One of my friends just sent me a funny email.
It was a forwarded email from someone else, actually.
What was funny about it is, the subject line was almost identical to the email I wrote you yesterday that said: “The George Costanza School Of Copywriting.”
Except, instead of it being about “copywriting” it said it was the George Costanza School of something else.
So I started reading.
The opening line was identical to my email.
The second line was similar, but not an exact copy.
In other words, he changed things just enough where he wasn’t using the exact words I used.
Same with the next several lines.
The EXACT story I told — but substituting different words.
Until he finally segued into his own lesson, and used ideas from his own brain instead of mine.
Now, some may think this is “okay.”
Especially since this is the Internet and “everyone else does it.”
Personally, I don’t think it is okay.
Besides the lack of original thought and blatant misuse of swiping, he made a HUGE mistake that could cost him dearly:
He lost a LOT of respect from not only me, but many others in marketing.
I’ve been getting emails all morning about this.
Apparently, a lot of people on my list are marketing spies on his.
People who, in some cases, even know him.
Some of who may have even bought from him.
And they are all P-O’d.
Why?
Because as Matt Furey says: “You don’t have just one ant in your house.”
In other words, chances are, if this dude is blatantly stealing from me, he is fully capable of stealing from THEM, too.
And how many people do you know trust people who steal?
Anyway, despite all this, I am not mad at this guy.
In some ways, I’m flattered he thinks that highly of my work. (And as someone on Twitter just told me, this is something George Costanza would probably do haha).
But I am disappointed.
Especially since, all he had to do was say something like:
“Yesterday I was reading an email from someone I know in business named Ben Settle. He was talking about George Costanza from Seinfeld…”
And then he could have said whatever he wanted.
The lesson here?
When you’re writing your emails… be honest.
Don’t steal.
And, when you want to use someone else’s idea, simply cite and give them credit.
Otherwise you could take a HUGE hit in your credibility.
And that can take a long, long time to fix.
Ben Settle
P.S. Crime doesn’t pay in the long run — and neither does stealing other peoples’ ideas and copy. You can learn how to write powerful, moolah-making emails and ads without resorting to stealing (as well as the RIGHT way to swipe) in “The Copywriting Grab Bag”:
OK, so it’s all been resolved — I’ve exchanged a few emails with the guy above. (I know him, and I always thought he was a good guy. I just don’t agree with this swiping philosophies.)
And he not only apologized, but offered to make things right publicly — which is certainly not necessary.
The main point of this was not the swiping (which is subjective as to what’s “allowed” or not), and it was NOT the subject line (which was a legitimate swipe, IMHO, and I couldn’t have cared less about it), but that when you do things like this, there can be consequences to your credibility.
An important lesson for ALL of us (especially me, I’m no better than anyone else).
So it’s all water under the bridge, we’re pals and I certainly have no ill will towards anyone.
And I very much DO appreciate everyone who alerted me in the first place.
It’s truly humbling to know so many of you got my “back”.
