Real Marketing Wisdom ... From 1927. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive. October 2020.

Real Marketing Wisdom

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been going through the Bencivenga Bullets plus I've been reading Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins.

Scientific Advertising appeared in 1927.

When did Gary Bencivenga give us Bencivenga Bullets?

Around 20 years ago.

There’s nothing trendy in these powerful resources. Just solid and profound marketing wisdom from two of the most successful direct response copywriters and marketers.

I once met a marketer who gleefully gave Bencivenga a huge royalty check. The accounting team were apoplectic. But there were lots of serious direct marketers who were lining up to hire Bencivenga. One of his promotions mailed over 100 million copies.

Claude Hopkins earned $400,000 a year … and that was in the 1920s.

It’s all based on data, results, and revenue.

Who are you going to follow?

The trendy gurus who have all the “next best things” or these non-trendy experts?

I know who I’m following. David Ogilvy recommended everyone read Scientific Advertising seven times. I recommend the same for Bencivenga Bullets.

It’s not the first time I’ve gone through these resources and it won’t be the last.

Serious about direct marketing and direct response copywriting? You should know these resources backwards and forwards.

Even better, you can find Scientific Advertising for free or you can buy it for around $10. Bencivenga Bullets are free. Many of the so-called experts charge several thousand for their so-called wisdom. Click here for Bencivenga Bullets are you can thank me later for saving you a lot of money!

You're Not a Writer. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive.

You're Only 20% a Writer

You might be thinking, “I put words on a page … people pay me for my expertise … I’m a professional writer.”

When meeting someone at a bar or at a party, you might say, “I’m a copywriter” in reply to the question, “so … Cornelius, what do you do?”

Understandable. The 80/20 rule applies here.

Yes, to be a professional copywriter, or writer of any sort, you must know how to write. In fact, you should be able to write at an elite level. It’s especially true if you’re a direct response copywriter and your copy must generate revenue, and lots of it, for your clients.

That’s the 20%.

The 80% may be attractive to you. Maybe it’s not.

You’re 20% a writer and 80% a salesperson. Yes … whether you like it or not, you’re a salesperson.

It’s the same in every other line of work. The most successful professionals aren’t always the ones who are brilliant at what they do. They’re the ones who market themselves the best.

I know a copywriter who is not that good at writing copy. However, they have been marketing themselves successfully and this copywriter is getting a big reputation. Part of me gets annoyed, especially with all their hype. But they’re out there marketing and selling. A number of people are going to hire this copywriter and they’re going to discover this … this copywriter’s copy doesn’t convert. Just being good at selling isn’t enough. There has to be some substance.

If you’ve been on my list for a while, you know how much I admire Gary Bencivenga. I was listening to an interview with Bencivenga and he said something that really resonated with me.

In order to improve his copywriting, and he was always trying to get better, Bencivenga read all the great copywriting books. But, perhaps more importantly, he read all the great books about sales. Many of the world’s top salespeople have written books.

I tell people I’m a writer but I’m really a salesperson. I must sell the products and services my clients offer. But I must also sell my services and expertise to potential clients. You have to do this, too.

There are lots of sayings I don’t like. Let me give you one.

There are no stupid questions.

People ask stupid questions all the time.

There are no bad ideas.

Yes ... there are lots of bad ideas!

Here’s another I dislike …

Salespeople are born not made.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Being successful in sales requires the following …

Persistence … aka follow Up.
Knowing the techniques.
Constant improvement and the growth mindset.
A great product/service that people really want/need.
A thick skin.

I know some writers who feel the whole “sales thing” is a tad distasteful. It should not be. You’re not trying to pressure anyone. You’re simply saying, “I’m here with my copywriting skills to help you get where you want to get.”

Want to be a successful writer?

Yes … make sure your writing skills are at the “elite” level. But make sure you know how to sell. Master the practical application of your sales skills. Life will become a lot easier.

The Power of Persistence. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive. October 2020.

Something Important I Learned from a Client

Several years ago, I started a project with a famous golf instructor. He asked me to write a book for him. I turned that book into a manual we sold for $127. But that’s another story.

This golf professional studied with many of the world’s top golf instructors. One of these instructors told him, “I never saw a persistent person fail.”

I was persistent before reading that but it’s helped me become even more persistent.

Dan Kennedy once said, “most people give up when there’s even a breath of a headwind."

Quite frankly, 2020 hasn’t been a great year for me. A great long-term client left because a bigger company bought them out and shut them down. I’ve worked with a lot of new clients this year but many have been pretty awful.

So I’m actively looking for better clients. I’m being persistent and I’m thankful I’ve built a deep database of potential clients.

Persistence will pay off. It always has in my little world ... in every part of my life. If you’re looking for great clients, keep pounding away and you’ll find them.

Back to that golf teacher. I wrote a book for another golf teacher. I wanted to write more golf books. So I sent a letter to the top 100 golf teachers in America. I got a call from the teacher I mentioned earlier. I still work for that teacher, on occasion. However, that contact ultimately led to a connection with a client who sent me regular work for about 7 years.

Here’s the point … just get started and do a great job for these initial clients and great things will happen.

Something else … when you have great clients, you will learn a lot from them.

Let’s turn that original statement into a positive.

Persistent people always succeed.

Worried about being a pest? Too persistent? I also heard something I very much liked: be persistent, politely.

What Clients Are Really Looking For. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive. September 2020.

What Clients Are Really Looking For

The hunt for clients is constant. Most copywriters focus on presenting themselves to clients by saying, "here I am ... I'm a copywriter ... hire me."

But to be more focused, and more successful, you should be more specific. This starts with knowing what clients are looking for.

How often have you stopped to ask, “what are my ideal clients really looking for?”

It’s a question with a lot of different answers.

Find out what they’re really thinking and wanting and you can find some great clients.

Some clients just want someone who is cheap. I would avoid these clients.

Other clients want the best of the best and are willing to pay for this level of experience and success.

