Learn Copywriting | 32 Dirt Cheap Ways in 2020

So, I set out to find the cheapest, yet best sources of information I could on the subject.

Yeah, I’m a cheap jerk.

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Mandatory Disclaimer Forced On Us:

I have some affiliate links on this page.  It will not affect the price you pay for these services, and the amount of money I usually make from them help pay for my coffee.  Cheers!

In my defense, the Internet is supposed to be the place where you can learn just about anything, right?

(I don’t see where there’s a rule that says you have to pay megabucks for it.)

In this post, I’m going to show you how to learn copywriting using free or cheap resources.

[Tweet theme=”basic-white”]Even if you don’t learn how to master the craft, you should understand what good copy looks like[/Tweet]

Learn Copywriting Dirt Cheap on eBay

On eBay I found all sorts of great resources from books to audio courses that I could buy for a lark. The real value was the excellent deals I got on the audio courses.

As of January 2020, here’s an image of some of the courses I found on there.

Even though these courses have been on the market for years, every lesson is 100% valid.

(Just because some guru-wannabe bought the stuff and never used it, doesn’t make it bad. As a matter of fact, the material I have purchased from online auctions has been excellent.)

The following resources are ones that I have actually purchased. Of course, by the time you read this, the prices may have changed or they may no longer be available.

Dan Kennedy’s Copywriting Clinic – If you don’t have any of Dan’s resources on your shelf, you aren’t that serious about copywriting or marketing. He is a leader in these fields, and the sheer volume of the resources he has produced is staggering.

Recorded years ago, the valuable lessons contained on this 6 CD set are priceless. This was an expensive seminar that Dan was teaching to a group of businesspeople and released on audio CD’s.

It is not a recording of a bunch of gurus giving quick speeches, but a detailed, well -thought out course. Dan takes you in steps through the entire process of writing great copy. He teaches you everything from writing headlines to call to action sequences.

I got the Copywriting Clinic on eBay for $15 and it is an excellent course if you want to start learning.

Dan Kennedy’s Magnetic Marketing

This was the first course on copywriting that I bought. I used it to sell products worldwide and it brought in so much business we couldn’t handle it all!

This is a huge set of pre-written sales letters that span a wide variety of businesses. Each sales letter is a template that you can rewrite and use for your own business. (Dan has released the rights for this material so you can use these letters for your business.

If you’re trying to learn copywriting studying these lessons will be invaluable. You can use them in your business, dissect them, and rewrite them.

Since I have bought this course, I have seen it many times on eBay! running anywhere from $25 to $60. Those prices are a steal for the incredible marketing lessons you can learn from this set.

2020 Update On This Resource

January 2020 update:  I checked and you can still get this copywriting course dirt cheap on eBay.  I saw prices running from $17 to $70.  

John Carlton’s Copywriting Courses – I have also bought quite a few of John Carlton’s courses on eBay for a fraction of the cost you would have to pay on other sites.

Mr. Carlton is one of the top copywriters on the planet. He was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with the famous Gary Halbert as he was learning his craft.  His courses are well organized and take you step-by-step through the entire process. I’ve seen quite a few of John’s courses on eBay recently in the $70 to $100 range and they are worth every cent.

The thing I liked about them is the blunt, no-nonsense approach he uses to get his point across. He also dissects his sales letters so that you can understand his entire thought process.

Great Copywriting Books from Amazon – Cheap!

Another great place to get courses and books from is Amazon.

Note: I’m not going to post the links to these books, because the links on Amazon change so frequently.  So I’m just going to give you a short review of these copywriting books.  All you have to do is a search on Amazon to find out where they are. 

Amazon has used books for sale as a part of their sales process. If they can’t get you to buy their books at the regular price, you can get them at used prices.

Amazon has incredible books on copywriting that you can buy for dirt cheap prices.

Here’s a list of the copywriting books I’ve bought:

The Boron Letters by Gary Halbert

If you are new to copywriting and want to learn, you need to know about Gary Halbert. The late Mr. Halbert (A.K.A. “The Prince of Print”) is the undisputed “uber-copywriter”.

He once had a direct mail campaign that was so successful his bank had to hire a large staff just to process his checks. No kidding.

The Boron Letters are letters that he wrote to his son while in prison. (The book doesn’t elaborate on why he was in prison or how long he was there.)

