CopyHackers - 14 Day Freelance Bootcamp PDF

•••
THE 14-DAY
FREELANCE
COPYWRITER
BOOTCAMP
AKA the ass-kicking no one else will give
you but that you desperately need to avoid
WASTING this ONE SHOT at actually enjoying
your career and making great money.
© 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS

•••
JOANNA WIEBE
PAGE 1
TAB L E OF
CONTENTS
WARM UP
DAY 1 – WORKING FROM HOME 4
DAY 2 – BIZ: TIME MANAGEMENT 8
DAY 3 – BIZ: SERVICES 12
DAY 4 – A NOTE ON NICHING VS. SPECIALIZING 14
DAY 5 – BIZ: YOUR ONLINE FOOTPRINT 16
DAY 6 – COPYWRITING: THE ONE READER 19
DAY 7 – CONVERSION COPYWRITING: THE 3-PART PROCESS 21
DAY 8 – CONVERSION COPYWRITING: THE PAS FORMULA 25
DAY 9 – CONVERSION COPYWRITING: THE AIDA FORMULA 27
DAY 10 – COPYWRITING: THE 3 COPY TECHNIQUES 28
DAY 11 – EDITING: THE SEVEN SWEEPS 31
DAY 12 – BIZ: AUTHORITY BUILDING 39
DAY 13 – FROM PROSPECTING TO PROPOSALS 41
DAY 14 – PRESENTING COPY TO CLIENTS 45
COOL DOWN
APPENDIX A 48
APPENDIX B: THE PAS FORMULA TEMPLATE 49
APPENDIX C: COLD EMAIL TEMPLATE 50
APPENDIX D: SCOPE OF WORK TEMPLATE 51
PAGE 2
WARM UP
Dear New Freelance Copywriter,
This 14-day boot camp is designed with you, the new freelance
copywriter, in mind. In it, we’ll set the groundwork to get your
new business off the ground. And we’ll show you conversion
copywriting essentials that will serve you well in your new career.
But as with all bootcamps, don’t expect an easy ride.
We’re here to make you work. Yup, work. Why work? Why work
when everyone promises that freelancing is easy beach living -
light on the labor and heavy on the free money from a world of
clients with nothing better to do than throw cash around??? Fact
is this: those folks are selling you a lie.
Freelancing is work. And you have a boss.
Who’s the boss? One, Angela was totally the boss on Who’s the
Boss? Two, for you, the bills are the boss. Let’s say it like the
mantra it is:
The bills are the boss.
Once you’ve grown to a point of profitability, that boss will

change. And eventually, you may actually be the boss. But for
now? The bills are the boss. And that’s why you’ll work. But don’t
worry - we’ll show you what work to do and how to do it.
Now imagine a whistle just blew. It’s time to sweat.

~jo
PAGE 3
1
DAY 1 – WORKING FROM HOME
Working from home is one of the perks of freelancing. But

along with this perk comes responsibility. You need to make
sure your home office is up to snuff. And you need to GET
THE HELL OUT OF YOUR PAJAMAS. Like, what’s so great
about your pajamas anyway? Get up. Shower. Brush your
teeth. Put on real human clothes. THEN and ONLY THEN
can you get to work.
Now that I’ve got that out of the way...
Unless you’ve got some money squirreled away to rent an

office in a building or co-working space, as a new freelancer,
chances are you’re going to be working from home.
GET THAT HOME OFFICE IN SHAPE!!!
EXERCISE 1. SET ASIDE DEDICATED SPACE IN YOUR HOME.
Get the hell out of your dining room. Space, do you have a strong wifi
Your dining room is not an office. connection, or do I need to spend
If you have nowhere to work but $20 on Amazon to get you a
your dining room, then guess what! booster?
You no longer have a dining room.
Welcome to your new office - it has Space, are you too far from the
an oval desk with six chairs around front door or old-school landline
it and is very close to the kitchen but telephone I can’t seem to bring
is not part of the kitchen. It’s your myself to throw away? When I’m © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS
office. with you, Space, can I hear other
noises that I need to hear… and
You need a dedicated space to can I drown them out, too?
work or you will not take your work
seriously. Even worse? Your partner, Space, what’s your airflow like? Will
family, cat, etc will not take your work I choke to death because you’re
seriously. (Your cat will never take a basement area sandwiched
anything you do seriously.) between the laundry outtake valve
and exposed asbestos walls? Will
When you’re choosing your I freeze in the winter? Pass out in
workspace, ask that space: the summer?
PAGE 4
EXERCISE 2. SET OFFICE HOURS AND OFFICE BOUNDARIES.
You have responsibilities.
Guess what! WE ALL DO!!! If we sit around making excuses about our
many responsibilities, NO ONE WILL EVER GET ANYTHING DONE!
Sure, you need to pick up the kids from school. Sure, you need to walk
the dog three times in the work day. Sure, there’s a dishwasher full of
dishes you’d prefer to unload before anyone gets home. BUT:
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE WORKING IN AN OFFICE???????
Would you take the afternoon off

to pick up your kids? Would you
drive home three times a day to
walk the dog? Would you explain,
as you left your peers behind in a
meeting room, “Gotta bail, y’all - I
need to empty the dishwasher”?
New rule: You are only allowed And enjoy it --- your counterparts
to make ONE exception to a working desk jobs in offices don’t
normal work life by working from even get one.
home. If you’ve decided that ONE
exception is picking up the kids But if you’re one of those whiny
every day, great. But then you ARE bootcampers who’s like, “But Jo
NOT ALLOWED TO: I really do need to do more of
the things on that list” then here:
you are no longer a full-time
• Do the laundry © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS
• Empty the dishwasher freelancer. You are now a part-
• Do the gardening time freelancer. It’s a demotion,
• Make the beds but you’ve prioritized making the
• Watch Netflix bed above making money, so be
• Drop the kids off in the morning it. YOU DON’T GET EVERYTHING
YOU WANT!!! Stop believing the lie
ONE exception. You get ONE. that you can have it all and make
six figures. That MIGHT happen
in a few years. That does NOT
happen for new freelancers.
PAGE 5
EXERCISE 3. OPTIMIZE THE SPACE BEHIND YOU FOR VIDEO CALLS.
There’s no way around it: you will be going on video calls with your
clients. So make sure to optimize the space behind you so it looks
professional and sends the message “I am not a psychopath who will
steal your deposit money to buy weapons.”
Also:
DISCIPLINE YOUR APPEARANCE!!!
I wouldn’t hire a tired-looking person with their laptop camera tilted up at

the underside of their chin in a dim basement with cords hanging down
behind them. Unless I was trying to hire a serial killer. In which case, I
would most certainly hire that person. That person IS a serial killer.
ONLY A SERIAL KILLER LETS THEIR CLIENTS SEE THEM IN A TERRIBLE

LIGHT!!!!!!
So discipline the way you and your

office appear to clients on camera.
How?
Turn on your computer’s camera

right now and open up Zoom or
Skype. Now take a screenshot of
yourself - basically of everything the
client sees. Look at that screenshot.
Print it out and draw on it. What do
you see? You might notice:
• A crack in the wall that needs • A laundry basket in the back corner
covering • Cords showing behind you
• That you look tired AF and need • Boxes stacked up in an un-pro way
some lighting on your face • The dog’s chew-toy all gnarled up
• The tilt of the camera is odd (stack on the floor
some books under that laptop and
raise yo’ camera up!) See that stuff? Great. Fix it.
You don’t need a beautiful,

glamorous space. You need
something that says, “I take this
chance to work with you seriously.”
PAGE 6
EXERCISE 4. CRACK YER WALLET! BUT DON’T OVERCRACK IT.
You should invest in a good, supportive chair and a sturdy desk (maybe
even a stand-up desk if that’s your thing). Good lighting, especially if
you’re in the basement or where there is no natural light. (I can’t say
enough about the importance of lighting.) A computer (desktop or laptop
is up to you) and reliable internet connection. Your phone. These are
non-negotiable, obviously.
The items that are negotiable include a printer (unless you choose to go
#paperless), shelves for your books, paper and pens (old school) and a
whiteboard or wall calendar to keep track of your schedule and projects.
AAAAANNNNND you’re done. Go shower up. See you here tomorrow.
PAGE 7
2
DAY 2 – BIZ: TIME MANAGEMENT
So you wanna be a freelance copywriter?
Everyone does. Everyone wants the freelance life.
So what separates YOU from all those wannabes?
Here’s what:
DISCIPLINE. Discipline with your time. At least, that’s what’s

gonna set you apart - after today.
If you think you manage your time efficiently, think again.

