It’s easy to think that if you want to make a living as a writer online, then all you have to do is write a few things and you’ll make money. It’s especially easy to think this when you see so many bloggers writing a few things online and making a fortune.

So if they can do it, anyone can do it. Right? Wrong.

Let me explain it to you by telling you a story about a well-known copywriter who, sadly, is no longer with us, but left a legacy.

Have you ever heard of Eugene Schwartz?

He was a famous copywriter and one of the best ever.

I have read a lot about how it worked.

He wrote advertisements for a living that earned him millions. You could sit down and write a long sales letter in 4 hours or less, and that ad would generate millions of sales.

So how did he do it?

The answer is simple, but very few people do it, but if they did, your online copywriting business would be much more profitable.

This is what he did.

Eugene Schwartz always had just 3 pieces of advice for any successful copywriter:

• Prepare

• Prepare

• Prepare

If you are working online, then you are a copywriter whether you know it or not.

Written copy is salesmanship in print. Sold with written words. And if you want to have a profitable online writing business, or any online business, you MUST be able to sell with your written words.

Eugene Schwartz advocates preparation. By this he means “do a lot of research.” He says he spends a whole day researching before writing a sales letter.

You say you research the product you are writing about and the person / company that produced it and look at the competitor’s products to see what sets them apart.

He says that if he is selling a book, he goes over it over and over again, highlights many different paragraphs, and writes copious notes. Sometimes he writes 40 pages of notes.

Then you go over your notes and decide what is most relevant and what can help sell the product.

Then you sit down and write your sales page once you feel properly prepared.

And this is what you should do too.

• Prepare

• Prepare

• Prepare

Know why you are doing something before you begin.

If you are writing an article, what are you trying to say?

What do you ask the reader to do?

Make sure you are fully prepared before embarking on any project.

Do a lot of research, take copious notes, and know what your desired result is.

And if you’ve never heard of Eugene Schwartz before, learning more about him and his work can really help your business and help you become a better, more persuasive writer.