Many clients are simply too busy to spend weeks looking for a copywriter and so they look at a few copywriters and select the one they like … provided they’re within budget constraints.

There are some definite commonalities … meeting deadlines … being professional … ability to complete the work. These are basic and obvious.

But here’s the key. Identify and define your perfect client and contact clients who fit this profile. You have to build this profile around your experience, your goals, and where you are on the journey.

Should you contact a client who clearly wants to pay very little money if you’re experienced? No.

Should you contact an elite-level client when you’re just starting? No.

An elite-level direct marketer I know looks for these qualities ...

Passion. Curiosity. Ability. Direct marketing know-how.

Some clients really want you to help them with direct marketing strategy. Others don’t care.

Potential clients come in all shapes and sizes. You’ll have the most success when you create a picture of an ideal client and look for that client.

Client Success is Your Success. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive. August 2020.

CLIENT SUCCESS IS YOUR SUCCESS

Something interesting happened this week … at least to me.

Two of my clients made The Inc. 5000.

And in case you’re not familiar with The Inc. 5000, it’s the annual list of the fastest-growing privately-held companies in the United States.

It’s nice to be part of this success, in my own small away.

But it’s much more about the client and their customers. A lot of copywriters say “the success is all thanks to my copy” but I’m not one of those copywriters. These clients took the risk of starting a business. They have traffic. They have great offers.

One of my clients was the #1 fastest-growing business in their city. Another was purchased by NBC for a tidy sum.

Yes, copy plays a role in success but it’s one part of the equation.

Oh and by the way … if you’re looking for clients, I see 5000 on that Inc. 5000 list. Just saying …

It seems my thoughts about Mr. Stefan Georgi didn’t go down too well with the man and his people. A reliable source told me they gave me a serious kicking on their private Facebook page. Whatever.

Quite frankly, I’m not here for them, I’m here for you and to provide you with the truth about the world of copywriting.

Speaking of “The Truth” I’m pleased to announce the relaunch of my copywriting training platform, The Aspen School of Copywriting. The new sales page is here.

The sales page is 80% information about being a successful copywriter. So … even if you decide The Aspen School of Copywriting isn’t for you, you’ll get a ton of great info.

The monthly subscription is $47 a month.

Until Thursday at 5 pm MST, subscribers to this email can get the monthly subscription for $27 a month.

If you want to join and get the discount, go here instead of checking out on the "main" sales page.

Why Networking is a Waste of Money. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive.

Why Networking is a Waste of Time and Money

Is networking the answer to finding great clients?

There’s a copywriter out there called Stefan Georgi.

His marketing person/associate, Justin Goff, began a webinar/interview with:

Stefan’s the #1 copywriter in the world and the next Gary Bencivenga.

OK.

These two have a mastermind group for about 80 copywriters. One claim: join the group and the top direct marketers come to the group looking for copywriters. From Stefan's Linked In feed ...

Of course Stefan is going to say this. He runs a mastermind group. An expensive mastermind group. A big selling point of a mastermind group is the networking.

Networking is one of the worst ways to find clients. This means going to the dreaded “networking event” in a ballroom or meeting room hoping to find a great client. Two glasses of horrible wine, a couple of appetizers, and a million real estate agents. A bad headache. Indigestion. A lot of business cards.

Then there’s having a network of friends/colleagues or getting this network through something like Stefan’s mastermind.

You can also buy access to a network, in theory, by getting coaching from a so-called A-Lister.

The numbers aren’t exactly in your favor, especially when a company goes to a group with 90 people … or even 10 people. You’re competing against a lot of other copywriters.

I was briefly part of a networking group and I thought I’d get tons of work. But other copywriters joined the group and I was suddenly competing against them. I thought buying into this network would lead to tens of thousands in fees … never happened. Expensive mistake.

These networking groups … masterminds … whatever you want to call them … have “private” job boards where big-time clients show up, eager to find copywriters. That’s nice but the odds are always going to be stacked against you. And the clients know this and drive the fees down.

Look … I’ve said it many times in these emails.

If you want to work with great clients, you have to identify those great clients then sell yourself to them.

I have to admit, I contacted yon fair Stefan and Justin about the #1 claim above. They didn’t refute it.

OK.

Now you know who is #1.

Speaking of Gary Bencivenga, he had an interview with Clayton Makepeace. It used to be on Clayton’s blog but the blog is no longer available. Clayton passed away earlier this year.

Fortunately I’ve put that interview on my website. The interview is pure gold. Click here.

Networking is one of the absolute worst ways to find clients. It’s highly passive. You’re relying on referrals. You never know who might contact you. Plus it’s almost always super-expensive to be in these groups. Stefan boasts about an event that cost $15,000 to attend. Nice.

I'm flattered when I get a referral but it's never amounted to much, if anything.

Your best ROI, when it comes to finding great clients, is to get out there and find them. The only cost is your time and maybe a premium LinkedIn membership. That's a lot less than access to a mastermind.

Unfortunately, you have to be extremely careful when it comes to claims from people selling copywriting training products and services. I have the scars.

A Crucial Decision for Every Copywriter. Direct Response Email Archive July 2020.

A Crucial Decision ... And One That Very Few People Talk About ...

Dan Kennedy once said something along these lines …

If you want to be successful, find someone who has been successful and do what they did.

A sensible approach, for sure. And one that can work.

However, there’s a major problem with this approach, especially for copywriters.

Let me explain.

There are two schools of thought in copywriting.

One school champions research, finding the truth, backing everything up with carefully-selected proof, and being super-clear.

The other school champions the “big promise” and believes it’s OK to “bend” the truth, use hyperbole, make outrageous statements, and generally say pretty much anything to make the sale.

I’m not going to name names for the latter school. But the former includes:

Gary Bencivenga
Bob Bly
John Caples

I was on a call the other day with someone who was closely following a famous copywriter from the “big promise” school. I told him not to.

Why?

You don’t have to lie to help your clients succeed. You should not lie or make stuff up EVER. It’s lazy copywriting and it can get you and your clients into legal trouble. There’s a prominent member of the “big promise” school who got into massive trouble with the law yet everyone, apart from me perhaps, thinks that copywriter is one of the greatest ever.