YOUR TIME MANAGES YOU. Your clock drags you away
from your bed. Your clock drags you away from coffee on
your back porch. Your clock drags you to pick up the kids
and then it drags you through three hours of getting them
settled and then it drags you back to your office in the used-
to-be-a-dining-room-but-now-it’s-an-office-go-eat-in-the-
laundry-room-kids.
Change your relationship with your clock.
Change your relationship with your whole calendar.
When you are freelance, you do not have a five-day

workweek. And you do not have a weekend. You have
a series of days made up of twenty-four hours in a row.
Part of your job is figuring out what your new business’s
schedule needs from you.
How do YOU need to manage THAT TIME? © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS
Start by scrapping old ideas. Fact is:
You can, will and should work on the weekends

You can, will and should carve out 2 to 4 hours of each
“work day” to do life stuff
You can, will and should give each day a theme so you
avoid “context switching” (as my friend Todd Herman
puts it)
You can, will and should block out a MAX OF 20 HOURS
PER CALENDAR WEEK to work on client work
PAGE 8
Unlike when you have a full time office job, you will no
longer spend 40 hours each week working on projects
(which, heretofore shall forevermore be known as “client
work”). Nope. In order to be a successful freelancer, you
need to split your time – typically 20 hours on client work
and 20 hours on running and growing your business.
Let’s let that simmer for a bit …
Now that you get it, and hopefully you do, here are ways you
can efficiently take charge of your clock and calendar. Like
the entrepreneur you are.
EXERCISE 1: ELIMINATE 90% OF INTERRUPTIONS
ACTION #1
Install Rescue Time so you can track how long you’re spending on
frivolous tasks that can and should be rescheduled outside of work
hours. What is the verdict? Fill out this worksheet to determine what
actions should stay and which should go (or be rescheduled).
INTERRUPTIONS 7 3
Emails - schedule specific times during the day or week to check
and respond to emails
Social media - your business does not revolve around social media
so be careful before you spend a lot of time on Twitter and Insta
Slack - same as emails: schedule a time and create notification
rules as to when/why you see that red dot
Text / WhatsApp / Chats - nope
Meetings - block off specific time(s) during the week for client
meetings, and ONLY schedule meetings in those times (which
might sound like the sort of thing that will turn off clients but, as
you’ll see soon, your clients WANT you to manage them)
PAGE 9
Friends / Family / Pets - setting office hours ensures you can focus
on work during those times without distractions
Videos - damn those adorable cats but they will be there after your
work is done
Shopping - also nope
Surfing the internet - nope unless it’s for research
Shiny objects - #squirrel
EXERCISE 2: ONLY DO HIGH-VALUE TASKS
Think about everything you do in your business as a $10,

$100, and $1000 task.* That is, how much are each of these
tasks worth to your business? Alternatively, how much would
you pay someone per hour to do these tasks?
$10 tasks are things that are simpler and that almost
anyone can do. (Answering emails, expense reports, sitting
in meetings, posting on social media, etc.)
$100 tasks are more complicated in nature but are also very
likely to be worth the time and effort they require. (Talking
to prospective clients, client follow-up, managing campaigns,
updating your website, etc.)
$1000 tasks are where the money’s at. These are the tasks
you do not want to outsource, and these are the tasks you
need to be able to focus on without distractions from other
types of tasks. (Client work, authority building, closing new
clients, 1-hour meetings, etc.)
*I’m not advocating paying people these rates. It’s just to

demonstrate a principle.
PAGE 10
ACTION #2
List out all the things you do in a week, then mark them
in the appropriate category.
TASK $10 $100 $1000
That’s it for now. Oh, by the way, if you’re not actually doing these exercises,
you won’t get stronger. Reading this ebook will only exercise your eyes. You
need to do the work. So stop reading, start doing and meet me back here
tomorrow morning.
PAGE 11
3
DAY 3 – BIZ: SERVICES
I am a legitimate business.
I offer real value.
Businesses will be lucky to pay me.
When you’re just starting off, you need to figure out what
services you can offer prospective clients in order to start
your successful biz. As a freelance copywriter, this could
mean:
Writing sales pages

Planning and writing email funnels
Writing websites
Creating content strategies
Doing customer research, like interviews and surveys
Writing social ads
The less experience you have, the lower your rates will be
to start. But they will increase over time, as will your skills.
ACTION #3
Consider the services you want to offer, how long they
will take you and what you can charge to get started.
Visit copyhackers.com/calculator to *estimate*
what you should be charging.
WHAT SERVICE HOW LONG WHAT WILL

DO YOU OFFER? WILL IT TAKE? YOU CHARGE?
PAGE 12
Not sure if you should niche or specialize? Anxious that no
one will pay you a dime? Worried you’ll need to give away
your services just to build up a portfolio? Good - that means
you have a pulse and are not a narcissistic sociopath.
You SHOULD worry about those things. And you SHOULD

seek help in figuring those things out, if the answers don’t
come naturally (which they sometimes will and sometimes
won’t).
My team and I coach freelance copywriters through all of

those questions and more inside our training program, The
10x Freelance Copywriter. It’s seven modules, dripped out
one month at a time (so you can keep up), along with weekly
Office Hours, a rich Slack community, monthly special guests
and more.
You SHOULD see what you’re missing here:

10xFreelancer.com
PAGE 13
4
DAY 4 – A NOTE ON NICHING VS.
SPECIALIZING
Many freelancers hear rumblings about niching being THE

way to go to command higher rates and get better clients.
Sure. That is absolutely possible. However, don’t just

dive into niching. You may instead want to consider the
less-sexy but waaaaaaaay awesomer cousin of niching:
SPECIALIZING!!
Here’s the difference between ‘em.
A niche (from the French, pronounced neeeesh - not

from the American midwest, where it’s INCORRECTLY
pronounced nitch) (while we’re at it, it’s “foy-yay” not
“foy-yer”). Anyway, niching is where you find an industry or
space you want to write copy for and you only write copy
within that industry or space.
So for example, I “niched” as a SaaS copywriter. Because I

love SaaS. And because I had a tech marketing background.
And because I’d already dipped my toes in the SaaS waters
by getting engaged in HackerNews waaay before I went
solo. For me, niching this way was good - but it was also just
a natural thing I did.
I did NOT sit around quizzing myself on the 100s of rando

questions you see online about becoming a freelancer.
IF YOU NATURALLY GRAVITATE TOWARD AN INDUSTRY OR

