Author: Derek Johanson

If you want to build a course – your first course or your next – I recommend you create an Email Delivered Course. Especially if you’re a relatively busy person who doesn’t want to spend months making a course you’re not sure people even want… Email Delivered Courses are a game changer. I’ve been selling…

All this week I’ve been talking about how and why you should create an "emailed delivered course", especially if you’re a solopreneur looking to climb into 6 figures with your first course (or if you want to add courses to your roster and climb towards 7 figures). Why are email delivered courses especially for the…

Most solopreneurs trying to launch a course and/or start their business approach things the hard way. It’s understandable because no one teaches this stuff. But I’m here to tell you that there’s a far better, easier and more profitable way to build a course – and that’s by launching an "email delivered course". Beyond the…

Yesterday I introduced you to "email delivered courses" and talked about why they’re the easiest, fastest and best way to start building a course that you can sell starting immediately. If you’ve been wanting to build a new course or start your own solopreneur business – "email delivered courses" are exactly how I’d do it…

It’s 2012 and it’s 3 o’clock in the morning. I’m lying on sweat-drenched sheets in bed staring at the ceiling. I can’t sleep because I’m worried about bills, again. A few months earlier my friend and business partner siphoned off cash from our business bank account to pay down a DUI. I somehow survived that…

All this week I’ve written about what to do if you’re feeling stuck at a certain income level (either as a freelancer or a solopreneur). Most people just kind of hope and pray that their income will raise over the years without being proactive and developing a plan to make it happen. Here’s the whole…

If you’ve been feeling stuck at a certain income level in your business (maybe even at zero) and you look around at others that don’t seem as talented, or smart or hard working as you… Yet they seem to be getting ahead while you flatline… Then know that there’s wrong or broken with you. The…

Most people think that "copywriting" is a career. It’s not. "Copywriting" should not be viewed as a great career choice. Instead, "copywriting" should be viewed as one of the highest income producing skills that’s available for anybody to learn. One of the main reasons that I decided to do this short series on using the…

You’ve probably heard an entrepreneur or business coach say something like, "To start a successful business, find a problem and solve it." Well, that’s true – and the same is true if you want to boost your personal income from a business you own, freelance for, or are employed by. "To boost your personal income,…

This week I’ll cover a topic that’s slightly different – I’m going to talk about how to raise your personal income. What makes this different is that I won’t be showing you how to boost a business’ revenue. I’ll write about how to make YOU more valuable to a business – whether that’s a client’s…

Listen, humans are weird. We can know that something is perfect for us… and exactly what we need… and exactly what will solve all our problems… but we’ll sit on it for months or even years, hemming and hawing, wondering if we should really spend our money on it. You’ve done it. I’ve done it.…

You know all those super-successful entrepreneurs that you see crushing it online? Their sales letters are getting about a 1%-4% conversion rate (almost always on the lower end). In other words, those sales letters that are making them bundles and giving them the dream life have a 96%-99.5% rejection rate. Most people who land on…

Imagine you have a friend trying to set you up on a blind date. (For this example let’s assume you’re a dude who’s into women.) And let’s say you’ve been set up on some bad blind dates before. You put work into yourself and you’re a total catch – but for some reason every blind…

Let’s say you’re in a super crowded space. There are hundreds of people. Tons of chatter and ambient noise. Everyone rushing around in their own little world. And you’re given a challenge: grab the attention of one specific person in that crowd. They don’t know you. You don’t know them. You’re just allowed one piece…

To recap from yesterday: this week I’m going to be using The 7 Figure Sales Writing Framework (the same framework I use to teach inside CopyHour) to write a sales letter in front of you step-by-step. But before I can get started on the first element of the framework… We need to actually understand our…

When I first started digging into the handwriting exercise behind CopyHour (handwriting "proven" seven, eight, and nine figure sales letters in order to hard-wire their language & cadence into my brain) more than a decade ago, I discovered something strange… Nearly every single one of those sales letters followed the exact same patterns. It didn’t…

That’s a subject line you won’t see very often. I’ll just straight up say it: I love the thrill of buying new courses! But only because I’m now buying them systematically instead of haphazardly (Shiny Object Syndrome) like before. Have you ever heard a marketer (probably a copywriter) say, "I took just one nugget from…