Let me quote Gary Bencivenga from his Bencivenga Bullets.

“I believe in selling with integrity. The strongest ads tell the truth dramatically. You don’t have to lie, shortchange your customers, sully your good name, or cut corners. Treat your customers by the Golden Rule and they will reward you with much more gold.”

Great advice there.

Whenever I read copy, I know, within 60 seconds, whether the copywriter resides in the “truth” school or the “big promise” school. I especially see the “big promise” school in copy for copywriting courses and training. I'm sure you've seen this, too.

Follow the greats of copy but make sure you totally avoid the copywriters from the “big promise” school. You'll start to see who they are once you start to think about the difference.

Scott Martin

A Realistic Income Goal for a Copywriter. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive. June 2020 1.

A Realistic Income Goal ... And A Key Question You Should Ask When Looking at Training Products ...

Last week, I was finishing a series of videos about finding clients. The videos are now available in The Aspen School of Copywriting.

And I thought about what constitutes a realistic income for a freelance copywriter.

In fact, I went one step further and actually ran some numbers.

You can work with 10-15 clients.

For the sake of this exercise, let’s say you have 12 regular clients.

You receive an average of $1,500 worth of work from each client, every month.

This could be a mix of copy, blogs, content, emails, etc.

12 x 12 x 1,500 = $216,000

There aren't many attorneys who earn anything like that.

That’s a highly realistic goal PROVIDED you know how to market yourself.

You’ll also need to know how to write quickly while still delivering quality work.

You won’t get to this goal by waiting around on Facebook groups hoping that 12 great clients come your way. You have to be active, not passive.

By the way, I’m getting close to re-launching the “new” version of The Aspen School of Copywriting. So right now, there’s a special low price and a bonus. Click here now. And just so you know, the current sales page is highly rudimentary. I’m working on a new version and it has 15,000 words of copy.

But I digress.

If you’re looking at copywriting training products, there’s a very serious question you must ask before you hit that “buy now” button.

Is the person behind the course an actual practicing copywriter?

There are TONS of people selling copywriting training information and they have NEVER written a word of copy for an actual live client.

Of course, these are the people making all those crazy promises. You've seen these.

Earn $10,000 a month in the next 3 weeks with NO effort!

And all sorts of stuff.

What about that figure I just mentioned above? You'll need to contact 1,000 to 1,500 potential clients to get the ones that are the best fit for you. Reaching that number is realistic in 2-3 years. Again, it depends on your drive and your ambition. But it's realistic.

A Clayton Makepeace Essay I Love. Direct Response Copywriting Email Archive. June 2020.

What Clayton Makepeace Wrote About Copywriting and Being Successful

Clayton Makepeace passed away about 6 weeks ago.

I wrote about him in my blog here and here.

I’m fortunate to own his “Quick Start” copywriting manuals. These are expensive but I’ve learned a great deal from them. Makepeace had his own style and he was the #1 copywriter for a long time, mostly when he was writing for Weiss Research. I still regularly dip into those manuals.

In the first part of the first manual, Makepeace has a long essay about what it really takes to make it as a copywriter.

Here’s an excerpt. It's gold.

*

Before you take the copywriting world by storm, there’s something you should know …

Pursuing a copywriting career is NOT a get-rich-quick scheme. It can, however, be the single best idea you ever had.

So whatever you do, do NOT be discouraged.

Resolve to do whatever it takes in the short term to reap the long-term rewards. Stick with it. Redouble your efforts. Refuse to accept anything but success.

Take my word for it …

The first time a client wires six figures into your bank account to pay you for two weeks’ work, you’ll be glad you hung in there.

In that moment, all the hours you worked to perfect your craft … all the rejection you faced in finding your first few clients … and all the sacrifices you made to build your copywriting business will all be worth it.

Yes it’s going to take some effort on your part.

If you think this is easy … if you sleepwalk through your work … if you fail to invest the mental and physical energy required to get the details right … if you resent honest, well-meant criticism … and if you’re going to cut and run the first time the going gets tough, there’s not much I or anyone else can do to help you.

But if, as my high school football coach loved to say, you’re eager to pour 110% of your genius, your creativity, and your energy into this …

If you’re willing to take the time and expend the energy to do it right … and obsess about the minute details that must be right to bring in every last sale …

If you’re willing to expend every ounce of mental and physical energy at your command … take your best shot … accept the consequences … take a hard, honest look at what you did right and what you did wrong … and learn your lessons …

And if, when all else fails, you can muster the will to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and do it better next time …

There’s no stopping you. Whether you’ve made it yet or not, you’re a winner in my book. And someday soon, you’ll find yourself relishing the winner’s rewards.

But what if nobody wants to hire you? Or worse: You create the best campaign you know how to create – and it flops?

Look. Let me tell you something that all the gurus out there won’t.

It’s not until you begin applying this stuff in the real world that you REALLY begin to learn.

You’re going to have to bang the phones for hours every day until you get a client – and those first few clients may not be worth a bucket of warm spit.

Courage … true courage … means being scared to death and then doing what needs to be done anyway.

*

It’s extremely rare these days for someone to “bang the phones” like Makepeace used to do many years ago. How many people answer their phone when they don’t know who is calling? Not many. We sadly get so many unsolicited calls that are pure fraud.

Today, a great method of contacting prospects is through LinkedIn or through an email listed on the company’s website. But it’s all the same as “banging those phones.”

I even contact prospects through the mail.

What else can you take from that powerful excerpt? Here are my thoughts:

All those copywriting programs that promise “$10K a month in just 6 weeks” are fraudulent. I hope you don’t believe any of that guff.
You must be totally persistent.
You must be patient and dedicated.
The rewards will come if you put the effort in.
It’s not easy. It’s hard work and it’s never easy getting rejected.

I hope this helps you.

Scott Martin

The Joy of Rejection. Direct Response Copywriting Email Archive. May 2020.