SPACE, then by all means: niche.
IF YOU DO NOT, then consider the cooler cousin: © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS
specialization.
Specialization is when you provide one type of copywriting

service, like emails or landing pages, and offer this service
to your clients exclusively. It means you specialize in that
particular type of copy and clients come to you because of
this expertise.
If you love writing emails, become THE email copywriter.
If you love writing websites, become THE website

copywriter.
PAGE 14
If you love writing PPC ads, become THE PPD ad.
You may think you cannot get a lot of work out of this, but if you do
everything we talk about in modules 3 and 4 of The 10x Freelance
Copywriter (when you join us there, if you haven’t yet), you will see that
it is EASIER to find clients when you can point to your specialization.
And it is easier to keep clients because you will be an EXPERT at your
specialization and, as such, you will be badass at it. Unless you’re not a
good copywriter. In which case WTF are you reading this for? You won’t
last long as a freelance copywriter if you’re not a good copywriter.
K, so we’ve established that you can niche or specialize.
One more thing:
You can do both. You can be THE email copywriter for SaaS businesses.
ACTION #4
In order to determine if you should or shouldn’t go
down this route, here’s a little exercise to get you thinking.
QUESTIONS ANSWERS
Do you have experience in any

industry?
Do you love working in that industry /

NICHE those industries?
What industries do you wish you could
work in? (e.g., if you love music, you
could figure out how to be a copywriter
for bands, labels, the list goes on)
What type of copy have you written?

How many times have you written this

type of copy?
What type of copy do you enjoy writing

SPECIALTY the most?
Is there any type of copy you never

want to do for clients?
If you only wrote one type of copy for

the rest of your career, what would you
be happy writing?
PAGE 15
5
DAY 5 – BIZ: YOUR ONLINE FOOTPRINT
You need a business name. You need a website on your

business’s domain. You need an email address that is not
gmail, yahoo, etc.
But you need to put far less energy into all of those things
than you think. Yes, in bootcamp I will encourage you to
be lazy when being lazy is the most optimal use of your
entrepreneurial calories.
Business name
If you decide to create a business name, the most common
option is to choose your first + last name. Chances are good
that no one else has it, and that the URL is still available.
That was not the case for me, but there’s hope for you.
Many new freelance copywriters ask me if they should

create a business name that differs from their personal
name. The answer is the usual consultant answer: it
depends.
Think of your business name like a tattoo.
It should be with you for the life of your business, so make

sure it’s something that isn’t too clever or based on current
fads that will lose its cool factor in a year or three. Outside
of that, name it what you want.
I totally stumbled into the name Copyhackers - it began as © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS
“Copy for Hackers” and was the name of one book I had
written for technical SaaS founders trying to write their own
copy. Beta readers told me to chop that big ol’ book up into
smaller books, so I did. And each of those books kept the
name “Copy for Hackers” at the top. Then we dropped the
“for” and were left with “Copy Hackers.” Bought the domain.
Launched the books on HackerNews. And eight years later
made it one word with a lowercase h: “Copyhackers.”
Is it the name I’d been dreaming of my whole life?
PAGE 16
Nope. But it did the job. It does the job. It raises more
spammer flags than I’d like. But live and learn - and don’t
overthink it. Can all the Shakespeare geeks in the house join
me in boldly asking the sky, “What’s in a name?!”
ACTION #5
Make a list of all the possible business names you
are thinking about. Then go through the columns
ON A SCALE
IS THE URL
IS IT TOO FROM 1-10, HOW
NAME AVAILABLE ON
CLEVER? MUCH DO YOU
GODADDY.COM?
LOVE IT?
Your name (first + last) Yes / No Probably 7
Website
Do you need a website? The eternal freelance question. © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS
It depends.
You don’t need a whole website. But you at least need a

landing page. Anyone who tells you about this, that or the
other freelancer who grew to six figures without a website
is leaving out this part of the story: that freelancer depended
100% on referrals from people who had websites. I know
because, in essentially every single cited case of this mythical
website-free wealthy freelancer, I GAVE THAT PERSON THE
REFERRALS THAT GREW THEIR BUSINESS! I’m a nice person
PAGE 17
so I don’t go around correcting people on that, but this
whole myth has just got to die. So lemme say it here now.
I gave those people crazy referrals - huge names. And I
captured those original contacts on my website, which is really
just a blog, which is all you really need. So unless you are
good friends with, like, me, you shouldn’t depend on growing
your business via referrals. Get a freakin’ website. It’s the
90s!!
But don’t do a whole big thing. Many freelancers jump on

the idea of requiring a fleshed-out website before they even
have clients.
Start with a landing page. Then think about your content

strategy in a few months. For now: publish a quick page stat.
Landing page platforms that host on your domain include:

LeadPages
Unbounce
One-pager WordPress themes
Side note: Pay for secure hosting, like with WPEngine if

you’re on WordPress.
Email
If you want to make $25 an hour, you can communicate with
clients using your Gmail address.
If you want to stop hating your life and actually put on

a show of being the professional people want to hire - a
professional who takes the work of copywriting as seriously
as his or her clients do - then set up your email address on
your domain. I don’t know how. It’s not my job to know how.
I paid someone to do it for me years ago, and you should
pay someone to do it for you. I mean, come on - everything
can’t be free.
PAGE 18
6
DAY 6 – COPYWRITING:
THE ONE READER
Okay we’re switching gears to some copywriting training.
Let’s start with a super-foundational lesson:
Before anything else, you should always begin with finding

your One Reader.
Your One Reader is BAE!

(and “BAE” evidently means
“before anything else”)
The One Reader is the person reading your email, sales

page, ad or web page who is the best fit to buy from you.
Even if your product is perfect for everyone, you never want

to write for everyone. Targeting your One Reader ensures
your copy speaks to the right person in the right moment.
Sometimes this “right person” may describe just 20 to 35%
of all the visitors / traffic / subscribers seeing the piece…
...but guess what! If you can convert half of 20% of visitors

just by focusing on them and forgetting everyone else, you
could have a 10% conversion rate.
Know what the average conversion rate is?
Two percent (2%).
So you could 5X the average conversion rate JUST by

focusing on your ONE READER.
Your goal for every piece of copy you write is to make

your One Reader see themselves on the page. It’s called
mirroring. It’s your job.
PAGE 19
As a copywriter, you want to focus on the One Reader that is
most likely to:
Need and want the product/service

Buy the product/service
Be happy with the product/service
Tell their peers about the product/service
Keep buying from the company
Then you have to figure out what makes those ideal customers
tick. The research you do (in the next lesson) helps you
determine:
What frustrates, stresses and annoys the One Reader?

What makes the One Reader happy?
What was going on in the One Reader’s life/biz to make them
buy/sign?
Of course the first thing ANYONE says when I talk about the One
Reader is this:
“So what happens if you have multiple personas or ideal customers?”
Write for them.
Just give them their own targeted email, ad, landing page, sales
page, etc. Make them the One Reader of a different piece.
Try writing for one single reader rather than a huge segment of
the population and see how much easier and more effective your
writing can be. Here’s a quick and easy way to start imagining
your One Reader:
“
My one reader is _________________ who wants
to _______________________. They came here
expecting __________________. I want them to

believe _______________ so they take action.
”
NB: You might get push back from clients on this. But remember
that everyone wants to see themselves when reading about
a product or service they’re thinking of buying. And relevance
trumps irrelevance every day.
PAGE 20
7
DAY 7 – CONVERSION COPYWRITING:
THE 3-PART PROCESS
No matter what you’re working on, you should always

follow these three phases of conversion copywriting:
(1) research and discovery;
(2) writing, wireframing and editing; and
(3) validation and experimentation.
What many don’t know or realize about conversion

copywriting is that most of the work and effort actually
comes during the research and discovery phase. Under no
circumstances should you ever not conduct this part of the
process. Never, ever, ever. Why? Because it’s where you get
the foundation for all your copy.
(1) Research and discovery
This is where your messages come from. And you find your
message by “listening” to the client’s team, to prospects, to
current customers, to former customers.
This is where you find your Voice of Customer data (VoC).

