Thursday, April 27, 2006
Article Marketer
This topic isn't strictly about copywriting, but
it is about Internet marketing and writing. And it
is about a way that copywriters can promote
themselves.
The biggest thing in Internet marketing now is
articles.
That is, writing articles which you distribute
to article directories and ezines and to other
places where they can be seen by prospects and
also by webmasters who may want to reprint
them on their own websites.
You allow anyone to publish your articles at
no charge -- except to provide a resource
box with contact information. And in many cases,
this should include an active link.
This gives you exposure and the active links
back to your site give points with the search
engines. The more links to you from relevant
sites, the higher the Page Rate Google assigns
to you, which increases your rankings.
If you're a copywriter, hopefully you won't find
writing articles a problem, although it's
intimidating for some people.
I'm assuming that you're capable of writing
good articles without much trouble.
Therefore, for us writers, the main problem is
then submitting the articles to the many
distribution lists and article directories.
There're a zillion of them. It's not too hard
to find them. There're list in various affiliate
discussion groups and you can just search for
them in search engines also.
The problem is going to each site and then
submitting it. There're hundreds, so it can
take far more time to submit to them than to
write the article.
I did a lot of research on this about a month
ago, when I became interested in using articles
to promote my sites.
I found that there're about 3 or 4 pieces of
software which can help by semi-automating the
process.
That is, you fill out one form with all the
essential information about your article.
Your name, headline, body of article, resource
box etc. The software stores that.
It's got a database of all the article directories.
So you use that to go to each directory, then it
auto-fills in your information. But I know
from using similar software for registering blogs,
that some sites wants you to login with user
names and passwords.
Therefore, this software is certainly better than
maintaining your own lists of sites, going to
each one with your regular web browser and then
copying and pasting the information for your
article into each field.
That would be incredible time-consuming drudgery.
However, the software is still time-consuming,
since you still have to go to each site yourself,
and there're hundreds.
So I found an alternative -- paying a service to
submit the articles for me. There're several,
but Article Marketer offers the most submissions
for the least money. Plus, there site is full of
a lot of helpful information on how to use
articles and their service to get the most
benefit from them.
Basically, their human editors look at your
article and then submit it to all relevant
places for you.
They have an introductory offer -- just $39.95
for 3 months. If that isn't worth it to you,
you're not writing enough articles.
Instead of mind-numbing drudgery, I just write
an article, copy and paste the information
one time into Article Marketer's submission
page and hit enter.
Then I take a break and then write another
article.
They do the donkey work. Check it out at:
Article Marketer
specialized copywriting services
it is about Internet marketing and writing. And it
is about a way that copywriters can promote
themselves.
The biggest thing in Internet marketing now is
articles.
That is, writing articles which you distribute
to article directories and ezines and to other
places where they can be seen by prospects and
also by webmasters who may want to reprint
them on their own websites.
You allow anyone to publish your articles at
no charge -- except to provide a resource
box with contact information. And in many cases,
this should include an active link.
This gives you exposure and the active links
back to your site give points with the search
engines. The more links to you from relevant
sites, the higher the Page Rate Google assigns
to you, which increases your rankings.
If you're a copywriter, hopefully you won't find
writing articles a problem, although it's
intimidating for some people.
I'm assuming that you're capable of writing
good articles without much trouble.
Therefore, for us writers, the main problem is
then submitting the articles to the many
distribution lists and article directories.
There're a zillion of them. It's not too hard
to find them. There're list in various affiliate
discussion groups and you can just search for
them in search engines also.
The problem is going to each site and then
submitting it. There're hundreds, so it can
take far more time to submit to them than to
write the article.
I did a lot of research on this about a month
ago, when I became interested in using articles
to promote my sites.
I found that there're about 3 or 4 pieces of
software which can help by semi-automating the
process.
That is, you fill out one form with all the
essential information about your article.
Your name, headline, body of article, resource
box etc. The software stores that.
It's got a database of all the article directories.
So you use that to go to each directory, then it
auto-fills in your information. But I know
from using similar software for registering blogs,
that some sites wants you to login with user
names and passwords.
Therefore, this software is certainly better than
maintaining your own lists of sites, going to
each one with your regular web browser and then
copying and pasting the information for your
article into each field.
That would be incredible time-consuming drudgery.
