Expert Q&A: Why Drayton Bird wants to shoot me

Drayton Bird wants me shot… I’m not sure if he’s aiming for a fatal wound or if he just wants to ‘see me dance’ as per the poker scene in Goodfellas. Either way, it’s not every day that a legend of the copywriting industry issues a bounty on your head. So, what happened? Well, as usual, […]

Reading List: July 2013 – Vargas Llosa, Coetzee and Fisher

Apologies to those who missed the June reading list. Due to me travelling so much last month, I wasn’t able to put one together. But I’ve taken this opportunity to slightly change the angle of my reading lists. Whereas before I was telling you what I’ll be reading over the next month, from now on […]

Increase conversion with a tweak to your testimonials

For months my partner couldn’t sit. In fact, she could hardly walk. And at the lowest point, it seemed like the problem would never go away. Physical therapists advised exercises, strapped tape across her bum (I’m still not sure why) and prescribed painkillers to mask the discomfort. Still, nothing improved. Eventually an MRI scan was […]

From the web: Joe Polish interviews copywriter Parris Lampropoulos

I wanted to share this genius network interview with you as I think there are a lot of very strong insights shared in it. It’s an interview Joe Polish did with Parris Lampropoulos for Joe’s Genius Network. (www.geniusnetwork.com) For those who don’t know, Joe Polish is a carpet cleaner turned incredibly intelligent marketer. You should […]

An interview with freelance copywriter Stephen Marsh

Stephen Marsh, Copywriter What connects TV presenter Fiona Bruce, Hollywood actor Orlando Bloom and novelist W. Somerset Maugham? Give up? Well, they’re all from Canterbury. As too is Stephen Marsh… a freelance copywriter and generally good egg. He’s written copy for a vast variety of clients all around the world, including a private detective, which […]

Set the mood: don’t let bad email copy ruin your sales letter

No one wakes up in the morning and thinks ‘hey, I need a financial newsletter’… So suggested Agora founder, financial newsletter publisher and legendary copywriter in his own right, Bill Bonner. We can go one further: no one wakes up in the morning and thinks ‘hey, I need to read a direct response sales letter’. Not even copywriters. (Hey, […]

Sharpen your direct response sales letter in one simple move

Often the first few lines of a direct response sales letter are redundant. Sometimes, even the first few paragraphs are too. Look again at the opening of any sales letter you’re working on and ask if it would not be stronger to start a little further in. You see, when we start writing we are […]

Beginner’s guide to direct response copywriting available for Kindle

I’ve just published a new book for Kindle… Buy This Now: A Beginner’s Guide to Direct Response Copywriting. Inside I’ve brought together ten simple rules that I recommend you follow when it comes to starting out in your copywriting career. This isn’t abstract stuff. It’s specific advice that you can apply to any copy you’re […]

Reading List: May 2013 – Auster & Coetzee, Berger and Roth

We’re already into May and I’m already well into my first recommendation for this month. First though, let’s just recap on last month’s suggestions… We had What is the What by Dave Eggers and I must say it was an excellent book. If you haven’t read it yet, make time for it. I’m not sure it’s directly […]