The Copywriter Club Podcast

Copywriter Rick Marion joins Kira Hug and Rob Marsh for the 86th episode of The Copywriter Club Podcast. This one gets personal as Rick talks about how he overcame his addictions and how that relates to copywriting. We also talked about... •  how he found copywriting and persuasion though a mentor •  what his first few clients were like (where the work came from) •  how he identifies a mentor to connect (and work) with •  how he finds clients today •  what he’s doing to build the channels where clients can find him •  the two reasons he continually invests in masterminds, books, and events •  the biggest take-aways from his membership in The Think Tank •  his struggle with addiction and how he reframed the way he looked at the world •  what he is experimenting with these days •  what copywriters can do to build their authority •  why he put together a copywriter book group •  what Rick is working on in his business today Rick is a current member of The Copywriter Think Tank and he shares a bit about his experience there. To get this one, visit iTunes, Stitcher or your favorite podcast app. Or click the play button below. For a full transcript, just keep scrolling.   The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: The Copywriter Think Tank The New York Event: TCCIRL Proposify Better Proposals Ben Settle Jody Mayberry Ray Edwards Brian Kurtz Larry Winget Parris Lampropolous Parris’ book list (coming soon) How to Write a Good Advertisement by Vic Schwab Talent is Overrated by Geoffrey Colvin rickmarion.com Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group Intro: Content (for now) Outro: Gravity   Full Transcript: Kira: What if you could hang out with seriously talented copywriters and other experts, ask them about their successes and failures, their work processes and their habits, then steal an idea or two to inspire your own work? That’s what Rob and I do every week at The Copywriter Club Podcast. Rob: You’re invited to join the club for episode 86, as we chat we freelance copywriter Rick Marion about his story; dealing with addiction; how he approached copywriting; what he’s learned from the influencers in his life, and the importance of constantly learning and improving as you build your career. Kira: Rick, welcome! Rob: Hey Rick! Rick: Hey; thank you guys! Kira: So Rick, we met you through The Copywriter Think Tank, and we’ve had the privilege of getting to know you overt the past six months or so. So why don’t we start with your story, and how you became a copywriter? Rick: Well, it was comforting; a couple of weeks ago at the New York event, someone asked how many people became copywriters by accident, and like, the whole room pretty much raised their hand. So, that was pretty comforting to know that I also kind of just fell into this. So, full-time job; like, i was working. This was about four years ago, five years ago, and I was working on my master’s degree. i was getting certifications going after my dream job. And I actually got the offer. It was more money than I asked for. Ton of vacation time...it was exactly what I was looking for in like cyber-security. And I had the start date, like, everything was lined up. And then i got a call saying they couldn’t give me the job because of foreign-national contacts that i had. Like... Kira: What? Rick: It was too sensitive. Yeah, it’s the industry. Rob: I want to know about these “foreign-national contacts”! Rick: Laughs. Kira: Yeah! Rob: Like, foreign national...spy? Or drug dealer? Kira: Are you a spy? Rob: Yeah, what’s up? Laughs. Rick: Laughs. No, you know what? It’s just people that travel all over the world and they travel to some countries that, you know, the U.S. doesn’t really want to get involved with. So it was enough to basically say they couldn’t offer me the job, and I was devastated. Kira: Wow. Rick: I mean this was, like I said,

Health and Fitness copywriter, Misty Mozejko joins Kira and Rob for the 85th episode of The Copywriter Club Podcast. We asked her all kinds of questions about her fitness and copywriting business—and got a lot of great advice to apply to our own businesses. We even talked about nipple tassels, which is new ground for us (though not for Misty). Here’s what else we talked about: •  how she got started running her own businesses and how that led to copywriting •  how she found a mentor and why she continues to look for them •  what she did to lose 120 pounds (and how long it took) •  the business lessons she learned running her own fitness club •  her diet recommendations for copywriters who need to feed their brains •  the system she has developed in her business to help her succeed •  the moment she