Copywriting Articles by Michael Masterson

1. Copywriting Secret of the Masters:
2 Essential Keys to Surpassing the Best in Your Field
by: Michael Masterson
This special report is brought to you free courtesy of
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2. 2 Essential Keys to Surpassing the Best in Your
Field
“It is well to respect the leader. Learn from him. Observe him.
Study him. But don‟t worship him. Believe you can surpass. Believe
you can go beyond.”
– David Joseph Schwartz
When I rewrote the lead for a promotion that GX – a successful copywriter –
had been paid to write for one of my clients, I felt good about my revision.
The sales copy GX had sent in was standard, run-of-the-mill professional
palaver. My take on it felt fresh and strong. It was better.
But when I sent it back to my client, I worried that GX might not like that I
had changed it so much. Perhaps he would feel slighted and reject it.
We couldn‟t force him to use my copy. If he insisted on using his original
copy, my client would be in an awkward position. She could risk offending a
potentially good source of future copy by insisting on using my version. Or
she could mail what we both believed was weaker copy and suffer the
economic consequences.
Luckily, she didn‟t have to make that choice. After getting my new lead with
suggestions on how to finish out the rest of the package, GX wrote:
“I read it and thought: „Why couldn‟t I write it like that?‟ But then I
realized that‟s why MM‟s so successful. I‟m honored that he took
the time to do that. I appreciate the effort. My challenge now is to
make the rest as strong as MM‟s contribution … to make us all
proud.”
This story has two morals.
The first is about ego and its opposite – humility. The greatest challenges we
face in life are always obstacles that reside inside of us. When it comes to
learning complicated skills like writing (copywriting, editorial writing, writing
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3. for blogs, e-zines, books, etc.), the one thing that will keep you from
learning quickly is hubris.
Hubris is Aristotle‟s term for excessive, blinding pride. It is the sin that foiled
many great tragic heroes, from Oedipus to King Lear to Scarface. When
writers believe – or desperately want to believe (which is sometimes worse)
– that their writing is above reproach, theycannotpossibly get better.
And what is true for writers is equally true for musicians, tennis players,
salsa dancers, Sumo wrestlers, and skateboarders. Those who are willing to
say “I can do better” – do better. Those who say “I am the greatest” soon
take a fall.
What you want in your career is the confidence that follows accomplishment,
not the pride that precedes a fall.
When I saw the note GX wrote, I was mildly flattered by the compliment.
But I was really happy by his willingness to think “This copy is better. I‟d like
to do that.”
So that‟s the first lesson:
No matter how good you are at doing what you do, someone out there can
always teach you something.
Think about your strongest skill, the talent or capability you have that is
most important to your goals and objectives. Now ask: “Am I confident in
my skillfulness? Am I willing to acknowledge that there are people in my
universe who are better than I am?”
If you can confidently accept the limitations of your strongest skill, there is
no limit to how far you can develop it.
And now we come to the second lesson:
The only good way to improve a skill is to practice it.
Reading about it is certainly helpful. Talking about it may work too. But all
the talking and thinking in the world won‟t do nearly as much as regular,
focused practice.
And that‟s what GX should know about his future as a copywriter. If he
continues to practice writing by learning from his mistakes and borrowing
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4. from the skillfulness of others, then the likelihood that he will be great one
day will be better than 99 percent.
I am certain of that.
Why? Because I‟ve seen it happen. I have worked with more than a dozen
copywriters over the years who have moved from bad to pretty good(and GX
is pretty good) … and then from pretty good to very good… and then from
very good to better than the best. All it takes is practice.
With practice and a willingness to keep learning, GX will almost certainly
surpass the best copywriters in the business. It is just a matter of time. He
should think of himself as hurling balls at a target in one of those carnival
booths. Every hour he spends practicing is another ball in the hole. More
balls, more progress. It‟s as simple as that.
