The Copywriter Underground

I’ve repeatedly said you should pick the clients and projects that interest you, get your foot in the door (via lumpy mailers), and get the business.
But how do you pitch prospects — and make them buy what you’re proposing?
I’m working on a pitch right now. (And yes, I  generated the meeting via a […]

Michael Stelzner of Writing White Papers blog fame has garnered a barrage of bloggy notice for his recent (and ongoing) free video releases. He offers you an interesting glimpse into his lead-generation white paper strategy, and it’s worth a few minutes of your time (you can read the blog entry here).

Even if you […]

In a prior post, I wrote about the growing commercial value of high-quality content — and why content-based marketing offers long-term opportunities to new copywriters.
Now — Nicholas Carr (who remains a favorite online read) — points out why you don’t want to be somebody else’s free content generator (a point also made by Brian […]

I’ve repeatedly highlighted the marketing benefits of quality content, and believe engagement marketing gigs (blogs, e-newsletters, etc) offer copywriters a shot at excellent long-term (and profitable) projects.
Next time you’re pitching a content project, don’t forget to roll out this excellent example from a Direct Magazine article by Joe Pulizzi:
Being Girl, sponsored by P&G brands […]

Brandweek ran a story on deceptive marketing practices, and because of my outspoken advocacy of ethical marketing, I was extensively quoted.

Today’s clients are using landing pages a bazillion different ways, making them a true “bread and butter” category for any online copywriter.
The good news is the Copywritering Maven’s landing page makeover series on Copyblogger has been rolled together on one page, so you can access them all with a single click.
The Maven managed to jam […]

Writing funny copy is a skill — an apparently rare one if my eyes don’t deceive me. Still, if you hire one of the funniest people on the planet, then you’re probably gold. Witness the NXTube.com “spoof” blog which engages with readers via humor — and sells golf balls the backwards way.

There’s a lot of really, really bad copy floating around out there. More than ever before. And yet — every once in a while — you stumble across a piece that… well… transcends the genre.
It defies description. I found this on a company Web site — one with an impressive client list. It’s just that […]

The bookshelves are littered with "How to make millions in your underwear" books aimed at new copywriters — most of them pretty light on original thought.
What’s missing are the books that actually tell you how to do things — books that offer you enough information that you can confidently take on a paying job and […]

I’m a learn-it-yourself kind of guy, which means I learn by doing. As a result, it’s often hard for me to teach; instinctive learners like myself don’t always understand the progressions used by other types of learners.
By contrast, Michel Fortin’s always excelled at breaking things down for his readers, and his current post hits home: […]