What do you do when your copy isn't converting the way you think it should? Trust me, the best copywriters in the world write the occasional dud...You put it out there, and it just falls flat. There are 5 common reasons your copy isn't converting, and on this week's episode, I'll explain how you can fix them all.   [00:52] Reason 1: Failure to understand the "P" in the P.A.S.T.O.R. Framework [02:01] Reason 2: Not doing enough research [02:46] Reason 3: Not dealing with competing solutions  [03:49] Reason 4: Your not getting the offer right [04:45] Reason 5: Not enough editing, revising and rewriting your copy RayEdwards.com  - We're making major updates to my main site. It not only looks great, but there are some valuable FREE resources waiting for you here. And, you are one step away from accessing the ONLY personal coaching that gives you the help you need to sharpen your copy skills and your grow your business. Get Coached EVERY MONTH By Me and My Certified Coaches. We will show you what to do in your market, for your product or services … to make more money and increase your profits. Here Is What You Get When You Enroll In the Copy Academy Coaching Membership RIGHT NOW! Individual Private Copy Coaching Every Month ​Monthly Group Mindset Coaching ​Monthly Group Copy Critiques ​Monthly Group Q&A Calls ​Monthly Marketing Templates with Video Tutorials ​ My Signature Copywriting Training Courses: Copywriting Academy & Sales Copy System ​Full Access to My Digital Vault and Archives (Value over $21,000!) ​Access to Our VERY ACTIVE Private Circle Community ​ BONUS: Two Free Tickets To Our Next Live Event in 2023 (Dates and Location TBD) How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there. Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice.   Get The Transcript https://rayedwards.com/595

Now is not the time to hide in a bunker...waiting for the impending economic doom we hear about every day. What you should be doing is turning your knowledge and skills into a business built around your own personal brand. That's what we're talking about in this week's episode.  [00:00] Intro - Turning your knowledge, wisdom, and experience into a business [01:27] There's a storm coming...Batten down the hatches? [02:29] Being a personal brand [03:55] How we're transitioning at Ray Edwards International, Inc. [07:55] But if I build a personal brand, I can't scale, right? [08:46] 3 Reasons to build a personal brand [08:57] Reason 1: It's the fastest way to create income [10:31] Reason 2: You can build a citadel to protect your clients [11:20] Reason 3: Customer-funded acquisition of market share [14:09] Whats a brand? [15:50] Closing with a quote   Links https://rayedwards.com/ - Check out the brand new rayedwards.com. There are plenty of valuable resources, free for the taking.   How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there. Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice.   Get The Transcript https://rayedwards.com/594

A couple of weeks ago, we did an episode devoted to the copywriting purists in the audience...A copywriting Q&A. That episode generated a lot of positive feedback, so this week, we're doing another round of questions submitted by some of our listeners. If you are (or want to be) a copywriter, I think you'll find some worthwhile knowledge inside. If you have a question, leave a comment below. I'm not sure when the next Q&A episode will be, but it largely depends on the quality and quantity of questions we receive...so don't be shy! I read every comment here and on the socials. [00:50] Question 1: How do I deal with "scope creep" when working for local clients? [06:50] Questions 2: How do I know what to charge to do some "minor touchups" on someone's copy? [11:20] Question 3: What's your favorite ad campaign of all time? Links https://youtu.be/ua5VfCVsDYo Tony Robbins Vintage Infomercial https://youtu.be/L8nt94LCyqY The Most Interesting Man In The World The Man In The Hathaway Shirt - A highly successful campaign by the legendary David Ogilvy which perhaps inspired The Most Interesting Man In The World campaign. How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there. Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice. Get The Transcript https://rayedwards.com/593

