Direct Response Copywriter on Style and Granularity

When it comes to writing, what is style? Writing is ultimately about choosing words and putting them in a certain order. Some writers are sparse – like Kurt Vonnegut or Ernest Hemmingway. Others can be intricate and intense – like Martin Amis.

What about direct response copywriters? I don’t read enough copy by other copywriters to say: “oh that’s so-and-so.” I once read that Clayton Makepeace wanted his cub copywriters to develop their own style.

The top copywriters – based on my analysis – tend to write with the same style and it’s a combination of hyperventilation and granularity. There’s enthusiasm plus a highly contagious mix of adjectives and highly descriptive copy; the latter is the granularity.

Instead of writing …

These irons will help you hit more accurate shots on the golf course.

I write …

Strike the ball right in the sweet spot and the ball will be dancing with the flag.

There’s no real evidence that “granular” copy outperforms copy that’s more sparse. I’ve seen some Gary Bencivenga copy that is extremely straightforward. But I’ve seen some Gary Bencivenga copy that’s much more descriptive and evocative.

Some of my most successful copy is sparse and basic. But I’ve written copy with some granularity. I’m working to become better at the granular copy because I have to think it will improve response.

Quite frankly, it’s something I’d like to test.

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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 My 2nd Biggest Challenge

As a direct response copywriter, my biggest day-to-day challenge is writing copy that generates cash for my clients. My copy – or at least one version of the copy – has to perform. I’m a sales person and when sales people fail, they get fired … and that’s totally understandable.

But here’s another challenge: speaking with a potential client who has endured a bad experience with another direct response copywriter.

Typically, the potential client has hired a copywriter, paid a sometimes significant fee, and watched the copy fail miserably. There may have been other issues like missed deadlines, a haughty attitude, or something else. But the biggest problem is usually the poor return on the investment made in the copy.

I rarely get into the gory details with the potential client. But I often ask a simple question: “How aggressively were you testing?”

The answer is usually the same: “there was only one version of the copy … and it stank.”

And there’s the real problem. The potential client isn’t letting the copywriter fail. The first attempt at the copy fails – as it often does – and the client thinks the copywriter is a dunce – an expensive one at that.

The clients I have worked with who have enjoyed the most success are the ones who EXPECT me to fail. That’s because they test like crazy … constantly. After a lot of copy that fails to beat the control, one attempt will hammer the control and everyone will be happy.

I’m upfront with potential clients about copy. I say what I just wrote: you have to test. If the potential client isn’t with that plan, then the whole situation is probably going to end in tears.

If you've had a bad experience with a copywriter, that's understandable. But ask yourself this question: "am I testing enough?"

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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 if 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 2.

How NOT to Find Clients. Part 2.

A Series of Essays for Copywriters and Fellow Creative Professionals.

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NOTE: You're reading a series of blogs 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 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 #2. Word of Mouth/Referrals. Surprisingly … one of the WORST ways to find clients.

Right now, you might be somewhat AGHAST. Why? Because you’ve been told that referrals are a superb way to find clients.

Some companies and freelancers will boast: “I’m really lucky because I get a crazy number of referrals from clients.”

Don’t get me wrong … I like referrals although I don’t get them too often. My current and past clients usually want to keep their direct response copywriter to themselves. I don’t ask for referrals and I don’t sit by the phone expecting them.

Let’s remember something CRUCIALLY important as you market yourself: the ultimate goal of your marketing must be to find the absolute top clients – with the deepest pockets – so you work less and earn more.

One of your great clients might refer someone to you. That’s good. It shows your current client likes you.

But it could also be bad … and here’s why: the client could be a total dog. That’s happened to me. The “referral” client was essentially idiotic, disorganized, plus I had to fight to get paid. Lovely.

I can’t think of a single excellent client who came my way through a referral. This method is a haphazard version of inbound marketing. Maybe this will change for me tomorrow but I’m not holding my breath. It’s tempting to be excited when I receive a referral because the potential client is warmed up and ready to hire me.

I value referrals from my current clients and I thank them for these referrals … BUT … 99% of the time, the new potential clients are a poor fit.

In certain industries, like residential real estate and home decorating, referrals may be a decent source of leads. But I’m not interested in decent. I want the best possible marketing outcome using the best possible method.

This method is making a list of strong potential clients then pounding away at the database. You’re being aggressive instead of passive. Passive marketing stinks and routinely sends you bad clients with bad work, bad products, and a poor attitude.

Recently, I compiled a database of 2,000 potential clients. I originally compiled this for direct response copywriters but any creative person can benefit from this database.

Click here now to see the sales page for the database.

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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][2] if 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 1.

How NOT to Find Clients. Part 1.

