How to Write Like an Expert on Any Topic….. Even if You’re a Novice in That Industry!

People can be funny.... 

I'll get to the point of this article very shortly but first, here's a little rant from the depth of my heart:

This morning, I woke up (4:28AM) to another episode of quarreling and name-calling from my noisy neighbor and his girlfriend.

I thought she was going to kill him this time (it always sounds like she's going to kill him)....

He's convinced shes cheating. and she's convinced he's a compound buffoon for even daring to think in that direction...

Yet, from the look of things and after careful assessment of the situation....... I fully suspect that....... They Make Love every other Night.... When they're Not trying to Kill each other.

Else, the obvious question would be:

Why Are They Still Living Together?

Anyway... that's not what I want to write about.

So I'll just mind my business and get straight to the point:

You see.... of the hundreds of questions I get weekly in my DMs and Mailbox, one in particular strikes me as funny and interesting…. 

“Hey Andy! Trust you’re great. Thanks again for all you do! I landed a new project. But the problem is: it’s in the Men’s health niche. I have no experience in that industry and I don’t want to let my client down. Can you offer a few suggestions on how I can create a killer sales letter without sounding like a novice? I look forward to your response. Thanks again!”

Is this fair?

These people must think I’m divinity or something… that I just sit there waiting for their questions.... and that I don’t have a life of my own to live.

They forget I’m human too and that I have very important issues to think about like what to eat and how to convince that woman I've been flirting with recently to go see a new movie with me without sounding like a compound fool.

Okay. Okay.

Even though I'd rather do better things with my time than answer these questions, the truth is, I can’t turn this people away.

I just don't have the heart for it!

These are good people (at least, in my head)

Most of them have paid for my materials.

Some haven’t.

But at least.... they have faith in me.

They believe that I have the answer to the issues that trouble their heart..... 

And by God, it would be unfair to say NO or pretend I have no clue.... when in fact, I have used this trick several times over in different niches for different clients!

So I tell them exactly how to go about situations like these where you a land a project in a niche that is....

Totally strange to you.

They take my advice:

They follow the simple steps and in the end, they execute the new writing project like they’ve been in that niche for decades, the client is happy, they're happy..... and it's....

A win-win for both parties.

Yet, only 10-hours ago, they had absolutely no clue how things worked over there in that industry! That's how powerful this "write like an expert" technique is.

Alright truth seeker.....

Here’s how you too can write like an expert on any topic even if, as far as everyone else in that industry is concerned...

You’re an empty-headed novice

The first thing you must do is:

Google the hell out of that topic using as many keywords as possible….

For example, if you’re writing on “immigration to Canada”…. You have an endless list of keywords to enter into the Google search engine….

• How to relocate to Canada
• Relocate to Canada
• Canada Immigration 2020
• Requirements for Canada immigration
• How to relocate to Canada in 2020
• Canada permanent residency
• Canada PR
• How to get Canada PR…

And so on.

Doing this gives you a layman’s perspective of what the topic is about….. and the many angles you could come from when you’re finally ready to write your first draft.

Don’t write yet, we’re still doing research, which is of course....

The Most Important Aspect of writing Anything!

Next.

As you enter those keywords in the Google search engine, what you want to do, is focus on the top 6 ranking results, but don't limit yourself to that number.

Dig deeper if you have to.

Most likely, you’ll have enough valuable info there to get your creative juices flowing and establish an “okay” connection and familiarity with the important sub-topics, definitions, terms, facts, stats, authority figures etc on the said topic.

Now, of course, you should be taking notes.

As you read through the top ranking articles on the topic, be sure to take note of important statistics, historical facts, recent facts, recent events and anything that will help you understand the topic better

You should note 3rd party quotes too:

• Who said what on this topic?
• Was it controversial? 
• Does it support the idea you're promoting with your writing project? 
• To whom was it said?
• Why was it said?
• How was it said?
• And very importantly, when was it said?

Take notes.

Next:

And this is very important.

Study your target audience

If you’re going to write a bloody good sales letter or article on any topic, you gotta know who you’re writing to…. Down to….

The Color of her eye Lashes!

Age, gender, common interests, common desires, fears, hopes, expectations and so on.

Okay, by now…. if you’ve done everything just as I've outlined it….

You will begin to think about the topic from the perspective on someone who has an above-average understanding about it…. and truth be told...

