Copywriting has a bad rap. And you know what? That’s understandable!

For decades, unethical marketers, advertisers, and salespeople have treated you like a mark, like a machine. They’ve written copy that cranks your emotional gears and pulls your strings, moving your hand to your wallet. They’ve poked at your pain points until the money comes out.

No wonder you balk at learning the tools of that trade.

Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, Duncan’s mother Molly abandoned him.

Duncan, a scruffy redheaded boy, got his education in the streets of Chicago. Chuck, the leader of the local gang, took him under his wing, fed him, and taught him how to hold a knife.

Duncan was only eight years old when Raoul Ramirez, a member of a rival gang, stabbed Chuck between the ribs and fled into the darkness. Duncan’s friend and mentor died in his arms that night.

Duncan swore to himself that he would get himself off the streets, however long it took. And eventually, he kept his promise. He got himself into school, into college, into medical school.

Duncan’s jaw dropped when he got his first internship assignment. He was apprenticed under Dr. Ramirez. – Raoul Ramirez.

Raoul had apparently gotten himself off the streets as well, and instead of holding a knife, he was now holding a scalpel. Duncan watched him operate with surgical precision and ice cold eyes. Duncan overheard a conversation between Raoul and his lawyer: “How much will it cost to get the malpractice witness to just… disappear?”

When it came time for Duncan to hold the scalpel, he couldn’t do it. He imagined Raoul holding the scalpel, cutting into his patients’ skin with those icy eyes. He imagined Raoul holding the knife that took Chuck’s life. He imagined himself at eight, holding a knife of his own.

But then an alarm sounded – a code red. All doctors, even interns, report to the ER immediately! A bus had crashed, and the hospital was understaffed. All able hands were urgently needed.

Duncan was herded into an operating room with a woman whose appendix had ruptured in the bus crash and would die if it was not removed immediately. An easy surgery. Even an intern could do it.

“I can’t do this,” Duncan thought to himself. “I can’t be part of this.”

Then he saw the patient’s curly red hair. It was Molly – his mother.

Duncan picked up his scalpel, and made his choice.

Copywriting is your scalpel.

Yes, words can cut. Words can manipulate. And there are plenty of evil copywriters out there.

That’s why the world needs you to be a good copywriter.

Used for good, copywriting can help you heal those pain points with empathy instead of poking them to manipulate money out of people.

You need to get out there and help people – and you can’t help people effectively without the right tools.

Learn more about ethical copywriting in the World-Changing Writing Workshop!

In this year’s World-Changing Writing Workshop, Jonathan Fields will teach you how to make people jump out of their seats and take action by integrating layers of persuasion into your writing.

“Copywriting is a matter of being able to serve somebody’s needs really well.”
-Jonathan Fields, from the World-Changing Writing Workshop

Registration ends at 11:59pm TONIGHT, so take a look now and see if the Workshop is for you!