However, the software is still time-consuming,
since you still have to go to each site yourself,
and there're hundreds.
So I found an alternative -- paying a service to
submit the articles for me. There're several,
but Article Marketer offers the most submissions
for the least money. Plus, there site is full of
a lot of helpful information on how to use
articles and their service to get the most
benefit from them.
Basically, their human editors look at your
article and then submit it to all relevant
places for you.
They have an introductory offer -- just $39.95
for 3 months. If that isn't worth it to you,
you're not writing enough articles.
Instead of mind-numbing drudgery, I just write
an article, copy and paste the information
one time into Article Marketer's submission
page and hit enter.
Then I take a break and then write another
article.
They do the donkey work. Check it out at:
Article Marketer
specialized copywriting services
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Negative Political Advertising
Political advertising is a special case.
2006 is an election year, so it's predictable
that by Fall we're going to see a lot of
paid political advertising, and a fair amount
of it will be negative.
It's also predictable that we'll see a lot of
moaning and groaning and mud-slinging and how
voters don't like negative advertising etc
yada yada yada . . .
Yet it still goes on.
Again, I personally prefer a somewhat rational
approach. As long as it's factual, I like the
kind of ads that say things like, "My opponent
voted for Bill #444 that would have
outlawed Mom, cherry pie and the Fourth of July.
You can't get more unAmerican than that."
Of course, you run the risk of educating voters
who're on the other side. If you run an ad
attacking Senator JoeBob for voting for a
pro-abortion bill, you run the risk of him
getting more votes from pro-abortionistss
than of you getting votes from anti-abortionists.
However, the 3 most famous political TV ads are:
1. The little girl counting down to a nuclear
explosion. Run one time by LBJ against Barry
Goldwater in 1964.
2. The bear in the woods ad run by Ronald Reagan
in 1984.
3. The Willie Horton ad run by George Bush Sr
against Michael Dukakis in 1988.
These ads did attack their opponents in a
very emotional rather than factual tone. Only
the Willie Horton ad had any facts in it (Willie
Horton did commit those crimes).
Unlike commercial ad campaigns, we are final
to at least some of the final results: We know
the final vote tally.
In all 3 of the above cases, the candidates
running the ads won the elections -- two of them
in major landslides.
But what we can't really measure is how much
the ads contributed to this result. It's quite
likely that all 3 candidates would have won
anyway. Maybe with even more vote totals.
Maybe with less. Who knows?
Nor can we trust whatever people say about the
effective of negative ads.
The first two above were brilliantly executed
to appeal to people's buried fears. It's quite
likely that many voters had the classic
buying response.
They decided to vote for LBJ and Ronald Reagan
based on the emotional appeals.
They then found "rational" reasons to justify
their emotional decision.
copywriting for non-profits
2006 is an election year, so it's predictable
that by Fall we're going to see a lot of
paid political advertising, and a fair amount
of it will be negative.
It's also predictable that we'll see a lot of
moaning and groaning and mud-slinging and how
voters don't like negative advertising etc
yada yada yada . . .
Yet it still goes on.
Again, I personally prefer a somewhat rational
approach. As long as it's factual, I like the
kind of ads that say things like, "My opponent
voted for Bill #444 that would have
outlawed Mom, cherry pie and the Fourth of July.
You can't get more unAmerican than that."
Of course, you run the risk of educating voters
who're on the other side. If you run an ad
attacking Senator JoeBob for voting for a
pro-abortion bill, you run the risk of him
getting more votes from pro-abortionistss
than of you getting votes from anti-abortionists.
However, the 3 most famous political TV ads are:
1. The little girl counting down to a nuclear
explosion. Run one time by LBJ against Barry
Goldwater in 1964.
2. The bear in the woods ad run by Ronald Reagan
in 1984.
3. The Willie Horton ad run by George Bush Sr
against Michael Dukakis in 1988.
These ads did attack their opponents in a
very emotional rather than factual tone. Only
the Willie Horton ad had any facts in it (Willie
Horton did commit those crimes).
Unlike commercial ad campaigns, we are final
to at least some of the final results: We know
the final vote tally.
In all 3 of the above cases, the candidates
running the ads won the elections -- two of them
in major landslides.
But what we can't really measure is how much
the ads contributed to this result. It's quite
likely that all 3 candidates would have won
anyway. Maybe with even more vote totals.
