Direct Response Copywriter on The Art and Science of Finding Clients

It’s one of the great conundrums in the world of the freelance direct response copywriter … or the freelance copywriter. Either way, it's a conundrum and I like the word conundrum.

• On the one hand, I routinely this plea … “I can’t find any clients.”
• On the other hand, I hear this from the clients … “I’m finding it so hard to find copywriters … where are all the copywriters?”

I must surmise, therefore, that copy just simply never gets written and copywriters starve and become homeless or enter other fields of employ … when all this could so easily be avoided.

At the annual AWAI copywriting conference, I see the same dynamic on the Friday afternoon of the event. Over 40 companies are there to look for copywriters. Over 500 copywriters are looking for work. It should be one bang-up party yet after the music has stopped, here’s what I hear.

“I didn’t find any clients.” “I didn’t find any copywriters.”

Yes, I’ve made connections and got some work at the conference but it’s not the life-changing fandango it seems like it should be.

Nothing against AWAI and the event. I enjoy it very much and it’s fun to hang out with (most of) the copywriters there. Some mega-famous copywriters pitch up to speak, most notably Bob Bly and Clayton Makepeace, who are regulars and people I intensely admire.

Even John Carlton, “the most the most ripped-off writer on the Web” according to his website, showed up one year and set new standards for ornery-ness … if ornery-ness is a word. It is now.

An ultra-famous copywriter showed up and, with 20 minutes left in his presentation, if that’s what it was, simply said, “that’s all I’ve got.” Not true. I later saw him in a Delray Beach watering hole/hideout and he was with a young damsel. The copywriter had a LOT to give; his verbosity was off the charts. This copywriter seems to have mastered the art of making tons of cash while doing pretty much nothing, or at least that's what his copy says.

If I need respite from the conference, I head to the magnificent Blue Anchor, a hostelry that must surely win the award one day for “America’s Top Ersatz English Pub.”

But I digress. Where was I? Finding copywriting clients. The gap I just discussed.

Various companies have emerged trying to bridge the gap. There was elance, now Upwork. These "commodity sites" are unfailingly biased toward the people who need copy. They get a low bid. They get garbage. The copywriters work with garbage clients. Great.

These commodity sites come … and they go. Some stick, most fail. Bob Bly says don’t go there and I agree with Brother Bob. It’s a mess.

I also see Facebook sites and other sites on social media platforms where clients and copywriters can meet but I’m not swayed. I’ve ventured into these waters and the clients are fifth-rate at best. A friend once described the woman who had taken his bartending job as a “D-grade stripper.” These are D-grade stripper clients.

I see some opportunities through my Google Alerts settings but there’s not much to see. If there’s a spot where I believe I can get some traction, it’s Linked In. I need to try their new service that promises to place a surfeit of great matches right in front of my very eyes for just $75 a month. We’ll see what transpires.

In all of this, I’m a little biased and I’m a little fortunate, perhaps. My website ranks highly, organically, for many key search terms. I’m not an SEO expert and I’ve never hired one. I don’t know why my site ranks so well. Maybe it’s because I actually put some serious effort and resources into my site. It’s generated hundreds of leads, usually from solid prospects. I tell the clients who want a low price NOT to contact me and they don’t. So … if you’re a direct response copywriter or a copywriter of any ilk, how good is your website? I’ll be remarkably blunt, especially for me … I see a lot of copywriters with really bad websites. And by saying “really bad” I’m being super-generous.

I’ll get back to the copywriter side in a minute. But what if you’re a client and you’re looking for a top copywriter? Well … you’re a marketing company. This means you should be able to market yourself to copywriters by finding or building a list and then making yourself a sought-after client. David Ogilvy found the top copywriters and then serenaded them. He would visit their apartments unexpectedly just to check them out in person. Imagine a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” “David Ogilvy. I hear a good copywriter. Can I talk to you?”

Ogilvy built a whopping and super-successful agency replete with talent. To get this talent, he used direct marketing tactics: he had his list and then he sold to that list, in essence.

