How To Become A Self Help Copywriter (5 Super Simple Steps)

by John McIntyre

There’s never been a better time to become a self help copywriter than right now.

Why is this? Because the self help industry has never been larger and the skill of copywriting has never been more valuable.

Entrepreneurs and businesses are constantly creating new products and services and need skilled copywriters to help sell them.

No copy, no sales.

If you’ve ever thought of becoming a self help copywriter, this post will show you how.

Let’s start by defining what we mean by “self help.”

The phrase “self help” can be very broad (and even vague sometimes). But all it means is one person sharing information to help someone else improve their own life. It’s all about solving problems.

This could be related to health, career, relationships, personal development, and many, many other areas.

And while entrepreneurs are great at creating solutions for these problems, they often don’t know how to market them afterward…

That’s where copywriters come in.

They know how to deliver the right solution to the right people, in the right way.

Without copywriters, people remain unaware, things don’t get sold, and problems don’t get solved. That’s why copywriting is one of the most important (and in-demand) skills a person can have.

If you can learn to write effective copy, you will never have to worry about finding work or making money ever again (note from John: I’ve found this to be resoundingly true over the years. I’m never worried about money because I know I can always find work or make money with my copywriting knowledge).

In fact, you’ll probably be turning lots of it away!

Now let’s get into the five simple steps of how to become an effective self help copywriter.

Step #1 – Develop your copywriting skills.

To be an successful copywriter, you have to start with a basic understanding of what elements make for effective copy.

Without a good grasp of the fundamentals, you won’t be able to relate to your readers and generate sales with your writing. So you have to start by learning some basic skills.

Things such as:

  • Empathy
  • Pain points
  • Telling stories
  • Using conversational language
  • Speak directly to your readers
  • Soft-selling
  • Creating calls-to-action
  • And many more…

These techniques are all integral parts of copywriting. And adding them together is what creates killer copy that actually works.

(If you’re new to copywriting, John McIntyre’s Udemy course and eBook are both excellent places to start.)

Step #2 – Choose your self help niche.

Now that you’ve honed your copywriting chops, it’s time to pick your self help niche. (The last thing you want to be in just another generic copywriter… more on that later.)

To find your niche, ask yourself the following questions:

-What self help topics interest you the most?

-What specific area or areas of people’s lives can you help them with?

-What knowledge do you have right now that you’re dying to share with others?

Answer these questions and you’ll have an excellent idea of which direction to focus your efforts.

Finding the right niche will also make you a better copywriter. This is because writing fun and effective copy is much easier when it involves something you genuinely care about.

And when you write about something you really care about, it will be very clear to your readers.

Step #3 – Make connections in your niche space.

One way to start making progress quickly is to meet established players already in your niche. These could be bloggers, writers, public speakers, podcast hosts, marketing executives, entrepreneurs, or even other copywriters.

If you’re worried about any of them seeing you as “competition,” don’t be. (There’s plenty of copywriting work out there for all of us!)

Start introducing yourself to them and asking them questions. What current projects are they working on? What problems do they need solved? What areas of expertise are they not able to find?

And when they answer, really LISTEN.

These answers are the signposts that are going to launch your copywriting career into the stratosphere…

Step #4 – Start marketing yourself by contributing value FIRST.

What do I mean by this?

I mean that when you do find those valuable connections, and you sense that there might be an opportunity, that you make a genuine effort to contribute VALUE to the other person before everything else.

This is extremely important.

How to you do this?

Simple: Instead of asking for something, OFFER something instead.

Most people do the opposite. They ask for something, like a job, or a referral.

Don’t do this.

Instead, flip the script and offer them something of value.

Asking for something makes the other person’s life harder, offering something makes it easier. Always offer.

Here are some easy ways you could offer value:

  • Write content for their website
  • Write guest posts for their website
  • Write a short email campaign for them
  • Write them a 1-page sales letter
  • Give them a list of ideas for ways they could increase their revenue (one of my personal favorites)

Some of these will involve some research and effort, but it will be well worth it.

The reason this tactic works so well is that offering value always revolves around 3 simple areas:

  1. Making them money
  2. Saving them money
  3. Making their lives easier

That’s it.

And that’s the kind of value every entrepreneur or business owner wants more of!

Do even one of these and you’ve already leapfrogged your way in front of 99% of everyone else vying for their attention.

Step #5 – Start getting your own clients (by discovering your USP).

Your USP (or Unique Selling Proposition) is what you use to separate yourself from other copywriters and to start getting clients. It’s the reason clients should hire you instead of anyone else. And it’s usually pretty obvious as to why…

John McIntyre did this brilliantly.

He’s “The Autoresponder Guy.” This is his chosen niche and USP. If you wanted an autoresponder written for your business, who better to hire than the guy who specializes in ONLY autoresponders?

This is how you want to present yourself as well.

How can you help your customers solve specific problems?

What can you do for them that no one else can?

What’s truly unique and special about YOU?

That’s the value of finding your USP.

But don’t rush it. Figuring out exactly how you want to position and promote yourself takes time. And probably some trial and error.

But when it clicks, you’ll know.

The benefit of discovering your USP is that it will simultaneously attract clients to you which are an exact match. They are probably already in your niche and are looking for a solution to the problem you specialize in solving.

That’s a win-win.

Follow these five simple steps and you will have no trouble finding the perfect niche for your self help copywriting career.

Final Thoughts

Becoming a self help copywriter is one of the best ways possible to both create the life you want for yourself and do a tremendous amount of good in the process.

Think about it. Your job as a self help copywriter is to essentially solve some of the most difficult problems in people’s lives. You’re making them aware of a solution they may have otherwise never knew existed.

Don’t be fooled, it’s very valuable work you’re doing.

I heard someone say once, “Help enough people get what they want, and you’ll get what you want.”

It’s 1,000% true.

Now go forth and make someone else’s life better today!


This is a guest post by Ryan Brown, an amazing self help copywriter. If you’re looking for a self help copywriting, contact Ryan for a FREE 30-minute consultation. You can work together to send your email marketing into the stratosphere!

10 thoughts on “How To Become A Self Help Copywriter (5 Super Simple Steps)”

  1. It’s really awesome! But, I’ve a question. How could we make an introduction to all those people in our niche? If they are busy? And how to offer them something they don’t ask for?

    Reply
    • This is what copywriting is all about.

      How can you be interesting in your outreach emails and messages? What can you say that no one else is saying?

      I can’t give you a specific formula or template that works every time because that doesn’t exist. What I can say is that the key is to be unique, interesting, exciting and fun.

      Reply

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