That’s all you need to write like an expert on any topic

Of course, you’re not an expert, but that’s not your goal, your goal is to write convincingly like an expert on the topic!

And all that’s required to do that is patient research, which of course, exposes you to all the valuable information you’ll need!

Once you have all the info you need, it’s time to…Revise your notes.

Go over everything you discovered during your research…..

Facts, stats, quotes, what headlines caught your attention more, the best possible angles to sell your idea with, details of your ideal prospect and who makes up your target audience…. etc

Please take your time with this.

Once you’re done, it’s time to write your first draft.

Listen, come closer and pay attention here:

Forget grammar and literature, just write....

Write.

Write.

Write.

Keep writing.

Don’t stop for anything….

Don't slow down....

Rave about the idea or product you’re trying to promote with your letter or article…

Write.

Just keep writing.

Make it conversational.

Show her how she benefits...

Write like you’re reaching out to a friend.

Keep going!

Now, you’ll get to a point where you feel like you’ve exhausted your creative juices.

That’s fine….

And at this point, you should take a break. Maybe an hour, or a couple of minutes…. Or a day, if you have that luxury of time…

All rested?

Good.

Revise your first draft.... and in the process of your revision, be sure to....

Murder The CUB.... Or FIX your Mess!

As you revise, take note of anything that sounds:

1. Confusing.
2. Unbelievable
3. Boring

Now, Edit ruthlessly!

First, Simplify and make exciting the confusing part(s)

Does It Make Sense to Your Mother?: 

Think about how you would explain this topic to your mother. You wouldn’t use technical jargon and big grammar that requires a BIG dictionary would ya?

Instead, you’d put it in plain English, and go about explaining it in such a way that everyone (including your mother and a 9-year-old or sixth-grade kid) can grasp the concept easily.

Second and third:

• Add more proof or new proof to anything that sounds unbelievable
• Eliminate the Boring stuff.

Be ruthless. Show No Mercy!

Forget your personal biases and attachment to what you've written.

Forget about your client.

Think about your reader and your reader alone.

Picture her reading your stuff.....

Then edit accordingly based on The CUB strategy I've just shared with you.

This part of writing is called relentless fine-tuning and truth be told......

This is where world class writers are separated from Lesser Mortals

After editing, go over your copy again.

Dot your I's, cross your T's.

Revise one last time.

Done.

Send it out!

WARNING!

Don’t SET ASIDE what you've written hoping for a flash from heaven on how you could make it more perfect or a revelation from your ancestors letting you know its fine and what you’ve done is good enough.

Both the heavenly signal and the ancestral revelation will never come.

I know, I waited a long time for both until I finally realized the foolishness of just waiting when you can simply send out what you’ve written to your client and hear what they have to say.

Now, this part is a bit complicated.

When you’ve poured your heart and soul into writing something, you become very attached to it….. and even the thought of anyone changing a comma of what you’ve written brings out the beast in you.

If push comes to shove, and the client suggests a change for a specific reason why writing a a particular section a certain way would have more IMPACT on your reader, sure thing...

Get in Bed and Play along.

However.....

If the client makes a suggestion that you think will negatively affect the response rate of your copy, explain to them why you think it would be fatal to change that part of the copy.

If they insist, suggest a split test.

Let them create 2 separate pages, and send traffic to.....

2 letters.

• Letter 1 with the change they recommend.
• And letter 2 as the original letter you wrote.

When the results come in….

They’ll speak for themselves.

And what follows next should be an adjustment or resolve based on how people reacted to both letters either buy buying the product or signing up for a trial of a service you offered them!

That's it.

Your number one goal as a writer is to convince your reader that you're not in fact, a total asshole, and you do that by writing with authority.... like an expert.....and

The process is simple:

Eat up all the knowledge you can about the business, said topic, and industry you’re working in — and then, the next thing you should do is:

Translate it, in very simple (understandable English) into an exciting message that will be useful to your reader when she reads it.

Useful enough to make her respond to your message either by buying a product, signing up for a service or just leaving a comment.

Don't forget that part of your research involves asking your client as many questions as you need to understand their business and who their target audience is...

You're setting yourself up for disaster if you don't ask your client important questions.

You can never ask too many questions.

In this thing of ours, it is your job to ask lots of questions.

So ask questions, and look out for my next article.

Talk soon.

Andy.