Until about six months ago, I ranked #1 organically for many key search terms. Then a firm of copywriters took away that spot and now I’m #2. I’ll battle against that firm’s so-called direct response copywriters any day of the week. But they’re #1 and I’m #2 in organic search. I could disappear tomorrow from all the rankings. Poof. No more free traffic to my website just with one minor re-organization of the algorithm, or something.

So I’m in a phase right now where I’m starting to go on the offensive. This does not mean I want to be rude. The only person in the direct marketing world who thinks I’m rude is John Carlton, “the most ripped-off writer on the Web,” according to the copy on his website.

Let me explain. I was waiting for a flight a couple of years ago in the stark environs of Palm Beach International Airport and yon fair John was also waiting for a plane in the same departure lounge. I went up to Mr. Carlton and re-introduced myself. I had just seen him at the AWAI conference.

"Hi John," I said, "I'm Scott Martin and we met at the conference. Do you have a few minutes so I can ask you a few questions?" He reminded me we had met in the pub the night before. Then I got a "no" and a glare which said, “I’d rather repeatedly French kiss the plastic/vinyl seats in this airport departure lounge during a six-hour delay due to wind sheer in Dallas than even acknowledge your peon-like presence.”

Oh well. Such is my level of import among the epochal giants of direct response copywriting. That’s what happens, I guess, when people think I’m offensive, or on the offensive. And people say that referrals are great.

Listen, sports fans ... if I EVER become so well-known that other copywriters come up to me in the airport, ANY airport, and want to talk about direct marketing and/or direct response copywriting, I will sit down with them and happily chat away until the gate agents are saying, "FINAL" last call.

But, again, I digress.

Gary Bencivenga talked about getting what he wanted. What did he want? Success and cash, for starters. Nothing wrong with that. To reach his goals, he wanted to work with the world’s top direct marketers. They had the lists and the traffic. Plus they had the products people actually wanted. Plus these companies HAD to have copy because the entire company depends on selling stuff … and lots of it. No copy … no revenue.

Are you starting to figure out what I’m saying?

I have a couple of clients like this. But I want more. So I’m identifying these epic clients and going after them. It’s an exercise in direct marketing and sales and, the last time I checked, I’m in direct marketing and sales.

In fact, I have list of 2,000 potential clients I hand-crafted through months of research. One of these days, I might make this list available.

How did I create my list? That’s my secret and that’s where your nous and creativity and research must come into play. The more I think about creative ways to build my list, and the more I work on my list, guess what happens? My list of potential clients gets even stronger and deeper. Here's a hint when it comes to how I've researched my list. Let's say I get an email with a link to an event that's choc-full of big-time marketers. Guess who gets put on my list?

And, to use a hackneyed phrase, I leverage off my strengths. I’ve had success in some niches, niches where everyone knows my clients and wants to be like them. So I get the attention of people who will hire me.

Do YOU have a sense of your ideal clients? I know who mine are. I can look at a crowd of 100 potential clients and spot THE ONE I might want to work with. I’m a one man band. I don’t need or want a lot of clients. Just 3-4 or maybe just one. Clayton Makepeace worked with just one client, Weiss, for about a decade.

Where’s your list of potential clients? Where’s your database of contacts with clients? How is your follow up? When was the last time you contacted 10 potential clients in a day? When did you last send 2,000 post cards to your database? When did you last improve a page on your website? Are you getting rejected a lot? Yes? Good. You’ll start to find that great client soon.

A lot of nascent copywriters ask me about finding first clients. I tell them to get their website together, create some samples, then ATTACK the digital marketing agencies. These agencies won’t pay a lot but they have huge needs for copy. How many of the young copywriters actually take my advice? Not many, I fear. I wrote over 200 projects for a digital agency in Australia when I went out on my own in 2010. I paid the mortgage and there was food on the table. And I got tons of great experience ... plus some valuable training from the guy who ran the agency, himself an excellent copywriter.