VoC means you use the same words your customers and
prospects are using in your copy. This helps them recognize
themselves in your copy since you sound just like them.
Easy, right?
This is also where you’ll find your messaging hierarchy = the

order of importance of your messages, which ones need
to be seen first on the page and which messages support
those bigger messages. That, and you’ll use what customers
say in sales calls / demos to help you plot out the best
cadence for your sales email sequence. Basically there’s
nothing you can do well as a conversion copywriter that
DOESN’T begin with listening to VoC.
PAGE 21
ACTION #6
Here are a few ways to conduct research and discovery
Interviewing internal experts
Interviewing past and current clients
Running surveys on a page or via email
Mining reviews for similar products, services, etc
Mining comments in Reddit, Facebook groups, etc.
Running tests on UserTesting.com
After you’ve done the research, you synthesize it. This means
you take time to review all the information you’ve collected,
rank it, find patterns, etc.
An easy action is creating a messaging hierarchy. What is the

one thing people say over and over again? That goes at the top
of your messaging hierarchy. And continue on down the list.
PAGE 22
ACTION #7
Messaging hierarchy: what are the things people are saying most.
The biggest objection is...
The biggest benefit is...
The second biggest objection is...
The second biggest benefit is...
The information you’ve gathered during Research and Discovery will

also help paint the picture of the objections people face so that you
can address them head-on in your copy.
With that, most of your writing work has been done for you.
You want to take the stickiest language used by your client and
your client’s customers and put it on the page, using a copywriting
framework like PAS. (We teach this stuff in our copywriting courses.
You can find those at academy.copyhackers.com.)

Then you’re ready to do the part everyone thinks you start with:
(2) Writing, wireframing and editing
By the time you get to this phase, you should have an outline made
up of sticky VoC.
Now you wanna stitch that VoC into compelling copy using
frameworks and formulas. Find the world’s biggest free resource on
that subject here: https://copyhackers.com/2015/10/copywriting-
formula/
PAGE 23
Once your copy is done, you wireframe it, which just means laying it out on the
page. This is really important if you’re presenting copy to clients, who cannot
visualize transforming text in a Google Doc into a gorgeous landing page. They
can, however, visualize adding their brand colors and product shots to the
wireframe you create.
Wireframing is also particularly helpful because the layout of the page is

extremely important when it comes to convincing readers to act. And without
the proper message layouts, results might not be great.
Balsamiq is a great tool to use for wireframing, and if you have experience with
Sketch or Photoshop, you can use those as well. (I use Photoshop. It’s clunky but
I’m used to it so I love it.)
Then?
Finish by editing in the awesome. This means going through the Seven Sweeps
of editing, which we cover later in bootcamp.
(3) Validation and experimentation
You can’t always A/B test everything. This phase is about making sure you’re
putting the best possible version of your copy out to your One Reader (aka your
ideal prospect).
Validation is putting copy in front of people who are likely to be your ideal
prospect and ask them about persuasion: are they being pulled in, watching
where they trail off on the page using click tracking and scroll-mapping.
FiveSecondTest.com is another great place to go to check things like clarity

or specificity on certain aspects of your copy. It can also help to determine if
images are bringing your ideas to life, and if the testers understand your value
proposition.
Remember, as a conversion copywriter, this is always, always, always, always © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS
your process. That evil little guy on your shoulder will be like “no process slows
down creativity” and your client will be like “no we don’t need to pay you to do
that” and you will have to decide:
Are you going to follow this process and be happy…
...or listen to people who don’t know better and wonder why you never get good
results, respect from clients, awesome referrals, etc.? It’s your life. I’m just the
coach on the other side of this book, running a seven-figure copywriting agency
and a seven-figure training business. No big deal. Ignore me. You know what
you’re doing.
PAGE 24
8
THE PAS FORMULA
K so there are loads of copywriting formulas and

frameworks out there, but you really only need one when
you’re starting out - and even as you gain experience.
Here’s the one you need:
Problem
Agitation
Solution
You open with a strong attention-grabbing hook that is tied

to the biggest problem your One Reader is struggling with
(at the moment). What problem are they facing in their lives
that is driving them to you or solutions like yours?
Next, agitate this problem. How does that problem manifest

in their lives? You can find countless examples of this in
your VoC.
Note: Agitation is the stuff that most people end up cutting

from their copy - and that’s a mistake. But the reason they
cut it is they feel weird that it’s making them feel something.
The thing is, your audience has to feel something in order
to act. Marketers wish that was not the case. But then there
are a LOT of shitty marketers out there.
Finally, dive into the solution to their problem.
That solution does not have to be YOUR solution yet.

In fact, I like to do a variation on PAS that goes like this:
Problem
Agitation
Solutions
Agitation
Product
PAGE 25
With that, I open with the problem… agitate it… then talk about
solutions they’ve tried AND are considering trying… then agitate
those… and only when my One Reader is in agreement with me
that they have an unavoidable pain no one else can solve right
do I introduce the best solution: MY PRODUCT.
Follow that framework. All the time. Soon you’ll find yourself
using it to persuade your child to make their bed, your spouse
to do the grocery shopping for you, etc.
Best of all? You’ll use it in your proposals. I teach you about that
here:
https://copyhackers.com/write-proposal-freelance-copywriter-
template/
Template available in Appendix B
PAGE 26
9
THE AIDA FORMULA
Another common copywriting formula is AIDA (Attention,

Interest, Desire, Action). Especially powerful in emails, AIDA
is a great way to grab your prospect’s attention and move
them along to the offering.
When you write with AIDA, you’ll:

Start by trying to grab your prospect’s attention.
Pique their interest.
Make them desire your offering, whether a link to a blog
post or a product you’re promoting.
And finish strong with a call to action.
AIDA doesn’t work as well for long-form sales pages

because it’s just too bulky, but for emails, it can be perfect
to get your readers to take action.
BTW, I’ve added this formula in because people insist

that they need a second formula, in addition to PAS (from
yesterday). I really don’t think that’s true, but I’m trying to
be flexible - so if AIDA helps you, then use it. If you haven’t
even tried using PAS yet, don’t use AIDA yet.
PAGE 27
10
DAY 10 – COPYWRITING:
THE 3 COPY TECHNIQUES
K let’s discover muscles you didn’t know you had. I’m gonna
walk you through three copywriting techniques that will
make your copy instantly better. If you use them every
time you write, your muscles will get huge and Arnie will be
intimidated by you, which is everyone’s goal in life, I think. If
you use them never, you should stop charging for the copy
you write. If you use them only sometimes, start using them
every time and get huge muscles that will intimidate Arnie.
Which is everyone’s goal in life. I think. ...This is starting to
read like I’m getting paid by the word. Like, paid real money
based on the number of words I write down on the page
using my keyboard and my fingertips on the keyboard
which also requires brain power which I’ve made into two
words not because I am being paid real money by the word
but because actually yes because of that.
The “you” technique
It’s really simple: rewrite every sentence of your copy

to put the word “you” or “your” at the front.
Basically you’re making the reader - not your product

