I love reading about old-school copywriters like Gary Halbert, Gary Bencivenga, and Eugene Schwartz. 

Not just because their copy was awesome...

...but because they all had a quality most copywriters today lack.

Lacking this quality keeps you stuck at $2,000-$3,000 months. 

It has nothing to do with writing. 

In fact, you can be a mediocre writer...

And still make $10,000/month or more with this.

Savvy business owners love copywriters who possess this quality.

Whenever you show that you have "it," you stand head and deltoids above people who write just copy.

What is this quality?

Being an offer strategist.

As I've said in the past, business owners always place you in a "bucket" when they talk to you. This bucket determines how much they'll pay you.

And if they view you as an offer strategist...

...they instantly put you in the "big bucks" bucket. 

Why?

Because great copy can only take a business so far. 

A so-so offer with great copy, will make a few...

 One of the principles I teach students is called copy velocity.

In other words...

How many words do you use to get your point across? 

The fewer words you use, the easier it is to hold people's attention. 

When you hold their attention, the more likely they are to whip out their credit cards and buy.

So how do you make your copy more velocious? 

(didn't know "velocious" was actually a word hahaha!) 

We'll use a free tool. 

Most copywriters know about it, yet stubbornly refuse to use it...

Its name?

* drum rolls * 

https://hemingwayapp.com/

Don't roll your eyes.

Chances are you're also aware of this tool.

But do you use it?

If not, it's a shame.

You should always edit with Hemingway since it lets you catch one of the worst writing habits in existence...

The use of passive voice.

Dave kicks the ball - that's active voice.

The ball got kicked by Dave...Dave was able to kick the ball...The ball was able to be kicked by Dave - that's passive voice.

...

One of my superpowers as a coach is to look at a piece of copy…

…and transform it from “meh” to “WOAH!”

How?

Whenever a line of copy feels flat and makes my eyes glaze over, I ask:

“If this was a movie scene, what would I be seeing?”

The reason this 11-word question works is because we think in pictures, not words.

When you create a picture in your reader’s head, your copy becomes more interesting…

People are more likely to reach the end of your message…

And when more people reach the end of your message conversions soar.

Let’s say you sell a skin-care product.

“Improve your looks” is a commonly used benefit that doesn’t mean much.

How about “reduce wrinkles”?

Or “wipe years off your face”? 

Or “your skin will radiate in as little as 30 minutes”? 

More visual and more powerful, right?

Now, try this yourself.

Find a piece of copy you...

Gary Bencivenga is one of the all-time great copywriters.

But many don't know that he was a mediocre copywriter for the first 10 years of his 40-year career. 

At one point, his copy chief told Gary that unless his next ad worked, they'd have to let him go.

To make things worse…

His next ad was selling a Frank Sinatra music club. 

Gary had been mainly writing book ads so he had no idea how to sell music. 

He also knew if he was fired, he'd have a hard time getting a job as a copywriter. 

Just like today, clients talked with each other back then...

And all advertising agencies would know Gary's copy was crap. 

He had a family to support and really needed the money but the odds were against him.

However…

With his back on the wall, he made a discovery that would change his trajectory as a copywriter forever. 

This discovery made him a control-beating machine that enjoyed 3 decades of non-stop wins.

And thanks to his discovery people like my...

To paraphrase a famous writing quote:

Copywriting is easy; you just open a vein and bleed

I love our craft but it's intimidating to beginners. 

Part of the problem is unrealistic expectations.

You don't have to start with a 10,000-word sales letter. 

(leave those beasts to guys like Stefan Georgi, Dan Ferrari, and yours truly for the time)

As a beginner, there's a simplest, easiest, and fastest entry point...

Traffic driver emails.

What are those?

Think punchy, 100 to 150-word emails.

Unlike a sales letter, they don't sell anything. 

So you don't have to create a logic skeleton, overcome objections, add 2-3 proof elements to each benefit you use, write emotional stories, or any of that jazz.

They have one goal...

Make you click a link.

Starting price for those bad boys is $50-$100. 

But, if you're good and target the big dogs, you can get as much as $1,000 per email. 

I know copywriters who make 6-figures a year just from traffic driver emails. 

Not bad...

I love live events.

They're great for networking and closing business deals.

But...