Oh ... The Raw Joy of Rejection ... I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

It’s just one of many popular sayings that are totally wrong. If the saying were true, copywriters would be out of business. Every ad would be a series of photos. Right?

Here’s another popular saying that’s totally wrong.

“Salespeople are born, not made.”

Either way, that saying is totally wrong. If it were correct, all the sales trainers would be out of business. Mind you, many sales trainers have never actually sold much of anything. In fact, there are plenty of people selling copywriting training programs who have …

Never sold anything
Never made it as a copywriter.

Proof? Here’s something from the late Clayton Makepeace.

“Right now, the Internet is crawling with charlatans claiming to be the greatest copywriter alive – and then urging you to pay them a fortune for their books and courses. Most are complete frauds – scam artists who have never had a single hot control for a major mailer – looking to make a quick buck off of you.”

That was in 2008 and it's still true today.

During this “pause” in proceedings, these "scam artists" have been out in full force. I’ve seen all sorts of crazed promises out there.

The best?

"$5K by Friday" … and I got this on Thursday.

Another video talks about a certain copywriter who has been writing copy for a few years and is already “the #1 copywriter” and “the next Gary Bencivenga.” His latest product shows you how to write a sales page in 10 videos and the product is yours for a mere $997.

OK.

I wrote two blogs about Clayton Makepeace. They’re here and here.

Sadly, Clayton’s personal blog is currently down. Hopefully it will pop back up. There’s some gold in there.

I’m already way off course.

Because finding great clients is such a challenge for copywriters … and everyone for that matter … the scammers target that part of the market. Again … with all sorts of wild promises that are pure lies.

How did Clayton Makepeace find his initial clients all those years ago when he was just starting? He got on the phone, calling people he knew wanted copy. People who understand the power of copywriting are always looking for copywriters.

He called it “banging the phones.”

Today, we contact prospects through LinkedIn, email, and even social media.

The “platforms” have changed but one thing remains the same. We’re going to get rejected.

Here’s one thing the greatest salespeople will tell you: that first “no” is just the START of the conversation. Yes, there are times when that first conversation has led directly to work for me but making a sale can often take 6-9 touch points. A “touch point” is fancy-schmanzy lingo for some type of contact.

We’re in the middle of a 'pause' right now (duh) and who knows how long things will last this way. My work has increased. I’m not sure why. But now is a GREAT time to identify some epic potential clients and start contacting them. It’s also a great time to leverage this effort to build your database.

I just wrote “leverage” although I’m not sure what it really means. It just sounds good. Sort of like another word I’m seeing an awful lot … PIVOT. What does that mean?

Let me end with a word you can all understand: PERSISTENCE.

One of my earliest clients, and a man I admire massively, Jim McLean, has been one of the world’s top golf teachers for about 30 years. He was friends with a guy called Jackie Burke who won The Masters. Burke said to McLean:

"I never saw a persistent person fail."

The persistent copywriters are going to thrive in the next couple of years. The ones who give up and blame a virus for the lack of work will struggle.

Want to be persistent? Remember that “no” is just the beginning of the conversation.

There’s an essay Clayton Makepeace wrote about the career side of copywriting. It’s brilliant. I’ll include an excerpt in the next email.

I hope this helps you.

Scott Martin

The Most Important Copywriting Skill. Direct Response Copywriting Email Archive. April 2020.

The Most Important Copywriting Skill

In September 2014, I attended The Titans marketing conference. There was a huge amount of schwag, including two whopping folders with a number of Boardroom promotions that were controls. The writers included many of the top direct response copywriters including Gary Bencivenga, Mel Martin, and even Eugene Schwartz.

I just spent several hours going through these controls in detail.

In case you’re not familiar with Boardroom, it’s a newsletter publishing company. It’s now called Bottom Line.

The company has had huge success selling subscriptions to its newsletters by using elaborate direct mail pieces: bookalogs and magalogs, mostly. The newsletters provide a lot of useful information about health, finances, work, travel, and other subjects.

One thing struck me as I was going through these highly-successful pieces. They are pretty much just a big collection of fascination bullets.

A fascination bullet is sort of a copywriting ‘tease.’

Let me give you a couple of examples from these Boardroom promotions.

*

When auto dealerships are willing to LOSE money on your new car!

How dying in the wrong state can result in loss of entire marital deductions.

*

The theory ... you'll read the fascination bullets and you'll think, "I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT'S NEXT" and this will motivate you to buy a subscription.

A fascination bullet is essentially a headline ... or it should be.

Let’s look at the famous John Caples headline formula.

Curiosity + Self-Interest = Compelling Appeal

You might think that headlines are only for the very top of an ad. But we see headlines elsewhere.

PPC ads.
Email subject lines.
Fascination bullets.
Sub heads.
Decks.
Pull quotes.

Plus radio and even TV.

I’m sure you can think of other places where you’ll find headlines.

So knowing how to write headlines is a super-vital skill.

To help, here’s a video from the headlines category in The Aspen School of Copywriting. Click here.

And here’s a video about bullets/fascinations. Click here.

Being a great headline writer and really understanding how to write powerful headlines is a skill that’s going to help every part of your copywriting … especially with bullets.

I hope this helps you.

Scott Martin

The Future of Copywriting. Direct Response Copywriting Email Archive. April 2020.

What I Discovered During 5 Hours About "The Future of Copywriting"

Plus Some News About a Training Resource

AWAI recently held a webinar about the future of copywriting. Most webinars last 45-60 minutes. This webinar lasted almost FIVE HOURS.

I watched the entire show. Congratulations to AWAI for rounding up some genuinely knowledgeable speakers and providing some valuable information.

Plus it was not a sell-fest, which is always a worry on webinars, especially when they are 5 hours long.

In fact, I don’t remember the people at AWAI selling anything during the session. I recommend you watch the entire thing if you’re a copywriter. You’ll have your own takeaways.

Here are mine.