“What about referrals?” you ask. “Word of mouth. Best form of advertising.” I suppose that Gary Bencivenga was able to rely on referrals at one stage but I’m NEVER relying on this method. Why? The referrals haven’t been any good. I’m not “in” with the “in crowd” as evidenced by my experience with J. Carlton and the copywriting cabal that hangs out at events like the AWAI bootcamp and steadfastly refuses to talk to anyone but themselves … unless you’re perhaps attending one of their events or paying them huge sums for coaching.

The raw snobbery is startling, especially when most of this cabal relies on past copywriting glories. I just helped a client sell over $750,000 worth of subscriptions at $2,000 a pop … to a cold list with a conversion rate north of 4%. A VSL I wrote was producing $1.5 million a month for a $19 ebook, despite scathing criticism from the copy expert that client hired. What have you lot done recently? Oh … show up at each other’s events so you can tell each other how great you are. Ah.

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I’ve rambled and ranted in this blog, much more than usual. I’m all over the place with my tenses.

An especially anal copy editor would tell me to start gain. Apologies. I’m glad you’re reading this. I might have to take it down once I read it again. Or sanitize it.

It’s getting a little late and I had an early start this morning. But if you’re a copywriter and you’re moping around thinking, “I’ve got to find clients or I’m bagging groceries soon” when all you’re hearing from potential clients is, “we’re desperate for copywriters,” then stop moping around.

Get your website and your stuff together. Build a list. Define your ideal clients. Attack the clients you want with a barrage of communication. Be persistent. Follow up. Stay in front of them. Market. Sell.

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I'm a direct response copywriter working for clients around the world. Enter your information to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or [contact me here][1] when you have a project you'd like to discuss. I'm also a Dan Kennedy certified copywriter for information products.

Direct Response Copywriter on the Copywriter's Perspective

What are copywriters looking for?

I like (almost) all my competitors and I compare notes with them. Based on conversations with my colleagues, we all want pretty much the same things.

• Good opportunity for good/great income. • Quality traffic and lots of it. • The ability to test. • Patience from the client. • A professional environment. • Prompt payment. • A “white hat” approach. • Respect.

No great revelations there so let me give you some reasons I have fired clients.

• I have a thick skin but I won’t work with a company that berates me. This happened recently. • Lack of trust. • Poor communication. • Too many people critiquing the copy – especially when members of the inquisition are not copywriters. • Letting copy get “stale” … especially in the financial area.

I’m also leery when a company brings in a “copy chief” to critique my work. One of my clients recently did this. The “expert” bashed me personally and bashed the VSL I wrote, essentially saying the VSL had no chance to do anything.

The client ran the VSL anyway and it produced over $20,000 in revenue from a small segment of the client’s house list. A $19 sale. Not too shabby – especially as it was a prevention theme.

Copywriters are almost always going to bash the work of other copywriters. You all saw an example in a forum when I showed the blood pressure supplement copy to the group. I knew the other copywriters might bash the work but I was genuinely interested to see why so many potential customers were getting to the order page right at the end of the funnel then not buying. I wrote nine versions of that copy across the entire funnel. The click through numbers were excellent but something wasn’t working. And I was looking for some insight from this group – at the risk of getting hammered by some copywriters.

The guy I was working with thought the traffic demographic was wrong plus there were some funky things going on in that company: with a lot of chiefs plus the involvement of the owner’s daughter, an MBA and expert copywriter.

But something wasn’t working and it proves that testing is the only correct critic. There’s only one copy chief that matters: the customer.

I saw some copy for two conferences. The copy for the first one was OK at best – I thought – but the event was full. The copy for second was short – too short – and didn’t give me enough information to get the live feed. But the event was packed. I only judge direct response copy on the results.

In the last 24 months, I’ve noticed a shift in the copywriting world where several famous – or infamous – copywriters are no longer writing much copy.

Instead, they’re forming coaching groups and charging a small fortune to mentor copywriters and speak at events.

It’s because someone moved their cheese and I’m not sure they have the speed and/or desire to chase the new cheese. Finding great clients is hard. But finding needy copywriters is easy.

