I still call myself a Copywriter because I know what the role originally entailed. I’m a Copywriter like Claude Hopkins, Joe Sugarman, and Gary Halbert were Copywriters. I always will be. Old school copywriters are like old school Muay Thai fighters. Nak Muay are ready to fight any time, anywhere, against any weight class. Old school copywriters can sell any product, in any niche, to any market.
I don’t know where this idea came from that a copywriter only writes words. This has never been the case. Perhaps in the context of an advertising agency where many creatives handle different aspects of marketing. If we’re talking about a direct response copywriter, writing words is maybe 10% of the skill set. The Copywriter with a capital C knows and does so much more. We are professional problem solvers. And the main problem we solve involves selling things.
“Want to start making real money in the game? Stop thinking copywriting, marketing, and sales, and start thinking about problem-solving.” – Alen Sultanic
The words we write are just a tool to solve problems. Since the words can now be written by AI, or so they say, we can direct our attention to solving more and bigger problems. And that’s if… IF… AI-generated copy creates incremental value. We may end up finding out that AI-generated copy is neutral or has a negative effect on long-term value creation. It may be the case that consumers reject AI and expect a human touch in all the marketing they consume. A capital C Copywriter would know this.
One of our Copyskills members, Daniel, told me recently.
“Truth is, I’ve been working a lot lately across many different projects. Copy is maybe 20% of what I do these days, and the rest is pure systems building. I don’t want to say I’ve ‘outgrown’ the community, but it feels like it. My goal when I joined was to become a killer copywriter. But it’s clear to me now that selling copywriting services (even stacked services like email list management) just isn’t feasible anymore. Before AI, demand for copywriters was sorta high because there were only so many clients a good writer could serve at once. Now, the same high-level copywriter can serve 10x as many — which makes it almost impossible to close clients if you’re selling copy. You’d need a serious track record and major authority to pull it off, at least from what I’ve seen. On top of that, I’m basically delivering services that eliminate the need for a copywriter on retainer. I took on the ‘Copywriter’ identity and carried it like an honor badge for so long… but I had to let it go after seeing where the market is headed for copy bros. I’d share this in the community, but it’s a rather gloomy take. Curious if you have any initial thoughts?”
Outgrowing IS the Point
My goal for all Copyskills members is for them to graduate to higher-level coaching and mentorship. Whether that’s with me or some other coach, doesn’t matter.
Copyskills is a feeder program to get up-and-comers used to investing in themselves and paying for help. To me the perfect outcome is for a member is to join, get the help they need, increase their income 3X-10X, and then cancel their membership. Why? Because they’re paying for one-on-one coaching with Pauline Longdon or Dan Ferrari. Or they’ve joined Sultanic’s Fast Forward, or Shetti’s PCM. Would I like them to stay and contribute and give back to the community that put them on? Sure. But I fully expect them outgrow us. Several already have.
Daniel who I’m quoting was already more advanced than our average member when he joined Copyskills. He was already taking on CMO responsibilities. So it’s only natural that he’d graduate from copywriter to an executive role. We have another copywriter, Alejandro, who’s advanced to the point he joined PCM and then NHB+. And another, Keith, who’s managing lists for several brands. There isn’t much more I can teach these guys. As they level-up their career, they must level-up their coaches.
The Curse of Copywriting Knowledge
The curse of knowledge happens to experts in every field. And that’s what Daniel is going through. When you can see the code in the Matrix and stop bullets with a thought, it’s difficult to think like or relate to someone who’s still plugged in. But the people plugged in are still governed by the code. They can’t stop bullets. They have to obey gravity and physics and biology.
It’s the same with copywriting or marketing knowledge. You might know this stuff like the back of your hand. The businesses you help don’t have a clue. Have you seen the “copy” non-copywriters produce using AI? It’s hot garbage. They can do all the vibe marketing they like. Everything they produce will still look like AI. And none of it will convert.
Demand for Copywriters
Do me a favour and Perplexity “number of small businesses in the USA” and “number of copywriters in the USA”. The ratio is 250:1. Meaning, every copywriter would have to take on 250 clients to satisfy demand. Just in the USA. Every business needs marketing (or copywriting) in some form or another. And the problem that’s always been the case until now is there were never enough copywriters to go around. Each copywriter’s maximum capacity was 4-5 clients at a time. Even if every copywriter became an AI expert and started handling 10-20 clients at a time, we still haven’t made a dent in the demand.
Stop looking at companies with the most advanced marketers in the world. Start looking at companies who still think marketing is printing fliers. Our industry isn’t going anywhere for a while. And if you are just getting started, or English is your second language, AI is the great equalizer.
Clients are Optional
“Wait, clients are optional?”
“Always have been.”
Okay, so the clients are using AI to do their marketing. Let’s say they don’t need copywriters anymore. Not true, but let’s assume. Here’s a reframe. Copywriters will use AI to become the clients. I’m “the client” in two of my own offers: Copyskills and MuslimMan™. If I decided I want to stop doing client work and go all-in on one or both of these offers, I could.
What’s stopping you from doing the same? What’s stopping you from taking a month or two to learn how to vibe code apps, build your own micro-SaaS and use your advanced marketing & copywriting knowhow to sell it? What’s stopping you from taking a month or two to research a market and launch your own info product – faceless or with an AI influencer being the “personal brand” behind it? What’s stopping you from signing up as an affiliate for a big supplement brand and using AI plus your copywriting knowledge to drive endless traffic to their offers?
Nothing. The only thing stopping you is your insistence on thinking like an employee and your refusal to think like an entrepreneur.
I realize I’ve probably created more questions than I’ve answered. I’m happy to answer them for you, inside Copyskills. Because if you think Copyskills is only about writing emails and landing pages and Facebook ads, you need to reread this page. And if you’d like to dig deeper, on the next few pages you’ll discover…
- The Copywriter Class-War
- Remote Work is a PSYOP
- How to Choose a Coaching/Mentorship Program
- The Problem With Membership Communities
- Why Courses & Coaching Cost the Downpayment on a House
- A Trade School for the Next Generation of Copywriters
- Why You Shouldn’t Join CopySkills™
Next: The Copywriter Class War
- Copywriters (with a capital C) don’t just write words, they solve problems
- AI is the best thing to happen to copywriters who think like entrepreneurs (not employees)
- Now more than ever, clients are optional
“Those $3,000/month copywriting masterminds are just ridiculous!”
“Look, those $500 a month, thousand dollars, $3,000 masterminds that just is, it’s ridiculous. And if you’re just getting started, you know, if you live in Nigeria where a decent income is 250 US dollars per month, then 1500 a month for a Mastermind is just insane. It just doesn’t make sense. And so there is a lack of the real training and education that you need to succeed because it’s not offered at a price point that is reasonable for you. And Nabeel sees this and he says, Screw that. This is messed up. We need to change this. And he’s doing something about it and he has my full support.” – Ryan Hunter