Top copywriter reveals his embarrassing mistake (don’t do this)

Happy Wednesday! Welcome back to The Copywriting Gig. 

I'm Jim Hamilton. Over the past 7 years, my copy has contributed to $30m in sales for clients across health, biz opp, and B2B. 

Each week, I share 1 actionable tip to help you sell more stuff online.

“Show, don’t tell” is the golden rule in writing and business.

But it’s not always easy to follow.

I started posting on LinkedIn in March 2023…

And since then, I’ve violated this golden rule on a near-daily basis without realizing it.

Both on social media and in my newsletter.

D’oh.

Not only has this diluted the strength of my message…

And made me feel more than a bit silly…

But it’s also created confusion among members of my audience about exactly what I teach.

So today, I’m revealing how I wound up here and what I’m going to do to fix it.

Let’s dive in.

Read time: 4 minutes and 25 seconds

Together with Smart Solopreneur

How to get more freelance clients without social media, content marketing, or paid ads

Content marketing and paid ads aren’t the only way to get clients.

And one solopreneur is determined to prove it to you.

Twice a week in Smart Solopreneur, Laura Lopuch shares:

• Cold email tactics

• Copywriting tricks

• Plus lots of useful tools and templates

All to help you land more clients without wasting time on social media or spending money on paid ads.

So if you’re looking to grow your business with cold emails…

Click here to sign up for Smart Solopreneur (it’s free)

How I’ve Perpetuated This Common Copywriting Misconception

Most writing online falls into 1 of 2 categories:

1) Content writing
2) Copywriting

The simplest way to distinguish between the two is that copywriting sells something — whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, booking a call, or buying a product.

Content writing doesn’t.

And contrary to popular opinion, this has nothing to do with where the writing appears.

(email, website, social media, etc)

For example:

- A sales-driven LinkedIn post is “copy”
- An educational email newsletter is “content”

Another way to think about it is that copywriting creates demand, while content fulfills it.

But the line between them can get blurred at times…

Because skilled writers know how to marry the two together.

And therein lies my problem:

While I like to infuse my content with copywriting principles in both obvious and non-obvious ways, much like a master mixologist preparing a delicious cocktail…

The fact is:

I’ve been teaching copywriting almost exclusively through content writing.

This is understandably confusing for people.

Now, in my own defense…

I’m not the only one perpetuating this common copywriting misconception.

In fact, I’ve seen several prominent “content writers” and “ghostwriters” on social media acting as if everything they write is copy.

Not true.

Does this mean I’m quitting the content game to pursue copywriting superiority?

Not quite.

I am changing gears in a big way…

But first, let’s dig into why I started creating content in the first place.

Why I’ve Been Drinking the Content Kool Aid

My #1 goal for 2023 was to build my audience.

It’s a long-term objective I’ve started and stopped many times over the years.

And in that time…

The compounding value of content and audience has become painfully obvious to me.

Especially as I watched elite operators like Sam Ovens and Alex Hormozi who used to worship at the altar of paid traffic…

… completely change their tune and go all-in on organic.

(HEATHENS! Lol)

So this year, I made a commitment to myself that I wouldn’t give up on it.

And this newsletter is the core engine powering my entire content strategy.

Justin Welsh refers to it as the “hub and spoke” model…

Matt Gray talks about the “content waterfall”...

But the idea is the same:

Creating one piece of long-form content each week that can be split up into many pieces of shorter-form content.

And frankly, it’s worked well.

I’ve gained over 3,000 followers and 750 newsletter subscribers so far this year.

Alas, however…

When it came time for me to promote a paid product to my list a few weeks ago…

I realized I’d been violating the golden rule from Day 1.

I wasn’t leading by example.

For the most part, all I’d shown people was my content writing skills… 

Not my copywriting skills.

And I’m certain that hurt me.

Even worse, this realization put me in an awkward spot moving forward…

Because I have become a true believer when it comes to content.

It’s just that content isn’t the whole picture.

So riddle me this…

What does it all mean for a copywriter who’s using content to teach & grow?

Read on for my answer + a sneak peek of what I’ve got planned for 2024…

The Golden Opportunity I See in 2024 and Beyond

Copywriters.

Content writers.

There’s plenty of both out there already.

And 99% of them only talk about one or the other, when in reality…

You need both copywriting AND content writing to build a wildly profitable expert business in 2024 and beyond.

Despite that fact, I don’t see anyone else talking about how to combine and integrate them in a compelling way.

Now, I’m sure there’s at least one somewhere…

But this is a category I feel uniquely qualified to create and serve.

So…

This is the direction I’ll be pivoting my brand, content and copy in as we step into 2024.

You can expect a new name for this newsletter…

And a revamped mailing cadence.

Now fear not — I won’t be ditching this content-driven edition of my newsletter…

But I will be upping my frequency to 3x per week…

And emphasizing “show, don’t tell” in those 2 new sends.

Putting It All Together

I am beyond excited to explore how to integrate copywriting and content writing for maximum growth, freedom, and impact.

My mind has been going crazy with new ideas since I figured this all out…

Which is always a good sign.

I’ve got a lot more to say on the topic…

But I hope it’s been helpful to see the reasoning behind my pending rebrand.

And I encourage you to ask yourself the same questions:

- Are you showing or telling?
- Are you demonstrating it or just preaching about it?

If you’re brutally honest…

The answer may surprise you.

That’s it.

Thanks for reading!

See you next week.

Jim Hamilton

P.S:

Another point I want to drive home is that finding your niche is hard.

I get paid to help other people with their messaging…

And even I struggled mightily with this.

It’s taken me:

- 8 months
- 36 newsletters
- 100s of social posts
- and 1 product launch

… to uncover a lane I want to carve out and really feels right for me.

Now hopefully it doesn’t take you THAT long lol

But if you’re having a hard time finding your niche or designing your “category of one”...

Cut yourself some slack.

Sometimes action has to precede clarity.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other and the path will eventually reveal itself.