realized she was good at copywriting •  what she’s done to improve her own writing (this is a great tip) •  her advice on how to choose clients •  why she emails her list every day (and the impact it has) •  where the ideas for her emails come from •  how she captures the voice of her clients •  how she manages two businesses, being a mom, and staying healthy •  the mistakes she’s made (and why she tries to stay in her lane) •  what she’s learned about hiring people to help her •  how she communicates with her team (and the tool she uses) •  what she does to improve her writing and business skills •  the words she uses to push back on her clients Finally, Misty pulled out her crystal ball to tell us where she sees copywriting going in the future. She’s probably not wrong. To hear it all, click the play button below, or scroll down for a full transcript.   The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: Sponsor: The Copywriter Think Tank Brian Kurtz Paul Mort Ben Settle Email Players James Friel Autopilot Entrepreneur Evernote Trello Basecamp Bond Halbert Russell Brunson Sell Health Nipple Tassels The Go Giver Misty’s Facebook Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group Intro: Content (for now) Outro: Gravity Full Transcript: Rob: What if you could hang out with seriously talented copywriters and other experts, ask them about their successes and failures, their work processes and their habits, then steal an idea or two to inspire your own work? That’s what Kira and I do every week at The Copywriter Club Podcast. Kira: You’re invited to join the club for episode 85 as we talk with copywriter and business owner Misty Mozejko about succeeding as a copywriter while running a whole other business; how she stays sane balancing two businesses while being a mom; her best fitness and nutrition advice; and what she does to stand out as a copywriter in a crowded field. Rob: Hey Misty. Kira: Welcome, Misty. Misty: Well, thank you very much for having me; this is an honor! Kira: It’s great to have you hear. I think a great place to start is with your story, and how you ended up running multiple businesses. Misty: Uhhhm, yeah; you said ‘sane’? You mentioned something about my sanity in the intro, and I think we should address that, because there’s definitely none of that happened in the past. I’m not sane at all, so let’s just clear that up right now. But yeah, I think that, you know, I started out as an entrepreneur just after my son was born and he’s almost twelve, so it’s been over a decade now doing my own thing. And the fitness business arose because of my own personal... Well, I lost 120 pounds after my son was born, and I figured if I could do it, then everyone could do it; like seriously, everyone can do it. So, I grew a fitness business from that, and the copywriting kind of came out of the fitness business, because I was writing to my clients, and writing to my list everyday, unbeknownst to me what even copywriting was or even email marketing was. I had no idea. I was just doing it. And then, after a few years of thinking, “Huh,

Copywriter, author and copy coach Steve Roller stops by our studio for the 84th episode of The Copywriter Club Podcast. Steve is the founder of The Copywriter Cafe Facebook group—a group that a lot of club members are also in. We asked Steve to share his thoughts about his book, the field of copywriting and a whole lot more. Here’s what this episode covers: •  how a 17-year career in sales (and an online course) led to his second life as a copywriter •  how he connected with his first client (it involved pancakes) •  the advice he gives copywriters who are struggling to gain traction •  the advantage copywriters with a sales background have over other writers •  what it takes to foster engagement in a Facebook community •  the importance of relationships for all (but especially new) copywriters •  the books he recommends to copywriters who are just starting out •  the skills you need to be good at on client calls •  why every copywriter needs to write their own book •  how writing a book has affected his business •  the dark side of freelancing (spoiler: you won’t make millions working at the beach) •  the lighter side of freelancing—it’s definitely not all bad •  what Steve sees happening with copywriting in the future This was a great conversation with someone who is doing a lot to support other copywriters and help them succeed. It’s no wonder we feel such a kinship with Steve. You can get this interview on iTunes, Stitcher or by scrolling down to click the play button. Or you can read the transcript if you scroll down the page a bit.   