How to Write Well: The Big Idea and Clarity
I spend at least half of my time teaching writers how to write better. I’m speaking of writers who work for the information-publishing companies I consult for and for other publishers who pay me to help them make more money. Over the 30 odd years I’ve been doing this, I’ve…
READ MOREMeet Sad Sack
The other day, a guy — a real sad sack — left a post on my blog. Said he’s been a copywriter for decades but has not been very successful at it. It’s not his fault, of course. It’s the world’s fault. More specifically, it’s the direct-response marketing world’s fault.…
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$500K, the Easy Way…
I’ve made a lot of money over the years but this year I set a plan to make $500k the easy way, by using my skills as a copywriter.
READ MOREBreak the Rules, Grow Your Business?
Could it be that what’s stopping you from making your next big business breakthrough is that you haven’t broken the right rule? Most successful entrepreneurs I know are perpetual rule breakers. In fact, I find it hard to come up with even one who’s played by others’ rules and still…
READ MOREYour Business Is Selling Your Business
I recently received a letter from a nice lady I’ll call “Lynn” that reminded me of something very important. It is something that can thwart your efforts to start your own business. It is probably the main reason why smart and talented people never enjoy financial independence. It is big.…
READ MOREThe Language Perfectionist: The Columnist Settles a Dispute
Recently, a grammatical point made in an essay posted on a friend’s website generated a spirited disagreement from a reader. My friend asked me to mediate. The essay told the story of a student who was rebuked by his teacher for saying “He is taller than me.” The teacher sternly…
READ MOREWhy Simple Writing Works Better
Someone once asked me… Why I would, so often… (at least in copy)… Use so many… One-line paragraphs… And so many… well… of these things: “…” Of course, the above is exaggerated. But there’s no getting around it… Many copywriters really do use a lot of one-line paragraphs. Or even one-word…
READ MOREThe Right Way to Ask For, and Get, Referrals
Asking a client for a referral is no big deal. Provided the timing is right, there’s no reason to worry that you’ll look pushy, presumptuous, or out of place. To boost your chances of success, however, it’s important to know just how to ask.
READ MORELessons on Internet Marketing from Society
There are two kinds of customers you must pay special attention to: (1) the excellent customer, and (2) the extremely unhappy customer. The excellent customer is someone who can’t stop buying your products, has been easy to service, and raves about you to everyone he knows. Only now he’s asking…
READ MOREList Price Doesn’t Matter
One of the mistakes many new real estate investors make is thinking they got a good deal just because they managed to purchase a property for less than list price. Don’t confuse list price with property value. In many cases, list price is just the wish price of the seller…
READ MOREThe Language Perfectionist: “Say What?!” Funny Misunderstandings
A mondegreen is a phrase that has been misheard and thus misunderstood, usually with humorous results. Here’s an example: A TV commercial claiming that a car was carved from “a single block of steel” was heard by a viewer as “a single glockenspiel.” Another example: A 2008 news story about…
READ MOREPeople Who Talk to Themselves Have a Captive Audience
How many people talk to themselves? As you’re reading this, you might even be saying to yourself, “Who me? I don’t talk to myself.” There are those who think people who talk to themselves are crazy, but nothing could be further from the truth. People who talk to themselves are…
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