Maybe with less. Who knows?
Nor can we trust whatever people say about the
effective of negative ads.
The first two above were brilliantly executed
to appeal to people's buried fears. It's quite
likely that many voters had the classic
buying response.
They decided to vote for LBJ and Ronald Reagan
based on the emotional appeals.
They then found "rational" reasons to justify
their emotional decision.
copywriting for non-profits
Again on Negative Advertising
There's also another kind of advertising
which knocks on competitors, but in a way
that may work.
It's negative in a logical sense, but not
an emotional one.
That's using a sort of humor to refer to
competitors.
For example, 7-Up's long ago "UnCola"
campaign. Or Taco Bell's "Think beyond
the bun."
These are playing on the undeniable popularity --
actually, dominance -- of their competition.
And I think this type of angle would not
be good for any product unless it's in a
similar position of trying to compete
against a dominating product. So that
it's really pointless to pretend that the
competition doesn't exist and would be
self-defeating to make an emotional appeal
about how bad they are.
Instead you're appealing to people's desire
to do something different. So these campaigns
are not negative in any offensive way.
They can't afford to be. Americans are not
going to stop drinking colas or eating
hamburgers.
copywriting private membership sites
which knocks on competitors, but in a way
that may work.
It's negative in a logical sense, but not
an emotional one.
That's using a sort of humor to refer to
competitors.
For example, 7-Up's long ago "UnCola"
campaign. Or Taco Bell's "Think beyond
the bun."
These are playing on the undeniable popularity --
actually, dominance -- of their competition.
And I think this type of angle would not
be good for any product unless it's in a
similar position of trying to compete
against a dominating product. So that
it's really pointless to pretend that the
competition doesn't exist and would be
self-defeating to make an emotional appeal
about how bad they are.
Instead you're appealing to people's desire
to do something different. So these campaigns
are not negative in any offensive way.
They can't afford to be. Americans are not
going to stop drinking colas or eating
hamburgers.
copywriting private membership sites
More on Negative Advertising
But let's try to think a little bit deeper.
"Negative advertising" is a very broad, undefined
term.
Personally, I like comparative advertising that
lists features of two or more products and
demonstrates that one product is the
best that way.
That is negative in the sense that you're
mentioning and putting down the other
product, but if your list is fair and
accurate and shows your product is the
best, that can be very effective.
However, there's advertising that knocks
competitors with no logic, and that turns
me off.
For example, the sub chain Quizno's used to
run radio commercials comparing their
toasted subs to ordinary subs. They said
it was like putting a group of accountants
up against a bunch of Vikings -- then you
heard the Vikings cutting up the accountants.
Another one had some small animals, maybe
kittens, eaten by a tiger or some other
large animal.
They made the point that they thought their
subs were so much better -- but gave no
logical reason for that. Just a presentation
to arouse our emotions using mock violence.
My reaction is that I associate the Quizno's
sub chain with needless pain and suffering
and killing . . . and choose not to buy
from them.
Of course, that's just my reaction. I may
not be the typical listener. And since I
don't eat sub sandwiches, I'm not in their
target market so they don't have to care
how much they offended me.
copywriting discussion forums
"Negative advertising" is a very broad, undefined
term.
Personally, I like comparative advertising that
lists features of two or more products and
demonstrates that one product is the
best that way.
That is negative in the sense that you're
mentioning and putting down the other
product, but if your list is fair and
accurate and shows your product is the
best, that can be very effective.
However, there's advertising that knocks
competitors with no logic, and that turns
me off.
For example, the sub chain Quizno's used to
run radio commercials comparing their
toasted subs to ordinary subs. They said
it was like putting a group of accountants
up against a bunch of Vikings -- then you
heard the Vikings cutting up the accountants.
Another one had some small animals, maybe
kittens, eaten by a tiger or some other
large animal.
They made the point that they thought their
subs were so much better -- but gave no
logical reason for that. Just a presentation
to arouse our emotions using mock violence.
My reaction is that I associate the Quizno's
sub chain with needless pain and suffering
and killing . . . and choose not to buy
from them.
Of course, that's just my reaction. I may
not be the typical listener. And since I
don't eat sub sandwiches, I'm not in their
target market so they don't have to care
how much they offended me.
copywriting discussion forums
On Negative Advertising
Does negative advertising work?