In the case of one of the gurus, I’ve seen his work in one of the niches where I’ve helped a client build a multi-million dollar empire pretty much from nothing. The guru’s work in this niche comprises bold-faced lies and when I’ve asked him about results, he avoids the subject.

I can see bringing in an accomplished copywriter to help a totally nascent copywriter get up to speed. Even then, constant bashing will only make them hate the trainer, copywriting, and the client. They will want to work behind a bar or at the lost luggage area in the airport instead.

Patient testing is an awesome copywriting coach. Plus there are so many superb books, manuals, and resources available. Gary Bencivenga’s bullets are on the Internet – for FREE. Mike Palmer of Stansberry cites these as superb advice for direct response copywriters. Spend less than $1,000 on copywriting books for your copywriter and you’ve pretty much covered it. I provide a series of 100 “how to” copywriting videos for $9 a month … the price is low as I build this resource to critical mass.

I’ve taken several paragraphs to stress an important point – be careful about how you train your copywriters and critique their work. I’ve had copy I thought was excellent fail miserably. I’ve had copy the copy police would scoff at produce epic results. So don’t bash … test. And give your copywriter the width to fail and learn.

Let me give you a sense of how to treat a copywriter so the copywriter produces sales and revenue for you … and so you don’t have a “copywriter carousel” where you’re constantly hiring and firing copywriters – or having them fire you.

• Expect the copywriter to meet deadlines but give the copywriter input on the deadline. • Make sure they understand the ‘state of awareness’ and ‘state of sophistication’ at an almost professorial level. • Be careful about bringing in an outside ‘copy basher in chief.’ • Great copy does not come from a committee – it comes from research plus linking the benefits of the product to the desires of the customer. • Understand that copywriters have different styles. Some copywriters like to hyperventilate. I’ve seen Gary Bencivenga copy that’s understated. • Test like crazy and get the copywriter to feed the testing beast. • Communicate, be professional, and treat the copywriter with respect. • Keep the copywriter in the loop when it comes to testing results. VITAL. • Provide the copywriter with as much information about your products and customers as possible – and spend several hours doing this. • Don’t expect the copywriter to write on spec/royalty right away. • Avoid crowdsourcing sites like elance. • Provide a clear creative brief. • Be realistic … don’t ask your copywriter to sell sunlamps in the Sahara. • Let the copywriter write and test across the entire funnel.

Now let’s get to compensation.

Let’s be brutally frank – and I know I’m biased … based on what I hear and my research for my database, there are lots of companies who understand the value of copy who are desperate for serious copywriters.

You cannot learn to write direct response copy at any college I know of. Universities pump out lawyers (yay!) but they don’t pump out direct response copywriters.

I’ve been to the AWAI boot camp three times now and yes – 400 copywriters show up – but in that 400 you’ll find 10 super-experienced writers who are booked and/or coaching and not writing copy. You’ll find about 50 writers like me who have helped clients sell stuff but want to get to the top of the trade. Then you’ll find about 340 people who have bought into the AWAI dream and are just trying to get started. Most will not return, sadly. They will never get their copywriting business off the ground and I feel really, really bad for these people.

The forces of supply and demand are not in your favor when it comes to finding and keeping copywriters. Brutal but true.

But you can get a great copywriter to join your team – essentially for FREE. Sorry but my keyboard can’t type that word FREE in small caps.

You don’t have to pay a fortune in upfront fees for a copywriter and, to keep them happy financially, you can provide a portion of the increase in revenue. Get your model right and the services of a great copywriter simply help you make more money AND increase the value of your business.

But my best advice when it comes to treating copywriters is to be like Marty Edelston, who found great copywriters and treated them like royalty.

From my perspective – and I’m getting better at this – I look at how much time I spend on a project … and what I’m earning.

And I’m kicking out the people who are wasting my time.

Am I a great copywriter? An A-lister? What does that really mean, anyway?

