![Lies, Manipulation, and the Ethics of Copywriting….]()
by Roy Furr
I’ve let this one sit in my queue for a while… It’s a rather long email that dances around a question and calls for a response about ethics and copywriting. And, as my friendly correspondent suggests, it IS something I’ve considered frequently throughout my career. I...
by Roy Furr
“A few minutes or hours with these Titans — in the flesh — will completely alter the course of your business, your career, your life!” That was the 4th subhead in the live event sales letter for the Titans of Direct Response. I was writing it in Brian Kurtz’s voice. ...
![Become a “natural” sales superstar — 5 focus areas]()
by Roy Furr
Sales is NOT a gift — it’s a skill… If you’ve ever watched someone sell and thought, “They’re a natural-born salesperson…” bad news. While that may be a convenient EXCUSE for you to not get good at selling, it’s just not true. Yes — they may have some inborn or...
![Hoarders make the best copywriters — here’s why…]()
by Roy Furr
I keep too much stuff… Way too much stuff. And I’m not nearly as organized about it as I’d love to be. I AM proactively trying to deal with it. But just keeping it real, I’ve got a long ways to go. File cabinets too full of things that should’ve been thrown away...
![Why copywriting swipe files don’t work in competitive markets…]()
by Roy Furr
“Can I use this as a swipe for my own work?” It’s an innocent enough and well-intentioned question. And, given the total context, you’d think it was asked in a responsible way. Yet I’ve had enough experience with the nasty little habit of swiping, that I basically...
![Completely backwards advice on finding great clients…]()
by Roy Furr
Sometimes the best answer to a question is NOT a direct answer to the question… I’ll share some advice with you today that may run counter to my entire role and identity as a direct marketer and salesperson. But sometimes, that’s the absolute best thing I can do....
by Roy Furr
Too many people go through their lives waiting for opportunity to come from the outside… That doesn’t work. Destiny won’t choose you. Opportunity won’t fall in your lap. To turn a phrase, the bull won’t grab itself by the horns. Here’s what you need to do to live your...
![John Carlton’s 3 stages of freelance success…]()
by Roy Furr
Proper expectations prepare you to succeed… The easiest way to end up feeling like a failure — at anything — is to expect success in situations where it’s unlikely or even impossible. Let’s say someone promises you the moon. They tell you they’re going to make you a...
![“Your marketing campaign failed, now what?”]()
by Roy Furr
What I’m about to share with you could dramatically increase your win rate or batting average, across all the marketing campaigns you run… As I’m pretty sure I’ve shared before, my word for the year 2018 is PROCESS. That is, I’m working on as many processes within my...
![How to get back on track when it feels like the world is falling apart…]()
by Roy Furr
I have to admit, I screw up… Okay, okay. So I’ll also admit that saying that should be as obvious as saying, “I’m human.” But there’s definitely a pull, in my position, to lie to you. To tell you that I’m always on. That I’m some infallible guru. When, in fact, that’s...
![Answering 3 Big Questions on Creating Effective Content Marketing]()
by Roy Furr
I’ve gone on record AGAINST content marketing… At various times, I’ve claimed: Content Marketing is Stupid, and… Content Marketing is Bull—! And yet, for the most perceptive of my readers, you might notice these daily essays themselves are a form of content marketing....
by Roy Furr
It could be one of the most powerful hours of your copywriting career… And yet, it can feel like the copywriter’s equivalent of asking someone to punch you in the face! As I completed a copy review this afternoon with Samuel, a Breakthrough Marketing Secrets reader...
![The most profitable part of marketing that everybody hates…]()
by Roy Furr
Copywriting is sexy… Now, I’ll admit — a large percentage of my list is copywriters. Probably because that’s where my background is in business and marketing. But having the ability to come up with a message out of thin air, and have people send you money… That’s a...
![7+1 success lessons re-discovered in my first night of improv…]()
by Roy Furr
So, I started an Improv 101 class last night… Here’s where I might warm up and tell you all my reasons for doing it, but that’d be boring, so let’s move on. Instead, I’ll reflect on a few things I either learned or was reminded of in my first class. Both as our...
![One more piece of advice I should’ve given you yesterday…]()
by Roy Furr
Here’s an ugly bit of advice that most wannabe copywriters and marketers (and entrepreneurs in general) don’t want to hear… In yesterday’s Mailbox Monday, I shared how to break into copywriting. And specifically, I gave my tough love advice that if you’re not out...
