My biggest writing blunder


This email mentions a product I’m promoting, Copyhour. As always, every email I send will have useful ideas regardless if you’re ready to buy or not. But if you’d prefer not to hear about this launch’s benefits, just click here and I shall be shtum.

In the winter of 2020, I stumbled across a recommended booklist for aspiring writers.

I’d read many. But one book was new to me:

The Boron Letters by Gary Halbert.

I hadn’t heard of copywriting, so I picked it up.

And guess what?

I hated it. It felt sleazy and manipulative—like it had been written by a car salesperson, not a sophisticated writer.

“More like The Boring Letters,” I said, throwing the book in the bin, pleased with my play on words.

It was a costly mistake.

I continued to write. But no one was reading. I told myself it was just beginner’s hell. But after a year, I was still grinding away without results.

Then a friend recommended Joe Sugarman’s Adweek Copywriting Handbook.

As you can imagine, I was skeptical. But he told me it changed his life (quite literally). So I gave it a whirl.

The book blew me away. Perhaps I wasn’t ready to hear the message a year before, but I finally understood the point of copywriting.

It’s not about manipulation.

It’s about motivating through the written word.

And online, no skill is more important.

Social media content, YouTube, emails, ads, sales pages, products.

Everything is copywriting.

My business blew up when I took it seriously.

I went from 1,000 followers in year 1 to 100,000 in year 2. My newsletter went from something my mum and friends read to one of the most popular in our space. It took me 18 months to make my first dollar and 31 months to hit 7 figures.

Reader, it is not enough for you to relay information to your audience.

If you want them to take action, you must hook and hold their attention.

Copywriting is the secret to standing out in the sea of noise.

Now, I don’t consider myself a copywriter.

But that hasn’t stopped me learning the fundamentals. Neither should it for you too. I’ve yet to meet an entrepreneur who’s studied copy and hasn’t catapulted their business in some shape or form.

And sure, you can dive into the old books.

But one of my favourite resources is Derek Johanesen’s Copyhour.

He gives the simplest explanation for how to write great copy, spread over a 90-day email course. Crucially, he provides classic and modern examples for the advice (something many books lack).

Combine this with ‘copywork’—a handcopying practice like pouring gasoline on the fire of learning—and you pick up copywriting in no time.

3 months is a small investment when you consider the potential return.

I would recommend you check it out before the launch deadline on Sunday, January 12th (there’s a reason 4,000+ students have taken it).

https://portal.copyhour.com/a/2148027147/bFZHG8wY

To your business success,

Kieran

P.S.

My favourite part about copywriting is that it’s psychology on paper.

It teaches you so much about human nature—crucial for communication. And to get what you want, communication is key.

Take a look at some of the reviews on Copyhour’s page:

There are many more like this. Hopefully catch you inside:

https://portal.copyhour.com/a/2148027147/bFZHG8wY

Kieran Drew

On a mission to become a better writer, thinker, and entrepreneur • Ex-dentist, now building an internet business (at ~$500k/year)

Read more from Kieran Drew

Before we dive in: One of the best newsletters I've read: "Growth in Reverse" by Chennel Basilio. Each week she provides incredible tactical breakdowns for how to build your business and newsletter. She put together an epic database of 75 growth levers you can use right now to scale. It's a great read. GRAB IT HERE FOR FREE Last month I announced I would get back to writing monthly business reports. But I soon hit friction. Usually we'd create a series of graphs and run through the full...

Before we dive in: One of the best assets I've read online: Olly Richard’s Anatomy Of A $10M Online Education Business. Seriously. I must have read it eight times by now. It is the perfect blueprint for online entrepreneurs who want to build a thriving education business. My favourite chapter is the one on freedom (of course). It's free, so you'd be mad not to read it. His emails are fantastic too. CHECK IT OUT HERE A lesson I wish I learned four years ago: If everyone likes your writing, no...

This email is part of a special series called the Magnetic Writer Manifesto. You can read part 1 here. I just finished re-reading 1984. I love dystopian stories that expose the dark side of humanity. In Orwell's world, the state controls the people. They have their own language (Newspeak), brainwashing (the 2 Minute Hate), and if you think individually (Thoughtcrime), you’re whisked off to be tortured, pacified, or killed. I don’t believe we’ll get to this point (although my friend tells me...