World Copywriting Blog

How to Calm Your Fears About The New FTC Advertising Rules

It's lesser-of-two-evils-time here in marketing-land.

On the one hand: Dealing with the new FTC rules coming into effect December 1 is a royal pain.

On the other hand: Dealing with hard-boiled dectectives from the FTC directly because you didn't bother to deal with their new rules is... hmmm, how shall I put this in a family-friendly blog... it's, let's just say, a lot worse...

Someone decided to do something about it.

Joel Comm brought together three very savvy lawyers... and a "language cop" (an ex-journalist) to make sure what the lawyers have to tell you is in plain English!

And they created a detailed, practical, easy-to-understand product called The FTC Toolkit.

Frankly, this product is more a "got-to-have" as opposed to a "want-to-have."

You may not want to give a moment's time or attention to the FTC. 

But...

You've got to have this resource because everything you know about marketing is about to become wrong.

Almost.

Affiliate marketing will undergo a forced, major overhaul come December 1. The FTC Toolkit is the only authoritative source I know of that tells you exactly WHAT TO DO to protect yourself and still remain a viable (meaning, money-making) affiliate marketer -- short of personally hiring a lawyer like the ones who created this toolkit.

On December 1, the rules for testimonials will change.

This toolkit actually is very practical. 

As just one example, it contains sample letters to use to help you stay in the clear. Getting your lawyer to write similar letters for you could cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

And if your lawyer is not experienced with the FTC, you might not get as good a letter. (To say the least.)

There's a lot more in this product, too.  For example, a 13-point, detailed, plain-language checklist to use to make sure your content and advertising copy don't raise huge red flags for the regulators to home in on.

Actually, the toolkit contains far more than I can cover in this post. That's why I put a copy of the table of contents on my website.

I got a review copy of this product myself and I am starting to use it now. I will ask all of my clients and partners to get a copy as well.

I'm an affiliate for this product.  Please check it out through my affiliate link.

Because...

(as much as I dislike the sound of whining)

I'd rather hear you griping about the extra time and inconvenience resulting from the new FTC rules, ...

... than hear about you, as in: "Did you hear what happened to ____?"

(By the way, I heard exactly that about a high-profile Internet marketer who suddenly disappeared from the scene about two weeks ago.  Never mind who.  The reason he dropped out of sight could be directly traced back to some bad blood between him and the FTC.)

So, if you plan to stick around marketing on the Internet, this is one resource I strongly recommend you have.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

What It Takes To Make It - A Book That Takes On The Popular Myths

Watch out.

A lot of outright lies, half-truths and well-meaning misconceptions masquerade as the truth about what it takes to be successful.

Probably the biggest one is: There is ONE way to be successful, and that way will work for you.

Lie.

What's true is:

The IS a way to find ONE way that will work for you.

Big difference.

Because the one way that will work for you might be strikingly different from the one way that will work for me... or for someone else.

The NLP concept of "modeling" is dangerous because it's based on incomplete information. How can you know that you have duplicated all the conditions that made someone else successful... including, of course, all of their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, experiences and points of view?

The saying "A goal is a dream with a deadline" is a lie because -- what happens if you have a dream and don't meet the deadline?  Is your dream now suddenly unattainable?

Kevin Hogan, a remarkably successful man in his own right, who has helped thousands of other people find their ways to success, has done some deep thinking about these issues.

And he's come up with some crisp, clean, easy-to-understand suggestions and solutions along the way in The 168 Hour Week.

What's great about this book is that Kevin cuts through the crap of these three approaches:

1. Left brain disconnected time-management and goal achievement systems, which work for robots and computers (in theory) but are frustrating for humans because they don't have anything to do with real whole-person life, and

2. The New Age, self-indulgent "Dr. Feelgood" systems that promise everything and deliver mainly hope and then, ultimately, disappointment (at least in material terms).

