October 2017

Your ability to pitch an idea determines so much in life.

If you can pitch an idea well… persuasively… convincingly… the doors of opportunity swing wide open for you. People listen to you, and take action. Things YOU care about become things THEY care about.

Your ability to advocate increases.

Your ability to win people’s commitment increases.

Your ability to change communities and cultures increases.

Basically…

It makes a big difference.

But what if you suck at pitching things?

Is there hope for you in life?

Or what if you’re decent at it… but you want to get great at it? And you don’t know how?

Here’s my #1 piece of advice for anyone pitching anything to a live audience:

Start with “the problem.” Start with the thing that your pitch is a solution for. Start there… and only then move to talking about a solution.

Here’s why:

Human desire begins with lack. You desire something because you lack something. You desire something because something is off. Something’s not right. There’s a “problem.” Human desire is always aimed at a solution… but it’s always sourced in a problem. And if you want your audience to really “feel” the desire… you have to go the source of the desire – i.e. the problem. THAT’S what you point to first. THAT’S where the ‘desire-stirring’ work is really done. Not in mentioning cool, fancy features and benefits that will make your audience drool… but in talking about the thing that bugs them, annoys them, terrifies them, keeps them up at night.

Biggest mistake in pitching?

Only talking about the solution. 

Only talking about the action you want people to take… the product you want to sell… the benefits you think people will experience… and failing to point to the PROBLEM these things are supposed to solve.

Every pitch is a response to a problem.

Identify the problem. And usually that’s where you’ll want to start. And if you don’t start there… do address it at some point. Preferably very early on.

Of course…

If we start talking about copywriting…

Much nuance is needed.

Because there are SOME contexts in which it’s okay to just talk about benefits/outcomes… for some interesting reasons…

But that’s for another post. On another day.

We copywriters so often use these introductory lines that don’t play an *essential* role in the piece we’re writing. And really, if we just cut out the first paragraph or two… or the first line or two… our copy would be way better for it. John Carlton calls it “clearing your throat” – and says that whenever he finishes a piece, he’ll always go back and take a good look at the first paragraph. And VERY often he finds that the piece would be better without it.

Your first line is always critical.

Don’t waste it.

START with the heart of the matter.

If you’re gonna fumble around saying useless stuff (which you shouldn’t), say it ANYWHERE but in the first line.

After you finish a piece, always go back to that first line. And as you read it, put yourself in your reader’s shoes… and ask, “would I be absolutely hooked from the get-go after reading this line?”

If the answer is ‘no,’ you’re probably clearing your throat.

And you need a new opening line.

The end.

P.S. Ironically, when I posted this article a week ago… I was “clearing my throat” for 3 lines. And it’s only now – a week after posting – that I realized this. And I literally just took out the first 3 lines and changed nothing else. Just goes to show how often we copywriters do this terrible, terrible thing.

The very first assignment that my copy mentor gave me, when I was a young copy fledgling… was to read a book. And if you want to become a copywriter, but haven’t yet done anything to that end… you should read this book too. Before you read or do anything else.

It’s essentially the “Homer’s Iliad”… or the “Plato’s Republic”… of copywriting.

i.e…

It may be old.

But it’s 1,000X more “relevant” than  almost any marketing or copywriting book that’s been written in the past 20 years.

It teaches the fundamental stuff.

The deep stuff.

The underlying pyschological principles stuff.

The eternal stuff that will be just as true and relevant 1,000 years from now.

If you haven’t read it yet…

Go order a copy of Claude Hopkin’s “Scientific Advertising” right now.

It’s like $5 on Amazon. Maybe less.

“Scientific Advertising” is THE place for ALL aspiring copywriters to start their journey.

Already read it?

It certainly wouldn’t hurt to read it again.

That’s all for today.

Most copywriters suck.

No, but really.

My clients tell me horror stories of how they hired copywriter after copywriter after copywriter… and every time, without fail, the copywriter was just really bad at writing copy. Which led to many wasted hours… and many wasted dollars for my clients.

Which leads us to a very important question:

How on earth do you find & hire a copywriter who DOESN’T suck?

Good question – but too soon.

First, let’s get more specific.

And say WHY most copywriters suck.

(Then we can answer the question of how to hire non-sucky ones)

Behold:

4 Things That Underlie Most Copywriter-Suckiness

1. Lots of copywriters base their copy off of best practices… instead of basing their copy on real research, and real life. They’ll read some Dan Kennedy book, and get all enamored by the cool tricks and tactics inside. And then they’ll forget to figure out who they’re writing to. And how that person talks. And what they want. And so what they end up writing sounds “salesy”… and awkward… and forced. And it doesn’t work.
2. Lots of copywriters just aren’t that good at selling. Because they often come from a writing background… instead of a selling background. Which means they’re not deeply and experientially familiar with the psychology of selling. Which is a problem. Because copywriting IS just written salesmanship.
3. Lots of copywriters can’t write in your company’s voice. They latch onto the voice they’re used to writing in, and mistake this personal voice for “the way I HAVE to write my copy in order for it to work.” All the while failing to understand that effective copywriting is 80% psychology… and psychology can be worked into any voice in the world.
4. Lots of copywriters can’t get their copy to ‘flow’ well. Even if they can get the basic idea right… they use too many words. Or bog down the copy with awkward phrases that create friction in the reading experience. So the copy doesn’t work.

Okay.

So now that we know what comprises most copywriter-suckiness… how do you hire a good copywriter?

Or even better, how do you hire a great one?

