Micro-Copywriting

“Excellence in any pursuit is the late, ripe fruit of toil.”
– W. M. L. Jay, Author

In This Issue:

Micro-Copywriting
by Krista Jones

In CP Issue 103, I shared an exercise with you that gives you visual feedback on how you invest your time. If you did the exercise, you’ve likely created a little “extra” time in your day. Today I’ll write about productive ways you might fill that time to more quickly advance your copywriting career.

I say quickly because right now there’s a sense of urgency among many CP readers to get prepared for AWAI’s upcoming bootcamp event. And others are eager to quit their jobs by year’s end.

A common problem is not knowing what they should do first. Write a self-promo letter? Get business cards? Pull together a portfolio?

Whether you’re heading to bootcamp or simply readying yourself to enter the copywriting market, there could easily be five to ten things you would like to accomplish before you get on the plane or submit a resignation letter. And when you’re juggling a job, kids, or an important event like a wedding, the thought of trying to get everything done inside of a few weeks can be daunting to say the least.

It will help to know that you don’t have to complete the big picture right now. You can focus on just one or two things and still achieve outstanding results.

Following this three-step process will help you get rid of the sense of overwhelm so you can take efficient and effective action:

  1. Do a brain dump. Start by making a list of all the copywriting stuff you have to do. Let’s say you want to:

    • revise your vitamin letter assignment,
    • write a self-promotion letter,
    • complete an Internet marketing course,
    • send e-mails to five prospective clients,
    • complete a spec assignment for bootcamp, and
    • pull your home office together.

    You’ll probably feel better just getting it all out of your head and on paper. And now that you have it all laid out in front of you it will be easier to take the next step…

  2. Decide what will have the biggest, fastest, or most permanent impact. Okay, you’ve got five copywriting tasks you want to complete as soon as possible. But your time is limited, so where should you invest your time? Start with the item that will have the biggest impact on your career—and let the rest go for now.

    (Looking at the list above, we can quibble about what that item should be. But I would concentrate on getting the spec assignment done because I believe it has the greatest potential to bring the fastest results.)

  3. Complete your highest priority project(s) first. There’s nothing new about the idea of completing your high priority projects first. Yet, as discussed last week, we often still don’t get them done.

    Since completing my “time investment pie charts” last month, I’ve gone back to a strategy I used early in my career, but have since gotten away from. It’s called “time chunking.” Basically, I religiously block out one- to two-hour blocks of time to ensure I accomplish my most important daily tasks. No phones, no e-mails, no TV, and no family during that period. I get at least twice as much done when I adhere to this “no interruptions” approach.

    I encourage you to adopt this practice when you’re working on your number one task. Use the “extra” time you discovered last week if need be. You’ll work far more effectively and efficiently by chunking time in this way.

If you’re losing the battle with the calendar as you prepare for bootcamp, to quit your job, or land your first client, take this simple and direct route to your goal. Decide what actions will have the greatest impact and complete those tasks first. As for the rest, forget them for a while. You can focus on the big picture later.

Resource Referral: Reach the Top of Your Game

Speaking of things that will have a big and permanent impact on your career, I highly recommend enrolling in AWAI’s Master’s Copywriter Program.

You already know that Monica and I believe the basic program provides a powerful foundation for learning effective direct response copywriting principles. But if you want to become an A-level, in-demand copywriter, the Master’s Program is definitely the way to go. It will make things really click for you so that you own the concepts rather than just know them. There’s really not much more to say.

You can get more information here: www.thewriterslife.com/masters/cpcw/

Reader Feedback: Check Out This Fax Service

In response to CP Issue 101 about setting up your home office, I heard from two Copy Protégé readers who recommended the same fax service. So if you’re weighing your options you might consider this:

“Krista -

#101 — Great issue as always. And congrats to both you and Monica on reaching #100!!!

I thought I’d throw in my $.02 on the fax info you shared. I use an Internet fax service: www.k7.net

They assign a (long-distance) fax number and client faxes come straight to my email in-box! I’m very pleased with the service and really love the price — FREE!! I’ll still keep my "ancient" fax machine for the very infrequent outgoing faxes I send, but now, I don’t have to be home to plug in the machine and tie up a phone line waiting for clients to fax info in. Yea!

For a small fee, you can upgrade to an 800 number (that’s the hook), but you can use the free service indefinitely.”

– Dawn B