Archive for Robert Schwarztrauber

Copywriting Is : Jobs for 2023 and Beyond

December 23, 2023 Uncategorized No comments
copywriting is

Copywriting Is: Salary, Work, Growth, and The Impact of AI

Do you sometimes dream of living the writer’s life as a copywriter?

Here’s a few facts you should know…

Know What Copywriting Is

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Copywriting is the art and practice of writing persuasive text to promote a product, service, idea, or an organization.

Copywriting is sometimes referred to as, “Salesmanship in Print”. Copywriters use the written word, in advertising mediums, rather than speaking face to face with a prospect to gain a sale the way a typical salesman would.

As a copywriter, you would be responsible for crafting compelling words and messages that connect with an audience, and motivates them to take action – whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or engaging more deeply with a brand.

Copywriters will typically spend a great deal of time doing research. The more he or she can learn, understand, get into the shoes and mindset of the prospect, the more likely his copywriting will be effective. “Know thy prospect well” is a maxim copywriters should live by. If you have a keen interest in why people do the things they do, in psychology, in human motivations, copywriting might be a good career choice for you.

The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit is a great resource which gives deep insight into the psychological realm of the copywriting career.

Key Copywriter Responsibilities

  • Writing content for advertisements, websites, blogs, social media, direct mail, brochures, and other marketing materials. This requires creativity, strong writing skills, and ability to adapt your writing style for different formats and audiences.
  • Conducting research on the product or service you are writing about, understanding the target audience, and aligning your messaging to their interests, needs, and motivations.
  • Working closely with designers, marketers, and clients to ensure the copy works seamlessly with the overall creative concept and branding.
  • Crafting headlines, taglines and calls-to-action that capture attention and drive response.
  • Optimizing copy for search engines by using relevant keywords and optimization best practices.
  • Testing and iterating on copy to improve results and performance over time.

Copywriter Work Environment

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Copywriters often work in marketing or advertising agencies where they collaborate closely with other team members like designers and strategists. However, remote work is also quite common, especially for freelancers or in-house writers at companies with distributed teams. Hybrid arrangements are popular too.

Copywriting Average Salary and Career Advancement

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Entry-level copywriting salaries typically range from $40,000-$55,000. With 5 years experience you could expect to earn $60,000-$85,000. Senior copywriters can make $90,000-$110,000 or more. Salaries vary based on location, industry, agency vs in-house role, and capabilities.

Copywriters who prove they can reliably get results, can often negotiate profit sharing deals in addition to their base salaries. This can significantly boost their income beyond 6 figures.

With experience, copywriters may advance to senior writer, copy chief, creative director or take on management roles. Some copywriters transition into content marketing, SEO writing, or copywriting specialties like UX writing.

Freelancing, starting a copywriting business, or using your skills to market your own or another’s products and services are also options which are available. In this situation, the sky’s the limit for your income. There is always a place for the copywriter who can sell.

Not quite ready for full-time work as a copywriter?

You can always get your feet wet doing side-gigs. The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit, besides having great information on how to craft compelling copy, also has actionable steps you can take today to start making money with your very own profitable side-gigs.

Copywriter Job Growth Outlook Beyond 2023

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Employment of copywriters and content writers is projected to grow 8% from 2020 to 2030, about as fast as the average for all occupations (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). So steady, positive growth is expected.

What’s the Impact of AI on Copywriting Careers?

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AI writing tools have emerged that can generate passable content quickly. But AI lacks human creativity, strategy, and nuance. While words do matter, it has been widely documented and proven that people buy on emotion, then justify with facts. As of this time, there is no “feeling” AI. And it is the feelings, the emotions which copywriters must court in order to persuade the readers.

 You can discovery the most powerful, emotional, persuasive human motivators in The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit.

Human copywriters who master both writing craft and strategic messaging will continue to thrive. The smart ones, who leverage AI as just another writing tool while providing high-level human oversight and finesse, will be well-positioned for success.

Specialization and expertise in certain industries or formats (like UX writing, branding, etc) will also be valued. So while AI will impact the field, skilled copywriters can adapt by focusing on the most human aspects of persuasive writing.

The Future is Bright for Great Copywriters

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In summary – copywriting careers remain promising. Continued adaptation to technical tools, new mediums, and evolving strategies will be important to stay relevant. The future looks bright for copywriters who embrace the creative, strategic, and interpersonal aspects of the one role that AI cannot replicate. Think you can spark desire, deep feelings, and an emotional lust for the products you describe? 

You’re in luck then!

Copywriting Jobs Now Available

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Curious about the availability of work for copywriters?

