Taking the Copyhour course when it first launched in 2012 marked a major turning point in my life.
No, seriously.
Right up there with starting this blog, quitting my job, creating Location Rebel Academy, and starting my golf site Breaking Eighty – going through the Copyhour course was hands down one of the most impactful things I’ve ever done for my personal growth and business success.
Here is a statement I firmly believe:
If you know how to write good copy, you’ll never hurt for money again.
Learning how to be persuasive with your words will take you further than any other skill you’ll develop in high school or college.
I’d struggle to tell you a single lasting, tangible skill I took away from my 4-year finance degree.
But copywriting? It’s made me millions of dollars, has allowed me to work for myself for over 15 years, and have more incredible experiences than I’d ever thought possible.
That’s a fact.
Will going through the Copyhour course do this for you?
Probably not.
But that’s not the course’s fault. I’ll explain what I mean in a minute.
In this Copyhour review I’m going to tell you what I like about it, what I don’t, and the very tangible impact it’s had on my life.
I’ll also look at changes to the course and where it stands currently in 2025.
Is it for everyone? Absolutely not.
But does it have the potential to change your life in very real ways if you’re willing to commit to it? Absolutely.
Let’s not waste any more time.
What is CopyHour?
Before we go any further, let’s talk about what Copyhour is.
Copyhour is a course developed by Derek Johanson that teaches you how to become a better copywriter.
He specifically does this by utilizing the “handwriting method” (among others), which has you copying proven effective sales letters by hand, every day for the duration of the course.
It sounds weird (and it kind of is), but I’ll talk about why it works in a little bit.
Are you a total beginner and not even entirely sure what copywriting is?
It’s essentially the act of being persuasive with your words. Any time you’re trying to get someone to take an action, you’re copywriting.
This could be obvious in the form of a sales letter, online ad, or email.
It could also be in less obvious ways. An example of this could be writing an email or text to a friend where you’re trying to get them to go to the movie you want to see, rather than the one they want.
Most people think of copywriting as a tool of a salesperson or marketer. But we’re all salespeople. Every one of us is selling our ideas in one form or another. Learning how to be persuasive in an ethical, yet effective way, is an immensely valuable tool.
Read this if you’re looking to understand more of the fundamentals of copywriting.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Yes, I’ll Make a Commission if You Buy Through My Link. But…
Let’s get one (probably obvious) thing out of the way. If you click any of my Copyhour links in this post, like this one, I’ll earn a commission.
If this bothers you or you think makes me overly biased, feel free to move on and do your own research. I truly don’t care if you buy the course or not. I’ll be just fine.
But there’s a reason I’m doing the first review post I’ve done in nearly 4 years for this program.
Copyhour is the single most impactful course and strategy I’ve had success with.
I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on dozens of courses over the years – and in most cases, didn’t get much out of them.
What I learned through the Copyhour process has been worth all the money I spent on all those other courses many times over.
This is the exact course I used to learn how to write persuasive copy. It's one of the best investments I've ever made in myself.
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My Personal Copywriting Success
As I mentioned, I first took Copyhour in 2012. I was in the very first cohort, and remember thinking “This seems weird, but let’s give it a shot anyways.”
In that time I’ve made millions of dollars through my writing.
But it’s not like it was all from one specific income stream – which is what’s so cool about it.
This was one of my favorite ‘offices” over the years. The Shangri-La Villingili in the Maldives.
I’ve had over 5,000 students go through my own course Location Rebel Academy. The email sequences and sales pages I’ve used for that were crafted from the copywriting knowledge I first gained through Copyhour.
I’ve written for clients, and done multiple $300k+ launches from the sales pages, email sequences, and VSL scripts I created.
I’ve also written hundreds of product reviews in the golf niche on my site Breaking Eighty.
I pride myself on the fact I make these as unbiased as I can, and look at both the positives and negatives of every product I review. But don’t think for a second those copywriting skills haven’t made those reviews more effective.
All told, since I took Copyhour I’ve generated over $10 million in sales that I can directly attribute to the marketing skills it introduced me to.
Ok, wait, let’s back up a second.
I’m overselling this.
In the 13 years since I’ve taken Copyhour, I’ve worked very hard. I’ve put in my 10,000 hours and then some becoming an expert at what I do. I’ve continued to practice and learn everything I can about writing and online marketing.