These letters not only reveal Mr. Halbert’s views on life but also on his craft.

He writes a lot about how he became an A-level copywriter and how to conduct a direct mail campaign. This book is not a course, but anyone that is serious about writing great copy and conducting a direct mail campaign should read it.

The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy

If I had to pick the very first thing you should buy, this would be it. The Ultimate Sales Letter is the beginner’s guide to writing a sales letter.

Once again, Dan Kennedy has produced an excellent resource for writing a sales piece. He devotes a chapter to each step of the process so that you’ll have a blueprint that’s easy to follow.

The steps are clear, and he explains each part of a sales letter. Dan uses real-world experiences to explain how the parts work together so that you’ll know why they work.

Once again, this should be the first resource you should devour.

How to Write a Good Advertisement: A Short Course in Copywriting by Victor O. Schwab

I have a disagreement with the title of this book. It is not a short course. This is a very detailed, step-by-step instruction manual on how to write advertising copy.

Written in 1962, this book has become a hallmark of how to write copy that sells. Schwab uses analogies and examples that help you understand how and what to write.

You will not be able to get through this book in a week because it is very detailed. Schwab even put test questions at the end of each chapter to challenge your mind. An excellent book to have in your library if you want to know how to write to sell.

Secrets of a Freelance Writer and The Copywriter’s Handbook by Bob Bly

These two books are indispensable.  Bob Bly is the Copywriter’s Copywriter.  He’s an expert supreme on the subject with over 96 published books to his credit.  Both of those books cover every aspect of how to write professional copy.

Once again, I’m amazed at how cheap you can get these excellent books by Mr. Bly.  As of this writing, (January 2020) you can get these books for under $6.  Amazing!  Once you get one of these books in your hands you’ll see the value you get for your money.

Also, David Ogilvy’s and Ben Suarez’s books grace my shelves as well.  Ogilvy is a high-end agency copywriter who has been dubbed “Father of Advertising”.  His books and insight come from many years working at his own agency where he was extremely successful.

The Ben Suarez book, 7 Steps to Freedom is massive.  Actually, the first quarter of the book deals with copywriting, the rest is about creating information products and how to market them and sell them.

Off the Radar – Resources to Learn Copywriting Dirt Cheap

I love off-beat stuff.

The cool thing about the Internet is there are so many interesting sources of information, you never know what you’ll find.  I’ve bounced around so much, that I’ve found some sources of information that are off the beaten path.

Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about.

The Guy on Reddit Who Makes $300,000 a Year Copywriting

Last year, I decided to look at Reddit to see if anyone was posting interesting information on the social media site.  After some digging around, I found this guy who said he made $300,000 a year copywriting.

At first, I thought he was bragging a bunch so he could sell his readers something.  However, it’s all information. Not only that, it’s excellent information.  Rather than posting all the links to the instructional videos he made, I’m going to post a single link here: Reddit Copywriter Who Makes $300,000 a Year.

Cult of Copy

The Cult of Copy Facebook Pages is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to learn copywriting.

CollinTheriot is the master copywriter and entrepreneur behind these Facebook business pages. He has a massive following and his advice on writing copy is top-notch.  As a matter of fact, his advice and knowledge are so good I often copy the text and make my own pdf files from it as reference books.

The Warrior Forum – Copywriter’s Section

If you’re brand new to copywriting, you should go to the Warrior Forum (WF).  There are all sorts of copywriters on there, and they even have their own section.  (Just look for a drop-down menu under one of the headings and you’ll see “copywriter”.)  The thing that’s cool about the WF is there are some very savvy copywriters on there and they’re more than happy to help a newbie out.

However, if you’re sensitive about getting criticized you’ll either have to grow an0ther layer of skin or find some other way to make money.  Because if you ask those guys to critique your copy, it’ll get shredded.

However, their comments and advice are usually spot on and they’re nice people that want you to learn copywriting and succeed.

Udemy Courses

I’ve taken at least 2 courses on Udemy.  One was called “Win Top Paying Copywriting Jobs with My Copywriting Copywriting Secrets” and the other was from a pro in London, England.  Her name is Claire Lynch is a professor at Cambridge University had her own copywriting agency, Claire Lynch.  Her course was called, ” Freelance Copywriter –  How to Succeed as an Elite Copywriter“.

