What Bob Bly Looks For in the Writers He Hires … by Katie Yeakle

Bob Bly told me last week that he hired 10 AWAI-trained writers from an ad he ran right here in The Golden Thread. And, that’s not all. He said the quality of the work he saw was far superior to what he got from Elance.com or even when he advertised for copywriters in the Sunday NY Times.

I’m not surprised.

When I shared this bit of news with Guillermo Rubio, our new staff copywriter, he immediately wanted to know: “What do you think Bob was looking for? What made him choose one submission over another?”

We asked the man himself, and here’s Bob’s response:

Not in any particular order:

• Writing talent – clear, concise writing exhibited in samples and cover emails
• Intelligence
• Enthusiasm
• Easy to deal with, rational; not quirky, odd, difficult, or demanding
• Experience or knowledge of specific topic on which I think I could create and sell an info product
• A more junior person willing to work for my modest rates in exchange for the experience

So there you have it. Next time Bob runs an ad, you’ll have an inside track. In the meantime, keep his words in mind when approaching any potential client.