Why A Bankruptcy Lawyer Can Use A Good Copywriter

When looking at web sites put up by bankruptcy lawyers I am often struck at how uniform they all seem.  Not that this is a surprise, but it’s just sad.

Every one of them says the same thing – some even using the same exact words.

And the lawyers behind the computers wonder why their websites don’t do what they are created to do – sell.

Years ago, as I began my transition from “hamster on a wheel” bankruptcy lawyer to something a little bit . . . stronger than that, I immersed myself in the art of copywriting.  Not because I wanted to market, but because I was a Fiction minor in college and still harbored dreams of being a bestselling author one day.

During my first class at Gotham Writing Workshop I listened as everyone announced themselves.  We each read a short piece we’d done in advance of the class by way of introduction; as I read mine I thought, “Jeez, this is the most compelling stuff I’ve written since college.”

And what I’d written wasn’t even very good.

But it hit me – the reason why my direct mail didn’t pull, why my letters went unanswered, why my website grew moss, was because I didn’t know the first thing about creating compelling content.  Law school had atrophied the muscle that moved people to do things that I wanted them to do.

So what did I do?

First, I bought a whole bunch of books and courses about copywriting.  Hundreds upon hundreds of dollars flew out of my pocket at lightning speed, headed to the pockets of those who knew this skill.

Still, my letters were useless.

So . . . I went back to the drawing board.  I studied psychology, sociology, demographics, psychographics . . . and a bunch of “new age” stuff that made me feel like a 60′s throwback.

Then I wrote.  And wrote.  And wrote some more.

For awhile, it sucked.  My words failed to move, there was no greased chute from the headline to the final PS.  Heck, I couldn’t get over the use of a headline in the first place.

Gradually, I got better.  Then I got a lot better.  Really, really good.

Once I was good, I hired a copywriter.

Wait, you say.  You spent all that time and money to get to be a good writer, and then you hired one?  Are you nuts?

Not at all.  I hired a professional to take my final drafts and turn them into pure gold.  And to this day, I keep my copywriter closer to me than any other professional.  Every single letter and web page (except for my blogs) goes under his nose before it hits the streets.

Why?  Because if you want the job done right, you hire a professional.

Photo by emdot.