Why All Writers Are Copywriters (or should be)
The Essentials Skills you Need to Make it in the World of Writing
If you’re a writer, you can’t not write.
It’s just what you do.
When you have free time. When something is on your mind. When nothing is on your mind. When you’re stressed. When you’re trying to sort out your problems. And, of course, when inspiration strikes…
In all of these scenarios, writing is what helps. It gets you through the tough times and elevates the good times.
Writing is therapy and it is expression.
Congratulations writer, you found something that speaks to your soul.
But, I’ve got some bad news for you. And, honestly, I hate to break it to you.
If you are not a copywriter, you’re probably not a writer at all.
I get it, I get it. For most writers, this is the last thing you want to hear.
I was in the same boat for… hold on, let me do the math… about 15 years.
Yes, that’s right.
Since I was a kid writing Star Wars and The Legend of Zelda stories with my friend Josh, writing was never something I wanted share with other people. It was for me.
It was never something I wanted to make money with. Writing was just something I felt and I did. I had stories so I wrote.
Copywriting is often thought of as a form of marketing. The relationship is not necessarily wrong, but it is certainly misleading.
Yes, copywriting is about selling a person an idea. But, that doesn’t exactly mean you have to sell them a thing.
Will you want to sell sometimes? If you’re trying to make a living as a writer, the answer should be a resounding YES.
What copywriting is really about is getting somebody to care. No matter what form of writing you’re doing… copywriting, comedy, sci-fi, autobiographical, historical fiction, screenwriting, … if you can’t get someone to care, you’re not getting the job done and thus, you’re not a writer (sorry bout it).
The aversion is understandable.
Even once I decided to pursue writing as a profession, I still didn’t want it to have anything to do with marketing or selling things.
That just doesn’t feel like art.
Marketing and copywriting are more about pushing sales, making money, and improving the bottom line. And — if you subscribe to the adage of the starving artist — money and art do not mix.
Here’s more bad news for you (which is actually great news when you know what it means): The starving artist is THE BIGGEST LIE ever told.
It’s even worse because it has become close to common knowledge in our culture. Most artists and writers feel they have to struggle to make a living.
LIES LIES LIES
Let me lay down some truth for you.
Art is a form of playing with, playing on, and creating emotions.
People buy because of the way things make them feel. This applies to literally everything.
Nobody listens to music just to fill the silence. If that were true music would just be random sounds crashing together for no reason.
People listen to music, watch movies, read books that make them laugh, smile, cry, sing, and dance.
That leaves one conclusion:
People want to buy good art. There should never be a starving artist.
Just look at the evidence:
The music industry is a factory for millionaires.
Hollywood is its own robust economy.
Sculpture, paintings, and other artwork are sold for millions in thriving art galleries.
Still, there are literal struggling artists out there. So, what’s the big idea?
Well, they’ve clearly bought into this idea of the starving artist, just like so many others have. Just like I did.
Can you blame us?
The starving artist's image is put on a pedestal. There is pride in making it through those trials and tribulations.
But, just think about it. If art can support these immense industries, you as an artist can certainly support yourself.
How?
Be a copywriter!
Selling is just about showing people the emotions that are already there(when it's not done sleazy).
It is showing them what they already know.
Copywriting is using an art form to tell a story and show people why they should care.
A real artist could do this work for themselves FAR BETTER than any industry executives ever could.
If you write and nobody cares about your work yet, you just haven’t learned to Copywrite, yet.
It’s just another part of the art.