Some people posted the assertion to a copywriting
board that negative advertising did not
work, and gave SCIENTIFIC ADVERTISING by Claude
Hopkins as their reference.
Someone else, a former TV writer, replied that
negative ad campaigns have worked, and mentioned
some.
I have to sit back and ask -- how does anybody know?
I think that many times people believe an ad
campaign is successful because they can tell
from their own response and from other people
that the ads have raised brand awareness.
That does not mean that the ad campaign increased
sales -- or increased sales enough to more than
pay back the cost of the advertising.
And these things are proprietary information.
Unless you work for the advertiser or for the
agency itself, you cannot know.
I've read marketing articles and books where the
author said that they knew from their industry
contacts that many well-known and well-regarded,
award-winning campaigns were a bust at the
cash register!
copywriting ezines
Some people posted the assertion to a copywriting
board that negative advertising did not
work, and gave SCIENTIFIC ADVERTISING by Claude
Hopkins as their reference.
Someone else, a former TV writer, replied that
negative ad campaigns have worked, and mentioned
some.
I have to sit back and ask -- how does anybody know?
I think that many times people believe an ad
campaign is successful because they can tell
from their own response and from other people
that the ads have raised brand awareness.
That does not mean that the ad campaign increased
sales -- or increased sales enough to more than
pay back the cost of the advertising.
And these things are proprietary information.
Unless you work for the advertiser or for the
agency itself, you cannot know.
I've read marketing articles and books where the
author said that they knew from their industry
contacts that many well-known and well-regarded,
award-winning campaigns were a bust at the
cash register!
copywriting ezines
Friday, April 07, 2006
Banned!
Some controversy on the AWAI discussion
board. Apparently Harlan Kilstein has
been banned again. Also, Tina Lorenz and
Pam Marshall.
Pam was board moderator until late in
January, when she was notified she was
dismissed as moderator. No reason given,
so speculation is that it's because she
went to the seminar Harlan and Tina
gave in San Francisco in mid-January.
Odd that she is now also banned.
Harlan's been banned before yet somehow
went back to posting occasionally. I'm
not sure that Tina was ever banned
before.
Seems like I saw a reference somewhere
(Kate McCormick's board?) that AWAI was
taking legal action against both Harlan
and Tina.
I guess Pam Marshall got caught in the
middle just for attending a seminar.
copywriting stuff on eBay
board. Apparently Harlan Kilstein has
been banned again. Also, Tina Lorenz and
Pam Marshall.
Pam was board moderator until late in
January, when she was notified she was
dismissed as moderator. No reason given,
so speculation is that it's because she
went to the seminar Harlan and Tina
gave in San Francisco in mid-January.
Odd that she is now also banned.
Harlan's been banned before yet somehow
went back to posting occasionally. I'm
not sure that Tina was ever banned
before.
Seems like I saw a reference somewhere
(Kate McCormick's board?) that AWAI was
taking legal action against both Harlan
and Tina.
I guess Pam Marshall got caught in the
middle just for attending a seminar.
copywriting stuff on eBay
Friday, March 17, 2006
humor in copywriting (ha! ha!)
The conventional wisdom is -- don't use
humor in copywriting.
I've seen this argued about in the
AWAI student forum.
I think some of the confusion comes
from defining "humor."
I agree that slap 'em on the back,
yuck yuck, har dee har har, why did
the chicken cross the road what did
the traveling salesman say to the
farmer's wife type of jokes and
elbows to the rib of the reader turn
them off.
I think that what confuses some student
copywriters is that some classic ads
and letters DO have a sort of light
hearted tone that can be called "humor."
Good case in point -- Joe Karbo's classic
full page ad for his book THE LAZY MAN'S
WAY TO RICHES.
Why does this work despite its humor? I
think it works well partially because of
its humor.
I think it's because all the humor in
that ad is directed at the writer. He
shows that he doesn't take himself
seriously.
But nowhere does he put down the reader
or the opportunity that he's offering
to the reader.
He doesn't take himself seriously, which
makes him likeable -- but he takes the
reader and his book seriously.
He also enhances the appeal of the book
by being able to describe his past
problems in a light hearted way. You
can tell from what he says that they
were hard at the time, but now Joe can
make light of them -- because he used
the secrets in his book to overcome his
problems.