It was such a pleasure to welcome my son, Sean, back to the show. When the pandemic hit, it quickly became apparent that Sean would need to devote more time to our bricks and mortar coffee shop that we purchased together in 2017. In this weeks episode, I want Sean to explain what it was like to keep the business afloat amidst the shutdowns and restricted operations we faced here in the state of Washington. We both learned some valuable, life and mindset-altering lessons and I think some of those are universally beneficial to any business owner/leader. [00:00] Who is this Sean guy? [03:44] When the ship hit the sand [06:38] Restricted operations [07:51] A completely different point of view [09:02] What's the motivation? [12:07] Dealing with the politics and human nature [15:25] Differences for online vs. bricks and mortar businesses [20:47] What's changed at Revel? [27:45] As marketers, we ignore our customers... [29:05] These tactics work in the "real world", too [31:49] Spiritual transformation [32:41] The success bottleneck is here [34:01] Who's in control [38:46] Lessons from Desmond [43:46] If it doesn't work here... [45:21] Back to business Links A Rare (soon to be impossible) Opportunity To Work Directly With Ray Edwards - Click here to book a One-On-One with Ray How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there. Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice. Get The Transcript https://rayedwards.com/592

Are you making progress toward being the person you wish you were? Most of us have more than one area of our lives we would like to improve, and most of us even know what we need to do to get there (or at least, get closer). So what's the hold up? You're about to find out. This week, I want to talk about our greatest addiction. It's not drugs, food, or anything of the sort, but it's real, and it is probably the source of your stagnation. The good news? It's fixable. Click below to listen. [00:00] Here's what's going on [01:00] The quote that spawned this episode (@mindset.therapy) [02:01] Just hear me out (Even if you think you've already heard this) [03:14] Yeah, but are you DOING it? [04:33] Okay, Okay... I'll listen... But what is "It"? [04:45] Our greatest addiction [06:43] How does this relate to your business? [07:01] The truth about dopamine [13:00] Why are we addicted? [14:51] What is an emotion? [19:04] It's a breakable habit [20:57] Depression and Anxiety [23:18] Think about it until you can feel it [23:39] Have a plan [24:51] Ready? Links @mindset.therapy - Check out their instagram A Rare (soon to be impossible) Opportunity To Work Directly With Ray Edwards - Click here to book a One-On-One with Ray How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there. Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice. Get The Transcript https://rayedwards.com/591

This week, I'm getting back to the core of what I teach by answering questions submitted by copywriters. I encourage you to leave any questions of your own (or corrections/additions to the answers I gave) in the comments on this page. [00:00] Intro [00:56] Question 1 - Should I be worried about A.I. taking my clients? [05:01] Question 2 - Do I need to use contracts? [07:30] Question 3 - Did I write this, or did I steal this? [10:40] Question 4 - What's the best formula for a subject line? Links Click Here for Your Final Opportunity to Work Directly With Ray Edwards to Build Your Million Dollar Freedom Business Get My 100 Best Subject Lines (In the show notes for this episode) Copyscape - Online plagiarism checker How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there. Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice. Get The Transcript https://rayedwards.com/590

The term "quiet quitting" predates the pandemic by more than a decade, but has become commonplace since 2020. So, what is it? Quiet Quitting is when you decide to the absolute bare minimum of what is required to keep getting a paycheck...No more aspirations of "moving up the ladder", just "acting your wage", as they say. When the pandemic forced so much of the workforce to work from home, outside of the constant supervision of the traditional workplace, it became a lot easier to quietly quit. This week, I want to talk about where your life-impacting decisions (like quiet quitting) come from, and which part of your brain is calling the shots. Links Click Here for Your Final Opportunity to Work Directly With Ray Edwards to Build Your Million Dollar Freedom Business How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there. Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice. Get The Transcript https://rayedwards.com/589

