When I started copywriting, so much advice pointed toward becoming a full-service marketing shop. The more I dug into it, the more full-service terrified me.
And it wasn’t because of all the things you need to learn to succeed. Some really big fish made one-stop, full-service,automated tools for any-sized business to better their marketing strategy. What chance did a newbie like me have?
Even worse, I didn’t have the resources to pivot to these new tools. I needed to make a change, and fast, to keep my shiny new business from getting buried.
That’s when I found a gap in these tools. And you, the aspiring writer, can use this gap to your advantage. More on this later.
What Scared Me At First
When facing any kind of automation, take a deep breath and remember why it’s there: someone succeeded at this task enough times and wanted to repeat the result with less effort.
The process leading to this desired end is called an algorithm. In copywriting, the best practices to persuade a reader to take action can be automated to create attractive copy or used to train new writers.
These people who made the automated tools have built enough websites, sales funnels, and content to do it in their sleep. But they reach a limit doing it on their own.
The way past that limit is to create the tools and charge user fees for aspiring writers to learn and implement these skills faster than they did.
They also fill a gap in a world that went almost fully online overnight without enough writers to satisfy the demand.
If a business has these tools at its disposal, it can quickly scale its online presence in a much shorter time than figuring it out alone. Getting online faster with proven copy means faster traffic and faster revenue.
That’s important when your competition keeps getting to the market before you.
But what does that mean for writers like you and me who would normally provide this service?
Hanging With The Survivors
Fortunately, this has happened in other industries. And the outcome wasn’t so gloomy there, either.
Think about ATMs. When they first came out, bank tellers were afraid they would lose their jobs. Quite a few of them did at first. But, after a couple years, the sector started growing again. Why?
Machines taking care of simple tasks like deposits and withdrawals quickly at any time of day freed tellers up to work on loans or other more complicated transactions. Customers, too, have more time to pursue more complicated (read: valuable) transactions now that they aren’t waiting for an hour during the lunch rush to make a withdrawal or deposit.
Or take steel workers. This former backbone of the economy used to employ small armies to move finished plate around amill using ropes and pulleys.
Now one person, who doesn’t have to strain nearly as hard or endure the sweltering heat as their grandfather’s generation, can accomplish the same with the press of a button. But making sure the plate moves every time takes several craftsmen with greater skill levels and pay.
Remember, automating a repetitive task frees someone up to tackle a more value-added problem. And it shouldn’t be any different for new writers looking for paid gigs.
Why I Stopped Worrying
Even though I was feeling scared starting my business, the people who are now building these automated tools started in the same place. They had to find their unique niche and copywriting projects, then build from there.
So if these tools can quickly write, design, and upload a simple lead magnet, what does that leave you?
Well, it can’t fully write the report that enticed the lead to surrender his contact information. The automation still needs a brain behind it to do the research and present it logically. You want this report to build a relationship of trust with the lead, right?
Gaining attention from an unexpected angle? Well-defined processes are meant to stay within their guardrails. Irresistible offers or surprise benefits, not the copy structure, catch the reader off-guard.
And writing regular blog posts to establish expertise early in the buyer’s journey while not tripping SEO triggers for redundant content? This takes originality.
While there are boring steps you want to burn through, content generation still needs thought behind it. When an automated tool can make easy decisions and complete checklists for colors, layout, and generic content to introduce a business’ value proposition, the paid writer can spend more time building the relationship with leads.
Your Writers Life
Right now, automated copy can’t think for itself. It does very well populating a pre-written script with the subjects and products every business uses to get customers. This is why marketing is its own field and, like any other field, it’s trying to improve itself to add more value with fewer inputs.
Businesses are coming online faster than ever because the pathways are easier, whether they have a physical store, are completely online, or just starting out at your local incubator. Many of these businesses, however, want to focus on getting their operations right. Someone who can build these funnels quickly with the right tool is very valuable to them.
Coming up against tools this powerful made me realize I needed to establish my expertise as much as the tool-builders did. There are other inroads to clients even if I don’t have a full-marketing stack skillset.
So keep trying! The only way to make progress, and maybe one day make your own automated copy tool, is to not give up.
Do you need a copywriter who can connect your unique value to your audience? Book a call today to see where I can help you!
Promethian Impulse, LLC 