Ben Settle

Not long ago “it” finally happened.

I’d heard about “it” happening to copywriters before.

And, especially to the bigger name copywriters, like John Carlton, Dan Kennedy, Gary Halbert, Gary Bencivenga, etc

Anyway, what is this “it” I speaketh of?

Someone swiped one of my ads almost word for word.

But here’s the ironic thing.

Even though the “perp” swiped my ad… and did it for an ad competing against mine in the same market (a blatantly unethical no-no)… it didn’t make me angry at all.

In fact, I found it kinda amusing.

Why?

Because even though the swiper thought he was being “clever”… he missed the whole point of what made the ad successful and swiped all the wrong parts.

It was just a complete mess, too.

His headline missed the emotion mine targeted, his sales argument lacked any trace of fire or passion (as they say in Hollywood terms, he “phoned it in”), and it was such a hatchet job nothing read smoothly or organically.

It was just cut, paste, smooth over, pay me my fee, Mr. Client.

Yikes.

You know, that’s the big problem with swiping.

Copywriting ain’t about the words.

It’s about the market.

The best prose won’t mean jack if you get the market dynamics wrong (or ignore them altogether, like this swipemeister did).

Anyway, it really was kinda funny.

I mean… there are few things so amusing as a two-bit thief so lazy all he can do is rip off the spare change laying on the kitchen table… instead of taking the time to find the rolls of $100 bills stuffed in a safe in the wall.

I guess it’s true what they say after all:

Crime really doesn’t pay.

Ben Settle

P.S. To see how some of the highest paid copywriters on the planet write their sales letters, emails and other ads, simply ska-daddle on over to ye old copywriting shoppe at:

I gotta hand it to big pharma ads.

I may despise how some of them have the feds in their hip pocket (this comes from an FDA/FTC lawyer, and not based on opinion). But even I’m shocked by the cojones it takes to forthrightly sell drugs with side effects spookier than the very symptoms they’re supposed to suppress.

Take the commercial I saw last night, for example.

It was selling a drug that supposedly treats anxiety.

Yet, the same commercial clearly (almost BOLDLY) declared the drug may actually cause you to have suicidal thoughts!

Takes “candor” to a whole new level, doesn’t it?

And it just goes to show never to underestimate the extreme lengths some people are willing to go (and the risks they are willing to take) to solve a painful problem in their lives.

I mean, think about it:

If someone cheerfully risks WORSE pain, discomfort or even death itself to eliminate a pain (or achieve a desire)… how sexy does the marketing have to be?

How “irresistible” does the offer have to be?

How persuasive does the ad have to be?

Anyway, here’s the point:

The easiest way to be a marketing rock star is selling to markets so “hot to trot” your product flaws don’t matter.

Do that and you almost can’t fail.

Ben Settle

P.S. If you don’t sell to a market so rabid they’re willing to risk life or limb to solve their problems, despair ye not.

Most of us don’t sell to markets like that, either.

However, you can “spice up” your sales with the 101 historically proven ways to sell almost any product to any market (even cold markets that are normally hard to sell to) over at:

Can marketers really “control” minds?

Not to burst any goo-roo bubbles… but I kinda doubt it.

Maybe that disappoints some.

Yet, as far as I can tell, even the goo-rooest of goo-roos can’t control another person’s mind with their marketing, and force them to buy something helplessly against their will.

But you know what?

Just because you can’t “control” someone’s mind with your marketing doesn’t mean you can’t at least temporarily influence the “conversation” going on in their heads.

The nightly news nitwits do it all the time.

You can be happily eating your dinner or playing with your dog and then — boom! — some talking head on the boob tube tries freaking you out about whatever the scare-of-the-day is.

It’s how they keep people glued to the show.

And how they get lots of ratings that brings in more ad revenue so they can do it all over again the next day… and then do it all over again the next day…

Ugh.

Luckily, there’s a a GOOD way to do this.

A way that HELPS people.

And that also just happens to bring in more of the green stuff.

How?

Email, baby.

If you know how to do email, you can slip into your reader’s mind (in a fun, ethical and NON-scummy way) each day, and give them a fun little adventure… instead of the usual steamy pile of goo-roo offers, spam, political drama, bad news, etc.

This way, everyone wins.

You get to bond with your list more (and maybe make a sale) and they get to forget the daily grind and think about something fun and exciting (even if for just a few minutes).

This is why email is like the 8th wonder of the world.

It’s also why, if I could only pick ONE selling tool, email’d be it.

And guess what?

The first issue of The Crypto Marketing Newsletter goes over 10 extremely cool ways to “step” into your prospect’s world with email.

To be a bright spot in their day.

And even make your emails fun to read and BUY from.

Ben Settle

P.S. This first email marketing issue goes to the printer Monday. So subscribe and grab it why you still can over yonder at:

Once in a while, I get to thinking about something freaky.

No matter how good things get… you just never know when things will take a bizarre twist that sends your business to hell in a hand basket.

Maybe your product becomes obsolete.

Or clients stop hiring you.

Or your entire industry is outlawed by a bureaucratic brainfart.

Hey, these things DO happen — only question is… what would you do if that happened to you?

