The "secrets" of my success... 1. Starting at Ogilvy and getting a first-class introduction to "Madison Avenue" ad agency advertising (it's where I learned to balance great creativity with great salesmanship) 2. Working on direct response for super-savvy clients like Boardroom/Bottom Line, Rodale, Agora, Procter & Gamble, and so many others — and constantly seeing the results of my efforts 3. Teaming up with great writers and seeing how they work, getting their critiques, and picking their brains — including Jim Rutz, Jim Punkre, Dan Rosenthal, and John Carlton 4. Competing against great writers, which forced me to constantly up my game 5. Working on many different types of projects, from traditional radio and TV commercials and print ads to direct mail, infomercials, VSLs, online ads, and online sales pages (not to mention a few jingles) 6. Working on an incredibly wide variety of products and services — from toilet cleaner and laundry detergent to industrial o-rings to $20,000 high-end seminars 7. Getting exposure to hundreds of different markets and niches, where I learned the best practices of each 8. Having been at this for awhile

The playwright and humorist George S. Kaufman wrote the script for one of the Marx Brothers' Broadway shows — not that the freewheeling Marx Brothers felt bound by it. "Don't look now," mumbled a frustrated Kaufman to a friend backstage during one rehearsal, "but I think I just heard one of my original lines." An entrepreneur I recently started coaching knows how he feels. There was precious little left of his copy after we finished cutting and rebuilding. It made me realize that, at least at first, most of what I teach about copywriting isn't techniques. I simply emphasize three things until they become second nature: 1. One action, one compelling reason — Be crystal clear on the one action you want the prospect to take and the single biggest, most relevant benefit of their doing so. 2. Prove your case beyond a shadow of a doubt — Make your argument so clear and airtight that your prospect could make the case to a friend or spouse. 3. Stop putting prospects to sleep — Swap out the boring parts for interesting stories, surprising facts, or warnings of change that will directly affect them. Want to see how you and your copy would hold up to my tough-love coaching? Comment below or DM me and let's talk.

Invariably, my best copy ideas come away from the computer, talking to people. That's because there is no such thing as “copywriting.” There is only persuasion. You know, that thing you do to convince others to do something. So don’t “write copy.” Instead, imagine how you would convince friends or loved ones to say “yes” to whatever you’re offering, and put that on the page. Better yet, go out and see if you can get people interested in what you’re offering. See where their eyes light up, their interest fades, their resistance flares. The bots cannot do this.

If you need a reminder of how powerful words can be, grab a copy of The Language of the Soul by Mark Nepo. From the back blurb: “Nepo explores the deep, often forgotten roots of 228 words from thirty-one languages and traditions, revealing their original, undiluted power to awaken, connect, and heal.” Just a few minutes with it a day leaves me ready to take on the challenges of both world and page.

Here's a story I tell my students and clients who use AI to write copy… I was once creative director for a direct response agency that hosted elaborate dinners for our clients. The president was particularly fussy about one thing: the water glasses. They could only be the finest crystal. When I asked him why he would pay $150 per glass for high-end crystal, he gently tapped one of the empty glasses. It rang like a bell and seemed to want to go on vibrating forever. “That’s why,” he said. Test your copy — especially AI-assisted copy — the same way. Give it a tap by reading it aloud. Does it vibrate with life as if there’s clearly a living, breathing, feeling human behind it? Or does it clunk like cheap glassware?