Hey, let me learn those secrets so I
can look back and laugh at my current
problems.
Joe comes across as somebody you'd like to
sit down and have a beer with. Just an
ordinary guy who's now extraordinarily
rich! Why, if an average guy like him can
do it, so can I!
Harlan Kilstein, who's very quick to advise
people in the AWAI forum not to use humor
in their sales letters, uses much the
same kind of humor in his sales letters
for the Underachievers.
He describes Ed Dale as a chubby nerd from
Australia and maintains a tone of good
humored rivalry between Ed and Frank
Kern that apparently members of their
Underachievers forum really like.
But again -- there's no disrespect to
the reader or for the Underachievers system
itself. Only Ed and Frank not taking
themselves seriously, and so in a subtle
way tells their prospects that hey, if
goof offs like us can make lots of money
this way, so can you!
After all, we don't like super serious people
who take themselves oh so seriously.
So if you're selling a self-improvement or
biz opp product, you can use humor as long
as it's directed at yourself.
You can even go in totally the opposite
direction.
The Rich Jerk ebook on Internet marketing
for example. The Rich Jerk deliberately
comes off as a jerk to emphasize how much
money you can make if you buy his book.
Though I'm sure that he loses some sales
because some readers don't get the humor
and don't want to make a jerk even richer
than he already is.
Another example is the sales letter for
cigars in the AWAI course. Narrator tells
of all his adventures in Honduras,
culminating in finding some great tobacco
that may not be any better than ordinary
tobacco but you should feel like smoking
those cigars you're sharing in an exotic
adventure.
A small bit of humor may also be used to
make a point. For example, John Carlton's
letter for a training course for motocross
racers.
He says that he'll teach you to win even
if you drive a little cycle BUCK NAKED.
I find that humorous, but it emphasizes the
value of the product.
You must watch the tone of the letter.
Clayton Makepeace used to write some truly
badass letters for Martin Weiss. It was
impossible to read them without becoming
convinced the world was on the verge of
catastrophe.
Humor in those packages would have been
just as catastrophic. Martin Weiss can't
say, I may be full of beans, but give my
newsletter a try -- when he's denouncing
the government and crooked businessmen
and everybody else who's running up debts
and putting your family's wealth at risk
for their own gain, which is why you need
to subscribe to SAFE MONEY REPORT so you
can see who Martin trusts, which are the
only financial institutions that you should
trust.
Of course, you must remember that these
examples are all easier to analyze and
understand -- than your own attempts at
humor while in the heat of creativity.
There are the pitfalls I've pointed
out -- you must never disrespect the
reader (unless it's so over the top
that most readers won't mind, as with
The Rich Jerk).
And you must never disrespect your
product or service -- especially what
your product or service will do for the
reader.
marketing stuff on eBay
humor in copywriting.
I've seen this argued about in the
AWAI student forum.
I think some of the confusion comes
from defining "humor."
I agree that slap 'em on the back,
yuck yuck, har dee har har, why did
the chicken cross the road what did
the traveling salesman say to the
farmer's wife type of jokes and
elbows to the rib of the reader turn
them off.
I think that what confuses some student
copywriters is that some classic ads
and letters DO have a sort of light
hearted tone that can be called "humor."
Good case in point -- Joe Karbo's classic
full page ad for his book THE LAZY MAN'S
WAY TO RICHES.
Why does this work despite its humor? I
think it works well partially because of
its humor.
I think it's because all the humor in
that ad is directed at the writer. He
shows that he doesn't take himself
seriously.
But nowhere does he put down the reader
or the opportunity that he's offering
to the reader.
He doesn't take himself seriously, which
makes him likeable -- but he takes the
reader and his book seriously.
He also enhances the appeal of the book
by being able to describe his past
problems in a light hearted way. You
can tell from what he says that they
were hard at the time, but now Joe can
make light of them -- because he used
the secrets in his book to overcome his
problems.
Hey, let me learn those secrets so I
can look back and laugh at my current
problems.
Joe comes across as somebody you'd like to
sit down and have a beer with. Just an
ordinary guy who's now extraordinarily
rich! Why, if an average guy like him can
do it, so can I!
