We see their brightly-colored ads and we wince. It’s hard not to. When something is portrayed as “fail-proof”, “plug-and-play” and “proven to convert”, that’s attractive. And when it only costs $7 or $17 or $27, it’s pretty darned irresistible.

Yes, I’m talking about the massive number of swipe file and template offers being advertised in the market right now. 

Now before you get triggered, I’m not saying templates and swipe files are bad. I’m also not saying they don’t work. This article isn’t a bashfest on tiny offers and tripwires. It’s not a down-with-all-scripts diatribe.

Swipe files and templates are huge time and energy savers for people who don’t have the time and energy to put into writing their own copy or the budget to hire a copywriter to do it for them. They can be great resources for people in the beginning stages of their businesses. All the love. 💗 That said, if you sell templates, scripts or swipe files, this article probably isn’t for you. 

The Truth About The Lie

Who is this article for then? It’s for all the copywriters out there who die a little inside every time they see all the templates, scripts and swipe file offers in the marketplace. I see you, and I know what you’re thinking right now. 

“How can a copywriter like me compete with that?”

You can’t – but not for the reason you think. You’ve sold yourself on the lie that you’re in competition with scripts, templates and swipes, but the real truth is you’re NOT.

I’ll say it again:  You can’t compete with scripts, templates and swipe files because they are NOT your competition.

“Why would someone want to hire me if they can just buy a swipe file for less than the cost of a pizza?”

I’ve heard variations of this type of thinking from copywriters time and time again, and it always makes me sad. There are two problems with this kind of thinking. One problem has to do with what’s going on in the market, and one has to do with what’s going on inside the copywriter. Let’s break it down.

Barking Up The Wrong Tree

There’s an old saying people use to express the idea that someone is looking for something in the wrong place. 

You’re barking up the wrong tree.

My dog does this. 

We have a family of squirrels who live in our yard. Our hunting dog loves nothing more than to watch this family of squirrels chase each other around. He dreams of the day he would catch one, but he never has. 

He’ll sneak quietly up to the front door and wait for us to let him out. As soon as the squirrels see him, they make a beeline for the big pine tree in the front yard. Hot on their heels, he chases them and watches in frustration as they climb up the trunk. He could sit all day at the base of the tree and bark at them, but what he doesn’t realize is they’ve already climbed across the branches to the next tree in the yard, and the next. 

He’s looking for the right squirrels, but he’s barking up the wrong tree.

If you think that the same people who purchase templates, scripts and swipe files are your ideal clients, you’re barking up the wrong tree. You’re looking for clients in the wrong place. 

People who buy scripts, templates and swipes aren’t your ideal clients. They most likely don’t have the budget to hire a copywriter. That’s why they’re all over the $7-$27 offers, and that’s 100% totally fine. That’s what those offers are there for – to serve people who need them. 

Stop trying to compete with those offers, because the truth is they’re NOT your competition. When you see these offers in the marketplace, just smile and keep doing your thing. What you offer is a completely different service for a completely different type of target market. Own it!

Hold Your Head Up

The second problem I see with this type of thinking tells me there’s a deeper internal issue going on – a confidence one.

Copywriting can be a tough industry to break into. Sales conversion copywriting is even tougher. When you’re first starting out, it can be hard to find clients, prove your worth and work your way up to high-ticket rates. 

When you’re looking for any and all client opportunities, seeing tiny offers pop up that seem to offer the same results your copy does can be a real blow to the old self-esteem. You start thinking things like:

“Why would somebody pay me hundreds or thousands of dollars when they can just Mad Libs it with a fill-in-the-blank template?”

“Who’s going to hire out their Facebook ad copy when you can swipe someone else’s for $17?”

“Are copywriters even a thing anymore? Just wait until the A.I. robots take over – then I’ll really be out of a job.”

Yeah, that kind of thinking is a slippery slope to nowhere … and it’s all total lies! Copywriters provide personalized, research-based, sales psychology-driven services that help clients dial in deep on their target markets to get optimized results. 

And there are millions of clients out there who understand that high-ticket sales copywriting is worth its weight in gold. They’re looking for highly-skilled professionals they can put faith and trust in, and do you know what type of copywriters will catch their eye first? 

The ones who can hold their heads high with confidence in the value of their services and can back up their work with real client results. 

You’re NOT in competition with the swipe files, templates and script offers in the marketplace today. In fact, maybe someday you’ll be the one selling your own versions. When you stop looking for clients in the wrong places, you’ll see that high ticket clients are everywhere. They’re waiting for you to show up. 

More From Christa Nichols

Results are the key to being able to land high-ticket, well-paying clients. Wondering what it really takes to get consistent results for your clients, day in and day out? Something exciting is coming in November 2020 for copywriters who want expert-level training on sales copy that converts! To learn more, click here.

Oooh! Oooh! I also have a FREE Facebook community for copywriters who want high-level tips and strategies called The Confident Copywriter. Come join me there to catch up on all the latest in the sales copy world, including live monthly sales copy trainings with me, expert interviews, pop-up copy reviews and more! Join The Confident Copywriter.