So was my success all solely from Copyhour?
No, of course not.
But it’s the thing that leveled me up more than anything else.
What Happens When You Sign Up for Copyhour?
When you sign up for Copyhour you’ll get access to the Copyhour portal, which includes 5 training modules. Each of these include 3-5 lessons that help form the baseline of your copywriting knowledge.
Honestly, the “Copyhour Copywriting Research” lesson alone makes the investment in the course worth it. If you follow the framework this lays out, you’ll be well-positioned to write compelling copy for just about any product or client.
The modules included are:
- Start Here
- Module #1: Doing Your Research
- Module #2: Building Your Offer
- Module #3: Leads
- Module #4: Sales Arguments
- Module #5: The Close
- Bonuses
All of this stuff is great, and is a more recent addition when compared to what was included when I originally bought it.
What I love about all of this stuff it gives new writers a really good baseline training on the fundamentals of copywriting.
The Magic is in the Handwriting
But, it’s in the daily emails where the magic of this course really shines.
Every day for 90 days, Derek will email you one piece of world-class copy. He’ll break down why he chose that and what to think about as you’re looking at it.
And then you’ll copy it word for word.
By hand.
Weird, right?
The first day of doing this, I almost quit.
“This is a waste of time,” I remember thinking.
But I told myself I was going to at least give it a week.
After 3 or 4 days, I started noticing things I wasn’t picking up on before.
Subtleties in the sales pages that were making me notice when I was being persuaded.
The reason this works is similar to the reason that handwriting notes has been proven to be more effective than typing them.
“We show that when writing by hand, brain connectivity patterns are far more elaborate than when typewriting on a keyboard,” Professor Audrey van der Meer, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), said in a press release. “Such widespread brain connectivity is known to be crucial for memory formation and for encoding new information and, therefore, is beneficial for learning.”
But on a more fundamental level than that, simply slowing down and being forced to focus on every sentence – every word – can have powerful results.
Within a couple of weeks, I began noticing countless different persuasive techniques that were being used. The community conversations and office hours calls helped to reinforce ideas, while also highlighting persuasive concepts I missed.
By the time I got to months 2 and 3, I’d spent dozens of hours studying some of the most persuasive sales pages in the world, and engrained so many of the elements that make them great.
Then as I started writing more original copy, I’d find myself naturally using these techniques without consciously thinking about them. Once you get there, that’s when the magic starts to happen.
Why You Shouldn’t Buy Copyhour
At its core, Copyhour is a pretty simple course.
But it’s a significant time commitment.
It teaches you the fundamentals of effective copy, then gives you 90 days of handwriting lessons to help you engrain it all. By the end, this process becomes hardwired into your brain and the writing becomes second nature.
But 90 days is a long time, and some of these lessons can take an hour or more to do the copying.
If you’re looking to get the most out of it, throw in another 10-30 minutes a day for asking questions and getting active in the Facebook community (which is very active, and where most of the discussion happens)
Copyhour Facebook Group
If you have a full-time job, this may make the time commitment feel overwhelming.
And if you fall behind, even by a few days, it can be tough to play catch up.
So combine the fact it’s time-consuming, with the reality (for me) that a lot of the work simply isn’t that fun – and you have one of the biggest reasons it’s not going to be for most of you: you simply won’t do it.
Note: I want to reiterate how happy I am to have seen all the bonus course material he’s added on top of all the email handwriting lessons. This stuff is more than worth the cost of admission. So even if you don’t do the exercises, there’s a lot of value to be had here. But to be clear, the magic is very much in the handwriting process – despite feeling tedious at times.
A Harsh Reality
I created my course and community on July 26th, 2011.
Like I mentioned earlier, we’ve had over 5k people go through it in the last 14 years.
And the majority of them never did anything with it. I hate saying that, but it’s true.
However the ones who did jump in and apply the course have had tons of success.
Most people love the idea of a course, but don’t want to do any of the actual work.
Especially if the work is…less than fun.
It’s like when people say they’re going to go on a diet next week.
They get 90% of the dopamine hit they’d get from a successful outcome, without having to do any of the hard stuff.
“I’m getting ready to start my freelance copywriting business.”
“I’m thinking about buying a new Porsche.”