The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: The Copywriter Café Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferazzi How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie The Freelancer Manifesto by Steve Roller Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Cafewriter.com Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group Intro: Content (for now) Outro: Gravity   Full Transcript: This podcast is brought to you by The Copywriter Think Tank, our mastermind group for writers who are serious about taking their businesses to the next level. In the Think Tank, you’ll learn from guest experts who share their business and copywriting expertise; you’ll have the opportunity to sit in the hot seat while the other members of the group brainstorm solutions to the challenges you’re facing; and, you’ll have exclusive access to a small, focus group of professional copywriters who are all working together to get better at what we do. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth the investment. If you’re interested in learning more, visit www.copywriterthinktank.com. Kira: What if you could hang out with seriously talented copywriters and other experts, ask them about their successes and failures, their work processes and their habits, then steal an idea or two to inspire your own work? That’s what Rob and I do every week at The Copywriter Club Podcast. Rob: You’re invited to join the club for episode 84 as we chat with freelance copywriter, author, and community leader Steve Roller about the dark side of freelancing; the skills you need to make it as a consulting copywriter; why you must ride a book; and the impact a great community can have on your career. Kira: Welcome, Steve! Rob: Yeah, welcome Steve! Steve: Hey! Thank you very much for having me; I’m honored to be here, and excited to talk to you today and share some ideas with your readers. With your readers...I’m thinking ‘book’ already! With your lis— Kira: They’re going to be readers! Steve: Laughs Rob: Readers, listeners, yeah. Steve: With your listeners! No, I’m excited to be here. Thanks for having me. Rob: We’re really grateful that you are taking the time to talk to us. You’ve been on our list for a little while. We’ve sort of watched what you’ve done in your community and with your book and so, we’re just really excited to just kick off this conversation. Steve: Excellent, excellent.

In the direct response world everyone knows the name, Gary Halbert. He’s often called the best copywriter who ever lived. And if we could, we’d ask Gary to be on the show, but alas, that’s not possible, so we’ve done the next best thing. Bond Halbert is the guest for episode 83 of The Copywriter Club Podcast. Kira and Rob sat down with Bond to talk about his famous dad and the lessons he’s learned from a lifetime (literally) learning copy. We talked about: •  his path into the world of copywriting (it all starts with his dad) •  the story behind The Boron Letters and why Gary wrote them to Bond •  why Gary Halbert went to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (really) •  the 2-3 most important lessons he learned from Gary Halbert •  how he divides his work into thirds •  the four kinds of readers you’ll attract to your copy •  why copywriters are good at headlines but bad at closes •  what he does to nail the close •  the importance being persuasive in person (not just in copy) •  where good copy really comes from •  what Bond’s research process involves •  his hack for finding the problems your customers want to solve •  why expertise is relative (the differing levels of expertise) •  the formula he leans toward when he writes for his clients •  why you need to create a compelling sense of urgency in every sales message (and how to do it) •  why he wrote Part III of The Halbert Copywriting Method first •  how he talks differently about positive and negative ideas in his copy (we hadn’t heard this anywhere else before) •  how (and why) Bond’s relationship with money is different from his father’s This interview was so good that it went a little long, but we think you'll learn a lot from the extra time we spent talking about copywriting. To get this one, visit iTunes, Stitcher or your favorite podcast app. Or simply click the play button below. And of course, you can scroll down for a full transcript.   