Usually, these are courses that will run you around $12 and they had between 7 to 15 lessons in them.  The courses have video lectures on them with resources and worksheets.  An incredible bargain considering you’re learning a valuable trade.

Learn Copywriting with Free Lessons on YouTube

Youtube is loaded with great lessons on how to learn copywriting.

And guess what?

They’re dirt cheap because you can watch them for free. However, there is a catch.  The reason why these copywriters are putting their expertise out on video for free is exposure.  They know you’ll see their excellent videos and want to learn more.

Usually, they give you all the sizzle and just a little bit of the steak. But they know if you’re impressed with their lessons you’ll want to take their course. Or if you’re in the market for a good copywriter you may see one of these videos and want to hire them.  But with all of the “How to Learn Copywriting” YouTube videos out there, you can learn a lot.

Here’s an example of what I mean from an excellent copywriter, Ray Edwards:

Here’s a list of the copywriters and their Channels that I watch most frequently on YouTube:

Ray Edwards

There are 2 copywriters I watch with the name Ray Edwards but this is the Ray I watch the most because his analysis of writing copy is excellent.  He likes to “back engineer” copy from classic ads to see what makes them tick.

Neville Medhora’s Kopywriting Kourse Channel

You remember when you were a little kid, and there was this other bigger kid who you admired and wanted to be like when you got older?  Well when I grow up, I want to be just like Neville.  He’s cool, he’s funny, and he is an awesome entrepreneur/copywriter.

And he does some of the most interesting things too!

Once he decided to be homeless just to experience what it was like and then write about it. (My favorite writer Harlan Ellison once wrote a story called “Web of the City” where he joined a street gang to get his source material. So, it’s not uncommon for good writers to do this.)

I like his “artwork” too.  Just look at one of his landing pages:

Ok, so he’s not Jack Kirby, but you get the idea.

Actually, that’s what I love about Neville’s style, he makes everything so simple and easy to understand and his illustrations crack me up.  His videos are excellent and I highly recommend them.

Dan Kenndy’s No BS Channel

If you remember back to the beginning of this post, I told you to get Dan’s book, “The Ultimate Sales Letter” because it’s the best primer on how to start writing copy.  His free YouTube chats are excellent too.

Not only does he have an entire series on copywriting, but he has a lot of excellent marketing videos as well.

Free Ebooks on How to Learn Copywriting

I’ve written about this in other posts, but there’s a ton of free eBooks you can get too. Instead of going into great detail on some of these resources I’m just going to list them here for you in short order.  (To get more detailed information on them… click here: Copywriting eBooks)

• T.J. Rohleder. He is giving away 63 eBooks for free on copywriting and starting your own business.
• Make Your Words Sell by Joe Robson and Ken Envoy.  This is part of a course that teaches you how to market your business.
• The ABC of Copywriting by Tom Albrighton 97 pages long, full of great copywriting information.
• How to write a B2B Website by Tom Albrighton shows you how to write copy for your landing pages.
• Swipe Files for Lazy Copywriters gives you a ton of headline phrases you can swipe for your advertising copy or blog posts.
• The Copywriting Sourcebook by Andy Maslen is a 214 page eBook that goes over the art of writing copy extensively.  Note: when you click on this link it will let you download it immediately.  I’ve downloaded it myself and it’s safe.
• Copywriting 101 by Katie Yagel is a writer with AWAI and her book is about turning your writing passion into a career.
• Copyblogger’s Copywriting 101 is a highly professional ebook written by one of the copywriting industry’s most reliable source of information.
• Fear Not Confidence-Building Insights, Tips, and Techniques for Freelance Writers by Carol Tice.  Ms. Tice is absolutely amazing.  Her Freelance Writer’s Den is a world-class training ground for copywriters.  After reading this eBook you should check out her site because it’s the best place to learn the business of copywriting on the planet.

Conclusion

I won’t lie to you, learning how to write copy is not easy. However, it can be learned cheaply if you start out with these resources and work diligently at it. Like learning a musical instrument, it may take you years to learn how to write it, but once you master it, you will be able to turn money into cash.

Do you have other resources you’d like to see mentioned here?  Please leave a comment in the space below because it would really make my day.