There’s still a huge demand for direct response copy.
Email marketing remains powerful and potent.
Companies need content copy for SEO, blogs, and related needs.
AI won’t shut down copywriting. It will help copywriters become more effective and efficient. PHEW!
There will be a surge in demand for video scripts.

Overall, despite these uncertain times, there are huge and lucrative opportunities out there for copywriters.

Thanks again to AWAI for organizing the session.

Thank you,

Scott Martin

Thoughts About Clayton Makepece. Direct Response Copywriting Email Archive. March 2020.

What You Can Learn from The Late Clayton Makepeace

I just got the news that Clayton Makepeace passed, apparently not related to Covid-19 but related to a lung issue. Very sad news ... I didn't actually know he was ill.

Clayton was the #1 practicing copywriter for many years. He wrote for Boardroom, and established some controls, plus he wrote extensively for Weiss Research and many other direct marketers. He used to live in the mountains of North Carolina and had a "farm" system for a while. A friend of mine was a copy cub. Another friend worked extensively with him.

I met Clayton at the AWAI bootcamp and also at The Titans Mastermind. He was extremely friendly and affable; he used to hold court at the bar in Delray Beach during bootcamp. His presentation was really the only "must not miss" presentation at bootcamp. Clayton loved direct marketing and he also loved life. A pretty strong combination.

What can you learn from Clayton?

A ton.

In fact, you should very closely study his work.

Why?

A lot of copywriters make crazy claims about being 'the best' and so on. But Clayton actually was the best in part because he knew the technical side of direct marketing and direct response copywriting backwards and forwards.

He could tell you the most effective font size for body copy in a print promotion … and why. He could tell you which fonts to use online … and why. He wrote sizzling bullets.

I spent a small fortune on his “Quick Start” copy system manual and it’s pure gold. I refer to this manual every week. It’s hard to find but one of the greatest direct response copywriting guides out there.

If you don’t want to spend the cash, then head to Clayton’s blog.

It’s here. Start with the 6-part interview with Gary Bencivenga.

That interview and the archive are choc-full of direct marketing gold ... and all for free.

I don’t want to write a long email about Clayton. You’ll find plenty of tributes and information on social media.

Here’s what I liked the most about Clayton. He was one of the good guys. He could get “loud” in his copy but he never made stuff up, unlike some of the so-called ‘legendary’ copywriters.

Clayton knew direct marketing backwards and forwards and he also did his homework. He found the truth and he told the truth. He helped his clients generate billions in revenue.

Who knows if the AWAI bootcamp will take place this May, given the current public health situation. If bootcamp goes ahead, they will sorely miss Clayton. I wish I had gotten to know him more in person. He was always gregarious, gentlemanly, and generous when I met him.

Thankfully, we have a lot of his wisdom.

Scott Martin

When Clients Walk Out the Door. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive. February 2020.

The End of the Relationship

I’ve been working with one client for almost 8 years and it now looks like the relationship is coming to an end. A big company bought my client and the people at the big company aren’t direct marketers. It's really hard for a direct response copywriter to work with people who don't value copy.

Here’s one thing I’ve learned about big companies over the years: they are replete with people who don’t know how to market or sell and that’s in the marketing departments. The person with the least knowledge is usually the CMO. Big companies are into branding and image. They don’t really care about direct marketing.

No more details are necessary. I have a book coming out in May that will explain all this.

But here’s the key fact. A big client is walking out the door.

Some thoughts …

I’m grateful for the experience and fun. I wrote over 400 promotions for this company.
No need to panic. I’m enjoying a bit of free time I have.
The people I used to work with at the client are already contacting me about working with their new companies.
I’m sitting on over 1,000 leads from my website and there’s my database of over 2,000 prospects. I’ll start contacting all these people soon.
Many other companies have been contacting me about projects.
The next adventures will start soon.
I’m fortunate but I’ve created this “luck” through marketing and hard work.

Perhaps the biggest lesson: it’s great to find a big client but marketing is non-stop. Even if you get a big client, the relationship will eventually end.

For some reason I don’t totally understand, several people have been contacting me with the “latest greatest” way to find great clients. It’s been 5 of such people. I’m skeptical about their methods, of course. There’s one more thing. These people have been really aggressive with their marketing, obnoxious even. I pay close attention to how people market to me. If someone is clearly poor at marketing what they’re selling, and they’re selling a marketing product, I have some serious questions about the offer.

Be careful about the “client-finding” promises you hear. I asked one of these hawkers to send me to the web page with all the details. Nothing.

Take control of how you market yourself. Build that lead generating website. Build your database. Be active, not passive. You'll get that great client and, when they leave, you'll be in good shape.

Scott Martin

Pricing and Other Mistakes. Direct Response Copywriting Email Archive November 2019 3.

Lessons from the Ice Cream Vendor

Several years ago, I was with a friend at an event. There was a vendor selling ice cream. The vendor served some ice cream to a customer. The vendor said, “that’s four dollars, please.” The customer said, “I’ve only got three dollars.” The vendor said, “that’s OK … you can have the ice cream for three dollars.”

My friend turned to me and said, “that’s a bad businessman.”

This story has stuck with me for a long time and I think about it still.

The story applies to a recent situation with a potential client.

I received an email from an executive with a well-known publishing and information company. He was surprised he hadn’t heard of me as he thought he knew all the experienced, practicing copywriters. I keep a low profile. However, I’ve had significant success selling subscriptions to newsletters so he the potential client was interested in hiring me.

We talked about a couple of projects and I agreed to write a long-form promotion plus a VSL for this client. The fee was a couple of thousand dollars plus a royalty. I won’t detail the exact amount and details.

I started working on the project and quickly realized I didn’t have the information I needed to write the promotion. I needed to spend 2-3 weeks really digging into what was being sold, the audience, the “star” of the promotion, what had worked in the past, etc.

So I sent an email to the client explaining the above. I also wanted to know how much traffic he would send to the promotion. I like working on a royalty basis provided the offer is good and there’s traffic.

Here’s where the client got weird. He said he would tell me about the traffic once he saw the initial copy.

