Richard

[Alex Napier Holland 🦍 @NapierHolland]

Here's a presentation that I delivered at a marketing conference that will help your startup to:

✍️ Write better landing pages
📦 Position your brand and products
🏗️ Build features that customers actually want

[Andrew Gould @AndrewWriteCopy]

Quick Copywriting Challenge

Back to basics this week!

You’re selling a computer monitor.

The key feature is the:

• 27” 4K screen

So what benefits can you get from that?

[Andrew Gould @AndrewWriteCopy]

11 of the Best Fiction Books for Copywriters

If you're a copywriter don't limit yourself to marketing and copywriting books.

You also want to read fiction.

Because it can help improve your:

• Writing.
• Storytelling.
• And understanding of human nature.

Plus, it's a great way to relax!

So let's have a look at 11 of the best fiction books for copywriters:

And we'll start with hard-boiled novels.

These are pretty much perfect for copywriters as the writing's lean with the focus on driving the story forwards.

Gary Halbert's favourite was the Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald, but I prefer...

1) Grifter's Game by Lawrence Block

Block's my favourite hard-boiled author and this is as good a starting point as any for his work.

It's his first novel published under his real name and it's a no nonsense noir tale with a pitch black ending.

2) Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett

Hammett's the man who invented the genre and he's probably best known for The Maltese Falcon.

But I've picked this, his influential tale of a private eye setting a city's gangs against each other.

3) Killer in the Rain by Raymond Chandler

After Hammett, Chandler was one of the first hard-boiled writers.

His novels usually get the most praise, though I think this collection of eight short stories is the perfect introduction to his style.

4) A Hell of a Woman by Jim Thompson

You can't go wrong with anything from Thompson.

His writing's excellent, his stories are dark, and this is one of my favourites from him.

5) The Hunter by Richard Stark

Stark's a pseudonym for Donald E. Westlake.

And this is the first in his series of books starring crook Parker. Easy to read, hard as nails, and highly enjoyable.

6) No Good From a Corpse by Leigh Brackett

Brackett’s best known for her sci-fi (she wrote the first draft of The Empire Strikes Back).

But it turns out she could write a mean hard-boiled novel too. Her use of dialogue makes it almost feel like you’re watching a movie.

Now let's take a quick detour to a more modern thriller…

7) Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz

You're not going to find many better examples of verb-driven, fast-paced, action-packed storytelling.

Lightweight, but incredibly entertaining.

Now a few of the classics to finish.

These are great for understanding what makes people tick:

8) Moby Dick by Herman Melville

For a book about chasing a whale, this covers a lot of ground.

It touches on everything from religion and free will to insanity and the limits of human knowledge.

9) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy's best known for War and Peace, but this is a more accessible read.

And it's every bit as relevant today as when it was first published back in 1878.

10) Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

A true psychological thriller.

Dostoyevsky was a master at diving deep into the human psyche.

11) The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

A swashbuckling tale of revenge.

Excellent storytelling with surprisingly deep characters.

And that’s all folks!

If there are any books you’d recommend let me know.

Follow me @AndrewWriteCopy for more posts on marketing and copywriting.

And if you found this valuable, repost it to help your fellow persuasion professionals.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

[Andrew Gould @AndrewWriteCopy]

Why you?

To grow on social media you need a good answer for why people should follow you.

If you're just another “AI expert” or “creative strategist” you'll struggle to stand out.

So think about what makes you different...

And worth following.

(I'll share my answer later.)

[Andrew Gould @AndrewWriteCopy]

Why me?

Earlier I said you needed to have an answer to the question why should anyone follow you.

So here's my answer:

• I focus on sharing actionable advice.
• I only share what's worked for my clients.
• I try to make everything as simple as possible.

And I'm drawing that from 17 years experience working across multiple markets with 9 figures of sales generated.

Plus:

• I reply to almost all comments and DMs.
• I want to help people serious about copywriting improve their skills.
• And I'm not going to feed you any nonsense about how easy it is to earn $10k a month.

So if that resonates with you, then welcome aboard!

[Andrew Gould @AndrewWriteCopy]

When you're starting out you don't need confidence.

You need courage.

The confidence will come later.

[Richard @ClassyCopy]

@JaceEngland1 Humanizer

[Richard @ClassyCopy]

20k subscribers celebration post + AMA + giveaway, by @thebeautyofsaas https://t.co/CflITnOMo7

[BOSS @thebeautyofsaas]

after writing 200+ pages of content over the last 6 months

few of my personal favorites (worth your time)

[David Deutsch @ddeutsch]

Every writer wants to be able to write with the clarity and simplicity of Hemingway.

But few are willing to put in the real effort that it takes.

Here's a start...

Take his opening paragraph of A Farewell to Arms.

"In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to the mountains. In the bed of the river there were pebbles and boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the water was clear and swiftly moving and blue in the channels."