The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: The Boron Letters Parris Lampropolous How to Make Maximum Money in Minimal Time Glenn Gary Glen Ross Big Jason Henderson Sam Markowitz The Halbert Copywriting Writing Method, Part III BondHalbert.com TheGaryHalbertLetter.com Halbertising.com Email: bond@thegaryhalbertletter.com Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group Intro: Content (for now) Outro: Gravity   Full Transcript: Rob: What if you could hang out with seriously talented copywriters and other experts, ask them about their successes and failures, their work processes and their habits, then steal an idea or two to inspire your own work? That’s what Kira and I do every week at The Copywriter Club Podcast. Kira: You’re invited to join the club for episode 83 as we talk with copywriter and marketer Bond Halbert about the most important lessons he learned from his father, the man many called the greatest copywriter ever lived; the story behind The Boron Letters; the formulas, tactics, and strategies he uses to make effective copy; and what he’s doing to carry on Gary’s legacy. Rob: Hey Bond! Kira: Welcome, Bond! Bond: Hi! Thank you for having me here! Rob: Yeah we’re thrilled to have you; when we made a list of all of the guests that we wanted to interview eventually on the podcast, your name was one of the first ones that we added, and so it’s taken us a little while to get to you, but we are glad that you’re finally here. Bond: Oh! I didn’t know that, I would have come sooner! Laughs. Kira: Laughs. This is perfect; perfect timing. Episode 83 is a good episode. So Bond, let’s start with your story, especially for people who are less familiar with you, you know; how—how did you get into this wonderful world of copywriting and marketing? Bond: I’m going to try to make this really short, because I know I’ve given this to people who’ve heard me on other podcasts, and I like to give people as much, like, new stuff as I can,

Copywriter Eman Zabi joined Kira and Rob for the 82nd episode of The Copywriter Club Podcast and we had a great conversation. She became a copywriter a little over a year ago, but in that time has accomplished more than many writers with several years of experience. We talked about her experience in The Copywriter Accelerator and Think Tank and what she’s done to grow her business to the point where she’s working with major outdoor consumer brands. Here are a few of the topics we covered: •  how she went from star engineering student to copywriter (with a stop at the UN along the way) •  what the early days of starting her own business •  what she’s learned from the copywriters she’s surrounded herself with •  what she’s done to stand out online (her SEO secrets) •  why she cut the number of projects she will work in half •  how she’s raised her prices and didn’t worry about “paying her dues” •  how she goes after the clients that she wants to work with •  what you have to know to write in the outdoor industry •  why she threw away her entire list (every single name) and started over •  her thoughts about creating a signature service •  how she deals with clients who think she’s too young •  why she adopted a penguin, two tigers, a great white shark and a llama last year •  how she built a beautiful website for just $47 (and some tears and caffeine) •  why she moved half way around the globe last year •  climbing Kilimanjaro and what she learned from the experience •  how branding can make a big difference for copywriters We also talked with Eman about her best advice to copywriters who are just starting out. And what she shared sounded good to us. To hear the whole discussion, simply click the play button below, or scroll down to read the full transcript.   The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: Mount Kilimanjaro Ban Ki-moon The Copywriter Accelerator The Copywriter Think Tank Lessons from Kilimanjaro Wix MooseJaw Sean D’Souza Hillary Weiss Laura Belgray Eman’s Twitter The Outdoor Copywriter Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group Intro: Content (for now) Outro: Gravity   Full Transcript: Kira: What if you could hang out with seriously talented copywriters and other experts, ask them about their successes and failures, their work processes and their habits, then steal an idea or two to inspire your own work? That’s what Rob and I do every week at The Copywriter Club Podcast. Rob: You’re invited to join the club for episode 82 as we chat with freelance copywriter Eman Zabi, about how she got into copywriting, dealing with clients who think she’s too young, choosing her niche to rebranding to reach her ideal clients, and what it’s like to stand on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Kira: Welcome, Eman! Rob: Hey, Eman. Eman: Hey, thank you! Kira: Great to have you here! So, we’ve been able to get to know you—we’ve had the privilege of getting to know you—over the past, well almost year, through the Accelerator Program, and then now through The Copywriter Think Tank. So we’re excited to kind of dig into your past, and your copywriting, and