The Golden Thread – The Week in Review
October 28 – November 3, 2007
Welcome to The Golden Thread Online, your free e-letter from American Writers & Artists Inc. Every Saturday, you will receive this recap of all the strategies, insights and opportunities we send to you and your fellow AWAIers each week. Whether it’s a message from a fellow writer about how he landed a new client … a technique from a Master copywriter for writing a control … an insight into how to succeed in a new market … news of a brand new writing job or business opportunity for you … you’ll find it here in this easy-to-access and always available “Week in Review.”
In This Issue:
- Words of Wisdom …
Herschell Gordon Lewis talks about the unseen dangers of your own education. - How to Respond Successfully to Spec Challenges, Part 2
Gary Hennerberg discusses why you should take spec assignments and how you can make the most of them. - Quick Tip: Read … for Better Writing
How Stephen King can help you be a better copywriter. - Your Next Project Awaits at DirectResponseJobs.com
Rebecca McEldowney announces the launching of the new and improved directresponsejobs.com
Words of Wisdom …
Mary Had a WHAT???!!!
The unaware communicator may face a major curse – his or her own education.
This can lead these smart cookies to call upon a vocabulary that does not match their prospect’s … (Think “stochastic” or “obfuscatory” or “insidious” or “fustian”!) …
…causing them to ignore one of the tenants of effective communication:
Those who know the big words may know the little words, but those who know the little words may not know the big words.
We should seek clarity, not admiration for our expanded rhetoric. When our prospects feel we’re showing off, response drops. And response is the way we keep score.
If you’ve been salting your prose with exotic, esoteric verbiage, you might have written the children’s poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb” with an eye on the mirror instead of an eye on the window. Take a look…
How to Respond Successfully to Spec Challenges, Part 2
The fastest way to boost your client base … especially when you're starting at zero … is with spec assignments.
Now, some copywriters may complain, "Why should I write something I'm not going to be paid for?"
What these writers don't realize is that most potential clients aren't asking for a full-fledged promo. Most are asking for a headline and lead. Or a four-page letter that showcases what you can do.
And as for not getting paid … in one of his Bootcamp presentations, master copywriter Gary Hennerberg told about a spec assignment he managed that had a $7,500 payday for the person who ended up with the job!
It was a spec challenge any beginning copywriter could have won. But, sadly, many of the writers who submitted copy were eliminated early in the running. Not because they weren't good copywriters – but because they did not follow some simple directions.
Last week, we gave you 10 tips – directly from Gary's Bootcamp presentation – on how to boost your chances of success with specs.
Today: 11 more surefire tips to keep you in the running until the very end, so that you can be the copywriter walking away with the assignment … and with a huge kickstart to a successful career.
Correspondence
If your potential client is going to send you lots of information, in all likelihood they'll email it to you. But things happen … especially with electronic files. When large files don't make it through, send the client a brief request for the materials to be resent.
Always be polite and respectful of a client's time. Courtesy stands out and does make an impression for the future.
Your Email Provider
If you're having trouble receiving large files from spec clients via email, the most likely culprit is YOUR email provider. If you're serious about copywriting, you should have an email service that enables you to receive large files. It's that simple.
It's nice to get email service for free. But if that service restricts the size of the files you receive, you're handicapping your client … and hamstringing yourself.
Know What Your Client Needs and Wants
For the $7,500 spec challenge that Gary talked about, the client asked for the files to be submitted as Word or PDF files – but some copywriters submitted Word Perfect files that couldn't be opened. Others sent their copy in the text of their email, thus losing the impact of all the formatting they'd done: larger type, font types, etc. (And formatting was important in this assignment.)
Know the difference between a Word document and RTF. Between text and PDF. Having a basic understanding of the technology you’re working with tells the spec client that you are not afraid of learning new things. (After all, that's what good research is all about.)
Authenticity
Don't try to twist your submission into something it's not.
Let's say you're submitting for a financial newsletter. In that case, you certainly want your promo to have the look and feel of a financial newsletter. And, the same goes for health …fundraising … or self-help. Study the genre you’re writing for to make sure your format fits. What works for financial, doesn’t necessarily work for health. Understand this simple concept and you're ahead of your competitors.
It's Business
Unless otherwise stated, a spec assignment is a business initiative, not an educational experience for you to have your copy critiqued. Accept the judgment of the client and analyze your copy to see where you could have made it stronger … and will next time.
The Winning Submission
Yes, you're curious … but it's bad form to ask to see the winner's submission. Marketing materials are often confidential until tested. And even then, tests are often limited and the marketer doesn't want the materials to be circulated.
Your Big Idea
You have to engage your spec client with your Big Idea – and you have to do it with only a few words. Gary and his associates had to read through 112 submissions for that $7,500 assignment. Need I say, yours MUST stand out.
Seconds Count
Keep in mind that you're submitting to people who read lots of copy often, so you only have seconds to grab their attention. Gary says he knew in about 10 seconds if he'd keep reading a submission or go on to the next one.
Sales Copy
Remember, this is sales copy, not a novel. Don't write to impress. Write to sell.
Your Best Effort
Strive for perfection. Sloppy work peppered with typos is unprofessional and unacceptable. You and the spec client both know that you're submitting to get work, so your submission should represent the best work you can do. If you submit sloppy work up front … what kind of a mess will the client assume he'll be in for later?
Practice and Edit
You may be competing against 1 or 100 people. It doesn't matter. You must always present your very best work. And your best work is a result of practice. Keep writing, Keep submitting. And be a relentless editor of your own copy all along the way.
Gary's 21 tips on how to respond successfully to a spec challenge won’t guarantee you’ll submit the winning assignment every time. But if you follow his insider advice, you'll be at the front of the pack more often than your competitors.
And being at the front – even if you don’t win the spec assignment – attracts attention. Attention that can translate into the day a client says, "Remember that copywriter who's consistently done really well in our spec challenges? Maybe we should test her on this assignment."
Quick Tip: Read … for Better Writing
To improve our writing, we need to read … everything.
One book recommended at Bootcamp was Stephen King's "On Writing." This short, easy-to-read book provides insight into King's life and what drives him to write. It will also give you a deeper understanding of why you write … and how to make your writing stronger.
"On Writing" is now being used by a select group of copywriters in training with ATS. It is a personal favorite of Mike Palmer – a master copywriter who has perfected the Big Idea to a high art – and I, too, recommend it for your personal writing library.
Your Next Project Awaits at DirectResponseJobs.com
We have officially launched the new and improved DirectResponseJobs.com!
If you aren’t yet familiar, DirectResponseJobs.com is AWAI’s Job Board, connecting copywriters and designers with the marketers who need them. AWAI-trained writers and designers can search listings of current direct-response projects available and offer their own services. Marketers, in turn, can rely on this readily available forum to locate well-trained, highly skilled copywriters and graphic designers.
It’s hands down your best resource for finding full-time and freelance writing and design opportunities.
If you’ve used DirectResponseJobs.com before, you already know what a useful tool it is. And now it’s even easier to use…
We recently put it through a much needed overhaul to add some new features, as well as integrate it with myAWAI – AWAI’s convenient login tool for many of its websites.
With the new site, you’re now able to:
- Login using your myAWAI username and password
- Apply instantly to jobs online
- Build and post multiple resumes (you can have one for every niche!)
- Keep track of job applications
- Receive notices when new jobs become available
Go to www.directresponsejobs.com and check it out today.
And stay tuned for my “best practices” article, where I’ll show you the best and easiest ways to get the most out of DirectResponseJobs.com.
