker, you might enjoy writing copy for businesses. Among other differences, this type of writing is often more logical than when you’re writing to consumers—although you still have to appeal to buyers’ emotions.

If business-to-business writing sounds interesting to you, you should learn how to do it from an expert. And I don’t know of any copywriter who is more qualified to guide you in this market than Steve Slaunwhite. Steve has been writing business-to-business copy for more than 10 years, and he consistently earns well over $100,000 per year doing it. In fact, he is so in-demand that a Fortune 100 company pays him a five-figure annual retainer just to reserve his availability for their copy assignments.

Steve wrote AWAI’s course, Secrets of Writing for the Business-to-Business Market, and packed it with dozens of his secrets for making it big in this market. He even explains how to write copy for all three Business-to-Business markets: Fortune 500 companies, midsize companies and small businesses.

Just like the business-to-consumer market, the business-to-business market is hungry for good copywriters. If you’re interested in this market, you can’t go wrong by looking over this course to see if it’s for you.

Quick Copy Tip: Track Your Time Like Any Other Job

In my previous life as an environmental scientist, it was very important to keep up with the hours I spent on each project. I had a certain number of hours I could spend on each project. So I did what I had to do to meet the budget.

It didn’t take me long to figure out that it’s just as important to track hours on each of my copy projects. It was especially important in the beginning of my career.

As you begin your career, knowing how long it takes you to complete different types of projects will help you come up with fee estimates that are spot-on and also schedule your time effectively.

I have an old Franklin Covey gizmo that actually logs hours for different projects. I can set it to log as many as eight different projects. So each time I work on Project A, I can set the device to Log A, push the start button when I start working, and turn it off when I take a break or switch to another project. At the end of a day or week, I check each log to see how many hours I spent on each project.

I’ve gotten away from tracking my hours as closely as I once did. But it hasn’t been a smart move because I waste a lot more time now than I did when I had the timer going. So I’m going back to tracking everything I do so I’ll be more efficient. I encourage you to do the same.