A keyboard to detail Andy Maslen's Copywriting Academy

Online copywriting course? Here’s the one I’d choose

by | copywriting, mentoring

Share Share There’s a wealth of choice when it comes to finding an online copywriting course. But which one is…

There’s a wealth of choice when it comes to finding an online copywriting course. But which one is a sure fire success?

Andy Maslen, bestselling author of numerous brilliant books on copywriting, including Write to Sell, The Copywriting Sourcebook and Write Copy, Make Money – is also the man behind this online Copywriting Academy.

A die-hard fan

Andy’s books occupy the ‘must read and refer to often’ section of my bookshelf. They’re also the only books I never lend to anybody as they’re covered in precious pencil marks, like ancient runes filled with layers of meaning.

He’s a brilliant teacher, a generous mentor – and a dear friend. You can see and hear me talking about working with him, here.

Image shows Katherine Wildman, Andy Maslen and Laura Silcock

Andy has also ventured into creative writing, with a series of thrillers featuring the dashing Gabriel Wolfe and kick-ass detective, Stella Black. So why did he develop and launch an online copywriting course – and how the hell does he find the time to fit it all in?

What is The Andy Maslen Copywriting Academy?

It’s a website for copywriters. There are tons of free resources including a monthly newsletter, community, videos, webinars, podcasts, blog posts and longer articles. Plus a paid-for video course that we run twice a year.

Who is the Copywriting Academy for?

It’s for anyone who wants to sell more by writing better copy. That could be someone looking for a change in career. Existing in-house or agency copywriters who want to get noticed, paid more or promoted by writing better copy. Freelance copywriters who want to grow their business by being a more powerful copywriter. And entrepreneurs who are writing their own copy and want to bring in more sales.

What can people learn from the Copywriting Academy that they can’t get from reading your books on copywriting?

That’s a very good question.

If you take a look around at all the blogs and books on copywriting, you’ll notice that they all purvey similar ideas. That’s because there aren’t really that many ideas you need to know about.

Just today I received emails from two respected copywriting bloggers advising me to tell stories. It’s good advice, but new?

My new course does contain similar information as Write to Sell and my other books, although there are couple of important caveats.

One, I wrote the bulk of Write to Sell nearly ten years ago. That’s a whole decade of experience missing that the course covers. Two, in order to film the course I first wrote a 41,000-word manual, from scratch. That means that even where it touches on similar ideas like KFC, it does so with a fresh perspective.

Then there is the fact that video is a more immersive medium. Given that the point of buying books OR attending courses is to change the way you write copy, the question is, how do you prefer to learn?

If you like to read a book and internalise its messages, a video course may be an expensive option for you.

If, on the other hand, you like the feeling of being tutored by me, in person, and hearing my stories, the course would probably seem like a wise investment.

The elevator pitch – the one big thing you get out of this course that the books don’t cover – is the experience of hearing it direct from me, in person, in real time and having the ability to discuss it on the forum with other students.

How long does the online copywriting course take?

The course takes ten weeks. Each week you watch a video – about 26 minutes on average – and do an average of 3 exercises – they could take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours.

How much does it cost?

It’s £497 + VAT.

I mentioned my essential reading list for copywriters. What are your favourite top 5 copywriting books (excluding your own)?

Ogilvy on Advertising, David Ogilvy

How to Write Sales Letters That Sell, Drayton Bird

Tested Advertising Methods, John Caples

The Solid Gold Mailbox, Walter Weintz

The Adweek Copywriting Handbook, Joseph Sugarman

What’s the best bit about being a copywriter?

The buzz from selling stuff “just” by writing to people. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of people have bought stuff and done stuff because of the words I chose to put together.

Your books make it very clear which words you don’t like (‘exciting’ and ‘strategy’ being possibly the top two). Thinking outside of work, what’s your favourite word – and why?

I couldn’t possibly give you an all-time favourite – they change, don’t they?  My favourite word right now is “fubbly”. My son used it to describe the texture of a Weird Fish sweater. If you’ve seen or felt one, you’ll know he’s got it spot-on.

One thing I want to know – what’s your favourite ad campaign of all time. And why?

Oh lordy – more tough questions! Can I choose two?

My favourite ad campaign of all time on personal grounds is the Cinzano ads starring Leonard Rossiter, the late, great, British comic actor. I have no idea whether they shifted much hooch but they made me laugh and Rossiter’s gaffe-strewn on-screen relationship with Joan Collins was priceless.

For a campaign that did, definitely, shift merchandise, DDB’s for the VW Beetle in the gas-guzzling US of the 1960s. Sales went from pretty much zero to 500,000 a year.

Ready to write your way to the top?

Visit www.copywritingacademy.co.uk now

Written By Katherine

Katherine Wildman is a copywriter for creative agencies and multinational brands – and the Creative Director of Haydn Grey.

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