My friends at the American Writers and Artists Institute have a great reference page you can use in your job search. Here’s the link: https://www.awai.com/job-opportunities/

I hope you have enjoyed this brief overview of careers in copywriting. This potentially lucrative field combines writing, research, psychology and sales. With plenty of advertising mediums you can choose to specialize in.

A great future lies ahead for the one who’s ready to learn and earn from his well written words in the copywriting field.

Much luck!

– Robert Schwarztrauber

Headlines: Scare Them or Tease Them?

December 20, 2023 Uncategorized No comments
should headlines scare or tease

Playing on Fear and Greed: The Fine Line Between Persuasive and Manipulative Headlines

Ever wonder what captures attention best in headlines? Wonder what forces prompt action in your favor after you’ve gained that attention? Today, let’s discuss two powerful forces commonly used in marketing which drive people to do what they do. Which in our case, is buy something! Today’s topic is the two powerful psychological human motivators of FEAR (of loss or danger) and GAIN (of some desired prize).

Why Fear and Greed Work

Loss aversion is a powerful bias – people are far more motivated to avoid losing something than gaining something equivalent. Fear of loss is a very strong influencer. Fear appeals can effectively capture attention by sounding urgent and threatening. Our human biology is hardwired to alert us to signs of danger. However, extreme fear can backfire and cause the message to be rejected or ignored. Moderate fear tends to work best. The famous headline, “What NEVER to Eat on an Airplane” by Marty Edelston of Boardroom Inc., was the most opened piece of mail sent by Boardroom for over 3 years. Marty effectively used people’s fear of eating the wrong thing and becoming sick to get his envelopes opened. Curiousity was a major player here too. Both for health reasons and their ego, people fear doing the “wrong” thing. Gains claims need to seem achievable, yet meaningful enough to be worth the reader’s effort/investment. If too good to be true, gain claims can breed skepticism. Marketing expert Dan Kennedy effectively used, “The Secret of Making People Like You” to entice readers. There is a promise of gain which is hidden behind some “secret”. Here, Dan piques curiousity with that powerful word “secret” while offering a desired gain. While a headline such as, “Lose thirty pounds in just one week” would raise significant skepticism. And probably inspire a lawsuit or undesireable government action. Beware. Claims of gain work best when backed up by true testimonials or scientific proof. The Power in Each Psychology studies and marketing tests both strongly suggest that loss/fear is the stronger short-term motivator, while gain keeps people more consistently engaged long-term.

The Ethical Line

These two mechanisms walk an ethical line if they manipulate readers or obscure lack of real value. Respected brands focus first on creating outstanding value and meaning for customers in ethical ways. Psychology plays a role but should support value, not replace it. Best results are acheived when you keep the focus on serving over “getting” or manipulating people with baseless claims.

Creating Effective Headlines

Gain-Driven:
  • Focus on benefits.
  • Use positive action words like “discover”.
  • Offer solutions to frustrations.
  • Inspire curiosity.
Fear-Driven:
  • Consider risks/costs of inaction.
  • Use caution with strong fear appeals.
  • Play to loss aversion, but don’t exaggerate or manipulate.
For a list of the best 40 words to use which inspire action, refer back to this article on famed copywriter, the great Drayton Bird: https://writeforwealthclub.com/40-magic-words-that-make-money/ Aim to deliver honest value and respect for your readers above all else. Psychology can help, but the most sustainable marketing builds trust through integrity. This article is by no means complete instruction on attention getting or producing actionable copy, but simply a comparison of two powerful forces which are often used by copywriters and marketers in their advertising. We’ll talk more about other effective headline and copy tactics in future posts. But here’s the thing. Knowing all the strategies and tactics of good headines and copy will still produce poor results unless you are speaking directly to the emotional concerns of your specific audience. The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit is one of the best tools around for peering deep into your specific propect’s mind and soul. For uncovering their SPECIFIC concerns, buyer hotbuttons, and addressing the real, driving reasons behind why they will buy. Do you have your Toolkit yet? Are you using it to speed up your workflow, or to increase your open rates, or sales? It’s a very modest investment that, if used, could fund a lot of steak dinners for you and your family. No risk to try it. If you think it sucks, simply ask for your money back. You would be the first though! Fear of Loss and Desire for Gain. Try to work these powerful psychological factors of fear of loss, or desire for gain into your next promotion. -Robert Schwarztrauber P.S. The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit as of now, is still available at the Beta testing pricepoint. But I expect it won’t be for much longer as word of it’s appeal spreads. This might be a good time to claim your copy. Or don’t. Just know that you’ll be competing then with copywriters who are using it. And they’ll have a distinct advantage. It’s up to you, I”ll sleep easy regardless of your decision.
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