Once you’ve finished your copy, the anxiety begins. And it almost always boils down to the answer to this question: How good is this copy–really? When people ask me to critique their copy, they’re often amazed at how quickly I can get to the heart of things. Once I have an overall opinion, I’ll drill down to a lot of specifics. But I think it’s important today not to talk about those specifics, but instead to talk about that quick take. How do you know if it’s any good to begin with? I’m going to give you useful answers to three questions today: 1. How can you get a quick sense of whether copy will convert or fall flat? 2. What mistakes do newbie copywriters make that immediately signal they still have a lot to learn? 3. How do you develop the ability to have a gut feeling on whether copy will work or not? Link to AI Copywriting Mastermind: https://vip.getmynovus.ai Download.

Today we’re going to do another episode of “Just because it’s a story, it’s not a hero’s journey story.” What I mean by that is, many people have been misleading copywriters and salespeople for a while now. Saying, if you’re going to tell a story, it’s got to be a hero’s journey story. As you may know, in my book The Persuasion Story Code, I show 25 types of stories that are decidedly NOT hero’s journeys. That actually come from successful sales letters and other direct response copy. That you can adapt and use in your own copy. Today I want to focus in on stories where you walk a mile in your prospect’s shoes. These are from Chapter 4 and the shorthand name for these stories is “empathy stories.” They’re tremendously useful in gaining trust and connection with your prospects. Which is very important in these extremely low-trust times. Not only that. I’ve added a fifth kind of story which is not even in the book! So we’ve got a lot to cover today. Here’s what we cover in some useful detail: STORY TYPE 1: I KNOW YOUR PAIN This is an empathy story that describes your prospect’s pain or problem. STORY TYPE 2: I CAN SEE WHAT YOU SEE This is when you tell a story about a top of mind topic and how it affects your prospect. STORY TYPE 3: I FEEL YOUR PAIN What you’re doing here is revealing an experience of your own that will ring a bell with your prospect and their experience. STORY TYPE 4: THEY’RE INFLICTING PAIN ON YOU This is the opposite of a personal story involving you. It’s a social story where you are not personally involved. STORY TYPE 5: LOOK! SOMEONE ELSE IS IN PAIN! In this kind of story, the writer and the reader are actually distanced, as observers. The Persuasion Story Code: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQ Download.

It’s become so common we don’t even think about sometimes, but subscription products have really taken over our world in a way no one could ever have predicted. And along with them, new demands and new opportunities for copywriting. If you look at the past, you’ll see a lot of promotions were based on a single sale, with the copywriter or the business HOPING that the customer might buy the upsell. These days, recurring revenue is just a matter-of-fact business model. The question is, how do you not only sell people into a continuity program which bills them month after month, but get them feeling good about paying over and over? That’s what we’ll look at today. Download.

If you would like your lead magnets to perform better and get you more qualified prospects and customers, wouldn’t it make sense to look at the most popular form of engagement in the world for some clues? I’m talking about video games. According to the sports and gaming platform Sportskeeda, last year gaming was a $396 billion industry. Movies, $284 billion and music, only $28 billion. Marketing logic tells us that video games are so popular because they give people something they want that maybe they can’t get anywhere else. And guess who’s figured out how to design lead magnets for businesses the exact same way? No one less than our own Nathan Fraser, who’s going to share with you some new secrets about designing wildly successful lead magnets using video game principles. More info about this in Nathan’s Skool Marketing group, free for the time being, https://forbiddenmarketingsecrets.comDownload.

Four months ago, I was completely skeptical about AI and how it would ever fit into copywriting. I saw a post on LinkedIn by Brian Halpin, a copywriter working in Jason Parker’s agency. Brian talked about some unbelievable results, nearly one million in sales, that they had gotten with a VSL that was 80% written by AI. I’ve known Jason for more than 10 years, and Brian’s post piqued my interest. Jason agreed to come onto the podcast to talk about what he was doing. Nathan insisted we bring Jason on again to explain further, and after the second show, Nathan and I were so astonished by what he was saying that we both signed up for his Jason’s AI Copywriting Mastermind. I have found it was a risk worth taking. Because I have learned so much about what is possible, including for me, that I’ve completely changed my mind about AI and the future of copywriting. Now that we’ve had a lot more experience with results, we wanted to bring Jason back along with Scott Zetlan, another returning champion to the show, to bring you up to date on what we’ve learned about - What AI can do with copywriting - What AI can NOT do with copywriting - And most importantly, what AI CAN do that we NEVER thought it would do. For today’s special edition of the podcast, Nathan is going to lead the show and interview the three of us, so I’ll get a chance to talk about what I’ve learned. 4 points cover: 1. How much time it saves in creating copy and content 2. How we’re making the AI an extension of our brains – writing in our voice, creating an experience of writing like it’s the person who’s operating it 3. How long it takes to write a sales letter that converts, that would normally take a good copywriter 2-3 weeks to write 4. The dangers of “having a conversation” with AI to develop your hook, structure, idea, pitch 5. How much editing the AI’s output requires Link for more information about the Mastermind: AI Mastermind Download.

