Direct Response Copywriter on "Legendary" Status

There are two words bandied about a lot these days: awesome and legendary. It’s the latter I’ll focus on in this blog.

I’m still a big fan of radio, especially BBC Radio. Maybe it’s because I grew up listening to all those BBC stations during my formative years in west London. Maybe it's because it's free and they don't have commercials.

I went to a boarding school on a hill in London. I could pick up a wide variety of radio stations up there.

Many evenings, I used to set my radio to AM (called medium wave in the UK) and I’d pick up stations from Germany, France, and way beyond. I even used to pick up US Armed forces radio and I’d listen to NFL games. I once picked up a New York rock station. Today, BBC Radio is, for some reason, called SOUNDS. Sort of like the restaurants that say they have “eats” instead of “food.”

But I digress, as is often my wont. I was listening to a live concert on Radio 2 the other day. It was a Beatles tribute with a number of different singers and performer. The host introduced EVERY singer and performer with the adjective: LEGENDARY.

What does “legendary” actually mean?

All writers should look up the actual definitions of words they use. Yes, even copywriters.

My albeit rudimentary dictionary has two interesting definitions of LEGENDARY.

1. Of, described in, or based on, legends.
2. Remarkable enough to be famous; very well known.

If I venture into my trusty thesaurus, what do I find?

Curiously, my thesaurus, which I received as gift in 1980, and is the genuine “Roget’s” doesn’t even move toward the “famous” meaning. I get …

• Traditional
• Imaginary(!)
• Narrative
• Mythological

So “legendary” is one of those words whose meaning has evolved. English is fluid, malleable, and distinctly capricious. I love it.

When an emcee says, the “legendary” (insert name) what is the emcee saying? He or she isn’t saying the person is traditional, imaginary, or mythological … or part of a narrative. The emcee is saying …

• Really amazing
• Superb
• Someone you should listen to
• Elite
• Highly accomplished

And so on …

Martin Amis says that every writer should have a dictionary and a thesaurus on their desk when they’re writing. Dan Kennedy has said the same.

Why?

Because, if you’re a writer, the accurate selection of accurate words is a huge part of your work. It’s a whopping part of my work as a direct response copywriter.

By the way, I’d love to see Martin Amis and Dan Kennedy, two highly accomplished writers, meet and talk about writing. I’d pay a lot to hear that conversation.

Sadly, the word “legendary” is way overused in direct marketing, even with the “new” meaning of the word.

However, if you employ the “famous” meaning, then it’s highly applicable. I recently saw a video featuring a direct response copywriter giving a presentation. The host of the meeting introduced the copywriter by saying, predictably, “the LEGENDARY JOHN SMITH.” I changed the name, just so you know.

Said direct response copywriter is, indeed, legendary based on the “famous” definition. In fact, I would say he’s famous for just that, being famous. He speaks at a large number of events even though the copy that advertises these engagements often says, “make sure you fly around the world to come to our $3,000 event because John Smith rarely speaks or appears at events.”

OK.

But just because you’re famous, does that mean you’re any good?

The answer of course, is NO.

I’ve seen the work of this "legend" and, quite frankly, it’s packed full of lies. He’s part of a core group of "legendary" direct marketers who hold conferences, speak at each other’s events, and tell everyone how great they are. Nice work if you can get it. I’m totally certain this happens in other industries.

His website, written in the third person, is replete with lies, flatus, self-congratulation, and raw guff. A big part of me wonders if he’s ever actually written anything that’s really worked. There's no actual proof on his website. And there he is, up on stage, being legendary, and issuing advice that’s totally wrong.

There’s a great line in one of the Dirty Harry movies, Sudden Impact, where Clint Eastwood tells one his superiors, “you’re a legend in your own mind.”

We’re so very fortunate in direct marketing. We measure our results to the penny. A direct response copywriter can legitimately point at results and/or longevity with direct marketing clients. The latter is a powerful way to measure success. Are your clients continuously hiring you? Yes? Then you know how to write direct response copy that converts.

In the branding world, you can become “legendary” because you’ve won a bunch of awards … awards handed out by other branding types. There’s lots to go around. Got a dog? Your dog could probably win an award for something in the branding universe.

In sports, results and numbers provide most of the story. A quarterback can have great numbers. But the numbers tell only a small part of the story. Members of his team have to block. Runners have to run. Receivers have to catch and run precise routes. The offensive coordinator has to make great calls.

It’s the same in direct response copywriting. I was just going through all the old Boardroom controls and, for the first time, I noticed a common theme: those magalogs are pretty much just a big collection of bulleted fascinations.

At Boardroom, they quickly found a formula that worked. They had great lists and a great offer … SEND NO MONEY NOW. They stuck to the formula. Why not?

A direct response copywriter doesn’t work in a vacuum, despite what the “legendary” John Smith will tell you. Lists and traffic have to be there. The offer has to be great. Testing is vital. Copywriters can get the blame for a promotion that bombs … which isn’t always fair. But even the most productive copywriters work as part of a team.

Many of the so-called “legendary” copywriters are from the “say whatever you want/big promise" school of direct response copywriting. And three of the “legends” from this school got into major legal trouble due, in part, to this approach. And members of this school of thought are up there, “legends of direct response copywriting” on that stage, or in a webinar, telling me how to write copy.

When someone introduces a copywriter as “legendary” at an event, I’m going to laugh, roll my eyes, and, as politely as possible, head straight to the bar.

Here’s the truth: there are lots of really productive copywriters you never meet because they never get out there and they’re not in that group of people who speak at $3,000 events and tell everyone how “legendary” they are. It’s these totally un-sung copywriters who are the really brilliant ones. They’re quietly generating millions in revenue for their clients and helping build the long-term value of the business. Find these copywriters. Learn from them and be extremely careful when you hear the “L” word. Ironically, one of my friends and someone who really knows what he's doing, Andrew Wood uses the "legendary" moniker. Listen to him, though, and read all his books.