Here are the answers ye seek, in the beautiful bullet form:

How to Hire a Copywriter Who Doesn’t Suck

• Stop thinking you can hire a great copywriter for $20/hr or less. You can’t. Barely good enough copywriters start at $25-30/hr. Good guys will charge $50+/hr. And great guys will charge $100+/hr. And yes, that’s a lot. But they’ll easily bring you a 1,000%+ return on your investment with them(if you put them on the right sorts of projects). Which is why they charge so much.
• Find a really expensive copywriter and ask them for recommendations. The really big guns—guys who charge $100-500/hr—shouldn’t be too hard to find. And they’ll be highly connected in the copywriting world. And they’re usually pretty nice guys who will be happy to give you some recommendations… or at least point you somewhere helpful. Hopefully. So be nice about it, but take advantage of that.
• When you do start vetting… be on the lookout for the 4 things that make up copywriter suckiness. Have the dials to your suckiness-detector dialed up to the max when you’re looking over their writing samples. And then when you’re reviewing their paid projects.
• If you’re looking to hire a copywriter in an ongoing capacity, have them “audition” by writing 2-3 emails for you. Write up a short scenario for each email. Example:
  
  “We’re ready to launch a new _____ product that shows people how to _______. Without further clarification, write up an email announcing the product to our email list and sending readers to the product page.”
  

So there’s some pointers.

More pointers coming soon.

If you want to always be able to make plenty of money to support yourself, and your family, and the needy around you…

There’s really only 1 thing you need to know.

This:

The ability to make money = being useful to other people.

Got it?

Cool.

Now you understand the most fundamental, the most powerful, the most wonderful thing there is to know about making money.

But maybe you don’t see why this idea is so powerful.

Let me explain:

Everyone wants stuff. Your brother wants a new phone. The local McDonald’s manager wants a fast, efficient, well-run store. Some people want a different president. And if you can help a person get what they want… you’re “useful” to them.

And furthermore…

They’ll pay you for your help.

And that’s why earning money really comes down to:

Learning to be useful to other people.

Call to mind everything you’ve ever been told about “earning a living,” “getting a job,” “paying the bills,” etc. Alright, it’s in your mind? Great. Now pretend it’s all on fire, and now it’s burned to the ground.

Earning a living isn’t essentially about having skills.

Or being passionate.

Or being authentic.

Or working your butt off.

Or having a killer resume.

Or having a degree.

Or graduating from a “top school.”

Nope – it’s essentially about being useful to someone else. And, to be simplistic… the more useful you are to them, the more money they’ll be willing to pay you for your help.

Now.

Some questions:

Q #1 – “Aren’t you encouraging me to be a sellout?”

It depends.

If you’re only in it for the money… if the only reason you’re learning to be useful to other people is so that you can take their cash… yeah, you’re kinda being a sellout.

But I’m not suggesting you do that.

Do it for them. The people you’re being useful to.

Your manager.

Your customer.

Your mom.

Learn to be useful to them… because you care about them. And they need the help.

Then you’re not a sellout.

Cool, huh?

Also, here’s some food for thought:

Wouldn’t it be awesome if, by taking the time to learn what other people’s needs are… what their desires are… and by trying to meet their needs… wouldn’t it be cool if you found that this is what you really wanted all along?

To live a life of service to other people?

To throw yourself into the world’s great need, and make that need a little bit lesser?

Hint:

I think if you did that… you’d find that it IS what you really want.

You’d find that a life focused on meeting the needs & desires of others is MORE likely to lead you into personal satisfaction… and joy… and an understanding of your deep desires… than is a life spent trying to “be YOU” and “do what YOU want to do” and all that.

Q #2: How is this practical?

Well…

For starters:

• You now understand the key to being successful in any startup. The fastest growing startups are the ones that are the most useful to real people. The dying startups are the ones that thought they would be useful to real people… but it turns out they weren’t.
• You now understand the key to getting a job anywhere. Figure out what a company really needs. Then learn as fast and as well as you can how to do or be that thing. Then prove to the company that you can do that thing. Show past projects where you’ve successfully done it. Offer to do free projects to demonstrate. If you really are what they really need, they’ll find out sooner or later. And they’ll hire you.
• You now understand the key to being a successful freelancer or consultant. Learn what your audience really needs. Find out what the itch is that they have… that no other freelancer has scratched. Then learn how to do that. How to be that. Become really, really useful to potential clients. And clients will be happy to pay you.

(Case in point: I’m a freelance copywriter. I’ve found that lots of business owners have tried to hire copywriters… but have ended up being very frustrated with them, because they (the copywriters) never took the time to *really* listen to the business owner’s particular market… and so they never learn to “speak the market’s language”… and so the copywriters churn out stuff that, to the business owner, “sounds like a bunch of salesy crap.” Me, being the smart little chicken that I am… I’ve learned from this mistake of past copywriters, and so whenever I take on a new project, I first make sure to immerse myself in the market & learn their language & learn their hopes and dreams & learn their everything… and only then do I start writing. The result? Lots of clients who are happy to open their wallets and pay me for what I write)

In short:

Learn how to be useful to people.

And they’ll pay you lots of money.

Q #3: “How do I figure out what people really need?”

There are lots of ways.

Here’s the easiest:

Ask them.

“What’s your company in dire need of right now?”

If you went around and asked that to a dozen companies that you wanted to work for… and then used their answers to guide your learning for the next 2 years…

You’d have no problem getting a job at one of those companies.

Conclusion:

Being really good at making money & living a really fulfilling life don’t have to be at odds with each other.

On the contrary.

If you learn to make money in the right way…

By learning to care about and really address the real needs of real people…

You just might find yourself in a very fulfilling life.

And with lots of money.

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