3. The gonzo, rip-your-world-to-shreds-and-turn-yourself-into-a-productivity-MONSTER systems! Their mantra: Because success is all that matters, people really don't.  Your friends, your family members, and most important, YOU don't matter.  SUCCESS matters. That's all.  If you lose any hope of peace of mind the in process?  That's not important, because you're SUCCESSFUL!

That's just ridiculous.

But wait.  You don't have to settle for the above three approaches.

What?

You mean there's another way?

Yes, and Kevin maps it out in great detail.  It's not necessarily pretty.  It's not always comfortable.  But it is realistic, honest, doable, and in fact it will work.

Most important: It's socially responsible. Meaning, it takes into account that you may have a family and you live and work in a world with other people -- and they matter, too.

If you want to know why you've succeeded when you have... why you've failed when you have... and what you need to do to succeed more in the future... I can think of no other book or system that gives you clearer, simpler, more pragmatic information to help you do that than this one.

Kevin readily admits that he's not politically correct, and I heartily agree. But these days politically correct means coddling people into wallowing in their comfortable prejudices and misconceptions.

With goals, achievement, and quality of life, I can assure you that will not get you results if you demand that everything feel perfect every step of the way.

Kevin allowed me to post three pages of the book for download, so you can see for yourself what it's like and if it's something you'd like to get.

Get this book. It will do you a world of good and help you find the way to success (or new levels of success) already within your reach... and all you need is to be shown how to see it.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Disclosure: This is a review, not an affiliate promotion. I wasn't paid to write it. I have a pre-existing and very profitable business relationship with Kevin. He's also a good friend. However, I'm reviewing the book for the benefit of my readers, not for Kevin's or mine. The link above is for reader convenience only, and does not register purchases with my membership in Amazon.com's affiliate program.

When 'Cute' and 'Clever' Really Work In Copy -- And Why They Do

Behold the newspaper ad. It may be an endangered species, although to look at this week's print edition of the San Francisco Bay Guardian, you wouldn't think so.

A lot of idiotic cuteness and cleverness has been wasted on newspaper advertising. No, let me correct myself. Advertisers have wasted a lot of money on cute and clever ads... that ad agencies and publishers have cheerfully encouraged, as they happily line their respective pockets with that wasted money.

Here is an ad (at left) where the cuteness and cleverness sell. It's a very good use of advertising dollars.

Why?

Because the dollars spent on this ad will bring in many, many more dollars to the restaurant.

What's different about this ad than, say, the dozens of self-indulgent money-pit ads I saw yesterday on TV while watching college football on ESPN?

For one thing, the humor is focused good naturedly on the prospect (carrying the implicit message: "look how cool you are") instead of on the advertiser (implying: "look how entertaining we are.")

With cleverly-named specials like

• BROKE-ASS COLLEGE NIGHT - $1 per, free shot with college student id
• SO HAPPY HOUR - $5 cocktails, $3 drafts
• HUMP DAY SPECIAL - 1/2 off selected appetizers

If you want to take this to an extreme, you could say there's a benefit to the consumer in each bit of humor.

Another thing that's different is that the humor is not the main event in the ad -- it's complementary to the main event, which is this exotic restaurant itself, Mazu, featuring "pan-Asian cuisine."

Again, flowing from the fact that the humor's purpose is not to reflect back on the exquisite cleverness and cuteness of the business, but rather focus on what's in it for the customer.

Flaw in the ad?  One that I see.  It's damned hard to read!

The scan you see above is a pretty faithful representation of what it looks like in the paper, the Bay Guardian.

The reverse type (white letters, and scrawny white letters at that, on red and black backgrounds) are where the graphic designer's desire to be über-hip took over the desire of the business to sell.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

An Updated 'My Life in Advertising' by a Modern Copywriting Master -- Availalble FREE

Richard Armstrong is one of those whimsical enigmas. He's one of the greatest living copywriters, but unlike many heavy hitters, he doesn't seem to harbor the secret belief that his carved image should be placed on Mount Rushmore.

