This week’s podcast is a bit of an experiment.
It’s a look at how I think, work, and come up with loads of email ideas when writing ads, as I dissect one of Producer Jonathan’s sales letters live, on the air. If the feedback is big enough, I’ll do more shows like this (picking ads from people from the audience).
Anyway, here’s the link, go get ya some:
www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur
Ben Settle
A little while back, Producer Jonathan Rivera (who produces my podcast) asked me to look at his ad for this podcast services.
So I did.
And then I told him:
“The problem isn’t with the copy, the problem is who the copy is written to.”
In other words:
He was trying to create demand.
(Sell people on wanting to do a podcast.)
But, as I told him, it’d be much easier and more profitable to talk only to people who (1) want to start a podcast but have no idea how and (2) people who already have podcasts but are frustrated with all the details of making it work, sound good, get new listeners tuning in, monetizing it, yada yada yada.
Anyway, that’s when I had an idea.
An awful idea.
The elBenbo got a wonderful, *awful* idea.
And that idea was to critique Producer Jonathan’s ad on the air, live, hot-seat style. The result was what we both considered to be an extremely valuable podcast episode where we get deep inside the psychological side of copywriting… and I show him (and, thus, the audience) how to pull out dozens of email ideas for whatever you sell.
Anyway, that episode airs tomorrow.
I’ll let ya know when it’s on iTunes.
In the meantime, check out our past shows here:
Ben Settle
Lately I’ve been digging on Twitter more and more.
I do still read Facebook due to the private group I co-own on there, and the usual time wasting reasons.
But, mostly, I’m spending more time on Twitter.
For one, there’s less grandstanding and mindless complaining. It’s also far more entertaining (even better than TV). And, there’s less of a herd-think going on there than on Twitter.
Less of everyone all using the same herd-think phrases, for example.
(“just sayin'”, “that is all”, “said no one ever”, etc etc).
It’s like Flakebookers don’t think because they don’t have to.
Not so much on Twitter.
At least, not with the people I follow.
(Which is very few, admittedly, I mostly just like to follow thought leaders and movement-builders — even, sometimes, people I disagree with, you can learn a lot about audience building following the right kind of people on Twitter).
More:
Twitter is also practical for writers.
(Of any kind.)
After all, it forces you to be a pithy writer.
And some of the best writing “exercise” you can do is boil down a message into 140 characters or less.
Anyway, that’s it for now.
More herd-bucking lovin’ here:
www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur
Ben Settle
Got this message a few weeks back:
Ever since I discovered you about a month ago, my daily days (is that the wrong way of saying it? Haha, who cares right!) literally involve you ALL day.
From your emails, to your podcast, to your courses.
It seems my mind thinks more about you than it does for my girlfriend 😉
No creepy vibe intended.
Anyways, keep up the amazing work. You’ve inspired me to do my daily emails (2 weeks strong now!).
Later!
Where you go, there I be…
You now, there’s actually a lesson here. A lesson I teach (via demonstration) every day in these emails and every week in my podcast, and every month in my “Email Players” newsletter.
Did you catch the lesson?
No?
Too bad.
Because it’s a super profitable one.
More creepy love vibes stalking opportunities here:
www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur
Ben Settle
My pal Ray Higdon recently asked my help on naming a product.
I helped him name a product before that did pretty well and he wanted to get my ex-spurt opinion on a new product he’s building. He (wisely) didn’t want to use the usual tired names 99% of Internet marketers all use on their product and, what were some ideas?
My reply:
(And this advice can protect you from looking like a wannabe)
“yeah forget the stale tired Internet marketing product names with blueprint, 1%, manifesto, etc. It’s all me-tooism.”
It’s true, too.
Copying others’ product titles in the same niche or industry makes you look like a wannabe. It not only confuses the market (confusion causing the death of sales…) but it just looks weak. Like you can’t think up anything original. Like you’re a follower (technically, you are if you do this) and not a leader.
Is that what you want people to think?
That you’re but part of the usual herd?
It’s like the character Todd in Kick Ass 2.
He wants to join Kick Ass’s super hero team and ends up coming up with a costume using Kick Ass’s exact colors (just in reverse) and the names he comes up with are names like “Ass Kicker” “Captain Kick Ass” and “Dr. Kick Ass”, etc.
Dumb.
So don’t be a Todd.
End of sermon.
If you haven’t yet checked out my podcast, go here:
www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur
We got lots of goodies cooked up for you.
And, it ain’t the re-hashed stuff on other podcasts.
More tomorrow…
Ben Settle
Following is a true story.
The names and places have been changed due to living in an overly litigious society full of losers, whine-bags, and mush cookies always tugging at Uncle Sam’s boob when someone is “mean” to them or a business doesn’t want to serve them. But, other than that, it’s all true and serves as a nice example of my “anti-professional” teachings.
Anyway, here goes:
Back in July I visited one of my favorite towns on the planet.
Specifically, a wine bar.
This place not only has great wine, but the owner personally cooks your meal on the spot, there is nobody else cooking but him, and he is one of the best cooks I’ve ever met. Anyway, when you go inside the first thing you see on all the tables is a little “reserved” sign. Thus, when you walk in, your first thought is, “crap! did I need a reservation?”
But alas, no.
You see, the owner doesn’t want *everyone* as a customer.
And, as he said:
“I just put those on the tables to keep the riff-raff out.”
Riff-raff being anyone he doesn’t want to serve.
Example:
After sitting down, a man and a woman came in with two kids. The owner really doesn’t like kids in his restaurant because he said they tend to be boring customers that want basic food items he doesn’t serve, which parents then demand him to create off-menu items just for them. And, he said, even if they do order something, they don’t spend enough money to make it worth it.
Long story short:
The owner shoos them out and says all the tables are reserved.
Then, he says:
“You’re welcome” to the rest of us.
Moral of the story?
This guy runs his business the way HE wants to. He serves ONLY the customers he wants. And, plays on HIS terms. He’s quite prosperous, too, and is kind of like Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi (the Wine Nazi?) in his own way.
Anyway, he’s the quint-essential anti-professional.
It’s the way I run my business as well.
And, so do a lot of smart folks these days.
If this way of doing bid’niz appeals to you, then check out the podcast episode I did about anti-professionals over yonder here:
Ben Settle
Let me tell you a story.
Back when Child elBenbo was in 6th grade, I was at my grandparents’ house, laying in their bedroom by myself watching the Disney Channel. While mindlessly watching (probably picking my nose and trying to hide the boogers on the carpet under the bed), a show came on called “The Wonderful World Of Disney”.
The episode was called:
“Disney’s Greatest Villains”
It was hosted by the same actor who plays the creepy dude in the Magic Mirror from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and other Disney specials. The Mirror spent the entire show talking about why the VILLAINS are the reason why Disney stories are so popular, along with clips of various Disney films to prove his point.
To paraphrase what he said:
Take a story with no villain, danger, or evil plans, and put them together and what do you got?
Boredom.
It’s the villain that determines how much you like the good guys.
And, it’s the villain that is #1 in any story.
Anyway, the point of all this?
If there’s one big gripe certain people have had with my Enoch Wars novels (Zombie Cop and Vampire Apocalypse) it’s that the good guys aren’t nearly as fleshed (heh) out and interesting or memorable as the villains. That I put WAY more time into building up the villains. And, that I seem to almost be rooting for them to win.
And you know what?
They be right.
I DO put considerable more time and thought into the Villains.
I can’t help it!
The devil didn’t make me do it, but Disney sure as hellz did.
So blame him.
Anyway, if you like villain-centered stories, twisted monsters, and deranged characters that make you wince at the things they do (and wonder how anyone as sweet and innocent and caring as me could write about the stuff they do), then you *might* like these novels.
First two are on Amazon now.
(Paperback, Kindle, and audio book formats).
And, I’m editing book 3 as you read this.
To get caught up in time for book 3, check out:
You can read the first couple chapters free.
And, who knows?
You may even like all the carnage…
Ben Settle
This week’s repulsive podcast episode is all about the law of repulsion (NOTE TO SELF: I should trademark that term before all the wannaBen’s start over using it to death…).
Specifically:
Here’s ye olde link to download it:
www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur
Ben Settle
Admission:
I like Obama about as much as Hillary loves transparency, but it does amuse me how he takes pleasure in riling up his enemies. Bill Clinton did the same. And, so did George (W.) Bush. They are masters (whether by accident or design, I know not) at polarization.
And guess what?
Polarization can make you a ton of the green stuff, too.
That is, if you do it right.
And, if you aren’t afraid to be a bit repulsive.
Anyway, Producer Jonathan and I rap about this on tomorrow’s “Ben Settle Show” podcast in exquisite detail.
In the meantime?
Download our prior episodes here:
www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur
Ben Settle
A cautionary tale:
One of the perks “Email Players” subscribers get is, whenever I get freelance copywriter opportunities sent to me, they’re the first to know about them. And while most impress the wahoo out of these clients and do elBenbo proud… there is one negative report I sometimes get.
Here’s what I mean:
A would-be client sends me what they need.
I email the “Email Players” list.
The freelancers on there then email the would-be client, but some of the people emailing them are coming off as trying to be too clever (which turns them off) and, at worst, looking like spammers.
Take, for example, my ex-copywriting apprentice.
She recently started her own copywriting agency.
And few months back, I sent an email to the Email Playerhood about how she’s looking for copywriters to work with and she sent me some of the replies asking:
“Why can’t they just talk to me like a regular person? Why all the copywriting drama and shenanigans?”
I shook my head.
And, had no answer.
She was getting all these subject lines and emails that sounded like spam at a glance, as they tried to show how clever they are. These subject lines *would* have worked great if sent to a list, most likely. But to someone who is requesting specific info?
Nah-boo.
They just want to know what you can do for them.
My ex-copywriting apprentice even said in a few cases she wanted to hear from the writers and liked them, but almost thought they were spam because of the clever and cute subject lines.
Anyway, like I said, a cautionary tale.
It’s all about context and awareness with subject lines.
(Just like with sales letter headlines.)
If you want to see a couple examples of how to respond to freelance inquiries, check out the August “Email Players” issue where I show you how to do it right (and some examples of what not to do).
Methinks a lot of freelancers sabotage themselves.
And, this is one way they do it.
She goes to printer in a few days.
Get your lovin’ here:
Ben Settle
Client-less Copywriter
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