I just had a health project fail. Great click through numbers but no sales. But another health client became the fastest growing company in Charlotte, which has a crazy-good economy. My golf client has succeeded where a ton of people have failed and one promotion generated $1.6 million in sales of wedges from an obscure manufacturer.

The copy on my site has generated over 500 leads in 4 years. There have been more failures than successes. I won an AWAI competition … $1,000 spent that night in The Blue Anchor in Delray Beach on other copywriters. Oh well. Clayton Makepeace said he liked my stuff. My clients typically keep me around – because the copy converts.

If you want my attention, then put me on a retainer for a few months and let’s see how things go. If there’s some traction then let’s move forward with a fee plus a slice of the increase in revenue. I’m doing this with one of my biggest clients. One of the owners of the company used to work for Goldman Sachs and he understands the “eat what you kill” compensation model.

I sort of like the NFL compensation model where most rookies get minimal pay but if they do well, they can get some guaranteed money plus certain bonuses. NFL players can also get cut at any time.

Someone coming up to me and saying, “it’s a great opportunity if you’re willing to take a step backwards” is a bit of a turn off.

Digging deep into the soul of the direct response copywriter, we all live in a state of semi-panic as it’s us vs. the world. The company that provides some succor is one that will get the attention of the freelancer.

Finally – let me introduce a key concept in my little world.

Fixers and punters.

Both terms from my upbringing in the UK.

My father is one of the top classical musicians on the planet. He also used to work in the session world – playing on pop records and movie soundtracks. The person who booked the musicians was/is known as the “fixer.” An IMPORTANT person with great work and plenty of money.

In the UK, the word “punter” has at least five meanings.

Someone who bets and usually loses. A customer. For example … “this bar is really getting the punters in the door.” Someone who visits a betting shop. Someone who visits a “business” woman. A general person – usually of low intelligence and dodgy demeanor.

I separate potential clients based on the fixer vs. punter rule.

When you’re approaching copywriters, be a FIXER and not a punter.

Did Gary Bencivenga work for punters? I think we all know the answer. He told copywriters not to take on marketing challenges.

I will never say that the success of a direct marketing business depends entirely on copy. Other factors come into play.

But others who have been supremely successful will tell you that much of their increase in revenue comes from finding – and keeping – ambitious copywriters.

Now you know a little about what makes copywriters tick … and I hope this helps you grow your business and become even more wildly successful.

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I'm a direct response copywriter. I write direct response copy for clients around the world. Enter your information to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here when you have a project you'd like to discuss. I'm also a Dan Kennedy certified copywriter for information products.

Direct Response Copywriter on How NOT to Find Clients Part 9

How NOT to Find Copywriting Clients. Part 9.

A Series of Essays for Copywriters and Fellow Creative Professionals.

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NOTE: You're reading a series of essays about how to find copywriting clients ... and how NOT to find them. This series will be extremely controversial. Read the blogs and you’ll discover my experiences with finding direct response copywriting clients … what works and what’s a waste of time. The goal is to help you find “elite” level clients with deep pockets who are looking for top-quality creative talent. My focus is on direct response copywriting but it all applies to all creative talent.

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Method #9. Networking

Early in my career, I attended a large number of “networking” events. These typically took place in Charlotte where I live.

I’m usually an outgoing person and I usually like meeting new people in a social setting but I never really liked the networking events.

There were two reasons.

First, as someone who spent his formative years in England, I have an English accent. This becomes the first point of conversation at a networking event and I got tired of providing my life story NINETY times in the space of 60 minutes.

Second, I never really met a good client for my direct response copywriting services. There were lots of people selling life insurance. Plus lots of people selling real estate. Nothing against insurance and real estate but the people I met just weren’t good potential clients for this direct response copywriter.

In some cases, I joined, or was added to, the committee that organized the networking groups. This was enjoyable because I met some fun and wonderful people but it was also a painful waste of time … especially when I had to listen to committee members drone on about nothing for several hours.

Building and developing a network is extremely valuable. I think back to the days before the Internet when people had a Rolodex … or two. Just the Rolodex itself could be extremely valuable.