your business a bit more. A good place to start is with your story. So, how did you end up in copywriting? Eman: So that’s a funny story, actually. I kind of started off as like every brown parent’s dream, because as a kid, I was like making websites at eight; I was building radios and Morse Code oscillators; and I was going to be an engineer, and I was going to be a great engineer. And then like I started writing, and then I got something published by Bloomsbury at eleven, and then I ended up at the U.N. at fifteen, and then I’m like, “Oh my goodness. I don’t want to be an engineer anymore.” And my parents were devastated. And then I went into politics, and you can’t get a job in politics. I was unemployed; there was no way I was going to get a job with a degree in international politics. And,

For the 81st episode of The Copywriter Club Podcast, Kira and Rob talk with copywriter and marketing specialist, Mike Saul, about copywriting, sales, marketing, and a lot more. Kira first met Mike at a lunch-time gathering of copywriters in New York City and after talking for a little while, realized Mike had a lot of great advice to share with our listeners. In this podcast we talked about: •  how a 13-year-old’s newspaper route led to a career in sales and copywriting •  the book that he used to help a client go from a $500K monthly loss in $1 million in monthly revenue •  how his sales experience informs what he does today •  what he learned from selling burglar alarms—price is not the most important thing •  the relationship between sales and marketing in what copywriters do •  how to write an “air tight” argument for your solution •  how to overcome objections on your sales page •  the checklist he uses when he writes sales pages for his clients •  why sales people in California have to leave the house after •  the list of people he has learned sales and copywriting skills from •  credibility versus believability and which one really matters Lots of good stuff in this episode. To hear it all, click the play button below, or scroll down for a full transcript.   The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: Staton Island Advance Mandolin Brothers NAM Show Todd Brown The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy Brian Tracy Zig Ziglar Gibson SG Fender Telecaster Glen Garry Glen Ross Chris Haddad Clayton Makepeace’s Checklist Joe Schriefer Bob Bly John Carlton Dr. Robert LaPenna Better Call Saul Email: tinymjs.gmail.com Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group Intro: Content (for now) Outro: Gravity   Full Transcript: Rob: What if you could hang out with seriously talented copywriters, ask them about their successes and failures, their work processes and their habits, then steal an idea or two to inspire your own work? That’s what Kira and I do every week at The Copywriter Club Podcast. Kira: You’re invited to join the club for episode 81 as we talk with marketing strategist and copywriter Mike Saul about how a newspaper route launched his copywriting career, how preconceived notions affect your success, credibility vs. believability, what baby bottles, Santa Clause, and getting a first date have in common, and the learning resources he likes most. Kira: Hey Mike, welcome to the show! Rob: Mike, we’re glad to have you! Mike: Thank you for having me, guys. Kira: So, we want to start with your story, Mike. How did you end up in marketing and direct response copywriting? Mike: It probably goes back to when I was 12 or 13 years old. I grew up on Staten Island, which is one of the five boroughs of New York City, so about 13 I started playing guitar. And my parents decided that they weren’t going to buy me a really nice guitar so I had to get a job at thirteen and we perish the thought these days, with all these entitled children, including my three. So anyway, I started delivering the newspaper, The Staten Island Advance. And I actually split a route with two brothers. The two brothers each had a route each but they were too big, so the mother split each of their routes and made a third route. It was kind a rent deed route, it wasn’t officially recognized by the Staten Island Advance. So that route got cycled through the neighborhood kids; most of the kids couldn’t do it so I said alright, I’m going to give it a shot. I had twenty one stops on my route. And I started delivering the paper and anybody I wasn’t delivering to on my route, I would knock on the door, ask if they wanted it, and I started selling. So, I built the route up to 41 people from 21. Now, why 41? Because I was warned by my friend’s mom, that, if you add one more house, we’re going to split the route again, so I said okay, well, that’s great...

