Your parents have a big affect on whether or not you’ll be a good copywriter.
I know that’s an odd statement.
So allow me to explain.
Back when I was a little kid, I grew up in a family that had no idea how to share their emotions.
Meaning…
We never shared how we felt.
So if I was worried about something, I didn’t talk about why I was worried.
Or if I was upset, I didn’t talk about why I was upset.
Everything I felt was just “bottled up” and never expressed.
About the only emotion I remember being expressed in our house was anger.
And that came from my mom.
Something would happen that pissed her off, and she’d fly off the handle in a fit of rage.
I was on the receiving end of that many times.
But no matter how I was feeling, I wasn’t allowed to express it.
So from a very young age, I learned to completely close myself off emotionally.
So if I was sad about something I just bottled it up and stuffed it down inside.
Same if I was mad about something…
Or if I felt ashamed about something.
There wasn’t a safe place for me to just be a kid and talk about what I was feeling.
Well guess what?
This carried on for me for the rest of my life.
I walled myself off.
And never let anyone in.
I never shared how I felt.
I was like a computer.
All data and no emotion.
It’s why I had such a hard time connecting with people in my 20’s (especially women).
It’s why people never knew where I stood with them.
I saw everyone as the enemy.
And I never let anyone see the real me.
Like I said this went on for years…
But I was completely naive to it.
And then about two years ago, I started working with my coach/therapist, Brent.
Brent showed me what was really going on with me.
He showed me that I was a 33-year old who didn’t have the slightest idea of what an emotion was.
Sure, I could identify anger when I saw it on TV…
But I had no idea when I was feeling angry.
He even remarked that he was shocked that I was able to become such a good copywriter because I was so out of touch with my own emotions.
And he was right.
I look back at the copy I wrote 4 years ago, and it’s lifeless.
There’s no emotion it.
I was basically making up what I “thought” emotions were and imposing them in my stories.
Cause I had no clue what they felt like.
And that kind of brings me to the point I want to make today…
At the heart of all great copy is emotion.
You’ve probably heard this hundreds of times.
But what isn’t talked about, is how important it is for YOU to be in touch with your own emotions.
Cause if you don’t know what it feels like to be sad.
Or to feel shameful.
Then it’s damn near impossible for you to create that in your copy.
It all flows from you.
So if I can make one suggestion to make your copy better….
It would be to get more in touch with your own emotions.
Start to notice when you’re frustrated.
Or when you feel embarrassed.
Cause if you can do this…
Not only will you feel better as a person…
But your copy will start to connect with people in ways that it never has before.
At the heart of all great copy is emotion.
And the more you’re in touch with your own emotions, the better your copy will be.
Make sense?
I hope so.
Cause that’s all I got for ya today.
Enjoy your Friday.
– Justin
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