Let me preface this by acknowledging that most people (myself included) cannot instantly, and completely "disconnect" for two weeks. In my case, I had a full two years of notice, and it still wasn't easy.
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​Back in 2022, my wife and I decided to actually take the trip we'd been talking about taking for decades: A trip to the Netherlands. We purchased a non-refundable, non-transferable, two-week package for the two of us. I was committed. No turning back. 
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​Like any driven entrepreneur, I had concerns about how well my business would run without me. 14 days of being off-the-radar...How could I possibly plan for every scenario? How could I deal with all of the "what if's" that were consuming my thoughts? Short answer...I couldn't. I had to trust that my business, my team, and my normal life, would all be waiting for me when I returned. And, guess what...I'm back, everything is intact, and I am much improved.
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​I (and probably you, to some degree) have an addiction to staying connected. For the first week of our trip, I had to stifle my little bouts of anxiety until I could completely let go, and be fully present with my wife, her family, the amazing people I met, and my unusual surroundings. My memories of this adventure are clear – unclouded by "doom scrolling", work check-ins, and phone calls. 
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This internet-free clarity allowed me to jot down a few observations that I thought were worthy of sharing. That's what I have for you on this week's episode.

5 Things I Learned After Being Unplugged For 14 Days

• ​Endless striving does not produce more freedom - It produces more bondage
• ​The best, intentional marketing campaign is simply to help people
• ​The best way to get a bigger vision of the world is to "get out in it"
• ​Recreation re-creates us
• ​Writers will save the world

Transcript of this Episode

rayedwards.com/657

Listen to get the complete breakdown of each of these observations. I'll be back next week with another fresh episode.

How You Can Help

Subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts or on Spotify, and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show.

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This week's episode is Part 3 of my Writer's Rewind Series, and it's all about why your copy isn't performing the way you think it should.

There's a reason it isn't converting, and most likely, it's one (or more) of the 5 reasons I'm about to give you.
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Listen to learn what they are, and how to fix them.

5 Reasons Your Copy Is Failing

1. Failure to understand the "P" in the P.A.S.T.O.R. Framework
2. Not doing enough research
3. Not dealing with competing solutions
4. Your not getting the offer right
5. Not enough editing, revising and rewriting your copy
   

Transcript of This Episode:

https://www.rayedwards.com/656

How You Can Help

Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. We are also on Stitcher.com, so if you prefer Stitcher, please subscribe there.

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This is part 2 of the "Writer's Rewind" series. I'm devoting this month to covering some of the fundamentals of great copy, and in the case of this week's episode, why copy itself is so fundamentally important to the success of your business, regardless of what that business is.
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​This episode was originally released almost a decade ago (the day I celebrated my 50th birthday). I must admit, I was pleased that none of this content is "outdated". All the reasons I gave  to support my claim are no less true today than they were then. 

Five Reasons Why Copywriting is the Most Important Skill For Any Business

1. ​ It costs nothing, but returns can be huge
2. ​It can generate instant cash infusions
3. ​Copy builds stabilized income streams
4. ​Write once, profit indefinitely
5. ​Copy provides strategic positioning

Links

• ​The Membership Experience - Part 2 of Stu McLaren's once-a-year training workshop is happening later today (4/8/24). If you're seeing this on that day, count yourself lucky and grab your free seat. This is must-see training for anyone who is interested in creating recurring revenue for their business. It's live at 3 p.m. Eastern, and I highly recommend watching the live stream if possible. Stu typically has  "bonus content" that doesn't make the replay, but if the replay is all you can get, take it!
• Get the transcript for this episode

How You Can Help

Subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts or on Spotify, and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show.

Questions or comments?

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Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice.

This week’s podcast is a refresher on the core basics of writing persuasive copy (and everything is copy — it’s not ONLY sales pages and emails). 

If you can write effective sales copy, you can literally write your own paycheck.

There really should be no such thing as a “broke copywriter”.
And there should be no such thing as a business owner or entrepreneur who is NOT a copywriter.

By definition, good copywriters can create money out of thin air. So this leads to a very important question: why does copy so often fail?
Fear not, Grasshopper. I have the answer…

There are universal psychological triggers that help you sell more effectively. Certainly, there are universal principles to writing persuasive sales copy. After all, as John E. Kennedy taught us, copywriting is mere “salesmanship in print”.

You can hardly “swing a cat” these days without hitting a copywriter who has a “formula” for writing copy. Most of these formulas are actually quite good. BUT…

The formula I'm going to share with you today is intentionally based on these universal principles (which many of the cocky young yellow belts in the copywriting dojo are not even aware of).

Thus … back to you “PASTOR-ing” your customers.

​Most people associate the term “pastor” with the preacher at church. While this is certainly true in most cases, the original meaning of the word “pastor” was actually “to shepherd”.

And what does the shepherd do? He or she cares for, feeds, and protects the flock.

Now, before we go any further, I should address the habit that some marketers have of referring to their customers as their “herd”. It seems to paint an unflattering picture. That kind of imagery is not what I am invoking here.

The actual role of a shepherd is a loving, caring, and protective one. In fact, Jesus, who called himself the “Good Shepherd”, actually laid down his life for his flock.

​I am certainly not suggesting any religious overtones for your copy: what I am suggesting is that you adopt the same loving, caring, and protective role as you write copy for your prospects and customers.
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​And, as you might've guessed, P.A.S.T.O.R. is also an acronym for pieces of your copy. Here is the explanation:

• ​​​"P" is for PROBLEM
• ​"A" is for AMPLIFY
• ​"S" is for STORY and SOLUTION
• ​"T" is for TRANSFORMATION and TESTIMONY
• ​"O" is for OFFER
• ​"R" is for RESPONSE

I’ll promise you this: If you apply the mindset of being a shepherd to your readers, and you follow the sequence of the P.A.S.T.O.R formula, my prediction is you will experience more sales, more profits, and more happy customers… more often.

Links

• Read This Or Die - Click to check out my new book, Read This Or Die, where I show you the sales letter I wrote to myself (that saved my life.)​
• Complete Transcript - Visit the show notes page for a complete transcript of this episode

How You Can Help

Subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts or on Spotify, and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show.

Questions or comments?

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Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice.