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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
Failure to understand the "P" in the P.A.S.T.O.R. Framework Not doing enough research Not dealing with competing solutions Your not getting the offer right Not enough editing, revising and rewriting your copy
Transcript of This Episode:
https://www.rayedwards.com/656
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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 I must admit, I was pleased that none of this content is "outdated".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
​ It costs nothing, but returns can be huge ​It can generate instant cash infusions ​Copy builds stabilized income streams ​Write once, profit indefinitely ​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.

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Who else wants to reduce your financial stress and create a stable source of income from your business? This is the way: shift to a membership-based business model.
I know what you might be thinking: “Geez, Uncle Ray… that sounds complicated, and anyways… ain’t everybody sick of all the subscriptions?”
My answers are: it doesn't have to be complicated, and I can prove it to you. And yes, we are all tired of subscriptions… except for the ones we love. The ones you will only cancel when someone pries them from your cold, dead fingers. Like my Chewy.com subscription (my pugs LOVE their Chewy.com treats)... or my Paramount+ (because.. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds).
You and I need to wise up, and start building recurring revenue streams NOW - cause the coming year is gonna get all kinds of crazy.
​My guest this week is the world’s #1 expert in creating recurring revenue for virtually ANY business, Stu McLaren.
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​Key Insights
Why recurring revenue should be the goal of any business or entrepreneur (duh!) The "death" of TicToc in the US? What would happen to the nearly 7,000,000 businesses that depend on it? Every business has vulnerabilities - a membership with stable, recurring revenue gives you the ultimate insurance policy The 4 types of memberships - Product based (e.g. Dollar Shave Club). Service based (e.g. car washes, massage therapy) Knowledge based (helping people solve an ongoing problem, or master a skill. e.g. guitar training) Community based (uniting people with common interests) Two things that make your members stay: Consumption and Results ​If you think your business doesn't fit this model, it's time to shift your mindset. Ask yourself, "How can I continue to serve my customers?"
Stu's live, once-a-year membership training starts April 4th. (Link below) Video And Transcript
https://www.rayedwards.com/653
Links
The Membership Experience: This is Stu McLaren's live, once-a-year training and it's absolutely free to attend. If recurring revenue is what you're after, but have no idea where to start - This is where to start!
​ 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.

On last week's episode, I boldly declared, "Writing gets you everything you want." This week, I'm giving you some proof of how that has been true in my life.

​You may already be thinking, "But Ray, you're a writer...of course writing has been important in your career."

The thing is, the proof I'm offering today has nothing to do with writing jobs. I wasn't hired to be a writer, but my writing is what got me hired, kept me working, got me promotions, and many other opportunities I would not have gotten otherwise.

Okay, enough of the preamble, let's get to the proof...
Key Insights
Where I came from (and why I didn't want to stay there) ​My early marketing lessons - promoting family businesses ​Writing increased my value in the radio business - it made me less expendable ​Clients loved me because I wrote ads that made them money ​My pitch for a six-figure job was written with the same sales-letter tactics I use today ​My writing made me a sought-after talent in my industry ​My long (50+ pages) pitch for a job with Citadel Broadcasting made me more than a half million dollars in personal income (not bad for a non-writing job) ​My writing has allowed me to meet, learn from, and even teach many of my mentors ​Subscribe to The Daily Ray for valuable tips, interesting observations, and occasional offers Video And Transcript
https://www.rayedwards.com/652
Links
Subscribe to The Daily Ray
 
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, I'm answering some of the most common questions I'm receiving from listeners, viewers, and readers. Since they keep coming up (some for many years), I feel that my answers will be helpful to more than just those who took the time to ask.
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​If I missed anything (or Heaven forbid, you disagree), feel free to leave a comment, or reach out to support@rayedwards.com.
Key Insights
​What do I do in this economy? This question doesn't always end with "economy"...It could be any number of this's...this election year, this time of civil unrest, this whatever... Be aware of what's happening in the world around you, and make sure you're playing both the short-term and long-term game. Do the work you're being paid for today, and plant the seeds for the income you will reap in the future.  ​What if I don't like my business anymore? - Remember this: You should never make long-term, life-altering decisions based on a current "bad season" in your work. In other words, be sure you actually don't enjoy what you're doing, and you're not just reacting to some current, emotion-fueled unpleasantness. At the end of the day, you don't need anyone's permission to do something else (unless you have a spouse...then you probably want to bring them into the loop). ​How do I build my business the right way? - Life is not a flowchart. There is no step-by-step plan I can hand you for this. And yes, I teach people proven business plans, BUT, at the end of the day, the "right way" is "their way". That's why most of the time, I teach those plans in an interactive format (like my upcoming workshop) so I can answer the questions that help attendees translate what they learn into their plan. If you could only give me 1 piece of advice to guide me through building my own business, what would it be? - Writing is the way to get everything you want in life. I'm not exclusively talking about copywriting. Tune in for my complete breakdown of why that's my answer.  
Video And Transcript
https://www.rayedwards.com/651
 
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?

Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

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