He's probably a better "writer" writer than any of the rest of us. Really, he is. And while he doesn't really wear it on his sleeve, he's not shy about admitting it, either. After all, he does sport a quote on his Web site from the late legend Gene Schwartz: “Richard Armstrong’s prose rises to the level of poetry!"

"Writer" writer or direct mail writer?  He can't decide! He's the only guy I know of who wrote a bona fide direct-mail novel (God Doesn't Shoot Craps: A Divine Comedy).

Richard Armstrong was once interviewed by Advertising Age, and the news-seeking reporter was very disappointed by how un-innovative he was -- and deemed him boring in her lukeworm feature article about him.

(Side note: wildly Innovative, exciting direct mail copywriters make a lot more news than sales, almost all of the time.)

Yes, he's a whimsical enigma.  All the more so because...

Richard Armstrong's got the mind of a direct response copywriter, the heart of a political conservative, and the soul of a Tom Robbins-grade novelist -- minus the countercultural flights of fancy.

And he's got something else that is reaching the status of an endangered species:

He has a terrific sense of humor!

Now, do I have a point here?  I mean, why should you care about this unlikely combination of characteristics that make up Richard Armstrong?

Because I think understanding them will help you see how unusual and valuable a collection of his best projects ("samples") would be, along with some considered commentary explaining why he did what he did... what worked... and why.

This is the kind of stuff other copywriters charge hundreds, even thousands, of dollars for.

And not entirely without good reason.

So why is he giving it away at www.freesamplebook.com -- which you should definitely check out?

Beats me.  Seriously.  I haven't a clue.

But, like I said, I'm not supposed to be able to figure him out.  He's a whimsical enigma.

Disclosure: Richard Armstrong is a friend. He did not compensate me to write this review. In fact, he mischaracterized me in the sample book by calling me a "young whippersnapper." While I love having created that perception about myself in his fertile mind, fact is I'm only one year younger than he is. Bluntly: He ain't that young himself. And although there is no monetary relationship between Richard Armstrong and myself here or in any other way, it should be disclosed that he did ask me to mention the book in my blog.I liked it and thought it valuable enough to write this review. However, if I had thought it was a piece of crap, I would have politely declined.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Proven Way to Get the Most Sales Immediately

If you have a business and you have customers who are happy with what they bought from you, the chances are excellent that you are missing the biggest, most obvious opportunity to increase your cash flow right away.

In this blog post, I will...

1. "Remind" you of this opportunity. (You probably already know what it is and you're not doing anything about it yet.)

2. Give you a template so you can get started taking advantage of this opportunity, and

3. Reveal how you can get a specialist to do the work for you and get this cash stream going in your business -- if you qualify.

As you think about how much more cash you would like to bring in this month, look around and locate your cell phone (unless you're reading this blog post on your cell).

Now, see if you can remember the last time you saw a gas station.

And finally, when was the last time you made an insurance payment -- even if it was deducted automatically from your checking account?

Especially if it was auto-deducted.

Here's why I'm directing your attention to: cell phones, gas stations, insurance. The companies behind all of these get it.

What's that?

They get the unbeatable power of repeat customer business. And the companies in those industries are very, very profitable.

You know what's surprising -- and tragic?

Most of the successful small businesses I coach -- including the highly profitable ones -- have "forgotten" this important profit formula.

Or, they know it full well, but they just don't do anything about it.

Which is a crying shame.  Let me tell you why.

Imagine oil giant Exxon-Mobil. Yes, imagine them... drilling, baby, drilling... and then, finally... striking oil!  Then, they extract 100 barrels of oil from their new well... and... they abandon it, so they can go drill somewhere else.

Crazy, huh?

Further, imagine you cornered the Director of Drilling and asked him why they were doing that.

He looks at you like you just asked him to explain Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity in 25 words or less.

Then he shrugs and says, "I don't know. You always gotta get new wells. I guess that's why we do what we do."

Pretty silly scenario, right?

Uh... yeah. For Exxon-Mobil, it is. But replace that company name with the words "your typical small business," replace "Director of Drilling" with "business owner," and replace "wells" with "customers" -- and it's no longer so silly.