A Series of Essays for Copywriters and Fellow Creative Professionals.

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NOTE: I’m starting a series of blogs about how to find clients. This series will be extremely controversial. Read the blogs and you’ll discover my experiences with finding 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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Client Finding Method #1. Elance, oDesk, Guru, Fiverr, People Per Hour, and Other “Commodity” Sites.

These sites match buyers who need creative work with copywriters and other creative professionals. You register on the site then you can start bidding on assignments. Clients post assignments on the site when they need creative talent.

Five years ago, when I went totally freelance as a direct response copywriter, I won some assignments on Elance. The revenue was useful BUT I had to spend hours and hours bidding on work. I failed to win 97% of the assignments I bid on because – and here’s the big problem with these sites – 97% of the people who come to these sites are looking for the lowest possible price. They say they care about quality but they don’t. They will happily give assignments to people who barely speak English.

Here’s another major problem. The “clients” are typically amateurs who are totally clueless AND overly demanding.

Worse, it’s almost always “one and done” work with no possibility of additional and regular assignments. Many potential clients will say “this will lead to additional and regular assignments” but they are lying in order to get you to submit a low bid.

I feel sorry for the people who created Fiverr. They believed, correctly and tragically, that creative professionals would be willing to provide their services for $5. I won’t justify this business model with much more time but if you’re a creative professional using Fiverr then take your palm and smack your forehead. Now. Then leave Fiverr forever. And if you’re a client looking for talent, do you seriously believe you will get anything of quality for $5?

As a creative professional, you are NOT a commodity. Your skills help people SELL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES and, as such, you have a huge value. The clients who go to sites like Elance and Fiverr will never prosper because they will ALWAYS get poor work.

Let me introduce an amazing concept I just discovered.

You get what you pay for.

Amazing insight, I know.

If you want a super-successful career then you MUST have serious and deep-pocketed clients. These clients are NOT cruising around on sites like Fiverr and Elance.

One recent client tried to find a copywriter on Elance and hated the results. So they bellied up to the bar and paid me a fair rate for my expertise. We tested like crazy and the client earned vast amounts of money. They had a great offer and solid products. But they made a commitment to excellent creative work.

You must find the clients you want and pound away at them. I recommend direct mail. You must build a database of ideal clients.

This can be a difficult and time-consuming task. I have a database I created that will make this task massively easier.

Click here to get my database. I have used this database to get assignments from great clients.

Yes – the database is not inexpensive. But it can generate tens of thousands in revenue from the top clients on the planet. You will not find these clients on Elance, Fiverr, and other “bottom fishing” sites.

To see the sales page for the database, click 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][3] if you have a project you'd like to discuss. I'm also a Dan Kennedy certified copywriter for information products.

Direct Response Copywriter on Ugly

I’m sure you’ve heard about a sports team “winning ugly.” It means a team hasn’t played perfectly but still found a way to win. A football team might have fumbled the ball five times ... yet won.

Advertising agencies who seek awards for design and creativity and “good work” dislike direct response practitioners for many reasons. One of them: the general ugliness of direct response advertising.

As a direct response copywriter, I fully admit that direct response marketing is rarely going to win any prizes at black tie advertising awards galas. When I visit direct response marketers, I NEVER see rows of awards up on the walls. Why? That’s because we’re not after awards: we’re trying as hard as we can to sell products and services. The award: our clients make more money.

Yes – the work looks ugly. I get it. Serious graphic designers must vomit when they see our web pages, sales letters, squeeze pages, emails, TV ads, and the like. I get it. But there’s one fundamental of direct response marketing: ugly wins.

Why?

You’d think that people who want to buy products and services would respond more positively to advertising that looks beautiful.

I suppose it all depends on one’s idea of beauty.

To this direct response copywriter, beauty is all about response and revenue. The design has to be clear and basic so the reader can read the copy and get the message. My website is not beautiful, graphically, but it works … it generates leads and I turn those leads into revenue.

I could make my website beautiful but it would likely DECREASE response. The OFFER is ultimately more important than beauty. Proof elements are more important to people who will buy a product or service.

Recently, I visited a company to discuss their direct mail pieces. The current control, which creates huge revenue, is ugly. VERY ugly. I told the client to make it uglier. But their creative group, armed with a beautiful new mailer to try, wanted to make things “pretty” and “pleasing to the eye” and “more focused on the brand.”

I would bet $1,000 the “beautiful” piece loses to the “ugly” piece.

The potential client or customer is only ultimately interested in one thing, “what’s in it for me?”

This direct response copywriter is going to provide the answer … even if the answer isn’t provided with total beauty.

When in doubt, win ugly.

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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][3] if you have a project you'd like me to quote. I'm also a Dan Kennedy certified copywriter for information products.