Human beings are designed to get better through practice. Everything we
ever learn to do, from walking to talking to writing concertos, is done better
through practice. Practice makes our fingers move faster, our hearts beat
stronger, our brains think smarter. Practice is everything.
What do Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods say when they talk about their
careers? It‟s not that they were gifted with extraordinary natural talent. It‟s
that they work harder than their competitors.
Self-improvement is not a fad. It is the essential design of the human
animal.
And here‟s a final thought on the matter. Nothing in nature stays the same.
If you are not getting better, then you are surely getting worse.
That is how I feel about submission wrestling. I don‟t worry that I have no
natural talent for it. I don‟t sweat the fact that I‟m 56 years old and most of
the guys I wrestle are less than half my age. I don‟t worry about my past
mistakes or my present ineptitude. I just keep working at it.
I know for sure that if I keep at it, I‟ll keep getting better. So far, that has
proven to be true. When I started actively training in Jiu Jitsu about five
years ago, I wasn‟t very good at all. Most of the guys I trained with were
much better. Some of them still are. But I have caught up to others. And
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5. even surpassed a few. What did I do? Nothing but acknowledge that I had
room to grow … and keep practicing.
If you ever feel that you are not as good as you want to be, remember this:
 It is good that you accept your limits. If you felt any other way, it
would be hard to get better.
 Humility is a strength to cultivate.
 Confidence will come when you deserve it.
 Avoid boastfulness and pride, because they will slow you down.
And most important: Practice with conscious attention, and eventually you
will surpass even those you most admire.
Learn copywriting secrets from the masters with the AWAI Accelerated
Program for Six-Figure Copywriting.
www.ProCopyWritingTactics.com

6. MICHAEL MASTERSON – There is no one more qualified and experienced than copywriter,
entrepreneur, and business-builder Michael Masterson to teach you the art, craft, and
business of copywriting.
Michael started his first business – a fifth-grade publishing venture – at age 11.
After finishing grad school at the University of Michigan in 1975, he spent two years in the
Peace Corps, where he began his writing career.
Several years later he was working as a writer for a small newsletter publishing company in
Washington D.C. Then, in 1982, he learned the art of copywriting and launched the first of
dozens of successful direct-marketing ventures, many of which have become multi-million
dollar companies.
All told, he‟s been directly involved in the generation of over ONE BILLION DOLLARS of sales
through the mail and online.
He‟s also a highly successful author. He‟s published more than a dozen books, including
several which have become Wall Street Journal, Amazon.com or New York Times
bestsellers.
Today, Michael consults mainly for newsletter publishing giant Agora, Inc., and writes
regularly for Early To Rise, one of the most popular self-improvement newsletters on the
Internet, and for The Golden Thread, AWAI‟s weekly copywriting newsletter.
But there‟s more to Michael Masterson than just his writing and business skills.
Michael also has a knack for taking just about anyone with a burning desire to upgrade his
lifestyle – no matter what his background or education – and transforming him (or her) into
a top-notch copywriter:
 He‟s the one responsible for transforming Paul Hollingshead from a 35-year-old
minimum-wage grocery store stock boy into a copywriter earning upward of
$300,000 a year … and Don Mahoney from a woodworker to a $300,000-a-year
copywriter living in Miami Beach …
 He‟s mentored other copywriters who have gone on to generate hundreds of millions
of dollars in sales each year through their copy …
 He‟s shown people in their 50s and 60s – people preparing for retirement – how to
successfully change careers and become well-paid freelance copywriters …
 He‟s taken young people fresh out of college – with no “life experience” at all – and
turned them into top-notch copywriters and newsletter journalists …
 He‟s taught housewives, bartenders, and laborers to excel …
 He‟s even helped “professionals” – doctors and college professors – leave successful
careers to enjoy the big money and stress-free lifestyle copywriting offers …
Discover how Michael can do the same for you with his AWAI Accelerated
Program For Six Figure Copywriting.
Michael Masterson
www.ProCopyWritingTactics.com