From time to time, I attend so-called networking events where I can potentially meet clients and “network” with other direct response copywriters. Again – it’s a nice time but I can’t say it’s a great way to meet great clients.

It takes years … decades even … to build a great professional network. And the network can be extremely valuable. Websites like LinkedIn can be useful and speed up the process but, ultimately, network building the traditional way takes a long time.

Fortunately, there’s a way to build a really strong network quickly and with a much more targeted approach. You have to be proactive and go after the clients you want.

To get the clients you want then you must create your own list of "ideal" clients ... then go after them. I have a hand-crafted list of 2,000 potential clients. To get access to this list, click here now.

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I'm a direct response copywriter. I write direct response copy for clients around the world. Enter your information to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here when you have a project you'd like to discuss. I'm also a Dan Kennedy certified copywriter for information products.

Direct Response Copywriter on How NOT to Find Clients Part 8

How NOT to Find Copywriting Clients. Part 8.

A Series of Essays for Copywriters and Fellow Creative Professionals.

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NOTE: You're reading a series of essays about how to find copywriting clients ... and how NOT to find them. This series will be extremely controversial. Read the blogs and you’ll discover my experiences with finding direct response copywriting clients … what works and what’s a waste of time. The goal is to help you find “elite” level clients with deep pockets who are looking for top-quality creative talent. My focus is on direct response copywriting but it all applies to all creative talent.

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Method #8. Classifieds and Aggregators

You'll find plenty of copywriting "gigs" on sites ranging from Craigslist to daily emails. You'll even find quasi-classifieds on Facebook groups.

Companies and individuals who need direct response copywriters post opportunities on websites and in emails.

This reminds me of the days before the Internet when newspapers had all those pages of job vacancies. Yes ... there were plenty of opportunities BUT it was just a fraction of the opportunities that were truly available.

Most importantly, if you really looked at the companies providing those opportunities, they weren't exactly the top companies. And I would always hear, "only 1/3 of all opportunities are advertised in the newspapers" and so on.

There's an element of truth to the latter statement. The top companies are rarely advertising in the classifieds. And the top companies are the ones with the top opportunities and the biggest budgets.

So it makes sense to be proactive and go after the clients you want. To get the clients you want then you must create your own list of "ideal" clients then go after them. I have a hand-crafted list of 2,000 potential clients. To get access to this list, click here now.

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I'm a direct response copywriter. I write direct response copy for clients around the world. Enter your information to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here when you have a project you'd like to discuss. I'm also a Dan Kennedy certified copywriter for information products.

Direct Response Copywriter on How NOT to Find Clients. Part 5.

How NOT to Find Clients. Part 5.

A Series of Essays for Copywriters and Fellow Creative Professionals.

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NOTE: You're reading a series of essays about how to find clients ... and how NOT to find them. This series will be extremely controversial. Read the blogs and you’ll discover my experiences with finding direct response copywriting clients … what works and what’s a waste of time. The goal is to help you find “elite” level clients with deep pockets who are looking for top-quality creative talent.

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Method #5. Trolling Sites Like Warrior Forum.

To be completely frank, I don't spend too much time cruising around sites like Warrior Forum. It's a site for Internet marketers. Sometimes, when I visit these sites, I come across a direct response copywriter who is looking for a gig. Sometimes there are marketers who are looking for copywriters.

I'm sure there are people who love these sites. And some copywriters find gigs this way. But these sites are ultimately like the Wild Wild West: pretty much anything can happen plus you'll find plenty of "black hats" ... people who are not exactly playing by the rules. Yes -- there are plenty of marketers who are fine and perhaps I should spend more time trolling around. But my sense is there are plenty of clients with little or no money ... but massive reputations.

There's a better way to find clients. If you want the top clients then you have to be aggressive and go after them.

To find these clients, you need a database ... and you can find it here.

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I'm a direct response copywriter. I write direct response copy for clients around the world. Enter your information to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here when you have a project you'd like to discuss. I'm also a Dan Kennedy certified copywriter for information products.