Harlan Kilstein, who's very quick to advise
people in the AWAI forum not to use humor
in their sales letters, uses much the
same kind of humor in his sales letters
for the Underachievers.
He describes Ed Dale as a chubby nerd from
Australia and maintains a tone of good
humored rivalry between Ed and Frank
Kern that apparently members of their
Underachievers forum really like.
But again -- there's no disrespect to
the reader or for the Underachievers system
itself. Only Ed and Frank not taking
themselves seriously, and so in a subtle
way tells their prospects that hey, if
goof offs like us can make lots of money
this way, so can you!
After all, we don't like super serious people
who take themselves oh so seriously.
So if you're selling a self-improvement or
biz opp product, you can use humor as long
as it's directed at yourself.
You can even go in totally the opposite
direction.
The Rich Jerk ebook on Internet marketing
for example. The Rich Jerk deliberately
comes off as a jerk to emphasize how much
money you can make if you buy his book.
Though I'm sure that he loses some sales
because some readers don't get the humor
and don't want to make a jerk even richer
than he already is.
Another example is the sales letter for
cigars in the AWAI course. Narrator tells
of all his adventures in Honduras,
culminating in finding some great tobacco
that may not be any better than ordinary
tobacco but you should feel like smoking
those cigars you're sharing in an exotic
adventure.
A small bit of humor may also be used to
make a point. For example, John Carlton's
letter for a training course for motocross
racers.
He says that he'll teach you to win even
if you drive a little cycle BUCK NAKED.
I find that humorous, but it emphasizes the
value of the product.
You must watch the tone of the letter.
Clayton Makepeace used to write some truly
badass letters for Martin Weiss. It was
impossible to read them without becoming
convinced the world was on the verge of
catastrophe.
Humor in those packages would have been
just as catastrophic. Martin Weiss can't
say, I may be full of beans, but give my
newsletter a try -- when he's denouncing
the government and crooked businessmen
and everybody else who's running up debts
and putting your family's wealth at risk
for their own gain, which is why you need
to subscribe to SAFE MONEY REPORT so you
can see who Martin trusts, which are the
only financial institutions that you should
trust.
Of course, you must remember that these
examples are all easier to analyze and
understand -- than your own attempts at
humor while in the heat of creativity.
There are the pitfalls I've pointed
out -- you must never disrespect the
reader (unless it's so over the top
that most readers won't mind, as with
The Rich Jerk).
And you must never disrespect your
product or service -- especially what
your product or service will do for the
reader.
marketing stuff on eBay
Thursday, March 16, 2006
videos of terrific copywriting seminar
Last year I heard of, but was unable to
attend, a seminar on Breakthrough
Copywriting by the world's greatest
copywriting, David Garfinkel.
I listened to one of the pre-seminar
conference calls and was impressed
by some of the samples of "copywriting
DNA" David gave out on the call.
Attendees learned all 7 of these.
Plus, they learned from other top
copywriters such as Michel Fortin
and Carl Galletti.
I know of one attendee who until then
seemed to be in perpetual student
mode. After going, he "disappeared" -
he has no longer been on the AWAI
student forum, so I'm sure he's just
been too busy working as a
copywriter.
Yes, I wish I'd gone -- but I couldn't.
And for the rest of you who didn't go,
Garfinkel has been editing the videos
of this event for over a year now, and
is going to officially release them
April 1.
But since I'm on his mailing list, I've
got the opportunity to see them now.
And since you read my blog, you can too!
Just go to:
http://www.breakthroughcopywriting.com/report/
TV and radio copywriting
attend, a seminar on Breakthrough
Copywriting by the world's greatest
copywriting, David Garfinkel.
I listened to one of the pre-seminar
conference calls and was impressed
by some of the samples of "copywriting
DNA" David gave out on the call.
Attendees learned all 7 of these.
Plus, they learned from other top
copywriters such as Michel Fortin
and Carl Galletti.
I know of one attendee who until then
seemed to be in perpetual student
mode. After going, he "disappeared" -
he has no longer been on the AWAI
student forum, so I'm sure he's just
been too busy working as a
copywriter.
Yes, I wish I'd gone -- but I couldn't.
And for the rest of you who didn't go,
Garfinkel has been editing the videos
of this event for over a year now, and
is going to officially release them
April 1.
But since I'm on his mailing list, I've
got the opportunity to see them now.
And since you read my blog, you can too!
Just go to:
http://www.breakthroughcopywriting.com/report/
TV and radio copywriting
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Matt and Mike -- and Ryan
Recently, three new copywriters have stepped up their
self-marketing to make more money and help new
copywriters get started making money.
They are: Ryan Healey, Matt Marshall and Mike Morgan.
Together, they've hosted some phone calls in the past 3
months on how they got started making money as
copywriters -- although all of them have been
freelance for under 1 year.
I found the calls not at all slick or polished, but
full of a lot of good information.
I shared a hotel room with Ryan at a copywriting
seminar in July last year and can vouch that he's
a great guy.
Matt Marshall attended the same seminar and we spoke
but briefly, but he comes across well.
I've never met Mike in person but online and on the
phone he comes across well.
Recently, they had an amicable "divorce" -- Ryan
deciding to spend time on other projects.
Ryan just announced to the list that he is planning
a major announcement soon.
Matt and Mike are planning to announce a contest which
may interest you.
I'm not sure how to get directly onto Ryan's mailing
list. You should try putting your name and email into
the original signup form for their calls:
sign up
for Ryan, Mike and Matt
To sign up for announcements from Mike and Matt, send
a blank email to:
mike-and-matt@aweber.com
Business to Business copywriting
self-marketing to make more money and help new
copywriters get started making money.
They are: Ryan Healey, Matt Marshall and Mike Morgan.
Together, they've hosted some phone calls in the past 3
months on how they got started making money as
copywriters -- although all of them have been
freelance for under 1 year.
I found the calls not at all slick or polished, but
full of a lot of good information.
I shared a hotel room with Ryan at a copywriting
seminar in July last year and can vouch that he's
a great guy.
Matt Marshall attended the same seminar and we spoke
but briefly, but he comes across well.
I've never met Mike in person but online and on the
phone he comes across well.
Recently, they had an amicable "divorce" -- Ryan
deciding to spend time on other projects.
Ryan just announced to the list that he is planning
a major announcement soon.
Matt and Mike are planning to announce a contest which
may interest you.
I'm not sure how to get directly onto Ryan's mailing
list. You should try putting your name and email into
the original signup form for their calls:
sign up
for Ryan, Mike and Matt
To sign up for announcements from Mike and Matt, send
a blank email to:
mike-and-matt@aweber.com
Business to Business copywriting
Monday, March 06, 2006
hand writing good copy to learn
Can writing out sales letters by hand help make you
a better copywriter?
Here's a brief discussion at Michel Fortin's
copywriter's board:
handwriting copywriting
I can tell you that it's not just Gary Halbert who recommends
you write out proven sales letters -- it's almost everybody.
I've read the same advice by Maria Veloso. It's the bullet
on her web site for her course on how to become a world-class
copywriter in 5 hours.
Web Copywriting University by
Maria Veloso
AWAI students know that's copying the Wall Street Journal Two
Young Men letter 3 times is the first exercise they're given --
and it probably discourages a lot of wannabes right from the
start!
Does it etch good copywriting in your brain so that you
write better? Why not? Sounds fairly plausible.
I also believe that there is value in learning how it feels to
write out good copy.
There's a huge gap between how our words look to us
as we're writing them out and how they eventually
appear in print or online. (Yes, email is the one exception
to this.)
So it's good for self-esteem to realize that the words
produced by a famous copywriter originated as words
in ASCII or in a word processor -- just like your own
words.
There's nothing inherently magic in words from a famous
copywriter. They don't appear in print automatically.
The famous copywriter had to swear them out just as
the rest of us do.
I do know that when I was writing fiction, I typed out a
chapter of one of Raymond Chandler's mystery novels,
and that was an eye-opener.
It was fascinating to see the text of a famous book
looking just like the text I produced on my typewriter.
There was no mysterious spell about the length of
the paragraphs.
After all, Gary Halbert recommends that new copywriters
copy a letter a day for at least the first 5 years of their
career.
I will add that, last I heard, Dr. Harlan Kilstein and Kenrick
Cleveland recommend you type instead of hand write, the
letters, saying there is no inherent advantage in hand
writing.
Myself, I've handwritten 3 times the first 10 or 11 letters in the
AWAI book of sales letters that comes with the course. I mean
to do the entire book but I must admit I haven't opened it for
months.