Most copywriters who go to those events reek of an "I want gigs, give them to me!" attitude.

Unfortunately, it comes off needy and will result in LESS gigs.

Today, I’m going to show you something I call the double d's approach to charming clients.

D.D. or doctor's diagnosis is what all high-level copywriters do when they talk to prospective clients.

Essentially...

You approach conversations with clients first as a friend… then as a doctor who diagnoses a patient. 

Chit-chat first, make them laugh, and socialize. 

Then, ask specific questions that help you identify their problems and needs. 

Finally, prescribe a solution. 

Let's see an example, shall we?

Hey man, my name is Ning. What's yours?

Nice to meet you, Ning. I'm Joe.

Nice to meet you, Joe. So, what brings you here?

I have a few offers and want to scale them on cold traffic.

Oh man, takes balls to tackle cold...

Don't worry - there are no NSFW pics here.

"Throw your copywriting d1ck on the table" is an expression I use when I teach client outreach to students.

See, most copywriters have no clue how to message a new client.

They see a gig on a job board, hastily put together a lame message, and hope the client responds. 

But...

That's what 99 out of 100 copywriters do.  

Result? 

They don't stand out. 

The client ignores them.

And they miss out on a lot of jobs.

I don't want this for you. 

That's why today we'll fix your client outreach with Ning’s “proprietary” T.Y.C.D.OT.T. method.

Here's a cool story to set the stage:

Back in April, an old client asked me to write a sales letter for them.

We hopped on a call and I quoted them $30,000.

They didn't blink so I knew my price was within their budget. 

They said they'll message me when they were ready and we hang up.

Six days later they messaged me.

But they weren't ready to pay me.

Instead,...

Just like salt can make a dish go from "blah" to "YUMMY"...

...there are 3 ingredients you can sprinkle your copy with that will make it go from "ARGH this thing bombed" to "HOT DAMN! Look at all those sales!"

Interested? 

Here's what I want you to do:

Go on Reddit (reddit.com) and find a subreddit where your prospects talk about their problem. 

Let's say you sell to women who want to lose weight. 

One of the most active subreddits for this market is https://reddit.com/r/loseit 

It has 3,400,000 members who post and comment daily. Sweet.

Next...

Pay attention to posts that have high "upvotes" and a ton of comments. 

Those are the ones that the most people resonate with.

Your job is to look for the following copy ingredients:

1. common challenges
   
2. specific language patterns
   
3. interesting stories your prospect uses to talk about their problem

Take for example this beauty of a post: 

I’m still fat but I look so good! I’m so proud of myself. I...

Did you know that whenever a business owner decides to hire you, they place you in 3 different "buckets" in their minds?

Those buckets depend on:

• What you usually write
  
• What you say you're comfortable writing
  
• (Most importantly) What's your skill level

And guess what?

The bucket they place you in determines how much they'll pay you.

It might not seem fair...

But that's how the direct response industry works.

Copywriters who resist this truth stay stuck and never make it past 3k-4k months.

However...

The ones who understand DR is a game and respect the rules? 

They experience income breakthrough after income breakthrough.

And they do so fast. 

That's what I want for you, my dear Top Gun.

Anywho, let's see those buckets:

1. Small Money Bucket

• Ads
  
• Emails
  
• Short-form
  
• Short video scripts
  
• "Content" (anything that doesn't try to sell stuff)

2. Mid Money Bucket 

• E-com
  
• Landing pages
  
• Email list manager
• "Jack of all trades" (aka you write all sorts of copy)

3. Big Money...

 Here's one of the most common questions I get from newbie copywriters:

"How can I get my foot in the door when I don't have proof that my copy converts?"

Savvy business owners always wonder if they can trust you to write high-converting copy.

If you can't share data or results (aka proof) of previous projects they probably won't hire you. 

But there is a way around this. 

So today I'll show you Dr. Ning's cure for the "no proof" disease.

The cure works fast. 

You don't need to wait months, weeks, or days to see results. 

You don't even have to be a talented wordsmith. You add 2-3 simple-to-write lines to your outreach message and presto - doors magically open.

In fact, here's what I want you to do: 

When you're done reading, apply the cure to all the outreach messages you were going to send today. 

Methinks you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results ;-)

Full disclosure:

This cure doesn't work 100% of the time. 

And when it does work you...