It's tragic, because it's true.

Far too often, it's true.

And just as Exxon-Mobil invests x number of dollars and other resources to poke and prod and explore and sample the earth until it finally can drill a producing well, so does your business invest a chunk of money and other resources to get one new customer.

And then, if you're like most businesses, you abandon the customer! (If marketing were required by law, abandoning customers would be a crime. Punishable by hard labor at a boring, salaried job.)

So... what can you do to start serving your customers more regularly and increasing your cash flow?

The key is to see this not as an activity, but as a system.

Businesses do certain things on a regular basis -- hold meetings, pay bills, ship orders -- and those things are in the category of "systems."

What you need to do is set up a system -- a series of regular actions to entice each customer to keep buying from you.

Something that happens regularly. It's programmed, so you don't have to think about it.  You don't have to start from scratch over and over again. You simply execute.

You want an example of a system?  Go lease a BMW for three years. I did. My lease is up in January. I have never seen such a well-orchestrated, relentless campaign to keep those monthly payments coming in.

Emails. Beautiful four-color brochures in the mail. Direct mail letters as moving as a Mahler symphony. And pleasantly persistent phone calls from Marc, my local dealership "sales advisor."

I bet you're wondering...

Yeah, it worked, alright.  I'm renewing.

Now, how can you learn from my story?

A couple ways.

First, let me give you a template from my recent "Ultimate Copywriting Crash Course." This template walks you through a nine-step process to build a repeat-customer system for your business.

Download here.

Second, get someone with a proven system to do it for you. If you have a business at least two years old with between $500,000 and $5 million in sales, you should talk to John Anghelache (who many people know as "John Angel," because, as he points out, it's easier to spell!:)

John is one of the best copywriters on the planet, but it's understandable if you haven't heard of him before, as he's fairly low-profile. I've been doing business with him for three years. His copy helped me sell hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of one of my products.

Over the last couple years, John developed an incredibly effective Customer Reactivation System. Because of our relationship, he allowed me to be one of only two affiliates to offer his service to my subscribers and blog readers.

By the way, I told two of my mentoring clients about John's service and they immediately jumped on it. Both of them have been around the block. Not only can they smell a shark a mile away, but they also know a good deal when they see it. Once they talked with John, they decided to go ahead.

So, if you believe you qualify and would like to find out if John can help you systematize your repeat customer sales and add a new cash stream, talk to John.

Here's how: go to this page and download his Special Report. He'll tell you what the next steps are from there.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

How Not To Pitch In An Email - Sage Advice From A Master Of The Craft

Today was a good day for many reasons.  High among them: My copy of Target Marketing magazine arrived in the mail.

I always turn to the last page first.  There, direct marketing virtuoso Denny Hatch holds forth on some topic or another.  It's always informative, entertaining, and instructional.

This month's column, entitled "Dismal e-Pitches," was particularly good.

Denny, in both his roles as consumer and editor, reprints three fairly awful pitches he received by email -- and tears each one them to shreds.  Plus, he tells you what mistakes the writer of each pitch made.

You know, sometimes knowing what to do that works starts with knowing what NOT to do.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Here it comes: the first FTC regulation on blogs

You know that blogging has arrived when the U.S. Federal Government formally announces fines for blogging they don't approve of.

It happened.

Yesterday.

On Monday, October 5, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced that bloggers who endorse products or services and don't disclose the payment they have received for those endorsements can be fined up to $11,000.

 In The Washington Post, Cecilia Kang reported:

"The new guidelines also affect how advertisers use studies by research institutes they help fund."

In fact, she added, "Any financial ties must now be disclosed when companies cite the findings of a research organization they fund."

How will this affect you?

Hard to know. The practical ability of the FTC to monitor endorsements (including affiliate promotions) and corresponding financial disclosures is limited, since as of last year there were 133 million blogs on the Internet, according to Technorati -- and there are likely a lot more now.

