Breakthrough Marketing Secrets
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Branding is the new Direct Response [video]

Branding is the new Direct Response [video]

Alright, Roy’s off his rocker! I took on the title, at one point, as “the world’s youngest direct response curmudgeon.” Part of how I was able to rise so far, so fast in the copywriting world was because I became a huge advocate of direct response marketing. And, in...
Uh oh – direct response is dead [new research]

Uh oh – direct response is dead [new research]

Don’t say I didn’t warn you… For a long time now, I’ve been pounding the pulpit about how if you focus on TACTICS, you’re going to have trouble with your marketing. That is, you hear someone tests a bright gold button and it works, so you test a bright gold button. ...
Shortcut to the copywriting big leagues…

Shortcut to the copywriting big leagues…

For today’s Video Friday, I’m sharing an interview recorded last fall, with a copywriter who figured out a shortcut into the financial copywriting big leagues… A couple years back, Jake Hoffberg made a couple decisions… He wanted to write direct response copy for the...
How to think better, uncover breakthroughs, get clarity…

How to think better, uncover breakthroughs, get clarity…

Take a look at this picture… You don’t even have to look closely.  If you’re familiar with what they are, it should be pretty obvious… This is a picture of two mind maps, printed out. They’re not mine.  Well, not 100%, at least.  They’re my sons’. I did the typing,...
The single most valuable marketing skill?

The single most valuable marketing skill?

I just got off the line with another Master of Response… His name is Donovan Kovar, and if you don’t know him, that’s mostly fine by him. He doesn’t play the “guru game.”  Instead, he works behind the scenes with his clients, helping them develop their online...
Stupid-simple way to get leads (for any service business)

Stupid-simple way to get leads (for any service business)

Sometimes, I want to beat my friggin’ head against the wall… I know, I know.  Probably not the best way to start an email. But I get the same questions, over and over again. And they all come down to marketing and selling basics. I’m not trying to denigrate this...
Becoming an Agora copywriter: a dead end?

Becoming an Agora copywriter: a dead end?

Maybe the better word is handcuffs….  Or, permanent shackles…  Maybe, perpetual servitude… My queue for Mailbox Monday has grown too long, so I’m making the arbitrary and totally revocable decision to dedicate the rest of this week to answering reader questions....
How specific does your lead generation offer need to be?

How specific does your lead generation offer need to be?

Let’s talk about generating leads! It’s a happily-belated Mailbox Monday issue of Breakthrough Marketing Secrets, where I answer YOUR questions. Today’s question is a relatively new copywriter, looking to make a lead-generation offer to get clients on the phone. Of...
What most people get wrong about making money…

What most people get wrong about making money…

Let’s talk about what makes money come to you… The following is a post I’ve reprinted in Breakthrough Marketing Secrets from time to time.  It was only my fourth post ever written after starting these daily essays.  It’s also in the Appendix of The Copywriter’s Guide...
Showing up to play vs. showing up to win

Showing up to play vs. showing up to win

“Are you going to show up to play, or are you going to show up to win?” Gary Bencivenga became the world’s greatest living copywriter based on this example. I become a different person every time I step on the ice in hockey gear, based on this principle. I use this...
The power of “Deep Work”

The power of “Deep Work”

I shouldn’t admit this… I’ve been putting off a client project. Not so much putting it off, as giving it too little time each day. An hour here, an hour there. And no real progress is made. Yes, I’ve refined the lead.  Yes, I’ve developed the narrative.  Yes, I’ve...