Today’s writing lesson can 10X your results

You’ll want to make sure this is part of your writing habit … [The Writer’ s Life]( December 29, 2022 "It's not wise to violate the rules until you know how to observe them." – T.S. Eliot I'll just come out and say it, {NAME} … I LOVE THIS WRITING INDUSTRY! Along with being super FUN to learn, every minute you spend learning here is never wasted … That's because everything learned while studying the art of copywriting … every principle, every technique, every lesson … it can all be used to make money in numerous ways. It's one of the reasons why we call copywriting a financially valuable skill … - You can make money writing as a copywriter or content writer. - [You can make money improving copy as a copyeditor]( or copy chief. - You can make money writing for yourself, through numerous "client-free" paths we talked about earlier this month. - You can even use it to write and sell books if that's your goal. And that's just the start! Take for example today's copywriting lesson below from AWAI's Copy Chief Sandy Franks … It has the power to make copy 10X stronger. But you can use it in any of the money-making ventures above! That's why we believe EVERYONE interested in making money writing should understand the [fundamentals of copywriting](. And if you're looking to make money sooner rather than later … Or have been stalling on jumping in as a writer for any reason … [>> Go here to check out the copyediting opportunity.]( You'll learn how to use the fundamentals of copywriting to improve copy and content that has already been written … Allowing you to make great money in this industry, while making great connections for your own future writing endeavors, at the same time. Until midnight, you can grab our brand-new copyediting program at a massive discount! [So, check it out today.]( Over to you Sandy! To your success, [Rebecca Matter’ s signature] Rebecca --------------------------------------------------------------- We sat across the small round table from one another … Spread out in front of us were the 40 pages print out of the second draft of a long-form sales letter copy. The copy was for the launch of a brand new investment newsletter, Penny Stock Fortunes. We had been working on the copy for weeks. And this was our final chance to review it before putting it into production. There was so much at stake. We needed this sales promotion to bring in thousands of new paid customers. If it did, it ensured our future as a viable publishing company. And if it didn't work? Well, we might not have any more opportunities available left to prove that our ideas worked. What we were about to do was going to be the difference between success and failure. Let me explain … The copywriter who wrote the sales copy was sitting across from me with a red pen in hand. His one job … mark up every line of copy that needed to be changed. My job … read every line of copy out loud. It was a tedious process … stopping and starting. We stopped when whatever I read didn't sound right, or the flow was erratic … or even if the word choice was wrong. And right there on the spot, with that red pen in hand, he'd make changes. Then I would re-read it with those new edits incorporated. If it sounded better, we moved on to the next section of copy. It took hours to complete this process. But by the time we were done, we had a feeling that we had just created winning sales copy. Was our instinct right? That promotion was a big winner. It did 10x better than we expected. Reading copy (even content) out loud became a regular part of our writing routine. And it's something all A-list copywriters do without fail. Why? Because reading out loud helps you pick up little nuisances that could have an impact on response and or conversion rates … for example, awkward transitions that can stop a reader. When your reader moves from one paragraph to another, he/she expects it to flow naturally. But if there's an awkwardness, the reader begins to wonder what's going on. And the minute that happens … your reader isn't paying attention to the copy any longer. The same is true if you use a word that is not part of their everyday conversation. Instead of being persuaded to buy, your reader is now wondering what that word means. You might even find you've written a tongue twister … or the way you expressed a thought seemed great at first, but now reading it out loud sounds absurd. You could also find that a sentence you write is too long and shortening it up makes all the difference in flow. Of course, when you read out loud, you also find grammar mistakes. Maybe you missed a word or used "its" instead of "it's." You'll no doubt run whatever you write through a grammar or spellchecker program — and your clients will likely have a proofreader take one last pass before it goes out. But they won't catch everything … and definitely not the things a copyeditor would catch — the things that stop a reader from making it all the way through. Reading out loud is like