As for the FTC, an estimate of 2,000 employees in total would be generous, based on some quick Web research I did on the subject.

Yet I know some people personally, and about a few more people not so many degrees of separation away from me, who would be glad to tell you that you don't want to run afoul of FTC rules.

Because life gets really, really uncomfortable.

And that's before they start going after your money.

So, a word to the wise. Be painfully honest.

And keep your eyes open. The Feds have planted a new flag on the Web. 

And yeah, that's right. There's more ahead.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Patrice Walker Used an Email Template to Generate 3 Sales in 40 Minutes! Now You Can Download The Same Template She Used, Here -- For Free

It's gratifying when people take action and get results.  Of course I've been very happy when people I've written copy for, and people I've mentored in copywriting, have hit the jackpot on a particular promotion.

Now I'm trying something new, and the results are impressive.  I'm teaching the staff of two companies copywriting, and we offered seats to interested students at a deep discount.

It's called The Ultimate Copywriting Crash Course.

We closed the doors when it started August 19.  But people are getting such awesome results -- Patrice Walker got 3 sales in 40 minutes, Alicia Bausley got nearly a 72% opt-in rate.

So Ann Sieg and I decided to open the doors again, for a limited time.

During this promotion, you can still get into the Ultimate Copywriting Crash Course at a deep discount.  Get the full story here.

To show you why this class is so valuable, I'd like to share with you the template that Patrice used.

Download your personal copy of the template here.

And you can get a transcript and the PowerPoint slides used in the lesson where I taught the template here.

Note: This is the most value-packed copywriting course I have ever delivered -- or anyone else has, as far as I know.

Example: In Session 2 alone, there are five email templates.  We've only talked about one of them in this blog post so far.

And besides the class with the email templates, there are five more classes filled with money-making tools in the course!

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copwyriting Newsletter

By the way, at the pre-release price, this entire six-session "Ultimate Copywriting Crash Course" costs less than 1% of what client gladly pay me for mentoring or a single sales letter.

Of course the price will go up sharply in the near future.

So find out how you can take advantage of this incredibly good deal here.

Oh - one other thing: In the template example #1, you'll see me refer to a $10,000 Copywriting Mastermind. It doesn't exist -- yet. It's still on the drawing boards.

And it's way, way, WAY more expensive than this very affordable course is for now.

I put it in there solely to show you the power of this particular email format -- and give you an idea of how you can use this format yourself to make a few sales.

Patrice Walker took the hint... :)

Secret leader of Internet Gurus spills the beans in revealing interview

The fellow on the left out-earns every well-known Internet guru by a large amount, or so he says.

His projected income this year: $38 million.

Find out what he does, how he does it, how you can use his principles and techniques to increase your own business.

This is a revealing video with "Mac X" by Dr. Harlan Kilstein of Tactic 7.  It's 100% content.  It's free.

Get it while you can:

www.davidgarfinkel.com/macx

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

By the way, why am I publishing notice of this in a Copywriting Blog?

It's simple.

Mac X says he would not earn one penny of the $38 million he is on track to make this year without copywriting.  He clearly sees copy as the lifeblood of his business and says as much.  That's why I think you should watch the interview.

"Magic Software Generates Money For Your Business"

Yeah, I know.

Sounds WAY over the top... very hypey, too good to be true.

Well, it's not.  It is true.  I'm doing a teleseminar with Dr. Harlan Kilstein about it this afternoon.

Even stranger, the software -- which once sold for $2000 -- is now free.

I sent this announcement to my World Copywriting Newsletter list this morning:

"King of Legal Thievery" giving away $2,000
software that swipes some of Frank Kern's best emails...

... and it writes new, customized emails, ready for you to send to your list!

The software is free (for the time being).

He's giving away the fully-functioning version.

The catch?

You have to opt-in to get it.

That's it.

link to opt-in to get the free software:

www.davdigarfinkel.com/tactic7

teleseminar info:

-----------------------------------------------

Date: Today, Monday, August 31

Time: 3 pm Pacific / 6 pm Eastern

Phone: (712) 432-1001

Passcode: 449453848#

-----------------------------------------------

If you'd like to see the full email, I've posted it on my Web site.  Here's the link:

http://davidgarfinkel.com/wcn083109/index.htm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's not often that I reprint something from my newsletter in the blog, but this is such a rare opportunity and so important I wanted to let you know about it right way.  Hope you can take advantage of it.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

UPDATE 4:15 PM PDT Monday:

You can listen to a playback-on-demand of this call:

Call: (712) 432-1011
Passcode: 449453848#

The Copywriting Mindset - Video of Conversation at Private Retreat

Starting next Wednesday, I'm doing a "transparent" company-wide copywriting training with Ann Sieg's and Mike Klingler's companies.

Recently Ann and I met in person (for the first time in over a year!) to talk about what I'll be doing.  Something brand-new when it comes to copywriting.

You can watch the video on her blog by clicking here.

If you would like to get an hour head-start at signing up for the class, you'll need to subscribe to the free World Copywriting Newsletter. From 9 to 10 am Eastern Monday morning my subscribers will get a chance to sign up for the class before anyone else does.

After you watch the video, leave a comment below and let me know what you think about what we were talking about!

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

What if EVERYBODY in a company learned copywriting? (Next week, you'll have a chance to find out... )

PORTLAND, OR -- There I was, meeting with some leaders from the combined staffs of 80/20 Marketing and Marketing Merge, Inc. at The Living Room, the world's first all-digital cinema.

(We just happened to be there for lunch.  I'm the second bald guy from the left in the back row, against the window.)

How and why I got there is a long story, but as part of the story you can hear a very unusual hour-long interview between Ann Sieg (third from the left, front row) and me here. 

Listen to this content-rich interview. It's free. You'll get a fresh viewpoint about copywriting unlike any that you've ever had before. You'll realize stuff that can help you in your business, no matter what job you currently do.  It's really different.

Because I'm talking about copywriting not from the professional copywriter's (or any other bring-in-the-bacon) point of view -- but from the point of view of everyone else: coaches, trainers, customer service people, financial professionals, anyone in business who considers themselves "not marketing."

Which, I've discovered (since I went into marketing 24 years ago), is most of the world.

Where did the idea come from for "company-wide copywriting?"  Read about that here.

Why I'm telling you all this:

Next Wednesday, I'm going to train about 20 people in Ann's and Mike Klingler's companies on how to use copywriting (and the copywriting mindset) for very different purposes than what you're typically used to.

For example, when you're doing a tweet on Twitter, how do you apply copywriting principles?

When you're teaching a class, how do you used copywriting thinking (even if, and especially if, you're not selling anything for money in the class, but you are selling the students on learning and then implementing what they learned!)?

I'm sure you can think of many other applications of the copywriting mindset to "everyday communication."

Ann's company and I will also be allowing members of our lists to "sit in" on the class for a radically low price. That's all I can say about what it costs now, except that this is the lowest price I have offered a complete program in copywriting since 2000, when Mark Joyner's Aesop released "Killer Copy Tactics."

Based on this price and the size of Ann's list, the technical whiz at Ann's company, Justin Gerhing (fifth from right, all the way at the end in the front row) casually estimated that we'll sell out all 350 seats "in about an hour."

In an effort to protect my loyal newsletter subscribers, I asked if we could give members of my list a head-start Monday morning when registration begins and set aside 100 seats for them.  We're still negotiating, but I'm confident enough that we'll come to an agreement that I can let you know here.

Note: You won't be notified on this blog. To get early Monday morning notification, must subscribe to my World Copywriting Newsletter (here).

Now, about the class. It's six sessions. Webinar. You can download MP3s and PDFs of the PowerPoints after each class. Starting next Wednesday, August 17.

The class will include some templates from my classic Copywriting Templates course, as well as some new ones -- but it will cost much, much less.

It will be the most step-by-step, up to date delivery of instruction in writing copy I've ever done.  Here's a sneak peek at the six classes.

OK -- I know that was a lot of information to absorb, but the bottom line is

> listen to the free interview with Ann and me.  It's not a sales pitch; it's the introduction of how she decided to broaden the concept of copywriting way beyond the way it's used now, and how this class pioneers it.

> if you think this is something you will want to do, make sure you are subscribed to the World Copwwriting Newsletter and watch your email box bright and early Monday morning.

Oh, by the way, Ann and I have a separate video interview going up on the Web Friday.  Check back on this blog Friday afternoon and I'll have a link to it here then.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Are you having trouble getting orders from the Web? I wonder if that's because you're making this mistake...

It's a fact: Some businesses make it so hard to buy from them online that I simply won't make the effort.

Neither will hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions of other people.

Nor will direct marketing virtuoso Denny Hatch.

He tells why in an amusing yet depressing, and certainly instructive, story.  It's in his column about why he stopped buying an exotic light bulb from a company in Ohio, and moved his business over to a Georgia company:

"Make It Easy to Order!"

There's a big lesson that almost certainly applies to your business, in Denny's agitated column. What he writes is especially important right now because:

Some parts of the ailing U.S. economy are showing signs of a rapid upturn in the months ahead.

If you want to get your share of the forthcoming growth, read Denny's rant, learn the lessons and implement them with gusto!

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Walter Cronkite, the... pitchman?

As so many journalists and ex-journalists pay their respects to the pioneering television newsman who died on Friday, I'd like to share an unusual finding.

Before I do, let me say he was a big part of my life in the 1960s. Nearly every Monday through Friday, my family would gather 'round the TV to watch him on the CBS Evening News.

And he was a role model for me, personally -- I'm sure he was one of the major influences that attracted me to journalism for my first career (which ended in 1985).

Now -- and here's the juicy stuff -- did you know that Walter Cronkite was once, ever so briefly, a pitchman and a pick-up artist?  That's right.

In 1936, when he was 19 or 20, he read a commercial in a Kansas City radio station with a fetching young woman named Betsy Maxwell.  The commercial went like this:

Walter: "Well, angel, what heaven did you drop from?"
 
Betsy: "I'm no angel."

Walter: "You look like an angel."

Betsy: "That's because I use Richard Hudnut cosmetics."

Cronkite later reported: "The spark took. We went together for several years and finally married in 1940."

What a romantic guy, huh? :)

This from an appreciation by Cronkite's CBS News colleague Martha Teichner.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Here's an interesting way to hire a copywriter...

Using the principles of copywriting to create help-wanted ads placed on Craigslist has produced some amazing results for copy-savvy friends and clients of mine.

But Isaiah Sieg of 80/20 Marketing has taken the use of copy to hire someone -- appropriately enough, a copywriter -- to a new level with this post on a freestanding Web site.

See for yourself and let me know what you think of this.  Me, I'm bowled over -- and very proud of my client for pioneering this approach!

http://www.renegadeproblog.com/careers/

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Stuck as you write some copy? This bumper sticker I saw recently ought to give you a laugh

Bye-bye affiliate marketing?

The company that hosts this blog for me, TypePad, just posted a link for its clients to a chilling story from the Associated Press.  I'm passing it along to you.

The gist of it: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is planning to stop bloggers from getting paid for endorsing products unless they explicitly say they are getting paid for their endorsements.

This can have profound and devastating effects on affiliate marketing as we know it. Keep your eyes open on this one. It's a serious move threatened by the Feds.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

This is gonna ruffle some feathers... but if you are looking for Monster Success as a copywriter (or doing anything else), you ought to read it...

My friend ultra-copywriter John Carlton is traveling (Australia, New Zealand) and he invited me to do a guest post on his Marketing Rebel Rant blog.

First of all, it's a great honor. John's a living legend and very picky about letting anyone else appear on his blog.

Second, it was a great writing opportunity. The style of posts on John's blog is more expansive than I allow myself on mine.

Don't ask me why... that's just the way it is...

What I wrote about will probably challenge some people, maybe offend others.

It's the truth as I see it, and, wayull... it's not pretty.

I decided to write about something that's been on my mind for a long time. It has to do with what makes copywriters successful. Anyone successful, for that matter. 

Especially in light of the popularity of The Secret (which has led some people to confuse fantasy with achievement) and more recently, popular books with unique views on success like Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

All kinds of buzz going around.  Some strands of this buzz contradicting other strands.

I've mentored copywriters (and still do) who make huge amounts of money and succeed wildly in other ways.

Some of the folks I mentor succeed wildly, that is. 

Not everyone.

So, what makes the difference?

After lots of personal experience and historical research, I've drawn my conclusion. 

You can read about it here.

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Poking fun at vocabulary-builders, by publishing a book that purports to be one

If there's anyone on Planet Earth who understands the power of words, it's got to be Bob Bly. He's made himself very comfortable and extremely well respected as a freelance writer and prolific author.

His 76th book, The Words You Should Know To Sound Smart, is a winking nod to all the books and self-study programs that promise to teach people sophisticated terminology so they can raise their ranking on the social totem pole and be hired for more important jobs.

This book is funny, and it's also cool.

Personally, I found it has words that I know and use (elucidate, litany, fruition)... words that I know but would never use (couture, circumlocution, commodious)... words that I've heard or read but don't know what they mean (meretricious, pusillanimous, rationate)... and words I've simply never come across before (raiment, flagitious, hygroscopic).

If you love words -- as I do -- this is a fun book to have.

But if you are looking to improve your standing and credibility in the world, don't take the tongue-in-cheek promise of the title seriously.  I know people professionally and socially who are insecure about their intelligence or lack of formal education, and they make pathetic fools of themselves by using big words they don't really understand as an effort to cover up those insecurities.

It's not pretty.

One more thing. Bob Bly is a tremendously successful and skilled copywriter.  His 1985 book The Copywriter's Handbook is one of the best works ever written on the subject, for beginners and advanced copywriters alike.

Now understand that the 1200 words featured in his latest book are great words to play with, but not so good for selling.  Here's the simplest way to see that:

The title, "The Words You Should Know To Sound Smart," contains eight words, all one syllable.  The average number of letters per word is a hair over four.  None of these words is one of those 1200 that are recommended between the covers.

Many of the words in this book are much, much longer than any of the eight words that make up the title of this book.

It's a great title.  None of the title words makes you "sound smart." But they will sell a lot of books.

And maybe in that little paradox is the answer to the question that, over the years, has painted so many people into a corner: "If you're so smart, how come you're not rich?"

Well... maybe all those "dumb guys" who make up the top 2% of the wealth holders of the world... just maybe, they aren't so dumb after all?

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Finally, a way to learn how to cash in quickly with Social Media... while you build a solid foundation for the future

I can think of four conversations I had yesterday where the main topic of conversation was social media -- you know, Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube, blogging.

The one that stands out in my mind was what a business partner told me.  A coach he knows just closed a $12,500 contract just with back and forth on Twitter.

What a way to get new business!

I have to admit I'm behind the curve on social networking.  So when I learned about the Social Media Success Summit 2009, I signed up.  I need the information and this is the most convenient, efficent way for me to start to put together my own social media marketing plan.

More than 3 out of 5 marketers are spending five or more hours per week on social networking sites, according to a survey called the Social Media Marketing Industry Report.

The one Detroit automaker that isn't expected to file for bankruptcy in the next few weeks, Ford, is active in social media.

Dell Computer recently reported a million dollars in sales just by issuing coupons on Twitter.

On a personal note, the richest friend I have (he sold his latest business a few years ago to a Fortune 1000 company for over $100 million) recently told me he was at a business conference and all everyone was talking about was: social media, social media, social media.

You can download a free class on social media at the Social Media Success Summit 2009 site.  Go to:

www.tinyurl.com/socialmedia09

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter