Its Time To Start That "Swipe" File

Just as great fiction is an art, so is great copywriting. Beneath the art, however, theres a foundation of basic knowledge and skills. The craft that goes into your writing.

Craft comes first. Art follows.

You learn the craft of writing by educating yourself, by the actual process of writing the doing, and by reading incessantly. Every successful writer will tell you that reading has been and still is the cornerstone of developing his craft.

Reading presents you with a written illustration of what works and what doesnt, of what you like as a writer and what you dont. It helps you understand the possibilities, and offers practical instruction of how the rules of your craft are used.

Most writers, when they start out, mimic their favorite authors. I have a friend who became incredibly adept at writing like Stephen King. For several years, everything I wrote had a Ray Bradbury flavor.

Eventually, we developed our own styles, which were richer for having first gone through this mimic stage.

The point is this: part of any effective learning process is to mimic what has been successful before you.

This is true of copywriting, too. And its the reason you need to start a "swipe" file if you want to become a successful copywriter.

What is a "swipe" file Its exactly what it sounds like ... a file of great copywriting examples that youve collected, studied, and can access whenever youre in need of a little inspiration. These are not examples meant to be plagiarized. You arent copying work here; youre adapting it to your own copywriting needs.

For example ... suppose youre writing a sales letter for an Internet site that sells an expensive mens wristwatch and youre in need of a great headline. You search through your "swipe" file and find a sales letter for The Oxford Club actually taken from my own "swipe" file with the headline: A Mans Right To Wealth. How To Master Every Situation And Prosper On A Grand Scale.

You toy around with it and come up with this: A Mans Right To Elegance. How To Impress In Every Situation With A Watch That Does Far More Than Keep Accurate Time.

See how a good "swipe" file can help

You can use it to adapt opening sentences. Or the layout of a sales letter. Or the guarantee you or your client offers. Even the pace or the emotional "tug" of a piece.

By using your "swipe" file, your creative juices are instantly flowing. Theres no blank page. You already have something to work with. And as any good writer will tell you, its easier to edit than it is to write.

So where do you get the material for your "swipe" file

The quickest and easiest source is the Internet. Start checking out website sales letters. Print them out. Good or bad even the bad ones can inspire your work. Study them. And keep them close by in a handy file.

The other great source is from mailing lists. If youre already on a few lists, then start filing those pitches away when they arrive instead of tossing them out. If youre not on a list, try purchasing a product or asking for a catalog. It wont be long before youre on a number of lists and your "swipe" file is growing exponentially.

Two good places to get started are: Publishers Clearing House, 101 Channel Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050; and Nightingale-Conant, 7300 N. Leigh Avenue, Chicago, IL 60648.

Try them both. Try any others that come to mind, as well. Just start building your "swipe" today!