If you’ve been struggling to get your solopreneur business off the ground. Or to grow a business from 5 to 6 figures and then from 6 to 7 figures… then I can almost guarantee that a lack of narrow depth and focus (aka Shiny Object Syndrome) is at the heart of your problem. To cure…

This week I’ve been talking about curing Shiny Object Syndrome: How to stop endlessly jumping from idea to idea. Really, what we’re talking about is how to simplify and focus on the core things that grow a business from 5 to 6 figures and then 6 to 7 figures. Like I said yesterday, when you…

If you can kill Shiny Object Syndrome you can easily 2x a business (or 10x or even 100x a business if you’re just starting out). Why am I confident in saying this? Well, think about what it means to have Shiny Object Syndrome. It means you can’t help but bounce from course to course, idea…

I got scammed on the first online business course I ever purchased. It was an over-the-shoulder-style course on starting an affiliate marketing blog (I cringe looking back) and the course creator delivered half the content before bailing with the excuse that his mom was sick. He never came back and he never finished the product.…

Yesterday we talked about pricing… specifically premium pricing. I walked you through the mindset of someone who buys premium products – and why they buy at prices that up to 99% of people think is absurd. But there’s one major piece of pricing psychology that I didn’t have room to get into that is especially…

Today I want to talk to you about the psychology of pricing. Specifically the psychology of selling products for PREMIUM prices. I love this subject so much. And I want to open with a question for you: Do you struggle with selling things at more "premium" prices? Do you feel like you’re asking too high…

Yesterday I talked about how my friend inadvertently changed his hard-wired, limiting, self-sabotaging money beliefs – and suddenly unlocked copywriting superpowers. I mean $0 to $400k in six months superpowers – with that number growing exponentially every month. (If you didn’t read my email from yesterday, hunt through your inbox and find it. It’s powerful.…

Yesterday I described to you my friend who wrote copy for 6 years (and struggled pretty badly – never making more than $70k/yr while working 50+ hours/week)… burnt out and left the copy world altogether for another 6 years (and saw massive success pivoting into software development)… then recently left tech, went back to copy,…

This week I want to challenge you a bit. All week I’ll be writing to anyone who’s been in the copy game for a bit (for themselves or for other companies), and has developed decent writing chops, but still finds themselves struggling to be comfortable selling products to other people – and making the money…

**It’s Father’s Day today so I imagine many of you were out and about and away from a computer. Speaking of, Happy Father’s Day! Here’s your reminder that Email CopyHour closes tonight at 11:59PM PT.** That’s about 4 hours from now so time is quickly running out. I want this to be an easy "yes"…

There are a lot of email copywriting courses on the market right now (in fact, several former CopyHour members have their own courses on the topic). So I wanted to take a moment to answer this common question: "How is Email CopyHour different than XYZ Email Course?"— A lot of people have actually asked me…

I’m in a unique position where I help train new copywriters, I’m friends with a lot of established copywriters, and I own a business. So I want to break down for you what the economics of writing email copy look like in 2024 (for both freelancers and established business owners writing their own copy). A…

The most common question I get about Email CopyHour is… "Is it right for me?" So let me quickly share exactly who I designed the course for. Group #1: Freelance Copywriters If you’re a freelancer or you want to start freelancing, then Email CopyHour will teach you one of the most valuable types of copywriting…

Yesterday I shared 3 easy-to-write formulas for sending daily emails capable of growing a 7 or 8 figure business. Those formulas make up just 3 of 50 that you’ll find in my email copywriting course Email CopyHour. Email CopyHour If you want to master email copywriting then I’m confident saying that Email CopyHour will be…

There’s a famous interview of basketball legend Kobe Bryant where he says that at 11 years old he didn’t score a single basket. But the next year he was the best kid on his team and then, of course, he was drafted to the NBA right out of high school at 18 years old. What…

Yesterday I left you on a cliffhanger, wondering "What’s the ‘secret’ marketing method of a solopreneur business owner doing $1mm+ per year?" This marketing method isn’t anything mysterious or magical as you’ll see. But before I get to the specifics, let me show you the overall business model which was ultra simple. (The solopreneur I’m…

I spent the early 2010’s building simple businesses. I wanted a setup that was just me, my laptop, and a six figure income. Looking back, it was a struggle. I overcomplicated everything. You know the meme, this has been my trajectory: I started out simple and achieved my goal… but then I wanted more. I…

I want to wrap up this tutorial on Leads by doing a 60 second landing page "rewrite". As you’ll see, this is more like a refresh than a rewrite. My hope is that you’ll get excited by how easy it is to write a Lead (Headline, Subheadline, and Intro Body Text) and implement the concepts…

Want to hear a scary story? Imagine this: it’s time to write a sales page for a course. You’re staring at a blank screen. And… scene! That’s the end of scariest possible story you could tell a writer. Knowing exactly how to start a sales message of any kind is one of the hardest parts.…

Did you know that the first and most profitable test that 7, 8 and 9 figure businesses will run on their sales page is a new Lead? (Reminder: The Lead is the start of the sales message – the first few hundred words that you write, including the Headline, Subheadlines, and intro Body Text.) I…

It might sound strange at first, but we’ve all been gifted by our predecessors with a structure on which to hang our copy. Meaning, all content you’ll read online and offline mostly follows a similar flow. Look at this Medium article for example: We have a Headline, Subheadline, and then Body Text. This universal format…

When I started selling online courses back in 2009 I was invited by Brad Costanzo to join his private marketing group – and I noticed something fascinating about the most successful business owners. The 7-figure small business owners who had the exact type of business I dreamed of (simple newsletters selling digital courses and affiliate…

During the April launch of CopyHour, I was searching for a story about a solopreneur who had used CopyHour to help build a six or seven figure business. I’m not trying to brag when I say that I have plenty of examples, but I wanted a really good story, and preferably one from a female…

Most marketers and copywriters will tell you that you HAVE to use stories in your copy. Yet, no one has probably explained to you that there are 2 very different types of stories: Stories that help make a sale. Stories that only entertain. If you’ve struggled to come up with stories for your copy, it’s…

If you’ve been struggling to come up with stories that pop off the page and ultimately generate sales, then chances are you’re simply not using the "correct" types of stories. What I mean is: stories that help generate sales and revenue are constructed differently than any regular story you might tell in your marketing. It…

In 2023 I started experimenting with storytelling in my CopyHour emails and made a giant rookie mistake in the process: I told stories that were fun or entertaining but didn’t sell. Quick backstory: I’d sold CopyHour Inc (the business) in late 2022 to someone who is a close friend, business partner, and former CopyHour student.…

There’s just ~1 hour left to join Weekend Launch Party and I wanted to quickly revisit something I said earlier this week: business should be easy at the start. If you find yourself pushing a rock up a hill trying to launch a business and to find people who want your offer, it’s more likely…

Most people think they need more options from the courses they buy. But all options do is create stress and analysis paralysis. I’m taking an opposite approach with the Weekend Launch Party. I’m getting rid of nearly every option and you’re just going to follow along with the process. This includes the possible topics of…

Each time I open the Weekend Launch Party I get the same questions: "Is this for freelance copywriters? Should a freelancer try to start a newsletter?" My answer is: I don’t think you can afford NOT to start building a list and newsletter as a freelancer these days. Starting a newsletter will be the best…

If you want to start a newsletter from scratch, then pay attention to what this freelance copywriter from New Jersey did. He noticed that no one was talking about "X" ads (Twitter) and how to run them. So in a weekend, he slapped together a drop-dead simple landing page and called his newsletter "Xvertising". The…

All this week I’ve been showing you how to setup a solopreneur newsletter that can eventually generate 6 or 7-figures. The drive home point has been: "just get started" because look at how fast serious money can be made: Milk Road was started and sold for an undisclosed 7-figure sum in just 10 months. The…

Starting a solopreneur newsletter business is easy, fast and profitable and today I want to further prove it to you by focusing in on a question I got: I’m trying to start a newsletter for dads. General advice on fatherhood and marriage, funny stories, relatable dad-centric content. I’ve even got the name picked out. Do…

If you’re on this list, I can say without a doubt you’re interested in starting an online business. Preferably, a low-hassle solopreneur business that can generate 6 or 7 figures without killing yourself spending hours at the keyboard each day. (Yes, even if you want to start a freelancing business… that’s still a business.) The…

One of my unique advantages is my age! Well actually, it’s the "age" in which I came into the online business the world. I started online in 2008 right after the 4-Hour Work Week came out. Which means I’m what you’d call an "OG" of the location independent scene. I’ve been around countless entrepreneurs trying…

You’ve likely heard of author James Clear and his massive #1 New York Times best-selling book "Atomic Habits". But do you know how James’s website, JamesClear.com, got started? I first the heard story from James himself, when we met through mutual friends in NYC in the summer of 2011. We even famously shared a hotel…

All this week I’ve been talking about how Big Ideas are the single biggest driver of any promotion. It’s not the headlines, or subheads, it’s not even the product offer itself. Coming up with a singular, sexy benefit that resonates with a large percentage of your audience (the Big Idea) is almost always more important…

This week I’ve been talking to you about Big Ideas. I used to think that when I wasn’t making a lot of sales that my copy was to blame. Turns out, the problem wasn’t my copy, it was that I didn’t have clearly defined Big Idea. And whenever I look at my students’ copy that’s…

If your copy is failing to take off and sell like crazy, there’s a good chance you’re not coming up with good enough Big Ideas. Big Ideas are the “engine” behind the world’s best copy. And Big Ideas are often more important than your copy itself. When you get a great Big Idea, it becomes…

Yesterday I told you that we’d be discussing how to use Big Ideas in your copy this week. There are 4 critical things you should know about Big Ideas: Big Ideas help you sell more products. Big Ideas are almost always more important than the actual copy you write. Big Ideas focus on one attractive…

When Claude Hopkins (famous copywriter) started working with Schlitz beer in the early 1900s he had a problem. College Derek could tell you the problem…. Schlitz sucks. Well, actually I’m lying. At the time, Schlitz didn’t suck quite as bad. They were fifth in the beer market, if you can believe it, but they had…

All this week I’ve been talking about how I write email subject lines that get opens, clicks and generate sales. If you’re an entrepreneur – if you’ve been reading my emails for any length of time, you already know you should be selling via email – that’s where your real money is going to come…

Yesterday I introduced you to the Salience Network and the 6 different types of stimuli that capture the attention of our brains and get people to open emails. I said I was going to share nothing but subject line examples and formulas so let’s get to it. Remember that our brains give attention to 6…

If you’re someone who has achieved "inbox zero", you should know that you represent like .001% of the population. You are an anomaly. Right now I have 24,846 unopened emails in my inbox. This morning alone (it’s 10am now), I’ve received 32 emails that I won’t ever open. Awhile back I got so frustrated with…

Many, many years ago (more than a decade at this point) I bought a simple course from a guy named Peter Spaepen. (Unfortunately he passed away unexpectedly a few years ago – RIP.) It was delivered entirely over email, one day at a time over about 50 days, and detailed "advanced" email/marketing strategies he used…

When you’re writing a sales letter, one of the most critical pieces (if not the most critical piece) is your headline. Bad headline = no intrigue = no one reads more = you sell very little. Some of the world’s best copywriters have claimed to spend 10x longer on their headlines alone than the rest…

In the last email I talked about the benefits of writing a "negative" email — aka handling an Objection — about your product. And how one Objection-style email played a part in pushing the last launch of CopyHour past $140k in sales. If you can raise an issue on a lot of your prospect’s minds,…

During my last launch of CopyHour, I sent a “negative” email that most people would be too afraid to send (but I made a whole bunch of extra money in the process). The email was “The Case Against CopyHour”. What inspired me to write this email was something Daniel Throssell said about CopyHour to one…

I recently shut down a $100k+ per year revenue stream in my business and I’ve never felt better (and I’m now making more money without it too). I’ve been doing group coaching calls for the past year, and private coaching calls for about 6 months. Together these services were doing well over $100k a year.…

As you begin your journey into copywriting, you’ll stumble across this term: dimensionalize. It’s an important concept because it can take your copy from from bad to great instantly, with minimal extra effort or difficulty. And when you dimensionalize your copy it suddenly becomes filled with personality. (If you read my email on Friday, you…