I wasn’t about to spend 4 weeks working for a few thousand dollars. The client didn’t understand my reasoning and ended the project. Fine with me. I pushed back. I called his bluff. He didn’t like it.

What can I take from this? What can you take?

If the ice cream sells for $4 and the customer only has $3, don’t sell the ice cream. Make them find that extra dollar.
With “speculative” projects, check the traffic … get actual numbers …
Next time with this client, if there’s a next time, I’ll ask for a much higher fee.
This client should have known better. He used to work for a publishing company that hired the world’s top copywriters … and paid them really well.
This client expected great work … for very little money. Not bright.
What was the client hiding? Why wouldn’t he tell me about the traffic?

I know many of you are looking for clients. I’m always looking for great clients. But I don’t like being pushed around. The client I just mentioned is going to have a really hard time selling his products if he treats copywriters like he treated me.

Scott Martin

Free Resources for Copywriters. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive. November 2019 2.

Want Free Resources? Here you go ...

I received a series of emails from a copywriter who wanted free access to my copywriting course. I said ‘no’ for a variety of reasons, chief among them: others have happily paid.

Fortunately for this copywriter, and others, there’s a ton of really great information that’s totally free.

In the first part of this email, I’m going to point you toward these resources.

Of course, there’s a ton of really bad information out there and that's also free. You can pay a lot for bad advice, as well. I routinely see copywriting courses created by people who don’t know what they’re talking about. I also know a couple of copywriting 'coaches' who are really bad at writing copy. I know one who has been writing copy for about 3 years. I know others who had some success many years ago and will verbally assault you to help you improve. Great.

The free resources I’m listing range from superb to excellent.

Bencivenga Bullets. Everyone in direct marketing should not just read these, but know them by heart. Click here.

The Clayton Makepeace Blog. Lots of great advice from one of the top copywriters in the world. Click here.

Bob Bly’s regular emails. Click here.

Brian Kurtz sends an excellent weekly email about direct marketing. You can sign up here.

I’m not putting myself in the same league as the people I just mentioned but you’ll find a lot of free information on my blog, which is here.

Maybe you have some free resources you like. Please share these with me and I’ll share in the future.

*

HUNGER

Brian Kurtz, who worked with many of the world’s greatest copywriters, lists seven characteristics he looked for when hiring copywriters.

I listed these in the last email but here they are again:

1. HUNGER
2. INSATIABLE CURIOSITY
3. CONFIDENCE WITHOUT ARROGANCE
4. PASSION
5. BEING A STUDENT OF DIRECT RESPONSE MARKETING
6. HUMILITY
7. PRIDE/SHOWING YOUR WORK

Let’s start with hunger.

Brian’s not talking about food here. Obviously. Brian’s talking about ambition. It’s more than just saying, “I’m going to be a really great copywriter” although there’s nothing wrong with that. If you’re in direct response copywriting, then hunger is about developing the skills necessary to write copy that converts. Hunger is constantly wanting to improve.

Hunger is also about having a competitive streak. I genuinely like (almost) all the copywriters I know but I want to be better than them. Hunger is wanting to find those really great clients and having the ability to say ‘no’ when a potential client gets sticker shock and wants a lower fee.

This happened twice this week. One client wants a lower fee and another clearly doesn’t understand the time it takes to produce high-quality work that’s going to help them reach their goals. Hunger is having the guts to say to them, “no … I’m not giving away my time and if you don’t understand that then you don’t really understand what copywriting is all about.”

Hunger is knowing how to market yourself so you get the great clients you deserve. Gary Bencivenga had the hunger. He wanted to beat other copywriters (not physically). He’s extremely polite and mild-mannered in person. But he was ultra-competitive when he was in the copywriting business. He also found the world’s greatest clients.

Let’s remember something. The opportunities are huge. How many direct response copywriters are there who can actually convert consistently? My guess? Around 500. And a chunk (200?) work for Agora. But you still have to get out there and have the drive and hunger every day.

Scott Martin Direct Response Copywriter

P.S. I've been populating the archive of these emails. I'm almost finished. It's here.

What Clients Want from Copywriters. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive. November 2019 1.

What Elite-Level Marketers Look for When Searching for Copywriters

I’m fortunate to know Brian Kurtz beyond a quick handshake at a conference. I was in Brian’s mastermind group for three years and I have learned a great deal from him personally, through his Sunday emails, and through his books.

There are lots of so-called ‘experts’ and ‘legends’ out there (more on that later) but Brian genuinely knows more about direct marketing than just about anyone. He ran marketing at Boardroom and generated well over a billion in revenue. Any questions?

Make sure you read Brian’s books. Make sure you’re on his email list. His most recent email provided his criteria for hiring copywriters. Brian worked with many of the world’s most accomplished direct response copywriters.

Most of the people on my list are copywriters and you should know what an elite-level marketer is thinking when looking for a top copywriter. I’m going to begin a series about Brian’s seven characteristics. I start with a list below.

But first, let me talk about referrals from the perspective of being in a mastermind group. I joined Brian’s group for a number of reasons.

I wanted to ramp up my direct marketing knowledge.
I wanted to meet strong potential clients.
I wanted to get on Brian’s radar because people ask Brian ‘do you know a good copywriter?’ all the time.
I wanted to be the dumbest person in the room because that’s how you learn.
I wanted to meet some elite-level direct marketers and learn from them.

I also took the attitude: "I want to give back to this group based on my experience and expertise. I'm going to ask questions, challenge people, and show up."

It was a great experience and I learned so much. After 3 years, I was one of the more knowledgeable people there. I met some great direct marketers.

Let me focus on the referral aspect. I got some work from a few people in the group but I need to go back and have a mini-campaign based on who I met.

But I didn’t get a referral from Brian. Why? You can ask Brian but here’s my guess. Brian has a lot of copywriters who are part of his inner circle. He’s worked with these guys a ton and they have produced for him. I have never written a word of copy for Brian. Why should he refer me to someone? Plus a couple of copywriters in that inner circle have an extensive practice including a number of junior copywriters and they need a lot of work.

