TCC Podcast #257: Busting 3 Copywriting Myths with Kim Krause Schwalm

On the 257th episode of The Copywriter Club podcast, Kim Krause Schwalm is back on the show. Kim is an A-list copywriter and copy mentor who got her start in the marketing world. Since her first episode, she’s narrowed her focus on mentoring other copywriters on how to write better copy and attract high-level clients. If you’re looking for advice on becoming an A-list copywriter, this is for you. Here’s what we talk about: Going from time for money to value for money. What it looks like to begin mentoring by creating courses. The 5 key steps to writing good copy. Is there a set timeline for completing copy? Fact or myth: Can anyone be a copywriter? Why people devalue copy and how we can position ourselves for highest value. How grammar can make or break the sale of your product or service. The benefits of hiring a copywriter for your business. Why you need to stop working IN your business. Are the classic copywriting books still worth the read? (Kim needs a word with you.) Black and white thinking and how to overcome it. The importance of learning and relearning and how it will make you an A-list copywriter. Unlearning what you think you know about being a good writer. How to use your background to become a better copywriter. Do you have to do all the things to be well known in your industry? Podcasts, coaching, Youtube? The most common mistakes new and established copywriters keep on making. How to create stronger boundaries in order to create a sustainable business. Kim’s advice on how to work with head-honcho companies. What you need to do to increase the respect your clients give you. Getting paid for royalties: where do you begin? Outlining your agreements and contracts for greatest success. How to build your authority and accelerate your business. How does it actually start? Why watching reality TV and reading People magazine can be a good thing. Listen to one of the best in the business by hitting the button below or by checking out the transcript.   The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group The Copywriter Underground Kim’s website Kim’s first episode Matt’s website Scientific Advertising Full Transcript: Kira:  Just about everyone you meet on the street, thinks they're a writer. You sit across from your cousin at the table and he talks about the novel he's working on. Maybe you bump into an old classmate and they tell you they're working on their body of work. Sure, anyone can publish their writing today. We should actually celebrate that, but not just anyone can write copy. If you want to be an A-lister and build a career as a copywriter, it takes more than just a pulse and a pencil to do this thing so many of us do daily. Today's guests for The Copywriter Club Podcast has built her reputation around her impressive resume of copywriting accomplishments. That's why she's an A-lister we can all agree is actually on this phantom A-list. We're talking about Kim Krause Schwalm. You can catch our first podcast interview with Kim back in the day in episode 40, where we talk about how she went from successful marketing director to control beating copywriter in less than two years. But today, Kim's here to bust three copywriting myths. And before we jump into all of that, I want to introduce my co-host for this episode, Matt Hall. Matt Hall is a renaissance man. That's the best title for him because he can do all the things in the marketing space. Any time anyone has any type of problem, I send them to Matt Hall. But Matt, that is the worst possible title for you. What do you actually do? What do you call yourself? Matt:  What I really do is I solve problems. People come to me and they don't say, "Matt, I've got money for you. Just take it, do with it what you will." They come to me because there's something they want me to do and something they want me to make better. So I do that with websites, I do that with copy, I do that with strategic planning. A lot of what I learned has come from being able to interact with people just like Kim. Actually, this is a cool episode to be on because I accidentally sat next to Kim. And I didn't realize I was sitting next to this copy A-lister. So I'm talking to her, and what I've been talking to her about, Montessori for my kid. She was just the nicest, most generous person I could possibly be talking to at that lunch table in Brooklyn. It was just such a cool experience. And then later you realize, oh wow, this is Kim Krause Schwalm, she's the real deal. Kira:  A big deal, yeah. Matt:  She's such a huge deal in this space. So this is such a cool episode. There's so many things in it that I really resonate with. I think the simplicity and clarity, what she says is also going to really resonate with a lot of the people listening today. Kira:  All right. Yeah. Kim is a wonderful, she's become a friend. We both live in the D.C. area. So we hang out frequently pre-baby, now I'm not hanging out with anybody. Also, yeah, Kim and I have chatted about Montessori as well. So we know she's very passionate about Montessori. Matt:  Kim Krause Schwalm, known for two things, Montessori schools and A-list copywriting. Yep? Kira:  That's yep. There you go. So before, Matt, we jump in and get more official with this commentary that we're about to share, you solve problems, like what kind of problems and, what problems and how can people pay you for those problems to solve? Do you have a package or something you can plug? Matt:  I do. Right now I'm helping copywriters, coaches and consultants break through the walls, keeping them where they are, and implement the systems, strategies and scaling they need to finally hit the income targets that they've been aiming at for a while, but haven't been able to hit. So if you feel like you've been stuck, you feel like you know what to do, you know the things that you should be doing every day, but you also really struggle to figure out how to get out there and promote yourself effectively, how to balance your time, how to find the right help for your team, how to overcome your tech blockers, let's chat because I might be able to help you out. And if I can't, that's okay too, because we can get you connected with the right person. Kira:  This podcast is sponsored by The Copywriter Think Tank. That's our mastermind. If you listen to the show, you probably have heard us talk about it on just about every show. But today is cool because we have, again, Matt Hall is a past Think Tank member. So I'm going to take this opportunity, Matt, to just ask you, well, what was your favorite part about the Think Tank Mastermind? Matt:  There's that moment when you first get paid to write copy, and it just feels like magic. You do more copy jobs, you try to find more clients and it goes well, but then you hit a point where you get stuck and you're like, I don't know what to do. The cool thing about being in the Think Tank was that you're suddenly around a group of people who are all facing the same challenges together. And you're all experimenting in slightly different ways that feel authentic to your business, authentic to your personality. So you get to see, Hey, here's what works for a lot of different people. You get to pick and choose for what's working with your community that you're creating, how you can grow your own business. So it was just wild to see people who were just really down to earth, really cool and chill, people who've been on this podcast figure out what to do to break through that to that next step. And being able to learn from them gave me so much hope and a completely new level of freedom. Kira:  All right. Well, thanks for sharing that, Matt. If you're listening and you want to learn more, you can visit copywriterthinktank.com. All right. Let's kick off this episode and find out what Kim's been up to since we last chatted with her on the podcast. Rob:  Let's get caught up. So you were on the podcast episode 40, that was three years ago. Kim:  So long ago. Rob:  Yeah. We have like, what, 200 episodes since then. We're coming up on almost 270-ish, close to that. So what's been going on with you the last three years or so. Kim:  Yeah. Well, I've been gradually doing less and less client work, and that's in part just because I've expanded to having people that I'm doing mentoring with. I have some of my own courses that I've created that have actually been off shoots of events that I've held. So I've been gradually doing a bit more with my own business and with my own email list, and I've just found it really satisfying on many levels. I was always a marketer that could write copy. I fell into copywriting after a 13 year marketing career. So I've missed using those different parts of my brain. It's also been just really gratifying to be at a point where I can just openly share everything I've learned with people. I'm not worried about they're going to take work away from me because I'm basically semi-retired from copywriting. That's what I've been up to really the last three years. Rob:  If I remember right, I could be getting the timing not quite right, but when we talked to you the last time you were about to have your LA bootcamp- Kim:  Yeah, that was a while ago. Rob:  ... with Jay, and that's become one of your products. Kim:  It is, but I'm actually semi-retired that. I'm having been really promoting that because I do have another copywriting course called Copywriting Velocity, which was part of basically an offshoot of an event I had in March 2019. Then I'm actually about to refocus on that and do some more tinkering and expanding on that program. And then right now I'm actually working on a new course on research, which a lot of people have been very interested in learning more about.