copyediting your own work. And when you submit your copy to the client, they'll more than likely have a person reviewing it for grammar. And I have a sneaky feeling that copyeditor is reading it out loud too. But there's something else that happens when you read out loud. In a recent study conducted by researchers Colin Macleod and Noah Forrin working at the University of Waterloo in Canada, found that reading out loud makes things easier to remember. Macleod and Forrin used different subject groups of 95 students, and asked them to either read silently, read aloud, listen to recordings of other people reading, or listen to a recording of themselves reading. Memory retention was strongest when read aloud directly, suggesting that the impact came not just from hearing the words, but also from speaking them. This is because verbally pronouncing a word creates a memorable experience — a phenomenon the researchers call the "production effect." It's that memorable experience for you, Dear Copywriter, that matters. See, if the copy you write creates a memorable experience for yourself, no doubt it does the same for your prospect. When a prospect remembers something, they'll be more inclined to want the product you are selling. Of course when that happens, your client is more than thrilled with the results. That also leads to more and more projects. So take the time to read your copy out loud because when you do, you'll: - Eliminate unnecessary words - Remove words and phrases that are repeated too often - Vary up your sentence structure - Add consistency to the tone of voice - Find awkward transitions You'll soon find that with a little bit of self-editing, your copy will be more persuasive. And that just moves you further along in your writing career. I should note this is also a great way to start getting paid and making connections in this industry … Copyeditors are worth their weight in gold, for the very reason I noted earlier. You have the power to increase the results of the copywriter's copy … simply by identifying elements that can be improved. [Learn more about copyediting here.]( Keep learning and writing, Sandy Franks Senior Copy Chief, AWAI Kick-start Your Paid Writer's Life with This FUN AND FREE Gift (Normally $297!) Make 2023 YOUR year as a paid writer with this proven system for making one of the most important — and FUN — decisions you'll ever make … Your writing niche! This step-by-step blueprint walks you through how to choose a profitable writing niche that's right for you … how to position yourself as an expert … and how to find and land great clients. It's usually available for $297 in our catalog, but today you'll get it FREE with a Barefoot Writer magazine subscription for just $11. [Grab This Deal]( What's Hot at AWAI … 👉 LAST CHANCE: [Grab our copyediting program for just $497 $297!!]( 🤔 Do you know what your "why" is? [If not, read this.]( 😱 -> 😎 [How to face your fears as a writer and move past them.]( 🤩 [From zero to a full slate in six months: Connecticut Mom Reinvents Career After Layoff.]( With practice and a positive attitude, you can achieve anything … [Living The Writer's Life: Charles George] After an unfortunate loss in his family, Charles has been able to heal by devoting his time and writing skills to non-profits which serve families with critically and chronically ill children. [Read more about how positive thinking helps fuel his passion and purpose.]( Have your own story to share? Email us at mysuccess@awai.com, or [post it over in the Facebook group](, so we can celebrate your win too! TODAY! Get all this for $1 … [PWA Product Spread] The Professional Writers' Alliance (PWA) takes the stress out of running your writing business. With ready-to-use business forms, templates, and checklists … VIP job board access … networking opportunities … and a mountain of tips, tactics, and "been there, done that" advice from working freelance writers … You'll minimize the "unbillable" hours you spend working on your business and maximize your time writing — and getting paid. [Claim Your $1 Access Here]( Featured Jobs Marketing Proposal Writer – Two Twelve Full-time, New York, NY A great writer, editor, and proofreader --------------------------------------------------------------- Content Writer – Solera, Inc. Full-time, Westlake, TX Proofread content for errors and inconsistencies. Edit and polish content written by other team members to improve readability. --------------------------------------------------------------- Senior Copywriter – GEICO Full-time, Chevy Chase, MD Writes, proofreads, and edits original copy for projects requested by Marketing associates and other internal clients --------------------------------------------------------------- You can find all of these jobs and thousands more on [WritersWanted.com](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ©2022 American Writers & Artists Institute Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? 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