In the 80th episode of The Copywriter Club Podcast, Kira and Rob share their take aways from the recent TCC In Real Life event in New York City, what’s going on in their businesses right now (and how they’re dealing with it) and what’s coming up in The Copywriter Club—the next Copywriter Think Tank and the new options we’re offering with The Copywriter Accelerator. We talked about: •  how some of the best parts of a conference aren’t at the conference •  a couple of highlights from the incredible presentations •  who won the scavenger hunt (and how well they did) •  what we’re working on and why we're suddenly feeling overwhelmed •  what mastermind groups have done for us and a few of the reasons you might want to consider one •  the changes we’ve made to The Copywriter Think Tank •  the new, more affordable, option for The Copywriter Accelerator To hear all about it, click the play button below, or scroll down for a full transcript.   The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: Hillary Weiss Parris Lampropolous Brian Kurtz Allison Comotto Katz’s Deli City Hunt The Copywriter Think Tank The Copywriter Accelerator Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group Intro: Content (for now) Outro: Gravity   Full Transcript: Kira: What if you could hang out with seriously talented copywriters and other experts, ask them about their successes and failures, their work processes and their habits. Then steal an idea or two to inspire your own work. That’s what Rob and I do every week at The Copywriter Club Podcast. Rob: You’re invited to join the club for episode 80 as Kira and I talk about a couple of our favorite moments from our event, The Copywriter Club In Real Life, why masterminds have been an important part of our personal and business growth. What’s happening in our own businesses and what’s happening in the club in the next few weeks. Kira: Hey Rob! Rob: Kira, how’s it going? Kira: It’s great. I feel like we haven’t chatted about our businesses and the club in a while. It feels like a while. Rob: Yeah, it’s been a while since we shared anything publicly anyway. I mean obviously, we talk every once in a while about what’s going on but it has been awhile since we shared what’s going on so we should definitely catch people up. Kira: Yeah, so big event ... Rob: Huge event. Kira: ...recent event. So, what did you think about TCC In Real Life? Rob: When you organize an event there’s all kinds of things that are going on. We were so busy in the weeks running up to it. In addition to the stuff we’re doing on the side with our own clients just trying to make sure that this event was going to come off swimmingly and I was so afraid that we were going to drop the ball or something was going to go wrong and after it was all said and done I kind of walked away and said okay we did an okay job. It was fun. It was like so gratifying in the way that so many speakers came to support us. The things that they shared were incredible and even the stuff that happened outside of the room. We just had a total blast. It was so much fun and I wish that it was the kind of thing we could have had more people there. How about you? What’d you think? Kira: Yeah, I think I remember you saying something about before the event about how this even might break us up or something... Rob: Yeah. Kira: Or cause us to get divorced and I was like yeah this is definitely testing our relationship, but we ended up making it through. It wasn’t that bad. So, I felt like for me, it was exactly what I envisioned in my head especially stepping into Hotel 50 Bowery months beforehand and kind of picturing it all and it surpassed what I envisioned and so yeah, I was really excited about it. I know how people say oh events feel magical and I’m like that sounds really woo-woo, but that’s the only way I can describe is it did feel magical and a bit surreal. Yeah,

Copywriter James Turner is our guest for the 79th episode of The Copywriter Club Podcast. We’ve known James for a few years now, so we’ve been saving up questions to ask him for a while. Here’s just a sample of what we covered... •  how James went from an English teacher in Japan to copywriter in Canada •  the jobs he took on as he started out in his career and what’s changed since •  his thoughts about retainers—the good and the bad •  his book ghostwriting experiment and what that involves •  why undercharging for work doesn’t serve you or your clients well •  how James gets more done with Pomodoros (and other tricks) •  “The power of asking” and how it got James a new business •  how automation can change your copywriting business •  why he started a podcast and the impact on his business •  how he networks (and his advice to copywriters who need to do more of it) James is the kind of copywriter we can all learn something from. Make sure you download this one to your favorite podcast app, or click the play button below, or scroll down for a full transcript.   