Note – I have a lot on my plate this morning, so this is a re-print of an email, I sent out last year that reallys truck a chord with a lot of people. Enjoy…
Your parents have a big affect on whether or not you’ll be a good copywriter.
I know that’s an odd statement.
So let me explain…
Back when I was a kid, I grew up in a typical, small-town family that had no idea how to share their emotions.
Meaning…
We never shared how we felt.
So if I was worried about something, I didn’t talk about why I was worried.
Or if I was upset, I didn’t talk about why I was upset.
Everything that I felt, I just “bottled up” inside me.
About the only emotion I remember being expressed in our house was anger.
And that came from my mom.
Something would piss her off, and she’d fly off the handle in a fit of rage.
I was on the receiving end of that many times.
But no matter how I was feeling, I wasn’t allowed to show my emotions.
So from a very young age, I learned to completely close myself off emotionally.
I was like a computer.
All data and no emotion.
It’s why I had such a hard time connecting with people when I was younger.
And why I couldn’t identify things like fear, or guilt or shame.
I was completely out of touch with my emotions.
Which is big problem if you’re a copywriter.
Cause good copy is ALL about emotion.
And you have to be in touch with your own emotions to write emotional copy.
This is why copy that I wrote in 2015 looks really flat to me now.
I was basically making up what I “thought” emotions were and imposing them in my stories.
Cause I had no clue what they really felt like.
And that kind of brings me to the point I want to make today…
At the heart of all great copy is emotion.
You’ve probably heard this hundreds of times.
But what isn’t talked about, is how important it is for YOU to be in touch with your own emotions.
Cause if you don’t know what it feels like to be sad…
Or to feel shameful…
Then it’s damn near impossible for you to create that in your copy.
It all flows from YOU.
So if I can make one suggestion to make your copy better….
It would be to get in touch with your own emotions.
Start to notice when you’re frustrated.
Or when you feel embarrassed.
Cause if you can do this…
Not only will you feel better as a person…
But your copy will start to connect with people in ways that it never has before.
That’s a simple idea…
But one that will pay big dividends for you if you put it into practice.
– Justin
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