Read it over a few times. Then look away and try to reproduce it. Notice where you struggle. Now go back and re-read the actual paragraph.

See how he solved the problems you struggled with, how he was able to be simple yet physically and emotionally evocative.

Try again. Notice how you're starting to appreciate what Hemingway does on a much deeper, more actionable level.

This is what learning scientists call "productive failure," and I explore it more deeply in an article I just posted. (Check it out in the first comment.)

[Richard @ClassyCopy]

@ChereneAubert Send

[Spencer Pawliw ☔️ @spencepawliw]

A skill that will make you more money:

--> Pattern Recognition <--

Get really good at analyzing a lot of "winning things" like:

- Ads
- Pages
- UGC
- Offers
- Products
- Brands

Identify the patterns and things they have in common

Iterate/make it your own

Then execute

(:

[Andrew Gould @AndrewWriteCopy]

Client Retention 101

9 simple concepts to help guarantee your clients keep coming back to you for more!

Let’s dive right in:

1) Be easy to deal with

Social skills make everything easier.

They’re the lubricant of human interaction.

You want to:

• Learn to listen.
• Don’t be argumentative.
• Be confident, not arrogant.
• And be willing to be flexible.

2) Do good work

Most clients don’t need world-class or even great work.

Good enough is often good enough.

So don’t think you need to be the Michael Jordan of your craft.

To quote Dan Kennedy:

“Attitude beats aptitude.”

But don’t suck.

Make sure you know the basics.

3) Hit deadlines

Do what you say you’re going to do…

When you say you’re going to do it.

Simple.

But rarer than you might think.

And ideally do it before the deadline.

It gives you breathing room and can impress the client.

4) Communicate

When you start a project…

Don’t go radio silent.

Keep your client updated with what you’re doing.

Don’t leave them worrying.

And it helps ensure there are no nasty surprises when you hand over the work.

5) Look for other opportunities

Always be on the look out for other opportunities to add value to your client’s business.

For example, if you’re writing a squeeze page for them do they have:

• A lead magnet?
• An upsell offer?
• A welcome sequence?

All potential projects that can help them.

And get you paid!

6) Over deliver

Don’t just do what you were paid for.

Go above and beyond.

You were paid for a welcome sequence?

Throw in a short abandonment sequence too.

You’ll already have done most of the work.

And writing a few extra emails or headlines won’t take a huge amount of effort.

But will be appreciated by your client.

7) Stay in touch

Out of sight, out of mind.

When you finish a project don’t just move on and wait for the client to get in touch with you the next time they want something.

There’s no guarantee they’ll hire you again.

Instead, keep in touch with them.

Don’t be a pest.

But if you come across anything you think could benefit their business, let them know.

8) Remind them how you helped them

When the possibility of another project does come up…

Don’t approach it from scratch as if they were a new client.

Remind them of previous projects…

And what a good job you did for them!

As people can often have very short - and selective - memories.

9) Reward them

Don’t think the relationship should be all about them giving you stuff.

Return the favour.

At Christmas send them a nice gift.

After a successful project send them a small gift letting them know how much you enjoyed working with them.

If they send you a referral, same again.

Show them you appreciate them.

Encourage that behaviour.

And that’s 9 ways to help keep your clients coming back to you:

1) Be easy to deal with
2) Do good work
3) Hit deadlines
4) Communicate
5) Look for other opportunities
6) Over deliver
7) Stay in touch
8) Remind them how you helped them
9) Reward them

If you found this useful:

Repost it to help your fellow persuasion professionals.

Make sure you’re following me @AndrewWriteCopy for more quality copywriting and marketing content.

And enjoy the rest of your day!

[Pat Stedman | Dating & Relationship Coach for Men @Pat_Stedman]

Relativity proved that time & space are the same thing. This is the realm
of stories. Once you understand that your ego is your main character in the tale but there is also part of you witnessing the story, you understand life after death & start to prepare your soul to graduate.

[Richard @ClassyCopy]

@Cryptomemeboy @StefanGeorgi @bigmanEcom @nabeelazeez Why did he get slammed?

[Richard @ClassyCopy]

@gold_tesla GATE

[Richard @ClassyCopy]

@AndrewWriteCopy Is there any real difference in acquiring high-ticket clients vs low ticket clients?

I've heard so many gurus say: "Closing a high-ticket client requieres the same amount of effort than closing a crappy client," is this true in your experience?

[Richard @ClassyCopy]

@ikechuk47322481 @michaellorenzos Interested

[Doug D'Anna, Black-Belt Copywriter Coach @dougdanna]

A young copywriter asked me what to study.
I said: study your reader's nightmares.
He looked confused.
He won't be for long.

[Richard @ClassyCopy]

@AndrewWriteCopy Speaking about workshops. Are you still thinking about hosting your $5 workshop about the fundamentals?