Brian delivered everything he promised I would receive … and then some … when I joined his mastermind group.

The lesson here: it’s a mistake to rely on referrals. That should be “Part F” of your marketing plan. I have never received a client who was worth anything through a referral. It's different in other lines of work ... like medicine, law, bricklaying.

There was a funny moment when I was in a dinner at Brian’s mastermind and I was sitting next to Mike Palmer who is one of the top copywriters in the Agora empire. He wrote the “End of America” VSL for Stansberry Research. It’s one of their most successful promotions. I recommend you watch it. It provides an example of an Agora technique: say something, then prove it.

We were talking and he asked me about my practice. I described my work for a variety of clients and he said, “oh … you’re a hustler.”

I’m still trying to figure out his precise meaning. Hustler, like punter, is a word with many meanings. I think he was being a hair rude and maybe even snobby but I actually took it as a compliment. Yes … I’m out there trying to get the work in the door. I can’t settle in the Agora coziness. I’m working hard and if that makes me a hustler, so be it.

*

Legendary? Says Who?

I received an email from an accomplished copywriter I greatly admire. I’m on her list. She’s been on the fall conference circuit and wrote about a session with a copywriter she described as “legendary.”

To me, the copywriter she described as “legendary” has written some of the worst copy I’ve seen … copy that’s packed with pure lies and raw hype. I’ve seen said copywriter speak and I disagreed with most everything he said. It was a speech replete with waffling, bad advice, self-congratulation, plus moaning about having to speak.

Here’s what Gary Bencivenga writes in his superb Bencivenga Bullets:

“I believe in selling with integrity. The strongest ads tell the truth dramatically. You don’t have to lie, shortchange your customers, sully your good name, or cut corners. Treat your customers by the Golden Rule and they will reward you with much more gold.”

So I asked the copywriter who sent the email why she thinks said copywriter is “legendary.”

The reply:

(Name) is considered “legendary” amongst many highly successful copywriters I respect.

Even if someone I like says someone is 'legendary' I'm still skeptical.

The moral of this story?

Be careful who you follow and admire, especially in this business. Check out their work and their results. Look for plenty of proof. If you look at their work and their approach and say, “that’s not right” then are they really legendary?

There are so many ‘gurus’ and published authors and others who have little or nothing to say of any value. Why? Because they've never actually sold anything and they're famous for being famous. Yet they’re admired. Thought leaders. Influencers. Whatever.

When I started this journey, I would believe that someone was ‘legendary’ just because it was in the copy or someone told me I needed to think this way. Stupid and ignorant on my part.

But now that I’ve been in the game for a while, I need a lot more proof plus I’m more skeptical about claims. You should be too.

*

In my series about what Brian Kurtz looks for in copywriters, I'll start with this list of the 7 characteristics.

1. HUNGER
2. INSATIABLE CURIOSITY
3. CONFIDENCE WITHOUT ARROGANCE
4. PASSION
5. BEING A STUDENT OF DIRECT RESPONSE MARKETING
6. HUMILITY
7. PRIDE/SHOWING YOUR WORK

In my next email, I’ll start with hunger.

More About Conferences and Events. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive. October 2019.

MAKING THE MOST OF CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

In my last email, a little while ago (apologies), I mentioned I was going to a conference in New York City. That was in mid-September.

I also promised I would write about how things went at the event.

Here you go.

A reminder. The event was for digital marketing agencies. So there were lots of people who run digital agencies there; digital agencies, in theory, need copywriters. Sadly, only a small percentage of agencies understand they need GREAT copy. But that's fodder for another email.

I didn’t attend many of the lectures/presentations. They weren’t really relevant to me.
I have the full list of people who were there and I’ll be working that list.
The company organized some meetings for me. One person didn’t show up. One person was pretty clueless. The other person will likely become a client. Not a terrible batting average.
There was a great party one evening on top of some skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. I met some great potential clients there including a traffic buying agency that has clients who need copy.
I also met the person in charge of the company who ran the conference and he mentioned a possible need.

One big bonus: Ryan Deiss, a speaker at the event and founder of Digital Marketer, and a big name in our business, told the assembled about the power of copy and recommended finding a top copywriter. Nice!

In terms of revenue, nothing has happened yet and so I’m behind on this one. The key word is ‘yet’ and I’ll need to keep in touch with all those contacts. Something will eventually take place.

What can you take away from my experience? PERSISTENCE. I might add patience. People, in general, believe they should gain instant results from conferences and events, in part, because of the crazy promises in the copy for said conferences and events. You know what I'm talking about.

In fact, I just wrote a blog about persistence. You can see it here.

In the next week, I’m going to be spending a chunk of time going through a lot of past contacts to remind them I’m here, available, and still very much alive. I totally recommend this approach.

Plus I'll be following up with contacts made at the event.

*

I'm beginning an occasional series where I dissect a really great direct response ad.

This one is from David Ogilvy, most likely, and it's an ad for his agency. Click here to watch the video.

This video is from a series of 150 copywriting training videos I offer through The Aspen School of Copywriting.

Sagacity About Conferences and Events. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive. September 2019.

MAKING THE MOST OF CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

PLUS MY THOUGHTS ABOUT A GREAT DIRECT RESPONSE AD

In this email, I'm going to provide some thoughts about how to make the most of conferences and events ... from a client finding perspective.

And then I'm beginning a series where I provide a critique of the best direct marketing ads I know.

Fall is a busy time for marketing and copywriting events. AWAI might have moved their Boot Camp to the spring but there are plenty of events out there. I'm going to "dreary old Manhattan" next week for a marketing conference.

My goal?

Meet about 20 potential clients and gain 2-3 new clients who regularly need copy AND ... here's the important part ... VALUE the work of a direct response copywriter.

The Promise

Closely read the copy for events and seminars, like I do, and you will usually see a promise similar to: "meet new clients and connections at our really amazing networking events ... you'll leave with a TON of new business."

In fact, I've attended events specifically for this reason.

