Review of Peter Bowerman's Well-Fed Craft:
The Fast Track to Marketing-Writing Mastery
You may be familiar with Peter Bowerman from his Well-Fed Writer book or blog. For years his book has been my top recommended reading material for new freelance writers. So I was thrilled to hear he was launching a new course on freelance commercial writing called Well-Fed Craft.
When Peter asked me to review Well-Fed Craft, of course I said "yes."
Here's the thing though -- I'm not Peter's target student for this program. Plus, when it comes to encouraging fellow writers like you to part with your hard-earned money, I want to make damn sure you know what you're getting up front.
So for your sake, we're taking things a few steps further.
Is Well-Fed Craft your ticket to a profitable commercial writing business?
I hope to help you find out. Not only will you find my review of Well-Fed Craft below, but:
I brought in a second reviewer, Edward Beaman, to give you another perspective.
And we'll go over some course background so you know what you'll get.
And I asked Peter to chat about his course for the All Indie Writers Podcast (you'll find clips below).
And, in that show, we don't just try to sell you on the course -- we dig a bit deeper into one of the project types you'll learn about in it. (I promise, Peter's not one of those smarmy marketer types I rail against here, so the whole episode is chock full of good, useful, stuff.)
Let's get to it then, shall we? I was super excited to see something new from Peter, and I hope you'll love it.
Oh... but first, for the sake of full disclosure because here we all love transparency and honesty and blah, blah, blah -- Peter provided course access to Edward and me for the sake of our reviews. And there are affiliate links in this post. (Ewww, I know, but if you're concerned, you can read my "No Bullshit Affiliate Promotion Policy." In short, I value your trust more than making an easy buck here. Always have. Always will.)
Could YOU be a Successful Freelance Commercial Writer?
Find out if you have what it takes to make big money in one of the most lucrative freelance writing specialties. Be one of the first to experience Peter Bowerman's Well-Fed Craft to learn how to tackle key project types and give your freelance commercial writing career the kick it needs.
Take the course.
About the Well-Fed Craft Program
If you're new to freelance commercial writing, you'll never be alone as you learn the ropes with Peter Bowerman's Well-Fed Craft.
The program consists of 11 modules, including an audio intro to the course. Then 10 video guides walk you through freelance project types and marketing-writing strategies with Peter.
Plus, you'll find .pdf real-world examples from Peter's own business as well as featured guest content from successful copywriters like Gordon Graham ("That White Paper Guy") and Casey Hibbard (author of Stories That Sell).
Here's What You'll Learn
Brochure writing & basic copywriting structures;
Case study and white paper writing;
How to write sales letters & landing pages;
Writing direct mail pieces and website copy;
How to craft effective taglines, titles, and headlines;
Using storytelling, themes, and humor in writing copy for clients.
More importantly, Peter helps you embrace not only the structure to succeed as a freelance commercial writer, but also the marketing mindset you'll need to help clients see real results (and keep coming back for more).
Find Out More
If you'd like to learn more about the Well-Fed Craft course, who it's designed for, and how it might help you build or grow your freelance commercial writing business, check out the clip below from my recent podcast chat with Peter.
Introduction to Peter Bowerman's Well-Fed Craft
The All Indie Writers Podcast
Peter Bowerman
Commercial Writer & Author
WellFedWriter.com
Peter Bowerman is a veteran freelance commercial writer of 23 years.
He is also the author of the premier and award-winning guide to commercial writing, The Well-Fed Writer.
His client roster features the likes of The Coca Cola Company, IBM, UPS, American Express, and Mercedes-Benz.
In addition to running his own freelance commercial writing business, Peter also offers group coaching and mentoring services.
Want to know more about the man behind Well-Fed Craft before signing up? Get it straight from the source in my podcast chat with Peter.
Like what you see so far?
Take the course.
The Reviews
Read not one, but two, reviews of Peter Bowerman's Well-Fed Craft course.
Now that you have a bit of background about the Well-Fed Craft program, let's get to the reviews.
Edward and I followed the standard review format I use here at All Indie Writers. You get a general impression, highlights (the best parts), suggestions or problems (the worst parts -- I don't believe in writing "glowy" reviews; I want you to have the full picture before buying anything), and then a final verdict as to whether or not the product or service gets my (and in this case also Edward's) recommendation.
But first, a bit about the two of us so you know what kind of background we're bringing to this course and our reviews...
Jenn Mattern
Freelance Business Writer & Professional Blogger
ProBusinessWriter.com
You probably know me best through All Indie Writers, where I help writers like you build more successful businesses.
But in addition to helping other freelance writers for the last 10 years, I've been copywriting since 1999 and come from a background in PR (degree in the field and I launched a small PR firm in 2004, through which I took on a wide variety of copywriting projects).
My review of Well-Fed Craft comes not from the perspective of a typical student who might want to take Peter's course.
Rather, I'm coming from the perspective of someone who has long taught freelance writers, often hears about your struggles and challenges in building a freelance writing business, and how I think this course may (or may not) be beneficial to you.