Maybe I should get back to it.
copywriting for catalogs
a better copywriter?
Here's a brief discussion at Michel Fortin's
copywriter's board:
handwriting copywriting
I can tell you that it's not just Gary Halbert who recommends
you write out proven sales letters -- it's almost everybody.
I've read the same advice by Maria Veloso. It's the bullet
on her web site for her course on how to become a world-class
copywriter in 5 hours.
Web Copywriting University by
Maria Veloso
AWAI students know that's copying the Wall Street Journal Two
Young Men letter 3 times is the first exercise they're given --
and it probably discourages a lot of wannabes right from the
start!
Does it etch good copywriting in your brain so that you
write better? Why not? Sounds fairly plausible.
I also believe that there is value in learning how it feels to
write out good copy.
There's a huge gap between how our words look to us
as we're writing them out and how they eventually
appear in print or online. (Yes, email is the one exception
to this.)
So it's good for self-esteem to realize that the words
produced by a famous copywriter originated as words
in ASCII or in a word processor -- just like your own
words.
There's nothing inherently magic in words from a famous
copywriter. They don't appear in print automatically.
The famous copywriter had to swear them out just as
the rest of us do.
I do know that when I was writing fiction, I typed out a
chapter of one of Raymond Chandler's mystery novels,
and that was an eye-opener.
It was fascinating to see the text of a famous book
looking just like the text I produced on my typewriter.
There was no mysterious spell about the length of
the paragraphs.
After all, Gary Halbert recommends that new copywriters
copy a letter a day for at least the first 5 years of their
career.
I will add that, last I heard, Dr. Harlan Kilstein and Kenrick
Cleveland recommend you type instead of hand write, the
letters, saying there is no inherent advantage in hand
writing.
Myself, I've handwritten 3 times the first 10 or 11 letters in the
AWAI book of sales letters that comes with the course. I mean
to do the entire book but I must admit I haven't opened it for
months.
Maybe I should get back to it.
copywriting for catalogs
best resource for Yellow Pages copywriting
Definitive Yellow Pages Success Package by Alan J. Saltz
Recently there's been a buzz in the copywriting community
online regarding writing Yellow Pages ads.
Someone on Micheal Fortin's Copywriter's Board started a
thread which soon became the longest one ever in the board's
history.
Ryan Healey, Matt Marshall and Mike Morgan have addressed
writing for Yellow Pages on some of their recent copywriting
calls.
Some copywriters have revealed their tips and techniques
for getting business in this area.
It's clear now that one of the top resources is the
above book by Alan Saltz. He participated in the above
forum thread and obviously knows his stuff.
One question I still have is, how to do this full time
around the year, when most Yellow Pages come out just
once a year -- and have a set deadline.
Still, there're Yellow Pages published around the world --
including English, so you can no doubt solicit work not
only from your local businesses, from any business
that pays for Yellow Pages.
I presume that if you're reading this, you use English.
Well, English is the language of Yellow Pages in many
countries even where most people speak another or
other languages.
How many other types of copywriting do you know of where
your competitor (the Yellow Pages publisher itself)
will hand deliver a list of all your local prospects
right to your door every year?
Yellow Pages copywriting
Recently there's been a buzz in the copywriting community
online regarding writing Yellow Pages ads.
Someone on Micheal Fortin's Copywriter's Board started a
thread which soon became the longest one ever in the board's
history.
Ryan Healey, Matt Marshall and Mike Morgan have addressed
writing for Yellow Pages on some of their recent copywriting
calls.
Some copywriters have revealed their tips and techniques
for getting business in this area.
It's clear now that one of the top resources is the
above book by Alan Saltz. He participated in the above
forum thread and obviously knows his stuff.
One question I still have is, how to do this full time
around the year, when most Yellow Pages come out just
once a year -- and have a set deadline.
Still, there're Yellow Pages published around the world --
including English, so you can no doubt solicit work not
only from your local businesses, from any business
that pays for Yellow Pages.
I presume that if you're reading this, you use English.
Well, English is the language of Yellow Pages in many
countries even where most people speak another or
other languages.
How many other types of copywriting do you know of where
your competitor (the Yellow Pages publisher itself)
will hand deliver a list of all your local prospects
right to your door every year?
Yellow Pages copywriting
