3 Powerful Questions That Slash Your Writing Time in Half
A few days back I heard from a struggling writer.
She wants to pivot to copywriting, but currently works 12 hours a day 6 days a week.
So she's stuck.
She wants to find copywriting clients but her job has her pumping content 72 hours each week.
Today, I'd like to tackle the mammoth in the room:
These are a lot of hours.
Something doesn't make sense to me.
I'm not suggesting she's lying...
But as anyone who writes for a living will tell ya, you only have so many productive hours in a day.
The best copywriters write 2-3 hours and call it a day.
(We might hit 8+ hours if we're under a tight deadline but that's an exception)
However hitting 12 hours/day, 6 days per week?
Nuts.
Here's what I believe is the issue:
This person has experienced some kind of “block” that messes up their word output.
So I wanna pose 3 questions to her and anyone who struggles with their writing speed.
The answers to those questions can help you discover what your block is.
1. Do you stare at a blank page when you sit down to write?
If so, you haven't done enough research.
Ask any copywriter who makes 6 figures or more per year - we NEVER start with a blank page.
Many won't write a single line of copy until we have 5 or 7 times the amount of research we'll need to write.
So for a 1,000-word advertorial, we'll prepare 5,000-7,000 words of research.
We won't use everything...
However, we'll have enough ammo to complete the advertorial...
...and waste zero time brainstorming what to write.
2. Do you enjoy writing about your topic?
You cripple your writing speed if you hate, dislike, or even feel bored with your niche.
Let's say you feel morally bankrupt whenever you write copy for biz opp.
Wanna know what happens?
You will experience internal resistance before each project (aka procrastination.)
Your writing speed will suffer.
Any negative emotions you feel (like frustration and anger) will show up in your copy.
And conversions will suffer.
Take it a step further and ask:
Do you believe in the offer or the business you're writing for?
No?
Then, my dear Top Gun, you must, must, MUST look for opportunities elsewhere.
I understand that letting a client go might not be an option for financial reasons.
In this case, I'll share a quote from the late Jim Rutz, one of the greatest copywriters and direct mail pioneers who ever lived:
God will not let you starve if you turn down an unethical client
Nuff said.
Finally...
3. Is your mindset holding you back?
Think back to your childhood.
Search for a memory where a parent, caretaker, teacher, or somebody made a nasty comment when you wrote something.
Do you have such a memory?
If so, chances are your past self felt bad and this reaction created an emotional trigger.
You keep the trigger in your memory bank.
And you activate it when you sit down to write, without realizing it.
When this happens, you literally experience the negative feelings your past self experienced whenever you wrote something.
Do you think those feelings will cripple your writing speed?
Yeap.
Full disclosure:
I might be wrong here.
I have no idea if a mindset issue is hindering your word output. And even if it is a mindset issue, it might be different than my example.
My point still stands:
You might have mindset blocks from your childhood that hold you back.
I've seen it with over 400 copywriters so far.
The ones who tackle them, melt any internal resistance they feel when they sit down to write.
Combine it with research and writing for niches you're passionate about...
...and you can slash your writing time in half.
Having said that:
Would you like help to figure out what's the true issue holding you back?
Then add your name to the waitlist of "Zero to $5K."
It's my flagship coaching program that helps people go from making nada as copywriters to $5,000/month.
Right now it's closed since we help our current students kick glutes and take names.
But we’ll open again soon.
So if you’d like to get notified when we do?
>>> Click here to join the Zero to $5K waitlist
- Ning