The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: Hillary Weiss Laura Hanly Pomodoro Technique SNAP Copy Lianna Patch The Copy & Design Brew Podcast Oli Gardner (Unbounce) TCC IRL Business of Software ConversionXL CTAConf Turner Creative The other James Turner Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group Intro: Content (for now) Outro: Gravity   Full Transcript: Rob: What if you could hang out with seriously talented copywriters, ask them about their successes and failures, their work processes and their habits, then steal an idea or two to inspire your own work? That’s what Kira and I do every week at The Copywriter Club Podcast. Kira: You’re invited to join the club for episode 79, as we talk with freelance copywriter James Turner about ghostwriting a book, running a micro-agency like SNAP Copy, why he started a podcast, and what’s he’s learned from it, and what he’s done to manage his done and get everything done. Rob: Hey James! Kira: Welcome! James: Hello! Thanks for having me. Rob: Yeah, we’re glad that you’re here, finally! I mean again, another person that we should’ve talked to months ago; you’ve been on our radar, been in our circle of friends forever, and it’s about time you got here. So, thanks. James: Yeah. It’s a pleasure. I’m glad we waited; I have more things to say. Kira: Laughs. James: If you asked me a week ago, it would’ve been a mistake. Kira: Laughs. Rob: Laughs. James: Life moves fast! Kira: James, let’s start with your story. How’d you end up as a copywriter? James: So, I’ve been thinking about how to tell that story quickly. Long story short, I went from having an English degree to teaching English in Japan to working in HR at an English school in Japan, to being instructional designer in Fredericton, New Brunswick—little Fredericton, New Brunswick—to becoming a copywriter. That’s the story arc. The reason I specifically want to talk about the HR thing is because that was the first time I really, truly used words to their full power, I suppose, like in a persuasive way. If I may go a little bit into the story of that...? Rob: Please do. James: So we worked for this big school in Japan, this sort of conversational English school. My wife and I, we moved there; we lived in Japan for three and a half years. And, I was brought into the, sort of, the personal coordinator role in my last year there. They were sort of shaking up the top level foreign part of the company. Everyone above us was Japanese, so it was like a big Japanese company with all kinds of different arms of business, and the English school we were sort of at the top of...our column, if you will, our business arm. And, the morale was really crappy because the people before us had not done a good job internal communications, essentially. Like,

Inhouse copywriter Jon Lamphier joins Kira and Rob for the 78th episode of The Copywriter Club Podcast. We’ve known Jon for a few years now and really admire his ability to get readers to care about his writing. And he’s a lot of fun to hang out with. We talked with Jon about: •  how socializing at a trivia game led to a job as a copywriter •  what it’s like to work as at an agency and his terrifying first days •  when he first realized that copywriting was what he wanted to do (and that he was good at it) •  the kinds of work he took on as an agency copywriter •  how he developed the ability to throw out funny one-liners •  how he breaks down the creative process to get to the right idea •  what the day-to-day work looks like at an agency •  the dark side of agency life (the knife someone on the first day analogy) •  how he balances freelance and a regular copywriting day job •  how he gets himself into the mindset for coming up with good ideas •  the big career mistake he made on the way to an important pitch •  how a mastermind made him a better writer and agency employee •  what Jon is doing today as an in-house copywriter •  what he learned from moving his family to a new city for a new job •  his two-word advice to writers going through the job search process We also talked about why he doesn’t limit himself to a single niche, where he sees himself working in sixty years (okay, maybe not sixty years), the books and other resources he loves as a copywriter, and the #1 mistake he sees copywriters making (and the opportunity it presents to those who are ready for it). To hear it all, click the play button below, or scroll down for a full transcript.   The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: McDonald’s George Clooney Joanna Wiebe Copyhackers David Ogilvy Aaron Sorkin JRR Tolkien Neil Gaiman Lianna Patch Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group Intro: Content (for now) Outro: Gravity   Full Transcript: Kira: What if you could hang out with seriously talented copywriters, ask them about their successes and failures, their work processes and their habits, then steal an idea or two to inspire your own work? That’s what Rob and I do every week at The Copywriter Club Podcast. Rob: You’re invited to join the club for episode 78, as we talk with in-house copywriter Jon Lamphier about how he became a copywriter; the ends and outs of agency life; what he does to stay creative; and how he got so good at writing great headlines. Kira: Jon, welcome! Jon: Hey guys. Rob: Jon. Kira: I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to get you on the