On Copywriting

Interview with Keith Goodrum

Keith Goodrum left the one thousandth comment on my blog, so today I did a brief interview with him. It is 20 minutes and 46 seconds long. When you listen to the interview, you'll learn...

• What caused Keith to become a freelance copywriter.
• The single biggest challenge Keith has ever faced and what he learned from it.
• Keith's copywriting goals for 2008.

You can simply click the play button below to listen to the interview over your computer. Or you can download the MP3 file to your hard drive. Whatever you prefer. Enjoy!

Did you like this interview? Would you like to see more like it? Please leave a comment and let me know. Thanks.

Richard Armstrong Interview Now Available

In February 2007, I had the opportunity to interview top direct response copywriter Richard Armstrong. I've just published it and made it available to my list.

(If you're not on my list, you can sign up in the top right corner of this page.)

By listening to this interview, you'll learn:

• The best market to write for if you want to break into offline copywriting.

• Discover how Richard Armstrong thinks. (He shares how he came up with a powerful hook for Smithsonian magazine.)

• Who you need to contact to get a foot in the door with magazines. (Plus, where to find their contact info in about 60 seconds.)

• Why you want to get a "control" right out of the gate. (It's not just for the potential royalty.)

And this is all within the first 15 minutes! Plus, you'll learn:

• How to get paid more... for doing less. (Richard Armstong says he only writes 8-10 packages a year!)

• How to be a specialist and a generalist at the same time--and still take on projects outside your niche!

• An untapped market for copywriters. (According to Richard, this market is desperate for a breakthrough!)

• 3 things Richard did consistently to "get famous." (Copy any or all of the techniques to jump-start your own copywriting career.)

The interview is only 43 minutes long, but it's packed with great content. If you're on the list, you'll get the download link automatically. If you're not on the list, I encourage you to sign up now.

P.S. Richard Armstrong has written a great report (available for free) called "Make More Money By Writing Less!" You can download it here:

http://www.goddoesntshootcraps.com/freegift2.html

By the way, if you decide to buy Richard's fiction book, God Doesn't Shoot Craps, you'll also get 9 free bonus gifts.

I bought the book just to get the reports, which are excellent. The book is also quite good. You can download the report and consider buying God Doesn't Shoot Craps here:

http://www.goddoesntshootcraps.com/freegift2.html

Setting Fees & Attracting Clients

On Tuesday, April 3, at 9 p.m. EST, Michel Fortin and I will be hosting a complimentary teleseminar to discuss how to set your copywriting fees... and... how to attract quality clients.

Why these topics?

Because that's what you told me you wanted to learn about!

I reviewed all the comments and email responses I received from my Vote for Next Teleseminar post--and these two subjects kept coming up over and over again...

Setting Fees & Attracting Clients

This teleseminar will be more of a "fireside chat" versus an interview. So Michel and I will simply share our best ideas and see where the conversation goes.

I've posted the teleseminar details here as well as Conference Call University, a web site that lists many upcoming teleseminars.

Should be fun and informative. Hope you can join us!

P.S. To participate in the teleseminar, all you have to do is pick up your phone and dial 712-432-6060, then punch in your pass code, which is 5935367. That's all there is to it!

Blog Talk Radio Tonight!

On Sunday, March 25, at 8 p.m. EST, I'll be joining Michel Fortin, Roberta Rosenberg, and Tom Chandler on Blog Talk Radio to discuss copywriting.

Some of the questions on the agenda are:

1. What is the importance of good copywriting and how can good copy boost your business success?
2. What writing techniques can enhance and improve anyone's copywriting?
3. What are some of the more common mistakes made by copywriters?

This is just a sample. I think there are over 10 questions on the agenda.

I'd love it if you joined us on the call. It's free to participate, and there will even be time for live Q&A.

You can participate by clicking the button below and listening over your computer. Or you can dial 646-652-4643 to listen over your phone and/or ask questions. Look forward to talking to you tonight!

Update 3/26/07: If you happened to miss last night's show, you can download the MP3 recording here. Or you can click the play button below to stream the audio over your computer speakers.

Vote for Next Teleseminar

I've decided I'm going to do more teleseminars this year. I love to do them, and those who've listened in the past seem to have liked them a lot.

With that in mind, what topics would you like me to address on my next teleseminar? What questions would you like me to answer?

For the next one, I was thinking of simply doing a one-hour Q&A session. You send me your questions by email, then I answer them on the phone. At the end, I would take live questions.

Other topics I've got in mind: how to write copy, productivity, fee structures, self-marketing, closing clients, dealing with failure, etc.

Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. Tell me whether or not you like the idea of teleseminars, as well as what topics you'd like me to address. Thanks!

Download Link for How to Get Clients Teleseminar

As promised, here's the link to download the recording of Friday's interview with John "Angel" Anghelache.

Click here to opt-in and get the MP3 of the call.

If you look here, you'll see four people have already left comments saying how good the teleseminar was.

I highly recommend you download the recording and listen to it now:

Click here to download the recording to your computer.

Enjoy!

Recording Available Monday

Just got finished interviewing John Anghelache about how to get and keep copywriting clients. We had Dave Bernstein in the background doing the recording and making sure everything sounded good.

Dave will probably have the recording finished tonight, but I won't be distributing it until Monday, Feb. 26. So watch your email for the download link.

The recording will be in MP3 and it will be free.

If you were on tonight's teleseminar, what did you think? Was the information valuable? Worth your time?

How to Get Clients... Live!

If you're on my email list, you already know I'll be holding a free teleseminar this Thursday, February 22. You're welcome to participate if you like.

I'll be interviewing John Anghelache on how to get booked solid with clients. John is not only a talented copywriter (he's written for people like Gary Halbert, Michel Fortin, Yanik Silver and more)--he's also a brilliant marketer.

Which is why he's so good at getting and keeping clients... and teaching others to do the same.

Now, like I said, Thursday's teleseminar is free. If you can't make it, I'll be providing the audio recording a few days later.

The teleseminar will be one hour long. During the call, John will be answering these eight questions:

  1. Why is it that new copywriters often struggle to find clients?

  2. What's the biggest mistake new copywriters make when trying to get clients?

  3. Do you believe it has gotten harder to attract clients in the last year? Why or why not?

  4. What's the difference between a copywriter who's totally booked versus one who's got a completely open schedule?

  5. What exactly are clients looking for in a copywriter?

  6. What are some practical things a new copywriter can do to attract clients in 30 days or less?

  7. Would you be willing to share one or two of the most effective strategies you've discovered for getting clients?

  8. What are some hot markets right now for copywriters starting out?

Time: Thursday, Feb. 22

  ==> 9-10 p.m. Eastern
  ==> 8-9  p.m. Central
  ==> 7-8  p.m. Mountain
  ==> 6-7  p.m. Pacific

The number to dial is:

641-297-7200

Access PIN: 143594#

If you plan to listen to the live call, you might want to write the time, phone number, and PIN in your calendar. I really do hope to see you on the call.

One last thing: If you're more interested in learning how to write copy than how to get clients, then you should grab a seat in Ray Edwards' copywriting coaching program. There are 157 spots remaining as of this writing.

Q&A Teleseminar This Friday Night

My good friend John "Angel" Anghelache is working diligently to prepare for this Friday's complimentary teleseminar (Nov. 3), during which John will answer the burning questions he's received from dozens of copywriters just like you.

Here's one of the 27 questions John sent me. My response follows.

Q: "How can I cheaply get some real business without prostituting myself for free and without having to deal with personal rejection?"

A: I must say this first. It is absolutely critical to your success if you ever want to make it as a self-employed person or entrepreneur. That is...

You must be prepared to face personal rejection!

There is no way around it. You will be rejected.

So the question becomes, how do you respond to the rejection?

Secondly, you do not have to work for free. You can, if you want... but you don't have to.

I've said it many times before and I'll say it again:

Keep all the local flyers, postcards, and mailers you receive in your mailbox and attached to your front door. Then call on those business people to offer them your services.

I call it "warm calling." Basically, you say something like this: "Hey, my name is ______. I live in the neighborhood, and I just received your flyer on my front door."

Now you're no longer a stranger--you're a neighbor. You're not "cold calling"... you're "warm calling."

From there, say something like this: "The reason I'm calling is because I help entrepreneurs and business owners get better results from their advertising. Do you mind if I ask how well your flyer is doing?"

Usually, the person will respond. Because most business owners like to talk about their businesses.

If you get this far, the conversation is likely to continue. Just be normal, and you should be able to take the conversation as far as you like.

When I first got started, I did a two-page flyer for $250. Not much, but it was a start. And it didn't cost me a dime. Although I did face personal rejection. I think I had to call on four people before closing one. That's a 25% close rate.

I'm sure John will have more to say on this topic on his free teleseminar. Plus, you'll get to hear him answer many more questions I haven't even mentioned here.

The teleseminar happens this Friday night, November 3rd. It will last for one hour. If you haven't signed up yet, I strongly encourage you to do so right now:

Register for John Anghelache's free Q&A teleseminar about freelance copywriting.

Update as of March 23, 2007: The link above has been updated to point to the latest teleseminar I did with John on Feb. 23, 2007.

Recording of The John "Angel" Anghelache Call

On Tuesday, June 20, 2006, I interviewed John "Angel" Anghelache about how to get booked solid with paid copywriting clients as quickly as possible.

He revealed ideas never before talked about in copywriting circles.

In fact, shortly after the call, we were getting testimonials like these:

"Your teleseminar last night way rocked! It was by far, the best one I've ever heard on the topic. And that includes all the Bob Bly and AWAI calls I've been on over the years. Seriously." --Cory Fossum

"John your FIRST prospecting suggestion on the Ryan Healy teleconference and how to use it was the best marketing idea I have ever heard - bar none! ....just awesome. That has never occured to me and I've been writing copy for 13 years. ..feel like a rookie when I listen to you." :) --Bruce Ruby, Chicago

"Fantastic Call - really opened my eyes to the opportunites in the marketplace. Can't wait to implement some of the ideas..." --Jonathan Naizer

Twenty-five or 30 people attended the live call... and 16 of them sent us testimonials.

For a limited time, you can get the MP3 recording of this call at no charge. Simply go to this link and leave your name and email to get access:

Update as of March 23, 2007: The link below has been changed so you can download my latest interview with John Anghelache on Feb. 23, 2007.

Free MP3 Download of The John "Angel" Anghelache Call

P.S. John and I haven't decided how long we will make the audio recording available. Request a copy now before it's gone.