First Impressions
"Many courses teach you how to get started or how to find clients. But if you're looking to tackle new project types and want a leg up on other new freelance copywriters, Well-Fed Craft is what you need."
Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Edward Beaman
The Designer's Copywriter
EdwardBeaman.com
Edward is a freelance copywriter specializing in writing for designers and their clients.
While he has only been freelancing for a couple of years, Edward has around ten years of copywriting experience, coming from a background in affiliate marketing.
His review of Well-Fed Craft comes from the perspective of the kind of student Peter aims to help, letting you know what you can expect as someone without experience in all the project types covered.
Edward changed his specialty this year, exposing him to new types of copywriting projects. Well-Fed Craft is designed for writers in similar positions -- launching new freelance careers or expanding by branching into other commercial writing services.
First Impressions
"A very good series for new’ish copywriters looking to understand the different types of copywriting projects. Excellent insights and tips given in each module."
Twitter
LinkedIn
Highlights
What we loved most about Peter Bowerman's Well-Fed Craft
Take the course.
Jenn
Getting to see real-world examples of client-approved copy has to be the biggest benefit for new writers. Because so many of these project types are ghostwritten, it isn't often you get to see this from the writers behind the copy.
I love that students are not only essentially given templates, but are also given some of the "why" behind projects -- understanding why clients need something is key to understanding how to sell them on hiring you.
Another perk of this course is .pdf access to samples. It's great you have Peter walking you through them in the videos, but being able to refer back to them at your own pace when you need a refresher is quite handy.
Edward
The project copy examples are probably the top highlight, which are further enhanced with Peter’s expert commentary.
His insights and tips on how to structure and format different copywriting project types are well worth the listen and read. I found these very helpful.
The Q&A is also very insightful for new copywriters. Heck, even long-time copywriters who want to improve their game, in both copywriting and business senses.
Interesting group discussions. Great inclusion.
Suggestions
How the course could be even better
Take the course.
Jenn
When it comes to Peter's Well-Fed Craft, I only had one (very minor) gripe, which I've already discussed with him privately. It's a simple difference of opinion in what we teach new writers about writing skills versus marketing skills. But we'll pick that up in a conversation on the Well-Fed Writer blog soon when I share a guest post there.
As for suggestions, I only have two:
In this instant gratification world, I think it would be nice to have a downloadable option available instead of only flash drive delivery. Large file sizes could be avoided by letting students download individual modules when they're ready. (Update: See Peter's special offer for All Indie Writers readers to the right. See? This is why I recommend his stuff so much. He listens and he genuinely cares about you guys!)
As Peter and I discussed for the podcast, there's still a lot of room to grow here. Edward mentioned maybe including more on web copy (a great idea). I mentioned to Peter that I thought press releases would have been a good, and popular, project to cover as well.
Not really problems -- more room for growth if Peter ever decides to expand or do a follow-up course (and I hope he does).
Edward
The web copy module section was a little short, and I found I was left wanting more.
Good examples of web copy however, but maybe a whole module might have been more beneficial with greater detail.
Special Offer ONLY for All Indie Writers Readers!
Want instant access to Well-Fed Craft via a DropBox link (vs. waiting for your flash drive to arrive)? Peter’s generously offering this option to JUST you guys (frankly, because I cited the “flash-drive-only" option as a minor minus in this very review). If you like the idea, after you purchase the program, email Peter at peter@wellfedwriter.com, and let him know you'd like to get started!
The Verdict
Would we recommend Well-Fed Craft to freelance writers interested in commercial writing?
Take the course.
Jenn
Here's who I would recommend this course to:
New freelance writers who are interested in commercial / business writing
Journalists or content writers looking to move into freelancing for corporate or even small business clients
Existing copywriters who want to expand their service offerings and want to learn about new project types or get a better grasp of the fundamentals
Long story short, if you want to launch or grow a freelance commercial writing business, this course is an excellent place to start, and Peter Bowerman is one of very few people I'd personally trust and recommend to you when it comes to this area of freelancing.
Edward
Well-Fed Craft features an excellent overview, insights, and examples of great copy for new copywriters, potential copywriters, and even seasoned copywriters looking for a refresher.
I would recommend it to other copywriters. It provides a very good core foundation and structure to great copywriting.
Case Study Writing Segment
Listen to a preview of Episode 36 of The All Indie Writers Podcast where Peter Bowerman and I chat about case study writing, one of the freelance commercial writing projects you'll learn about when you take his Well-Fed Craft course.
Don't miss this limited time offer!
Peter is distributing Well-Fed Craft on a limited number of physical flash drives. So this introductory offer and pricing is only available for a short amount of time. Get Well-Fed Craft for just $197 and learn how to make real money writing copy for businesses. This initial offer will only run until Wednesday, January 11, 2017. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to give your freelance writing business the kick it needs in the New Year!
Buy it now!