“We may be taking a vacation to Hawaii this Summer.”
Simply by saying these things to others, you essentially get all the ego boost without any of the work.
Long story short?
Everyone loves to talk about doing things.
Few people want to do the work.
Nowhere is this more evident than with online courses.
And Copyhour is a more time-intensive course than most out there. And the majority of it simply isn’t very sexy.
So be honest with yourself, are you actually going to put in the work?
If so, you’ll develop one of the single most beneficial and lucrative skills you could possibly have in life.
But if you’re not?
Save your money and don’t fool yourself into thinking you are going to do it.
Do I really need to learn copywriting since AI is getting so good?
Throughout the years of blogging and building niche websites, I’d frequently hear people say “I don’t need to learn, I just need to hire someone who can do it for me.”
Totally false.
You need to at least have a basic understanding of what you’re doing so that you can effectively manage the person you’re hiring.
Going to start a blog on WordPress? Learn the basics. Then hire an expert.
This helps ensure you don’t get ripped off and are able to articulate what it is you’re really looking for.
I view AI the same way.
Sure you can go into ChatGPT and say “write me a piece of persuasive copy about XYZ.”
But is it really going to be any good?
More importantly, if you don’t know the essentials, you won’t even know what good is when you see it.
AI has evolved at a rate faster than we ever anticipated. And for smart marketers, writers, and entrepreneurs? It may lead to the most potent and game changing tools of our generation.
But that’s exactly what it is, a tool.
In the hands of someone who is skilled, AI tools can skyrocket productivity, output, and revenue.
But if you don’t know what you’re doing? If you’re just trying to use them so that you don’t have to put in the work yourself? Good luck.
So yes, I think it’s actually more important that you learn the fundamentals of copywriting in the AI era.
Should I Join Copyhour or Location Rebel Academy?
I’ve been asked this question a lot over the years, and there have been hundreds of people who have joined both.
But the answer is pretty simple:
If you’re looking to become a better writer, join Copyhour.
If you already have some basic writing skills and you’re looking to find writing clients? Join Location Rebel.
One Bonus that May Be Beneficial
Honestly, Copyhour at $497 is a hell of a deal. For the person who recognizes the value learning copywriting provides, it’s a no-brainer investment that doesn’t need any additional persuading.
But I’m going to do it anyway.
If you buy Copyhour this week through my affiliate link, I’m going to give you the Location Rebel Freelance Writing Blueprint.
This is the crux of our $749 Academy course. It’s our flagship training and process for building a sustainable freelance writing business and finding high-paying clients within weeks.
You won’t get access to the forums or support from us, but you’ll get the entire process laid out for you and tired up with a nice bow.
The combo of the best copywriting training on Earth, with the best process for actually getting clients, is a pretty killer value.
Just email team (@)locationrebel.com with your receipt after you buy, and we’ll make sure you get set up.
Final Thoughts on Copyhour for 2025
Bottom line, the course itself is fantastic. It wouldn’t still be around over a decade later if it didn’t deliver on all the promises it makes.
The more important question is, “is it fantastic for you?
Are you motivated to do the work required to learn? Are you willing to push through some exercises that can feel a little tedious and boring at times? Do you recognize the value that becoming a copywriter can provide to your life and career?
Then Copyhour is one of the best investments you’ll ever make in yourself.
Are you looking for a magic bullet? Are you someone who thinks you can and should completely replace yourself with AI tools? Do you lack focus? Do you not understand why you want to learn copywriting?
If any of these things are true, then don’t buy it. I’ve seen enough people buy products they don’t use, that I’d only encourage you to invest in it if you understand why you’re doing it, and are excited about it.
But for me? It had a dramatic impact on my business and career, and taking copywriting seriously became a turning point in my life. I hope the same will be true for you.
This is the exact course I used to learn how to write persuasive copy. It's one of the best investments I've ever made in myself.
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Sean Ogle
Sean Ogle is the Founder of Location Rebel where he has spent the last 12+ years teaching people how to build online businesses that give them the freedom to do more of the things they like to do in life. When he's not in the coffee shops of Portland, or the beaches of Bali, he's probably sneaking into some other high-class establishment where he most certainly doesn't belong.Join over 40,000 people who have taken our 6 part freelance writing course. Sign up below and let’s do this together.
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