But it's not so easy.

In 2011, I was at the Dan Kennedy Info-Marketing summit in Atlanta and I was looking at a sea of potential clients. About 2,000 people attended that shin-dig. I never met one potential client because the event was simply too big. I asked GKIC for the list of attendees and said I would pay for it and they sternly said, "no."

Ditto the Titans of Marketing event five years ago in Connecticut. I met some current clients. And I met a new client. But there were 300 potential clients there, maybe more. It's just not easy meeting perfect potential clients when there are so many and just about everyone is in the meeting room paying close attention to the presentations.

On the Friday of the AWAI Boot Camp, there's a party with booths. In the booths? People looking for copywriters. One afternoon, I walked out with deals for two promotions worth a lot of money. Can't complain about that.

Actually, I can complain because they turned out to be rotten clients.

So for this upcoming event, I'm taking a different approach.

I'm a sponsor and this gives me access to the list of people attending. It's a good list and I've already been working it.
I gain access to the sponsor party and this means I'll be in a small group where my chances of meeting great potential clients are much higher.
I'll enter that sponsor party with a list of people I want to meet.
The event managers are organizing meetings with potential clients based on a list I gave them.
And being a sponsor has generated traffic to my website.

It's not a whopping event. So I'm guessing there will be more opportunities to meet quality clients. We'll see. It's a chunk of money being a sponsor, going to the event, hotel, etc.

My advice, from a client finding standpoint, if you're going to an event.

Prepare as much as possible BEFORE you go to the event. Find out who will be there and contact them and set up meetings.
Conferences have speakers. Maybe the speakers are excellent prospects.
Hit the bar. At many events, the hotel bar is where you'll meet prospects in a more relaxed setting.
If there are scheduled networking events/booths, try to find out who will be there. Get the layout sheet and take it home.
Follow up with leads after events and add them to your database.
Connect with your leads on LinkedIn and see who they know.

Just wandering around aimlessly at events will not help your cause.

I'll let you know how things go at the event in Manhattan.

*

I'm beginning an occasional series where I dissect a really great direct response ad.

The first is from David Ogilvy, most likely, and it's an ad for his agency. Click here to watch the video.

This video is from a series of 150 copywriting training videos I offer through The Aspen School of Copywriting.

Introducing Andrew Wood. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive. August 2019 2.

From the desk of Scott Martin, direct response copywriter. Aspen, Colorado.

Copywriters You Should Know. Part 7. Andrew Wood.

I very much doubt that anyone who receives this email knows Andrew Wood. Yet Andrew played a very big role in my copywriting journey and he's one of the top direct marketers anywhere.

Andrew calls himself "The Legend" and when you ask, "Andrew, how's it going?" you'll get this answer: "Legendary."

You have to ignore all that stuff. We have a lot of characters in our business and that’s a good thing (mostly).

Despite the “legendary” stuff, Andrew flies under the radar … sort of.

He's Andrew Wood and he has a point.

Let’s start at the beginning.

Andrew is from England and left for southern California in his teens. He opened a karate school in Orange County and sat there waiting for customers to walk in the door. He waited a long time before realizing he had to take some action.

So he went to the library looking for books about marketing. His first marketing book? Ogilvy on Advertising.

Many direct marketing books followed. Andrew started to write his own ads. But instead of the typical Karate school newspaper ads Andrew wrote ads based on what he learned. The usual Karate school ad showed a young child flying through the air plus some type of discount. These never worked for Andrew.

Andrew wrote headlines like …

DO YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO CLEAN UP THEIR ROOM?

Then you’d see some copy linking Karate with tidiness, respect, good manners, and the like. His school was quickly jammed with students.

Fast forward a couple of years and the Andrew Wood Karate School Empire included well over 100 schools.

Andrew loves golf and it wasn’t long before he took his direct marketing skills to the golfing world. He quickly became the world’s #1 authority on golf marketing. He still owns that title today.

In 2002, I saw a post from an agency that was looking for a copywriter. It was Andrew’s agency and I started writing copy for his group.

Within a few days, Andrew said, “Scott, if you want to write for us, you have to write direct response copy.” And that’s how I got into writing direct response copy and moving from branding to direct marketing. Andrew was my first and only mentor. Andrew got me going and I owe him a huge thanks.

These days, Andrew consults, writes books, speaks, and sometimes writes copy. He’s an epic direct response copywriter and, by his own admission, his grammar and spelling are poor.

“Your customer doesn’t care about your spelling and grammar,” he’ll say. “They care about themselves.” I might argue the first point, but not the second. That’s fodder for another day.

Andrew’s book, The Golf Marketing Bible, was the first book about full-on direct marketing I ever read and it totally changed everything in my professional career. I strongly encourage you to read this book even if you have no interest in golf.

You can see Andrew’s site and his books and other stuff here.

My love for direct marketing and direct response copywriting comes directly from Andrew Wood.

What can you learn from The Legend?

The power of direct marketing. I tell people to use direct marketing and they ignore me. If only they would listen to Andrew. And me.

Salesmanship. Andrew knows how to sell … so read his books about selling.

Following up. Andrew is huge on this.

Andrew will always tell the raw truth and he doesn’t care about what anyone thinks. As such, he’s a genuine rebel and not always popular. Some people find him obnoxious. I find him gregarious, fun, knowledgeable, and a source of inspiration.

If you’re a direct marketer, you like Andrew. If you’re a branding type or a marketing phoney, you don’t like Andrew.

The story about sitting in that Karate school and not having any clients should inspire everyone in business.

Andrew spends 3-4 months of the year in Europe because he wants to. He leads the life he wants to lead.

Again … outside the worlds of golf, resorts, and martial arts, Andrew isn’t well known. But if you’re keen to learn a lot about direct marketing and direct response copywriting, study all his work.

*

I just started my campaign to contact a lot of clients … potential, former, and the like. And I’m getting rejected. THAT’S GOOD.

I’ll find some great work soon plus I’ll avoid the clients I don’t need to work with.

Scott Martin