That is the question that keeps coming up: “Is Ray retiring?” It’s my own fault. It’s because I said (in yesterday's email) that “this is your last chance to work with me personally.” For 98% of those reading this email that remains true, but I am absolutely not “retiring“. And I AM NOT shrinking the goals for my company. Quite the contrary, we have significantly increased our goals. My reasons for continued growth, and scaling up, are very different than they were three years ago, however. Listen to this week's episode to get the whole story, where you will discover… Why my team and I attended FunnelHacking Live (hint - it was only partly to receive our “2 Comma Club” Award - and even that not for the reasons you might suspect.) How you can get a copy of the exact Funnel through which we processed nearly $1.8 million in sales to earn that award. We will even help you customize it for your own business, if you qualify. Why today's economy makes it possible for you to achieve business growth in 12 months which took me 12 years. The two surprising “universal truths“ about all businesses (no matter what business you are in, or think you’re in). These two truths should change the way you approach everything about marketing your business. And the 5 Areas of Strategic Focus you must master … if you want to not only survive, but actually thrive in the coming economic meltdown. All this (and more) in today's podcast.   Links Work With Ray Edwards to Build Your Million Dollar Freedom Business Video A video version of this week's episode is available by Clicking Here How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there. Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice. Get The Transcript https://rayedwards.com/588

This week's entire episode is devoted to an incredible tool for copywriters (although, I'm quite certain it was not built exclusively for us) - Notion. Notion is one of those things I was "sort of" familiar with... I knew it was some sort of workspace management system, but I had no idea how much it could be tailored to copywriting and content creation until I got a look at how Cliff Ravenscraft was using it. I'm not easily impressed these days, and I certainly don't feel the need to learn a new app just because it's popular. This app, however, is worth some effort. I invited Cliff to share with us how he's using Notion to quickly create and manage incredible content that serves his listeners and clients. [00:00] Intro [01:17] A thousand hours so far [01:52] Not bad for an amateur [04:03] The value of journaling (they're not for posterity) [05:11] Don't trust your biological brain [06:41] How do you use Notion? [10:14] This sounds like a lot of work [11:33] Where do I tap? [12:11] How did you go from a Google Doc to Notion? [17:31] Let's see it work [22:32] Notion as a CRM [24:50] Ultimate email follow up [29:11] Copywriters: Pay attention [30:10] Client homework [33:35] Imagine the level of service you can provide [34:16] The learning curve... [36:40] Notion for speakers [39:46] Applying knowledge (not just collecting it) [41:03] A final demo (keeping things private) [42:37] You are a media empire [43:25] Okay, one final show off Links https://www.cliffravenscraft.com/ - Visit Cliff's site https://www.cliffravenscraft.com/podcast - Cliff's podcasts https://notion.so - Here's where to get started with Notion https://tinywow.com/ - Convert PDF's to JPG's (and much more) https://otter.ai - Transcription service How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there. Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice. Get The Transcript https://rayedwards.com/587

If you're not familiar with Jennifer Allwood, let me introduce her with this quote from her site, JenniferAllwood.com : I teach Christian women how to build a business online using social media, top-notch strategy and a proven framework all while keeping their faith and family top priority https://jenniferallwood.com I've admired Jennifer's work for some time now, so when I was asked to be a guest speaker in her private mastermind group, I was honored. For those who ask for episodes that are "all about copy", this fits the bill. Jennifer and her group asked some great questions and I think you'll find value in my answers. If you'd like to know more about Jennifer Allwood and her new program, Better Way, check out the Links section below.   [00:12] Intro [01:01] What is copywriting? [02:05] How did you get into this business? [04:00] Everything is copy [05:30] The P.A.S.T.O.R. Framework [17:19] Are women more prone to... [18:55] A heart-lead seller [20:20] Teach them long division...then sell them a calculator [23:04] How is it working for you? [23:23] The power of One-to-One selling [26:04] How does PASTOR work with social media? [30:04] Copy for Facebook...vs Copy for Instagram [30:30] Can I be an exceptional communicator...but a bad seller? [32:10] What should marketers not do [33:50] This is what you meant to say [35:35] Bio Copy [38:10] Writer's Bl*ck (we don't use that term) [41:25] Accidental copy [42:11] It's perfect enough! [43:09] Any trends? [46:51] When and how do I hire a copywriter? [49:34] Tell me about certification [52:48] Offering Risk Free Guarantees Links Which Revenue Stream Is Right For you? - This is Jennifer Allwood's quick and easy quiz to help you determine which of the 8 kinds of revenue streams she teaches will work best for you. How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there. Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice. Get The Transcript https://rayedwards.com/586