- your sentence’s subject. And that ensures you’re
putting them first, which is part of creating word
mirrors with your copy.
After you’ve rewritten each sentence this way, clean it

up so it doesn’t read like a robot wrote it.
The “front-loading” technique
Put what your prospect most needs to see at the front

of the line - not in the middle or at the end, where it’s
less likely to be seen. That means if the juiciest part
PAGE 28
of a sentence is a data point, move that data point to the
very front of the sentence. Then make sure you’re still
following the You Rule above.
This doesn’t just mean rewrite sentences but rather

rewrite lines. If you read down the left-most two inches
of your page, you’d see the important information in that
2-inch space. It’s called the “F” pattern because it looks like
this:
Use with: top-loading and close-loading.
The “even if” technique
Need to overcome an objection to a benefit?
Like need to convince people that they’re going to make

six figures as a freelance copywriter… but know that your
PAGE 29
One Reader hasn’t even made more than $2K a month
yet?
Great! Use “even if.”
As in:
Grow a six-figure copywriting business

even if you make $2K or less a month today
Now your job is to make sure that’s accurate.
“Even if” is THE objection stomper! Overcome objections

by directly addressing them after the clause “even if.” This
simply means write your benefit … then add “even if” …
then write the objection the prospect is likely to have to
that benefit actually being realized in his/her life.
Benefit + “even if” + objection
Now you’ve got a benefit that is more likely to be

believed because you’ve actually addressed their real-
life objections, what they’re actually thinking and what’s
preventing them from action.
Note: If you see no use for the “even if” clause anywhere,
that can be a good indicator that your copy isn’t
compelling because it’s benefit-free.
PAGE 30
11
DAY 11 – EDITING: THE SEVEN SWEEPS
A sweep is a fast-moving review of your copy for X.
You may already be doing sweeps before you show your

client copy. Sweeps like checking for SEO keywords. And
sweeping for typos. That’s all great - keep doing those. But
let’s also add in some sweeps to help ensure your copy is
more likely to convert.
The Seven Sweeps are:
1. Clarity
2. Voice and tone
3. So what
4. Prove it
5. Specificity
6. Heightened emotion
7. Zero risk
They’re in that order for a reason. And here’s the thing: you
don’t just sweep over your copy point by point - like you
don’t read it for clarity… then for voice and tone… then for
so what… then for prove it… etc.
Nope, you sweep in “sweeping” motions, always moving

down the ladder and back up it, like so:

1. Clarity
2. Voice and tone
3. So what
4. Prove it
5. Specificity
(always start at the top (but always go back up the
and work your way 6. Heightened emotion sweeps ladder when you
down...) 7. Zero risk finish each rung)
PAGE 31
So you start with clarity. Run down your copy asking
yourself if you’re being clear sentence by sentence (more
on this below). Anything that’s not clear you highlight.
Then keep moving. Finish the whole clarity sweep. Then
make edits to everything you’ve highlighted.
Now move on to your Voice and Tone sweep. Run down

your copy looking for cases where your tone is off or the
voice is trying too hard or not enough - or is just plain
wrong. Highlight anything that’s off. Then keep moving.
Finish the whole Voice and Tone sweep. The made edits to
everything you’ve highlighted.
Then sweep it for clarity again.
Then move on to the third sweep, highlighting as you

go and then editing. THEN sweep it for voice and tone,
highlighting as you go and then editing. THEN sweep it for
clarity, highlighting as you go and then editing.
Down the ladder. Up the ladder.
Sweep #1: Clarity
Clarity is the most important sweep, and as such, you

always start and end with this sweep.
Nothing matters more than a clear message. Once you’ve

got clarity down, you can continue on your sweeps. But
then once you’ve done those, go back and make sure your
copy is still clear.
Are these messages clear?

Are we making a clear statement?
Do people clearly know what to take away from this
page?
Remember: your goal is to be clear to the reader - NOT the

people closest to the product.
PAGE 32
Read the page and then answer:
Who is this page clearly for?
What message am I clearly supposed to take away?
What is the clear action to take?
How to be clear:
Will adding “you” at the start of each sentence improve
clarity?
Cap out at one idea per sentence.
• Use punctuation to break out each idea.
• Can you restate (in your head) your sentences as
kernel sentences: ___ is/does ____. (Ex: Writing is
hard. Joanna is sad.) If you can’t, then you need to
rewrite the sentence because it’s not clear.
Will more words clarify?
Will fewer words clarify?
Does this sentence make sense to my One Reader?
Sweep #2: Voice and tone
Voice and tone are two different things. Think about the
sound of your mother’s voice when she’s talking to you.
Now think about when she’s got tone.
Voice stays the same all the time. But tone changes based
on the mood you’re trying to strike in what you’re writing.
With that understood, let’s explore this sweep...
Voice: What 2-3 words describe how the brand sounds?
If the brand had one day left before it vanished from

the planet, how would it sound?
Which fictional character (or real person) does it most
sound like? © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS
Tone: What is the brand’s attitude and what attitude do

you want to transfer to your reader? In the simplest way -
this can be positive, negative, neutral.
What is the mood this piece should have?

What is the emotion you want your reader to feel in this
piece?
PAGE 33
ACTION #8
Use this worksheet to go through the voice and tone sweep
Is there a brand style sheet to follow?
Read line by line, start to finish. Is it the appropriate voice?
Read line by line, start to finish. Is there too much voice?
Read without stopping, start to finish - appropriate mood in the end?
Go over once more, start to finish, for voice.
The next two sweeps are the believability sweeps. They are
critical to having your one reader continue reading down the
page and gives credibility to your solution.
Sweep #3: So what
Ask yourself “so what?” when reviewing each section
Sweep #4: Prove it
Data proof: results others have received using this solution

Social proof: testimonials
Influencer proof: big authority testimonial
Logos of companies that use/trust your solution
Video demos or screenshots/gifs of how it works
Sweep #5: Specificity © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS
PAGE 34
ACTION #9
Go through the left column to make sure your copy is
as specific as possible. Use the suggestions on the right
to fix any specificity issues that come up.
CHECKS HOW TO FIX
Use your words to engage the

Use numerals
imagination of your one reader
Focus on one topic - especially in
Tell action-based stories
email
Help me visualize X in my life Use visual words
Create vivid word pictures Use unexpected words
Avoid putting the “figure out

what I mean” work on the Personalize / trigger
reader
Connect the dots (i.e., what
Symbols (%, $, “) you’re
an 18% improvement actually
being very specific
means)
Unpack summaries (e.g.,
More words
color vs hot pink)
Sweep #6: Heightened emotion
Emotions convert because people want to see the value and

what’s in it for them. So, what are the emotional drivers that are
making them decide to purchase? Ask yourself these questions
when you’re going through the emotions sweep.
Question 1: Are you making it about the customer?

Am I focused on my customer’s value or the benefits and
features of the solution?
Can I focus my message on what my customer is currently
feeling (before) or what she wants to feel (after)? Can I help
her feel and visualize a transformation?
Am I using the right words to bring out the emotions I want
to create on my page?
Am I using testimonials to address the specific roadblocks,
concerns and hesitations of customers (vs. self-praise)?
PAGE 35
Tip #1
How many times do you mention the brand
name on the page? If it’s more than once or
twice, you’re talking about yourself/brand and
not the customer.
Tip #2
Replace US/OUR with YOU (I or ME as the
customer)
Question 2: Can people consistently feel the emotion?
Do the images feel real, relatable and authentic?