show. Rob: Yeah, seriously. Jon: What? Why? You guys have had so many famous copywriters on the show, I am the opposite of that! Kira: Laughs. Rob: Maybe not famous, but every bit as talented, and certainly a better friend than most of them are to us. Jon: All right, I’ll take....I’ll take that. I’ll take that; I appreciate it. Kira: Laughs. So why don’t we start with your story, Jon? How did you end up as a copywriter? Jon: All right. Well, I had a past life in another career, but, when I went to a trivia night one night after my wife and I had moved to Greensboro, North Carolina... Showed up at that trivia night, and made a friend who was actually the host. Told him I thought he did a great job, and we got to talking over a couple of adult beverages, and you know, he started talking about how he was overloaded at work. One thing led to another, and I picked up a freelance gig working for the agency that he was working for; I knocked it out of the park, and sort of fell in and realized that this is what I should’ve been doing all along, so... Rob: So you’re not the kind of guy that grew up wishing to be a copywriter? You weren’t watching Darren Stevens on Bewitched, or you know, any.... Jon: No.... Rob: ....Thinking “copy’s for me”? Jon: No, I wasn’t. I mean,

For episode 77 of The Copywriter Club Podcast, Kira and Rob talk with copywriter and marketing specialist Christine Laureano about her business, what it’s like to work with different niches that are completely different (makers and engineers), and a whole lot more. Here’s what we covered in our time together: •  how she went from the corporate world to maker to marketer to copywriter •  what she did to deal with a devastating personal tragedy •  the importance of carving focused creative time out of your day •  how she created systems to support her work and produce results •  the difference between working with big clients and small clients •  how she conducts her discovery process to uncover additional work (she gives a specific example) •  the process she went through to land a recent engineering client •  how she deals with working in more than one niche •  what she does to find clients who can pay within her niche •  why she is involved in more than one master mind group •  how she stays upbeat all the time (this is great advice) She also explains why e-commerce is such a rich opportunity for writers today—the growth in this sector makes it hard to ignore. To listen, click the play button below, or scroll down for a full transcript.   The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: Copyblogger Angels by Silver Ravenwolf The Copywriter Accelerator Danny Iny Teach and Grow Rich The Copywriter Think Tank Joanna Wiebe The J Peterman Company Seinfeld Ba6marketing.com Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group Intro: Content (for now) Outro: Gravity Full Transcript: Rob: What if you could hang out with seriously talented copywriters, ask them about their successes and failures, their work processes and their habits, then steal an idea or two to inspire your own work? That’s what Kira and I do every week at The Copywriter Club Podcast. Kira: You’re invited to join the club for episode 77 as we chat with copywriter Christine Laureano about her path from business owner to copywriter, writing for engineers and other technical clients, how she uses her coaching experience as a copywriter, and how she stays so positive through the ups and downs of business. Kira: Welcome, Christine. Rob: Hey, Christine. Christine: Hey, guys! Excited to be here. Thanks for having me. Kira: Yeah, welcome! Rob: It’s great to have you here. Kira: All right, Christine, I know you have a really interesting path and story and we’d love to share it with our listeners. Christine: Oh, yeah, the winding path. Okay. Well, I am probably one of the oldest copywriters in The Copywriter Club. My path started back in the 80’s, way before the internet, when marketing was still done with maybe a computer, but pen and paper; rock and chisel. But I graduated college with a marketing degree and a minor in computer science. So not only was I into the marketing end of it, but I love the tech stuff. So I ended up getting a job at Xerox, and I did the corporate thing for several years. From there, I go down to a very, very technical job as a marketing exec, managing executive for accounts for an electronics distributor. I worked really closely with engineers, I worked with purchasing, I worked with production and manufacturing, and I did that for a really long time and that satisfied my technical need. And of course, the writing that I did for that was really that boring, dry copy. It was proposals, it was the stuff that I hate to think about when I look back on it. And then from there, I ended up having a family. And this is where everything kind of turned and the reason I talk about it like this is, I know everybody has life lessons and things and tragedies and things that happened in their life that forced them to pivot, and I had one of those. Our first daughter ended up passing in daycare. So my life completely, completely changed. I spent a month on the couch, literally,