The term “cult” has become such a loaded word lately. People who aren’t members of certain groups call the groups a cult, and the members of those groups resent and deny it. Yet, are all cults bad? Maybe some are, maybe some aren’t. But on today’s show, Nathan Fraser is going to talk about a special kind of cult that, in his view, is not only GOOD — but actually necessary to the survival of some of his clients. We’ve got to admit, these are not what you usually think of when you hear the word “cult,” but once you hear what Nathan has to say, you may look at the whole idea in an entirely different light. Find out more about Nathan’s Forbidden Marketing Secrets group on Skool: Cult-ure Builders. http://forbiddenmarketingsecrets.com/ Download.

Ever wonder how to set yourself, your product, or your business apart? It’s a big puzzle these days. The best general advice I’ve heard is from recent podcast guest Scott Zetlan: “Different is better than better.” It almost sounds silly, but in the super-competitive marketplace, where products live in the real world, it’s not silly at all. It’s actually profound. Because here’s what it means: When you can show something DIFFERENT about what you’re offering that MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE to your prospect, you have just increased your chances MASSIVELY of making a sale. Now, the problem is: What kind of difference will appeal above all others to your prospect, and how do you use it to describe your product? I have an answer to that question. And a method to find out what that difference is. Links: The Persuasion Story Code: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQ Critiques and coaching: https://garfinkelcoaching.com Download.

Job one for a copywriter is getting and keeping attention. We always give that our best shot. But there are some situations where you need to do this more intensely, and you don’t want to come across like a screaming insane person yelling loudly just to get attention. So we need to come up with some unusual techniques, to increase the intensity without pushing our prospects away. That’s what today’s show is about. I’ve identified five unusual copy techniques that are especially helpful for cold traffic and introducing new products. They are a bit exotic, and you’ll find at least some of them extremely useful the next time you write copy. Download.

Today we’re going to talk about two words that can change your writing forever. Not just your copywriting, but especially your copywriting. One word is a first-grade word and the second word is a fourth-grade word, according to people who seem to know about those things. The words are “but” – with one ‘t’ – and “therefore.” Why are these words so important and who, besides us, says so? It’s because these words can take a boring string of sentences and make them interesting. They can add conflict, and consequences, to a story with as few as three sentences. We’ll show you why and how, and how this is true from stories around the world, in a little bit. The key thing to know now is that the creators of the cartoon show South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, have been flying around the country explaining how these two words make the difference between boring and a really good story. I saw a one-minute video on TwitterX of these two talking to some students at New York University, and I instantly realized, this is something for Copywriters Podcast. Because what they are teaching, which we will get to in a moment, not only applies to stories, but also to many other parts of copy. Therefore, we’ll be talking about these two words today. See what I did there? Resource: The Persuasion Story Code http://shorturl.at/pzAEQ Download.

You know FAQs – that list of frequently asked questions, and answers? Are they a copywriting chore you would just as soon avoid? Well, today I’d like to offer a different way to look at them. As a huge, and mainly underutilized, marketing opportunity. I want you to consider this possibility: An FAQ section doesn't just inform. It also persuades. But not in a cheesy, ham-fisted kind of way. See, it is possible to inform while persuading, and we’ll look at how today. Download.

OK, finally. You’ve got your copy written. At least your first draft. Now what? That’s what a subscriber to the podcast asked me on youtube a few weeks ago. The best I can do to answer that question is tell you how I look at copy, whether it’s my own, or a client’s. Today’s show is about a series of steps I go through to review copy with a mentoring client or in a one-off copy critique. Some of this may be familiar, but listen for the parts that aren’t. Adding those parts to your routine could end up taking your finished copy to the next level. We go into depth on the podcast, but here is the complete set of lists from the show: 4 important things to look for first 1. Who is the prospect? Who is not? How would you know if you tripped over them? 2. Empathy 3. Rule of 1 - Golden Thread 4. Continuity and Smooth Transitions 5 Key Elements Of Copy 1. Headline 2. Opening 3. Proof 4. Offer 5. Call to action Getting the words right 1. Do you use easy, simple-to-understand words? 2. Variety in sentence, paragraph length—and bolding 3. Flesch-Kincaid grade level 4. Images, emotions, physicality of descriptions 5. Conversational phrasing and actual dialog Readability formulas, mentioned in the show: https://readabilityformulas.com/ Mentoring and critiques: https://garfinkelcoaching.com Download.

These days, things in copywriting are changing so fast it can make your head spin. Junior copywriters aren’t sure there’s a career path, because of AI. Experienced copywriters are finding clients have different and sometimes confusing demands that you never would have heard five years ago. Our special guest today, Scott Zetlan, has some answers for junior copywriters, experienced copywriters, and everyone in between. That’s because he’s seen and done so much in business, both old school and online. Scott has helped hundreds of businesses grow and scale fast, using innovative testing techniques. Scott’s company, Visiopt, has a tool that lets businesses run a single test equivalent to a whopping 4,317 split tests, allowing for rapid optimization that leads to profits and new opportunities. Scott’s also an expert in writing copy that converts cold traffic. He’s agreed to come on the podcast to talk about a new model of survival and success for copywriters, based on his wide span of expertise and his current in-the-trenches experience. Scott’s company: https://visiopt.com/Download.