Do they support the emotional strategy?
Can you read the copy on photos/images?
What does your copy look like on mobile? Are images
stretched or is the copy too long? People are more distracted
while on mobile.
Do the colors on the page and buttons support your
emotional triggers?
Does it pass the 5-second test?
Testing for optimization

Make sure to test to see which versions work best.
(1) Test before and after feelings
(2) Test us vs competition
Beyond that, can you push EXTRA HARD to make people FEEL
something? When you finish reading the copy, what do you
feel… and how strongly do you feel that?
Basically, if you want your One Reader to feel anything, you’re

going to have to dial things up a notch. On an emotional impact
scale of 1 to 10, anything less than a 7 is unlikely to be high
enough to compel your One Reader to action.
PAGE 36
Sweep #7: Zero risk
Who’s the person in your life who’s most protective of you? In

my case, it was my beloved late dad. He literally called me every
single day during the year I lived in Japan.
Who is that person for you?
Keep that person in mind when you do your Zero Risk sweep.
Keep a great protector in mind.
Do they feel great about someone - aka you - saying “yes” by the
end of the copy? Or are they raising all sorts of flags, like:
No that’s too expensive

You’ll lose too much money on this
But honey how can you be SURE it’s good?
When are you gonna find time for this?
Is this even what you want? Maybe we should sit down
together and create a list of what you want, and I can go find
it for you
OMG now that I write that list I realize my husband would say
everything on that list. And in a great Freudian turn of events,
I find that I’ve married my father. Bootcamp is turning into
therapy. I need to go lay down. Continue with these actions
without me...
PAGE 37
ACTION #10
Start by measuring risk for the prospect on a scale of
1-10, with 10 being incredible risk. Sweep according
to the level of risk (or ‘panic’).
RISK QUESTION LEVEL (1-10)
Risk of performance Will it work like you say??
Is it worth what I’m going to

Risk of value pay? Will my ROI be great
or low or non-existent?
Will it cause harm or
Risk of design introduction friction into
my life?
Will the people who matter
Risk of social success
to me approve?
Will I be satisfied /
Risk of joy
improved personally by it?
ACTION #11
Only once you’ve identified the likeliest concerns for
your One Reader should you try to neutralize the risk.
Specific names of influential [to your One Reader] users
Specific testimonials that directly neutralize identified risks
Quantities of the right kinds of users
Quantities of users in general

Data points about user success
Data points about new user success in X time
Data points about social success
Info about what happens next
Info about guarantees

NB: Don’t jump straight into social proof and money-back
guarantees
PAGE 38
12
DAY 12 – BIZ: AUTHORITY BUILDING
When you’re first getting started, authority building is going

to be one of the cornerstones of how to get clients to find
you, instead of the other way around. Fact is: you want
them to come to you. That’s why I don’t teach cold emailing.
In the beginning, you’re going to want to say “yes” to almost

every opportunity that comes your way. You will need to be
selective, though, because crappy leads create crappy work
for you which leads to you feeling crappy about this whole
freelance thing and wishing you could just find an in-house
job.
To avoid getting so desperate that you say yes to things you

don’t wanna work on with clients you don’t really love, you
need to:
3 Establish yourself as an expert in your field

3 Become the in-demand copywriter in that space
How to build authority

In The 10x Freelance Copywriter course, we go through this
in-depth. For now, I want to get you thinking about what
you will do to build your authority. And this truly is just
skimming the surface. You could:
3Become a speaker (on stage, on webinars, on

podcasts)
3Write guest blog posts for websites your ideal clients
read
3Do Facebook Lives where you showcase your
expertise
Today you’ll put together your Authority Building action

plan.
PAGE 39
ACTION #12
Make a list of what you can do in the immediate
future to start building your authority.
WHERE
WHAT WHEN HOW
(where can you be
(what is your (when will you get (how will you
a guest blogger or
expertise?) this done?) begin?)
expert guest?)
PAGE 40
13
DAY 13 – FROM PROSPECTING
TO PROPOSALS
The name of the game is getting prospects to sign on the

dotted line (aka the proposal).
Prospecting
As a business owner, you now need to understand that
it’s not just about the ABCs (Always Be Closing) → that’s for
the folks who work in sales for other companies. In YOUR
business, you need to only close the right leads. And the
right leads are your ideal clients who value your work and
pay what you’re worth.
ACTION #13
Here are a few ways you can get in front of your
dream/ideal clients.
(1) Ask for referrals from (2) Get published in (3) Go to conferences.
past clients. large business-focused
publications.
(4) Send cold emails. (5) Get published (6) Follow and connect on
[see template in in industry-specific social media.
Appendix C] publications.
(1) Referrals – some of the best clients freelancers receive

are based on referrals from past clients. This is because the
referrers have worked with you and know you’re awesome,
and if you think they’re awesome then you’re gonna wanna © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS
work with people in their network. Write a referral-request

email after every project ends.
(2) Try to get an “in” at business-focused publications. This

goes back to authority building – getting your name out
there is a great way for potential clients to find you. Pitch
the editors on content their audience needs for which
you’re an expert. Start with smaller publications that are
easier to connect with and accept unsolicited pitches, then
work your way up the publishing food chain.
PAGE 41
(3) Go to conferences where your ideal clients are learning
and schmoozing. These can be industry-specific (SaaS,
manufacturing, ecommerce, etc.) or topic-led (conversion,
growth, automation, etc.). This is a great place to network and
get in front of your ideal clients so you can learn about them
and their business needs. Plan as far ahead as possible so you
can get in on the early bird prices.
(4) Use your newfound copy skills to send out cold emails.
Flattery goes a long way (always). Including a compliment in
your cold email is helpful. Make that compliment specific, and
it’s 10x better. Before drafting your email, research the person
you’re writing to and learn as much about them as you can.
PS: There’s a cold email template in Appendix C.
(5) Post on industry-specific blogs your ideal clients are reading.

Again, this goes back to authority building. And if you have a
niche or plan on niching, this is the best option because your
target market is primed for you. Look for associations that
might also have their own member magazine because they’re
always looking for content.
(6) Social media is a great place to get to know your ideal

clients. Join Facebook groups, engage on LinkedIn and/or join
the conversation on Twitter. Whichever option you choose,
make sure you are very targeted and spend your time wisely
on social media. Also don’t spend too much time on social
media pretending this is for work. We’ve all fallen prey to the
black hole distractions social media presents, especially those
adorable and hilarious cat videos. Ayayay!
Discovery calls
Once you connect with your ideal clients, book a discovery call.
This is when you can both get to know each other and assess if
you’re a good fit to work together.
Discovery calls are about 15 mins.
Lead the call - take control because that’s what professionals
do.
Ask a lot of questions to determine what’s driving their
interest in getting conversion copy into their lives and to
understand if / how you can serve their copy needs.
PAGE 42
At the end of this call, you’ll decide if:
1. You want to have a longer call to dig deeper into

everything you just scratched the surface of or
2. You do NOT want to have a longer call because what they
are looking for is not in keeping with what you do or want
to do.
If you book a second call, you’ll want to make sure you discuss
budget in that call. Ask them what their budget is for the work
they’ve described needing. If they don’t say - which many won’t -
be ready to go with your number. Have the following calculator
open so you can work out the best estimate while you’re on the
phone with them:
https://copyhackers.com/freelance-copywriter-quote-
calculator/
The reason you discuss all of this up front is because

you want to make sure there are no surprises when they
review your proposal. The goal is to have the proposal
basically become a scope of work (SOW), and they are
just reviewing what was already discussed on the call.
Importantly, if they hem and haw over your estimate
during the call, do NOT move forward. Let them chase
you, or let them give up because they can’t afford you. As
a freelancer, you do not have the luxury of wasting time
chasing a bad lead.
Proposals
We run an entire bootcamp on proposals, by the way, so

watch for an invitation to that.
By the time your prospect gets your proposal, they should

already know everything that is inside. No surprises! And © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS
no wondering if they’ll accept or have questions because
you’ve already addressed them during your call.
This includes:
Why they’re working with you

What problem(s) they have
How other solutions have failed and will continue to fail
to solve their problem(s)
How your solution will totally solve it, and in what time
PAGE 43
What your solution includes
Price
Payment terms
Template as much of your proposal (or statement of work)

as you can. Bonus tips:
Use the PAS copywriting framework to write it

Present the proposal live (in-person if you’re local) or via
video conference
Leave legalese out, but include these critical clauses
• The case study clause
• The pause clause / delay clause
•The cancellation clause
• Payment terms
SOW template available in Appendix D
PAGE 44
14
DAY 14 – PRESENTING COPY
TO CLIENTS
IT’S THE LAST DAY OF BOOTCAMP!!!!
You’ve been sweatin’ your way through:
Setting up your home office, with boundaries

Taking control of your clock and calendar
Deciding what services you’re going to offer
Deciding whom you’re going to serve primarily or how
you’re going to specialize if at all
Setting up a basic website and pro email address
Then we switched over to establishing your mad

copywriting skills:
Starting with the One Reader

Adding the Conversion Copywriting process to your life
Using PAS and AIDA
Frontloading your copy, leading with “you” and stomping
down objections with “even if”
Editing with the Seven Sweeps
And then back to business stuff, with some of the advanced

to-dos:
Building your authority

Attracting prospects / Prospecting
Running discovery calls
Putting together proposals that convince
And NOW we get into the one thing almost no one does
before I teach it to them: presenting copy to clients.
As in, book a one-hour meeting with your client. Share your

screen. Give a brief preso on how you arrived at your copy.
And then read your copy to them.
Here’s what that looks like:
PAGE 45
ACTION #14
How to present copy, step-by-step.
What When
Book a meeting to present your copy (this is a non-negotiable). At the start of the
You send the invitation, you set up the Zoom link and you project (to make sure
record the entire meeting (on video) so that anyone who didn’t everyone who has a
attend can rewatch. say in the project is
present).
Prepare your deck: keep it simple. No fancy design required. After you’ve finished
the project (at least
The sections in your deck may include: 1-2 days before your
presentation).
A list of the research you did
The stickiest VoC you collected
Data insights, like what traffic is coming from where
What happens when people have used the solution?
What competitors are prospects considering?
Other insights and messaging you’ve gathered
NB: The deck does not include the actual copy.
Send out your copy deck before the meeting. Don’t give them 20 minutes before the
a ton of time to dig in - they’ll need your voiceover to keep meeting
them from making “I like” and “I don’t like” comments.
In each section, include your own reactions and what you’ve During the
synthesized. Show the client actual quotes from past and presentation
present customers and prospects you’ve interviewed.
Once you’ve run through the copy deck, switch to show them During the
the actual copy you’ve written. presentation
Send the recording of the copy presentation to your client. Within the hour after © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS
your meeting has
ended
Presenting your copy is a badass move. It shows

confidence. And it allows you to see your clients reactions in
real time - which is generally very cool. Speaking of cool...
PAGE 46
COOL DOWN
Congratulations, bootcamper! You’ve made it through the most
gruelling intro to freelance copywriting around.
It’s time to finally take a beat and stretch out those brain muscles.
Now that you’ve gone through all the training and you know how
to kick off your very own freelance copywriting business, you
should be off and practicing everything you’ve learned.
Like with most trainings, learning is never done. This has been a
foundational core training to help guide you as your start your
exciting new career. And as you continue to grow your business
and hone the skills you’ve just learned, you’ll realize this:
There is so much more you can and should learn.
About growing your business.
About establishing your authority. (And using your unfair

advantage as a copywriter to do so.)
About getting super-badass with your copy skills.
Copyhackers is here to help you throughout your journey.

Come join us over at the 10x Freelance Copywriter, where we
offer next-level training with ongoing support and an awesome
community of like-minded freelance copywriters who will soon
become your copy family.
To your success, © 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS

~jo :)
PAGE 47
APPENDIX A
Software and tools to make your job and business run smoother
Time
Toggl Rescue Time
management
Social media
Buffer Sprout Social Hootsuite MeetEdgar
scheduling
Accounting +
QuickBooks FreshBooks Wave Xero
payment
Systems +
workflows
(proposals, 17Hats Dubsado
contracts,
questionnaires)
Scheduling
Calendly Acuity MixMax
(calendarizing)
Survey
Surveys Typeform FourEyes
Monkey
Website (domain Google
GoDaddy
registration) Domains
Website (hosting) WordPress Wix SquareSpace
Wireframing Balsamiq Photoshop
Video
Zoom Skype Webex GoToMeeting
conferencing
PAGE 48
APPENDIX B: THE PAS FORMULA TEMPLATE
The transformation: We want to move our one reader from ___________ to ___________.
Problem
STARTING BIG PROBLEM: ________________________________
Agitation
HOW THE PROBLEM MANIFESTED MOST RECENTLY: ________________________________

IN THEIR LIFE: ________________________________
IN THEIR WORK: ________________________________
IN THE MIRROR: ________________________________
IN THEIR MIND: ________________________________
IN THEIR COMMUNITY: ________________________________
IN THEIR HOUSE: ________________________________
IN THEIR BANK ACCOUNT: ________________________________
OTHER: ________________________________
WHY THE PROBLEM EXISTS FOR THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE: _________________________
THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE PROBLEM: ____________________________
WHAT THE PROBLEM IS COSTING THEM: ________________________________

IN MONEY: ________________________________
IN TIME: ________________________________
IN RESPECT: ________________________________
IN HAPPINESS: ________________________________
OTHER: ________________________________
Solution
IF THEY’VE TRIED SOLVING IT, THE MISTAKES THEY MADE ALONG THE WAY: _________
_______________________
IF THEY HAVE NOT TRIED SOLVING IT, HOW THEY EXPECT TO SOLVE IT: _____________
___________________
WHY THEY HAVEN’T SOLVED IT - AND CAN’T SOLVE IT - WITHOUT [YOUR] HELP: _____
___________________________
HOW THEIR LIFE / WORK WILL IMPROVE WHEN THEY SOLVE IT: ______________________
__________
WHAT YOUR SOLUTION IS: ________________________________
PAGE 49
APPENDIX C: COLD EMAIL TEMPLATE
SUBJECT LINE: _____________________
Hi {Firstname},
Hope your week is going well. I read about {positive company news, like a write-up
in TechCrunch or a new product launch}. Congrats!
I was checking out {company} website and noticed you don’t have any {outcome of
service I’m offering; this is the identification of the problem}.
Do you need help with this? As an experienced {expert in service I’m offering}, I
{what you do for clients}.
With your {company news} and need to build trust and growth, I imagine {statement
of how it could be very easy to fix the problem you’ve identified}. For example, {free
tidbit of advice}.
As you may know, research has shown that {stat to answer your prospect’s “so
what?” and “why should I care?” questions}.
Recently I helped {similar company} achieve {X result} with a {service you’re

offering}.
Because of my background as a {job position}, I can clearly {insert your USP or

relevant work experience to provide credibility} to get {company} {your reader’s
business goal}.
When are you open for a 15-minute call next week to chat about how we can work
together? Looking forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
{Your name}
PAGE 50
APPENDIX D: SCOPE OF WORK TEMPLATE
This template is offered as a convenience to you. We are not lawyers, and this document
should not act as a legally binding document. Always consult a legal professional before
engaging in a contract. We accept no responsibility of any kind for any issues arising
directly or indirectly from the use of this appendix item.
The Need
[Client Name] (“[Client Name or Shorthand]”) is engaging [Contractor Name], doing
business as [Business Name], ([“Contractor Name or Shorthand” or informal first-
person plural]) to [summary of work to be done] during [expression of period of
time]. Here’s why.
[Client Name or Shorthand] [single statement of problem they’ve been

experiencing].
[First example of how this problem has manifested in the client’s business. Using the
Problem-Agitation-Solution copywriting framework, this is the agitation section.]
[Second example of how this problem has manifested in the client’s business.]
[If available, third example.]
As a result, [Client Name or Shorthand] [expression of pain, ideally in numbers and

ideally felt by the person(s) signing this statement of work].
[If available, include a powerful sentence about how the prospective client found
you, especially if by referral.]
The Solution
[A single delightful statement about the solution you’ll provide.]
We’re being engaged based on our strong history of results. In the last [time frame],
we’ve [a brief overview of the highlights of your portfolio] and brought in such
results as:
• Results 1
• Results 2
• Results 3
With a focus on [your focus], we’ve delivered results for clients including [list
client names, ideally ones that are recognizable to your client even if they’re not
recognizable to the world at large]. Here’s a sample of their reactions to the value
we’ve provided:
• Testimonial 1
• Testimonial 2
PAGE 51
Our Services
As discussed, the services we’ll provide for this engagement will include but may not
be limited to:
#activity
We’ll follow our conversion copywriting process for all elements of this engagement:
#process
For best results, we request and recommend that [Client Name or Shorthand]
create an internal team or task force dedicated to these optimization projects. This
team or task force will work directly with us at all stages, champion the optimization
projects at [Client Name or Shorthand] and, with us, co-lead the reporting of results
to the larger [Client Name or Shorthand] team.
Our Team
Our team includes [list team members], all of whom will be involved in some
capacity in this engagement. Subcontractors (i.e., specialists) may also be involved.
• [High-level CV for team member]

• [High-level CV for team member]
Engagement Timeline
#engagement-timeline
Fee Summary
#fee-summary
The above pricing is effective until [time with time zone] on [date].

Note that additional assistance may be provided post-completion; for example,
creative feedback on the visual design and support for split-testing, if we haven’t
included that as part of the [project or retainer] here.
Payment Schedule
#payment-schedule
Next Steps
To proceed with this project, [Client Name or Shorthand] will take the following
steps by [date]:
PAGE 52
1. Accept this statement of work as is or discuss desired changes. Please note that
changes to the scope of the project can be made at any time, but additional charges
may apply.
2. Finalize and sign this statement of work.

Once these steps have been completed, [Client Name or Shorthand] will invoice
[Client Name or Shorthand] as per the Payment Schedule.
Prior to the project start date, we will send further information about the research
and discovery phase. This may include requests to meet with [Client Name or
Shorthand] employees.
Terms and Conditions

Once all outstanding balances for services are paid in full to [Contractor Name or
Shorthand], any elements of text, graphics, photos, contents, trademarks, or other
artwork furnished to [Client Name or Shorthand] for inclusion in website, email, or
otherwise are owned by [Client Name or Shorthand].
Payments will be made by bank transfer, with details to be provided by [Contractor

Name or Shorthand] to [Client Name or Shorthand].
[Contractor Name or Shorthand] assumes [Client Name or Shorthand] has

permission from the rightful owner to use any images or design elements that
are provided by [Client Name or Shorthand] for inclusion in the work it creates on
behalf of [Client Name or Shorthand], and will hold harmless, protect, and defend
[Client Name or Shorthand] from any claim or suit arising from the use of such
elements.
[Contractor Name or Shorthand] retains the right to display all content elements
and A/B or MVT tests as examples of its work online and as content features in
other projects, including but not limited to conference presentations, webinars and
free or paid products. Unless expressly agreed, [Contractor Name or Shorthand]
agrees not to disclose information of a private nature, including the following data
about [Client Name or Shorthand]: traffic volume, conversion rates, average order
value.
[Client Name or Shorthand] allows [Contractor Name or Shorthand] to disclose

at least the following for the purposes of at least one case study: the process of
working with [Client Name or Shorthand]; information about the visitors, customers
and prospects of [Client Name or Shorthand]; voice of customer data gathered
during this project; the process of turning raw data into testable copy for use on the
[Client Name or Shorthand] home page and/or pricing page; the process of setting
up the test, including the platform used and the dates in which the test run; and
the test results, including goals, conversion lift, confidence reached and next steps.
At no time will business-sensitive data be shared in any case study presented by
[Contractor Name or Shorthand].
PAGE 53
This agreement may be cancelled in writing by either party at any time with
[number (##)] business days’ notice.
This agreement becomes effective only when signed by agents of [Client Name or
Shorthand] and [Contractor Name or Shorthand]. Regardless of the place of signing
of this agreement, [Client Name or Shorthand] agrees that for purposes of venue,
this contract was entered into in [Contractor State or Province] and any dispute will
be litigated or arbitrated in [Contractor City, State or Province].
The agreement contained in this contract constitutes the sole agreement between
[Client Name or Shorthand] and [Contractor Name or Shorthand] regarding all
items included in this agreement.
PAGE 54

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•••

© 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS

© 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS

But as with all bootcamps, don’t expect an easy ride.

Freelancing is work. And you have a boss.

The bills are the boss.

Once you’ve grown to a point of profitability, that boss will

Now imagine a whistle just blew. It’s time to sweat.

Working from home is one of the perks of freelancing. But

Now that I’ve got that out of the way...

Unless you’ve got some money squirreled away to rent an

GET THAT HOME OFFICE IN SHAPE!!!

EXERCISE 1. SET ASIDE DEDICATED SPACE IN YOUR HOME.

You have responsibilities.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE WORKING IN AN OFFICE???????

Would you take the afternoon off

DISCIPLINE YOUR APPEARANCE!!!

I wouldn’t hire a tired-looking person with their laptop camera tilted up at

ONLY A SERIAL KILLER LETS THEIR CLIENTS SEE THEM IN A TERRIBLE

So discipline the way you and your

Turn on your computer’s camera

You don’t need a beautiful,

AAAAANNNNND you’re done. Go shower up. See you here tomorrow.

© 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS

So you wanna be a freelance copywriter?

Everyone does. Everyone wants the freelance life.

So what separates YOU from all those wannabes?

DISCIPLINE. Discipline with your time. At least, that’s what’s

If you think you manage your time efficiently, think again.

Change your relationship with your clock.

Change your relationship with your whole calendar.

When you are freelance, you do not have a five-day

Start by scrapping old ideas. Fact is:

You can, will and should work on the weekends

Let’s let that simmer for a bit …

EXERCISE 1: ELIMINATE 90% OF INTERRUPTIONS

Text / WhatsApp / Chats - nope

Shopping - also nope

Surfing the internet - nope unless it’s for research

Shiny objects - #squirrel

EXERCISE 2: ONLY DO HIGH-VALUE TASKS

Think about everything you do in your business as a $10,

*I’m not advocating paying people these rates. It’s just to

TASK $10 $100 $1000

© 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS

Writing sales pages

WHAT SERVICE HOW LONG WHAT WILL

You SHOULD worry about those things. And you SHOULD

My team and I coach freelance copywriters through all of

You SHOULD see what you’re missing here:

© 2019 WIEBE MARKETING LTD DBA COPYHACKERS

Many freelancers hear rumblings about niching being THE

Sure. That is absolutely possible. However, don’t just

Here’s the difference between ‘em.

A niche (from the French, pronounced neeeesh - not

So for example, I “niched” as a SaaS copywriter. Because I

I did NOT sit around quizzing myself on the 100s of rando

IF YOU NATURALLY GRAVITATE TOWARD AN INDUSTRY OR

Specialization is when you provide one type of copywriting

If you love writing emails, become THE email copywriter.

If you love writing websites, become THE website

K, so we’ve established that you can niche or specialize.

One more thing: