Copywriters Podcast

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.