One of the hardest things for copywriters and business owners to get right is running ads to cold traffic on Facebook and Instagram, and making those ads profitable. If you’ve tried this for yourself, I think you know what I mean. So does today’s guest, who has discovered some important techniques that work and has also discovered the mistakes to avoid, and is going to share valuable info about both with you in detail. Our special guest today is Travis Moh, a media buyer who understands copywriting as well as the mysterious world of online funnels and different types of campaigns. Travis is responsible for more than $25 million in tracked revenue over the last three years. He says, “most clients I work with come to me after they've been burned by large ad agencies, because they like my in-house, in-depth approach much better.” Travis also coaches other media buyers and business owners, and he’s going to let us in on some of his hard-won knowledge today. But first, let me let you in on something you may have heard before: Copy is powerful. You’re responsible for how you use what you hear on this podcast. Most of the time, common sense is all you need. But if you make extreme claims... and/or if you’re writing copy for offers in highly regulated industries like health, finance, and business opportunity... you may want to get a legal review after you write and before you start using your copy. My larger clients do this all the time. Links to Travis’s courses: Agency Owners / Media Buyers Segment: https://mediabuyingpro.com/agency Course Creators / Coaches Segment: https://mediabuyingpro.com/adsforcoaches Download.

I would say our guest today Will Siebler takes a Zen approach to copywriting. On the home page of his website, he has a picture of a lonely but sturdy coffee cup on a table. On the coffee cup is the word “Begin.” But the shimmering peace is shattered by a few words overlayed on the picture: “I’m Will. I write words that make your clients say, ‘Shut up and take my money!’” It’s a quiet confidence you just don’t see that often in copywriters. Will has had his own marketing and copywriting business since 2003. He knows how to get big results, too. He helped a commercial cleaning go from $1 million a year in revenue to $5 million by using a simple direct mail strategy aimed at their best client type. Online, he recently helped a building design client reduce their cost per conversion from $1,168.58 to $132.72 and, he says, we’re just getting started. I met Will on LinkedIn, and a few weeks ago he shared a two page document with me that he’s spent years putting together. It’s not a sales letter. It’s a cheat sheet of what he calls “the greatest copywriting wisdom” he’s come across in 30 years. And he’s boiled it down to the nub. I asked Will to come on Copywriters Podcast to talk about it, and he agreed. Because he’s in Australia and Nathan and I are in the US, we are recording this much later in the day than our usual time. That’s why there’s a screen behind me to block out the late afternoon San Francisco blazing sunlight, if you’re watching this on youtube and you wondered, what’s that screen doing up there? Will's website https://www.cashcopy.com.au/ Download.

Listen to this: “A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.” That’s from author and sportswriter Jim Dent, and it perfectly captures how a lot of us feel in the summertime. Lazy and happy to be so. And that’s fine. But don’t mistake your state of mind for the state of business. While more retail sales happen in November and December than they do in July and August, business is still very active. People want things. People buy things. Did you buy or sell anything in the middle of July, on Amazon Prime days? I know I sold a bunch of books. Well, that means somebody bought them. Business lives! And not just for me and book buyers. What I’d like for us to do today is talk about how you can take advantage of the summer and the other three seasons in your copy and in your overall marketing. use any time of year! Link to The Persuasion Story Code: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQ Download.

It’s a double-edged word that doesn’t get talked about enough. And that word is: confidence. It definitely has a bad connotation, as in “con artist” or “confidence man.” But on the flip side, and with a different meaning, it’s a very important, positive word. I would say in some very straight-laced business circles, it’s the only emotion you can talk about freely without raising eyebrows or causing questions about your strength and resolve. Most important of all, though, is that confidence can make the crucial difference between failure and success in copywriting. At three levels: The copywriter level, the client level, and the customer level. We’ve talked about confidence before on this show, but only in passing. Today we’re going to stand still and focus just on confidence and copywriting. The Persuasion Story Code: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQDownload.

As a copywriter, sometimes your biggest problem is that your prospect doesn’t have a problem. Well, that’s not exactly it. Actually, sometimes your biggest problem is when you don’t KNOW what your prospect’s problem is… and how to communicate to them in a compelling way that your product can solve that problem. And if you can show convincingly that you can solve that problem better than anyone else, or in a new and unique way that’s of course different from how everyone else does it—even better! That’s what we’re going to talk about today. How your customer’s problem is actually your best friend. You can find out how to write great problem/solution stories, and a whole lot more, in The Persuasion Story Code https://shorturl.at/pzAEQ Download.

Does the world turn upside down when you are writing copy for prospects with money? The first time you do it, it sure seems that way. And there’s a good reason for that. The rules are different for writing that kind of copy. Does that mean that the core basic aspects of psychology are different for rich people than they are for everyone else? Absolutely not. The core basic aspects are virtually identical. They’re pretty much the same for all humans. But overwhelmingly, the mindset of a person with money is worlds apart from the mindset of a middle-class person and a working-class person. And, as copywriters, we’ve been trained with materials that assume we are selling to ordinary people, not the well-off, the rich, and the super-rich. Nathan was working on a personal development offer for high-end prospects, and it occurred to him that the copywriting rules are completely different when you write for them than when you write for middle-class or working-class prospects. What we want to do on today's show is to talk about those differences and suggest how each listener can improve their skills and adjust their mindset when they get to write offers to this customer group. Contact us: Critiques, David https://www.garfinkelcoaching.com/copy-critiques/ Nathan: https://advertisingcheatcodes.com/advertising-alchemist/ Download.

In this episode, we dive into the concept of transformation in marketing, revealing why it's the secret ingredient behind successful campaigns. We'll uncover the types of transformations—physical, emotional, and social—that resonate most with audiences. Learn how to identify the most compelling transformation your product offers and how to overcome the natural resistance people have to change by highlighting the significant benefits. Discover the art of simplifying your transformation story, making it easy to grasp and irresistible to your prospects. We'll provide vivid examples to illustrate the power of clear, concise storytelling, and share practical tips to help you create copy that paints a vivid picture of the life-changing impact your product can have. Join us as we dissect iconic marketing campaigns like Nike’s “Just Do It” and Apple’s “Think Different” to understand how these brands used transformation to captivate their audiences. We'll also look at how the "Got Milk?" campaign subtly but powerfully shifted perceptions, transforming milk from a boring beverage to a cool, essential part of daily life. By the end of this episode, you'll have the tools to harness the power of transformation in your copywriting, making your marketing messages more powerful and effective. Don't just sell a product; sell a better future. Tune in and start creating compelling narratives that resonate with your audience and inspire action. And get your copy of David's new book, The Persuasion Story Code, at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQDownload.

In theory, AI should be able to do anything you tell it, including write good copy for you. In practice, AI does what you give it instructions to do. And finding the instructions to give it that will make it write in compelling, simple conversational English… looking for those instructions has been like the search for the Holy Grail. At least for me. Until now. Three weeks ago we had our returning champion on for the first time, Jason Parker. Nathan and I got so excited that we both signed up for his AI copywriting class. Not cheap, but worth every penny. I’ve been cranking out so much good writing since then, it makes my head spin. And I’m still getting my bearings. What Jason has done, that I haven’t found anyone else can do to nearly the same degree of proficiency, is give the AI prompts that precisely instruct the AI to write copy that sounds like a human talking. Nathan and I desperately wanted to have Jason back to talk about this, and Jason agreed to share his five favorite prompts today. Well, not exactly prompts. A tad wee bit more than that. What he calls “prompt chunks.” We’ll be sharing these with you later, no strings. And we’ve got a lot to talk about today. Contact Jason: Jason (at) ParkerKirkland.com Cheat sheet with five prompt chunks: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1saLVuzeRK6ZRjNCtDeFIknoioZhOedWWDHnz1NI2XHc/edit?usp=sharing Download.

It is rare that we quote baseball players on Copywriters Podcast, but today we are going to quote a great one, Yogi Berra. He said, “It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.” But as intrepid copywriters, we do the difficult. Actually, stories about the future are very useful and effective in copy. They’re probably not exactly what you think, though. You may be using some of the stories we talk about today, but some of them will probably be new to you. Here’s the most important thing to remember: When you can get your prospect to imagine a future where they already own or have bought what you are selling, and they attach a positive feeling to it, closing the sale becomes so much easier. You can get better at all your stories with my new book The Persuasion Story Code. It’s available exclusively on Amazon—Kindle, paperback, and audible. Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQDownload.

If your tank is empty and you’re looking for inspiration, you could do worse than to watch a little WWE wrestling. ¬ Our special guest today, Todd Jones, is quite a fan and an expert. He’s written a terrific article called “5 Lessons I Learned About Storytelling From Pro Wrestling.” Yesterday I read it. Because it’s online, it has videos to illustrate his excellent points, and I watched about half an hour of high points in the sport, dating back all the way to 1981. Most of the clips are much more recent, though. Todd is known as “the about page guy” and specializes in working with small and medium businesses with their content and copywriting. He’s a prolific writer with a unique point of view and lots of talents and skills he uses to help his clients. Todd has experience in a wide variety of things, from retail, grocery, vending, tech journalism and ministry. He’s great at building online communities. So we’re going to talk about all that and more today. Todd’s coaching: https://www.copyflight.com/coaching/ Todd’s article on the WWE and storytelling: https://www.copyflight.com/5-lessons-storytelling-professional-wrestling/Download.

I really didn’t believe it was possible—that AI could crank out compelling copy in a conversational, persuasive voice. But I reconnected with my old mentoring client Jason Parker last week. By “old,” I mean it’s been over a decade since we worked together. He’s not all that old himself. Me, that’s another story. When he showed me what he’s come up with, I didn’t believe my eyes at first. But then he showed me how he was doing it. And, with no background material other than the book title, he had AI write a pretty decent sales letter for my book The Persuasion Story code in about two minutes. I found my way to Jason because the only other person in his agency, Brian Halpin, was online talking about a webinar 80% written by AI that generated just shy of $900,000 for a client. Talking further with Jason, I found out that his agency was scoring win after win. Over $4 million a month for Launch Medical. Half a million a month for A Caccia di Trader, an Italian financial publishing business. And other improbable but documented big, impressive successes. I asked Jason if I could dig into what he was doing and how he was doing it, and he shared a lot with me. Meanwhile, he emphasized that we were only scratching the surface. But the most important thing I’ve seen is he’s found a way to get AI to stop writing like what we’re used to seeing from Chat GPT. And he’s also found a way to pour a lot of proven copywriting knowledge and techniques into custom bots. I asked him to come on the show and share some of it with us. He very generously agreed to do so. Jason’s agency is Parker & Kirkland Download.

When you talk about your product and you get that deer-in-the-headlights look, what gives? In the best of all worlds, it’s simply that the prospect doesn’t understand what you’re saying. And that very much could be because you’re the man or woman who knows too much. I’m talking about the curse of knowledge—when you’ve gotten all this expertise, which you needed, but you forgot to take the next step of simplifying it and putting it into appealing marketing language so your prospect can instantly understand and appreciate the value of what you’re offering. The curse of knowledge is real. But it’s curable. We’ll look at what it is and how to cure it on today’s show. There’s lots to learn, but I recommend my book, The Persuasion Story Code, as a way to use stories to break the curse of knowledge. Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQDownload.

First weekend in May, the #1 show on Netflix was an origin story. Not a real origin story, but a total fabrication for comedy purposes. It was a movie called Unfrosted. It’s important for copywriters for a couple of reasons. The first is the power of a product name. The movie was a totally fictional story about how Kellogg's popular toaster pastries became a hit in grocery stores. It's hardly a spoiler to tell you the name they settled on that led to the big bucks: Pop-Tarts. How they got there is a big part of the totally made-up plot. Also, there's a great cameo by actors Jon Hamm and John Slattery, who play two leading characters in the series Mad Men. In the new Netflix movie, they play out-of-touch New York admen who come up with totally wrong product names. Later in the movie, when they hear the name Pop-Tarts, one of ’em grumbles an admission of defeat: "That'll sell." So that’s the first important lesson for copywriters: Gotta get the name right! But there’s a second lesson that’s maybe even more important, since copywriters often don’t have control over the product name anyway. And that lesson is this: People love origin stories. Yet I’ve found a lot of the time, copywriters don’t know how to put an effective one together, and how to use it once they do. We’ll cover that today on the show. My book, The Persuasion Story Code: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQ Download.

Every day it gets worse–the struggle to get people’s attention. It’s always been hard, but never like this before. Too many things and people are competing for our attention at any given moment. This may seem like a particular problem for copywriters, since we’ve been trained to start every message with a headline or a subject line. Nothing wrong with that, but there is a way of using words that is scientifically proven to get and hold attention better than anything else. And that’s a story. We’re hard-wired at birth to blot everything else out, except a life-threatening emergency, when a good story is being told. So, how do you tell a story in a headline? Or in your lead? Or in your opening paragraph? Without, you know, launching into an old, tired, never-ending hero’s journey story or a nightmare story? Well there is a way, and it’s much easier than you think. Since you’ve already been exposed to it for years without realizing people were using stories that way. The Persuasion Story Code: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQ Download.

Time to talk about a taboo subject that needs to be discussed: The truly awful clients copywriters inevitably get, and how to set things right with them (or make a Quick Draw McGraw exit)! We’ve all had them. That can’t be changed or avoided. But what to DO about them? That can be learned, from an expert who’s been there, done that, and figured it out! Our special guest today is A-List Copywriter Kim Krause Schwalm, author of the great new book Client Badassery Secrets: How Copywriters Can Earn MORE, Run A Thriving Freelance Business, And Cut Out The Client Bullshit I’ve read it and it’s really good. Kim’s just the right person to write this book, too. She’s worked as an executive with big direct-response publishers where she hired copywriters, and also someone who has written copy for some of the best-known publishers and supplement companies in the world. And plenty of other clients, along the way. Today she’s going to tell us about the seven kinds of clients you meet on the way to copywriting “hell,” and how to avoid their tricks and traps and come out ahead. Kim’s book, Client Badassery Secrets: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGV7MZ8P Kim’s website: https://kimschwalm.com/ Download.

After you’ve finished your copy, how do you know that you got everything right and haven’t left anything out? There are several good ways to double-check, but I don’t think there’s one more fun than Jack Turk’s Killer Copy Checklist. It’s an 8-page PDF, written and presented like a comic book. But it’s serious stuff, in an easy-to-take form. Today Jack’s going to tell us about the checklist and make it available to you free… free… free of charge. To understand why this is such a good checklist, you need to know a little bit about Jack. He’s our returning champion, and we’re really happy to have him back today! Jack has decades of experience writing for corporations like Microsoft and Kodak, as well as a number of small businesses including dentists, attorneys, even magicians. As the voice of Dan Kennedy at GKIC and many other high-profile thought leaders, his sales copy has generated millions of dollars in sales and he’s now known as the world’s FASTEST Copywriter. Jack was also host of the highly successful Copywriting Summit, and was kind enough to invite me on to talk about headlines and hooks. Today he’s going to walk us through his Killer Copy Checklist. It’s as good as anything I’ve ever seen, and a whole lot more fun! Get yourself a free copy of Jack’s Killer Copy Checklist here: www.writekillercopyfast.com/checklist Download.

If you’re a copywriter and you’re itching to build a business, what should you do? You probably have many options. But if you’d like to know whether building your own agency is the right way to go, we have some valuable information for you. Today’s guest, Andy Strote, has built two agencies. The first one, Fireworks Creative, grew from 2 to 30 people in five years. Andy and his partner sold the agency to a large company called Cognicase. Six months later, he started another agency with one partner and one employee. That agency is called Context Creative. After 15 years, the agency had grown to have a staff of 28, and Andy sold his shares to his partners and returned to freelancing. But he wrote a book about what he learned in 20 years of starting, managing, growing, and selling two agencies. The book is called How to Start a Successful Creative Agency, and of all the people I know, he’s the one to write that book! Andy’s going to share some of those lessons and secrets today. Andy’s book: How to Start A Successful Creative Agency https://www.amazon.com/Start-Successful-Creative-Agency-Photographers-ebook/dp/B092CM9WTM Download.

Once you can start using stories effectively in your copy, you have for all practical purposes developed a marketing superpower. But don’t stop there. Because the difference between a story and a STRONG story can be the difference between high-test gasoline and rocket fuel. One will get you there faster… but one will get you there a lot faster, and go a lot further! Strong stories are the rocket fuel in your sales copy. And we’re going to talk about 5 ways to make any story stronger today. Develop your superpower with The Persuasion Story Code: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQDownload.

If you wanted to build your own home from scratch, it would be a good idea to talk to someone who’s done that, right? Same thing with a sales funnel that generates a level of income you can barely imagine. How do you build one? My advice is: Listen to our returning champion, Aaron Gentzler. Because he’s been there and done that. Multiple times. For example, Aaron led a team in growing a newsletter business by a factor of 12, from $4 million to nearly $50 million a year. Another example: Aaron wrote a promo in 2008 resulting in tens of millions of sales. His promo was so good that others in the company used his copy as a template, resulting in tens of millions of more sales. More than 10 years ago, when Bitcoin was trading at about $500, Aaron published research urging investors to learn more about crypto and speculate prudently. Anyone who took his advice in 2013 would have increased their investment by more than 100 times. As we’re recording today at the beginning of April, Bitcoin closed yesterday at $65,270. He’s done a lot more since then and is doing great things today. I mentioned those three examples because Aaron has a bold and steady knack for taking promotional ideas and turning them into money—lots of money. And if you’re looking for some clues as to how to do the same with a promotion you’re thinking about or working on, you’re in luck. This is Aaron’s third time on the show, and he’s agreed to come back today and share some of his best secrets for massive business growth. FREE training on building a funnel that won’t quit, from Aaron and his partner Shawn Twing. Starting on Tuesday, April 23, so sign up now: https://fullfunnelformula.co/?affiliate=dgarf Download.

Today we have a special edition of the Old Masters Series. I’ve convened a “board meeting” of six of our favorite Old Masters: David Ogilvy, Vic Schwab, Joe Sugarman, Gene Schwartz, Claude Hopkins and John Caples. If you’ve read Think and Grow Rich, you know how Napoleon Hill used to have imaginary meetings with dead presidents? Well, this one’s like that, but a little different. I’ve taken actual quotes from these six featured Old Masters and organized the quotes into three categories, to answer the question: How can you improve the quality and response of your video ads on Facebook, youtube and TikTok? You’ll be surprised and maybe delighted to find out that these guys had some wisdom they published before there even was an internet that applies 100% today—and we’ll show you how. Because some things never change. Download.

Last week we had A-List Copywriter Donnie Bryant on to tell us that the era of salesmanship in print is over for copywriting, to be replaced by showmanship in print. He added that knowing how to sell is still a top priority, but today it’s almost imperative that you do it in an entertaining context. Donnie’s right. We’re in an entertainment era, that’s for sure. A couple days ago I was watching a Pulitzer-prize-winning reporter from the Washington Post describe some major breaking news with her prediction of how it would play out in the future in a movie. She started her description by saying, “In the Netflix version… ” Let’s just for a moment go back to the 1970s, when I was a journalist myself. Can you Imagine the summer of 1974, after Nixon resigns, Woodward and Bernstein on with Walter Cronkite, saying, “I think in the movie Robert Redford should play Woodward, and Dustin Hoffman can play Bernstein.” Never woulda, coulda or shoulda happened. In 1974. But that was then and this is now. And here we are. It’s Netflix’s world. We just live in it. So how does all this apply to copy? Not as much as you might imagine… but a lot more than you probably think. We’ll talk about that today. Get: The Persuasion Story Code http://shorturl.at/pzAEQ Download.

For years, copywriters have been bowing down to a pivotal moment in copywriting history when John E. Kennedy revealed to Albert Lasker that advertising is, in fact, nothing more than “salesmanship in print.” That happened in Chicago in the early 1900s. Today, a modern-day copywriting visionary from Chicago, Donnie Bryant, says it’s time to update the definition. Donnie is our returning champion. He was on a couple months ago to talk about his great new book, Subject Line Science. But this time, he’s got a new idea that may stop you in your tracks. Donnie knows whereof he speaks. He has generated over $130 million in sales for his clients, which include Agora Financial, Dan Kennedy’s GKIC and Early to Rise. And he has shared the stage with copy legends like Parris Lampropolous, Clayton Makepeace and the other David, David Deutsch. We take a deep dive into Donnie’s stunning new idea today. Donnie’s Book, Subject Line Science: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPRRS2LKDownload.

If you’d like to know what goes on behind the scenes in the world of financial copywriting, our guest today has the inside story. Aaron Gentzler is CMO of Mauldin Economics, a major financial publisher based in Northern Florida. He’s been in the business since 2006 and tells us about his own journey, as well as some of the experiences he’s had training and advocating for younger copywriters. Just as important, he’ll let you know what he has seen that spells bad news for people trying to get their foot in the door in the first place. Plus, he shares in-the-trenches insights about what works and what doesn’t work with stories in copywriting. My book, The Persuasion Story Code https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQDownload.

This is a Manifesto and an Exposé. People ask me all the time what I do in my mentoring of copywriters and business owners. I mean, what did I do to earn the tagline, “The World’s Greatest Copywriting Coach?” I’ve decided to come clean. It’s never been a secret, but now that I think about it, I just don’t talk about it all that much. In dribs and drabs, sure. But never the full monty. Until today. Today’s show is for two types of people: First, anyone who’s interested in the kind of mentoring I do and might want to bring me on as a mentor. But second, anyone else who mentors copywriters or wants to. Look, there are far more people who want to be mentored than I’ll ever be able to work with one-on-one. So if you can take my 10 rules of copywriting mentoring and put them to use with your own clients, have at it. This is an open invitation. To learn more about my mentoring, go to: https://garfinkelcoaching.com Download.

These days, more than ever before, it’s not merely optional that you stand out in the marketplace. For the listeners of this podcast, that is true whether you’re a copywriter, a marketing consultant with a specialty, or a business owner. You need to stand apart from the crowd especially these days because the marketplace is so crowded and getting more so every day. You want to be known for something specific. In the best of all possible worlds, you want to be the “go-to” person for what you do. Brenna McGowan, who is our returning champion today, figured that out and did something about it. Even though what she does is relatively innovative and not the most crowded part of our field, she found a way to stand out, big-time. Brenna’s specialty is pre-launches—warming up your market by letting them get to know you even before your launch begins. That’s what she told us about when she was on the show a couple months ago. But now she’s back to talk about a multi-day virtual event she hosts every few months, called “Behind the Launch.” It’s pretty exciting and she’s agreed to reveal a lot on today’s show. To get Brenna’s pre-launch cheat sheet and get on her list, to find out what she’s up to and get advance notice of her next event, go here: https://brennamcgowan.co/cheatsheet/ Download.

One of the first two books I devoured and then recommended to people who bought my course was by Old Master Joe Sugarman, who passed away two years ago. The book was called “Advertising Secrets of the Written Word.” Just about everything in that book is valid today, and Sugarman writes like a friendly human being, not an imposing overlord of advertising. It’s a very easy book to read, but it is chock-full of detailed, high-powered value. Today, as we continue our streak of Old Masters Series episodes, we’re going to talk about the book and talk about Joe. The good news is, the whole book is available for less than half of what I paid for it in 1999. And I marvel at how much good stuff he was able to get in there. We’re going to cover some of his most important points today. Resources: (same book, new title, better price): The Adweek Copywriting Book, by Joe Sugarman: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470051248 My new book, The Persuasion Story Code: http://shorturl.at/pzAEQDownload.

Today we’re going to talk about an emotion that gets short shrift in copywriting, but I believe is the most powerful of all when it comes to motivating people. That emotion is: Envy. It’s controversial, because there are so many prohibitions against it. We’ll talk about those today. But it’s also widespread, from solopreneurs to marketing from the largest corporations in the world. Some observers have suggested, for example, that Apple is expert in making its products objects of aspirational desire by creating envy, subtly, in its ads. We have a lot more examples of envy in marketing, some of them very concrete, in today’s show. To find out more about coaching: https://garfinkelcoaching.comDownload.

How do you put together a seven, eight or even nine-figure promotion? (Just in case you weren’t sure, “nine figures” means north of 100 million dollars. And yes, you’re about to meet someone who has written a promotion that took in more than $100 million.) But in fact, there are precious few copywriters who have done all this and will tell you how. However, our special guest today is one of the few who can, and will—and he’s Henry Bingaman. All told, Henry’s copy has generated well over $300 million. He’s written blockbusters for Newsmax, Natural Health Sherpa, and Money Map Press, as well as other top publishers. And just as important to me, Henry is both trusted and feared by those at the top. I can’t think of a better way to demonstrate trust than by what top copywriter Marcella Allison said: “I practically have Henry Bingaman on ‘speed dial’. Seriously. Whenever I’m faced with a difficult choice, or major business or career decision, he’s the first person I reach out to!” And as for fear, it’s the right kind. The legendary late Clayton Makepeace said, “Henry is on the short list of copywriters I would never dream of going up against. He really is that good.” So now you know a little about Henry. But what you’re going to hear about on today’s show is Henry’s awesome Seven Stories method for writing powerful, long-lasting, chart-topping sales letters and VSLs. Free bonus from Henry: “8 Questions To Discover Your Big Idea” https://www.henrybing.co/idea/ Download.

You can have the greatest product, the greatest headline, the greatest targeting, the greatest offer, and the greatest price. But you know what’s going to torpedo your entire promotion in a New York minute? It’s: if your prospect doesn’t believe you. We covered one aspect of believability last week, but we have some fresh tips today. Because believability is the pass/fail test every ad must pass in order to work. Period. But that’s not the end of the story. In today’s Old Masters Series episode, we draw on the considerable wisdom of the great John Caples, and a new book I just found out about. Unlike the classic Caples work Tested Advertising Methods, this book is readily available on Amazon for the low, low price of $8.86. And the Kindle is even less. It’s called Making Ads Pay, and it’s worth far more than the asking price. In this book Caples has a whole chapter on making ads believable. We’re going to talk more about that today. Making Ads Pay, by John Caples: https://www.amazon.com/dp/048648601X Download.

You can have the greatest product, the greatest headline, the greatest targeting, the greatest offer, and the greatest price. But you know what’s going to torpedo your entire promotion in a New York minute? It’s: if your prospect doesn’t believe you. Believability is the pass/fail test every ad must pass in order to work. Period. But that’s not the end of the story. In today’s Old Masters Series episode, we draw on the considerable wisdom of the great John Caples, and a new book recommended on twitter/x by a current copywriting master and friend of the show, Doug D’Anna. Unlike the classic Caples work Tested Advertising Methods, this book is readily available on Amazon for the low, low price of $8.86. And the Kindle is even less. It’s called Making Ads Pay, and it’s worth far more than the asking price. In this book Caples has a whole chapter on making ads believable. We’re going to talk about that today. Making Ads Pay, by John Caples: https://www.amazon.com/dp/048648601X Download.

What do the world’s most experienced, successful copywriters really think? What if I could get them all together in one room and ask them to share their best ideas and techniques on specific copywriting topics they know most about? If you’ve ever wondered those things, you’re not alone. Our special guest today, Jack Turk, wondered the same thing. And next week, he’s going to give you an answer, at no cost to you, to hear what some of the world’s top copywriters have to say. Including David Deutsch, Dave Dee, and another David, I can’t remember his name right now. Plus many more! Jack’s going to tell us all about it midway through the show. You should know he has decades of experience writing for the big guys, like Microsoft and Kodak. Plus many smaller businesses including dentists, attorneys, even magicians. As the voice of Dan Kennedy at GKIC and of many other high-profile thought leaders, Jack’s sales copy has generated millions upon millions of dollars. Plus, he’s now known as the world’s FASTEST Copywriter. You can sign up for free access to the Copywriting Summit here: https://go.360summits.com/t?orid=579093&opid=150 Download.

When you’ve got to make a pitch to a prospect, whether in person or in writing, you face a weird paradox: The more successful the prospect, the less time they have for you. Cramming a ton of benefits into a short pitch tends to work against you. Who can process all that data in such a short period of time. Lucky for you, there’s another way. It’s called “stacking microstories.” Today I’ll show you how to put together a complete pitch that takes less than five minutes to deliver. You can use this for any product or service. You could put it in an email or on a sales page. And you could deliver it in spoken form to a prospect. I’ll give an actual demo of a microstory stack that takes far less than 5 minutes, so you can see for yourself how this works. Get The Persuasion Story Code here: ‪ https://www.amazon.com/Persuasion-Story-Code-Conversational-Storytelling/dp/B0CFCVDZ7T Download.

If you’re thinking hiring a copywriter OR you’re considering getting a coach, you might be wondering: What can a copywriter do for me that a coach can’t? And vice-versa: What can a coach do for me that a copywriter can’t? Coaching and copywriting are two professions that have grown impressively over the last 20 years. The Internet and a fast-changing world have a lot to do with it. But a lot of people are unclear on what they do and what kind of results they provide. Because while both copywriters and coaches are in the business of helping people get what they want, the ways they go about it are as different as night and day. Today our special guest is Sean McCool. He’s been writing hard-hitting, high-earning sales letters for large publishers like Agora and Stansberry Research for 15 years, plus he’s worked for a lot of smaller direct-response oriented businesses, too. The important thing to know up front is Sean is also a life coach with clients including actresses, children’s book writers, entrepreneurs and even a member of the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame. So, like me, Sean is a coach as well as a copywriter. I thought it would be fun to talk about the similarities and the differences. One thing it will do for you as a viewer or listener is put into sharp relief what copy can and cannot do for you… and whether you should be on the lookout for a coach yourself. Sean’s website is: https://seanmccool.com And you can find his podcast here: https://persuasionbythepint.com/ Download.

When you sit down to write an email, you are presented with a barrage of questions and problems. Not only how to get it opened, but how to get click-throughs. An even bigger problem which most people don’t deal with is, how does your subject line affect the number of sales you ultimately make? Our guest today, returning champion Donnie Bryant, has spent a lot of time thinking about these questions—and a lot of time rigorously testing different approaches to come up with some definitive answers. Donnie has written a great new book, “Subject Line Science,” which we’ll talk about today. To refresh your memory, since it’s been three years since Donnie was on the show, Donnie has generated over $130 million for his clients, which include Agora Financial, Dan Kennedy's GKIC and Early to Rise. He's shared the stage with copy legends like Parris Lampropoulos, Clayton Makepeace and the other David, David Deutsch. Today Donnie is going to zero-in on his current focus, which is email subject lines. I’ve read his book and you should too—I’ve learned a lot. But even before you see his book, you’re going to learn plenty on the show today. Get Donnie’s book here: https://subjectlinescience.com/ Download.

What do you do when copy is coming in fits and starts… or, worse than that, you are staring at a blank page, which is staring back at you? Our returning champion today, Dr. Doug Pew, has some answers for you. What he has to say is information and specific steps you’ve probably heard nowhere else before. And Doug should know. He’s written music performed at Carnegie Hall and an opera that was featured at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He’s also written a lot of other sophisticated music. And plenty of six- and seven-figure copy, too. Doug has developed a can’t miss method for getting out of “stall” and into flow. I’m really grateful and amazed that he’s agreed to share it with us today. You can contact Doug by email: [email protected] Download.

When you’re writing a long-form sales letter, you’ve got to cover a lot of info, and some of it is quite detailed. The problem is, how do you keep your reader engaged and keep the excitement building all the way through? And suppose you know you need to use stories but you are so tired of worn-out hero’s journey stories? Our returning champion today, Joshua Lee Henry, recently solved those problems and wrote a home-run promo featuring a very exciting expert, a veteran of high-level military intelligence. He ended up using a number of persuasion stories and he’s agreed to come on the show today. To tell us what he did, why he did it, and how he did it. RESOURCE: My book, The Persuasion Story Code https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQ Download.