Here’s what I’d do:

1. Find a mass market of proven buyers

2. Create a fast product (audio interview–of myself or an expert)

3. Write a basic capture page and sales letter

4. Start writing 10-15 articles per DAY to a few (high traffic and “Google friendly”) ezine article sites that send people to the capture page

And that’s it.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

Yes, it IS simple.

And it’s also one of the most (if not THE most) reliable online business models ever invented.

But don’t take my word for it.

Just ask Rich Bryda.

After a devastating hit to his business soon after he got married and had his first child, Rich was forced to figure out a way to pay the bills fast or go bust. During this time, he discovered a way to drive thousands of visitors to his site (free) each day using short ezine articles that take only minutes to write.

Within 8 months he had over 1,000 articles online.

Those articles now drive as many as 150 opt-ins per day to his squeeze page, and rake in as much as $70,000 per year selling a cheap $19 eBook (and without a backend, affiliates or anything else).

I hate using the term “auto-pilot.”

But his business really IS on auto-pilot.

He hasn’t written a single article in over a year… and the leads and sales keep pouring in like clockwork.

Anyway, would you like to learn how Rich does it?

Then check out these apples:

One of the “bribes” you get when subscribing to my new Crypto Marketing Newsletter is a 102 minute interview I did with Rich about his methods.

There’s no fluff or hype in it.

And no hidden sales pitch.

Just pure information — his exact methodology on a silver platter.

And it’s yours free with your subscription today at:

Ben Settle

Last week I saw a weird FaceBook prediction.

Apparently, some folks are scared FaceBook will kill email marketing as we know it after it gets around to creating its own email system, and everyone has a FaceBook email address which (due to FB’s built-in friend-based system) would make doing mass mailings near impossible.

As a result, they think email deliverability will be near zero.

Open rates will drop to nothing.

And maybe even the seas will boil, the dead will rise from the grave, and all dogs and cats will start harmoniously living together, to boot.

Seriously though, let’s humor the doomsdayers for a bit.

Let’s say the email apocalypse DOES happen.

And your entire list primarily uses a FaceBook email address.

What then?

Well, if you do email right… you won’t even FEEL it.

Why?

Because even the most paranoid email users will simply use a NON FaceBook email address to get your stuff. They will then continue to look forward to hearing (and buying) from you. And, in some cases, may even be AFRAID to buy your main product for fear they will be segmented off your list.

That’s no joke, either.

I’ve had this happen several times now — where someone wanted to make sure they wouldn’t be removed from my list once buying.

Why would they fear that?

Well, it ain’t because I use any magical NLP or jedi mind tricks.

No… it’s simply because they enjoy my emails.

I connect with them in a way none of the goo-roos are able to do with their super duper “ninja” gimmicks, that makes the emails fun for them to read and buy from.

And guess what?

You can do the exact same thing.

It’s a lot easier than you may think, too.

And if you want to learn how, then grab the “maiden” issue of The Crypto Marketing Newsletter — which covers 10 ways ANYONE can use to write emails people love reading and buying from.

This first issue goes out next week.

If you want in, jump on the train while you can…

Ben Settle

No time for chit-chat today.

My new print (i.e. offline) newsletter is now launched.

It’s called “The Crypto Marketing Newsletter.” And if you want to see if it’s something you want “in” on, just zippity-doo-dah on over to:

Ben Settle

P.S. Remember Friday’s email about daily emails?

Once in a while someone asks a similar (and equally good) question about why I send out FULL emails, instead of teasers that get people to click to a blog or whatever.

After all, few of the goo-roos do full emails, right?

Well, guess what?

Top email copywriter John Manley (email him at john (at) johncamanley.com if you’re looking for an email copywriter who kicks bootay) recently took the full email vs teaser “taste test” on one of his clients’ lists, and here were his results over 4 unique tests:

Not too shabby, is it?

A 3,000% better conversion ain’t nothing to sneeze at.

And it’s especially interesting how the teaser won the first time… but as the list got “used” to the full emails it wasn’t even close.

Just something to think about.

You can learn 10 easy ways to write emails that are perfect for sending out in full like this (that people love reading and buying from) in the first issue of The Crypto Marketing Newsletter over yonder:

An eagle-eyed subscriber asks…

“Ben, why in the world do you write an email every day? Don’t people get sick of hearing from you? Aren’t you getting spam complaints? How come you do it and none of the gurus do?”

All excellent questions.

And I thought it’d be fun to list some of the reasons why I email every day (or almost every week day, to be more accurate).

Ready?

OK, here goes…

1. Nobody else in my market does it (so I stick out)

2. Demonstrates my knowledge each day (I once heard it like this: if you’re going to position yourself as an “expert” about something, shouldn’t you have something to say about that subject every day?)

3. Turns OFF the people I don’t want as customers

4. Turns ON the people I do want as customers (and has decreased my spam complaints to almost zero)

5. Helps me generate more ideas for other projects

6. Constantly adds content to my blog

7. More sales

8. My writing is always getting faster (a LOT faster)

9. Helps me identify my best customers

10. Therapeutic (I almost HAVE to do it now)

So anyway, those are a few reasons.

And speaking of email, check out these apples:

In the first issue of my offline newsletter (on sale Monday) I cover over 10 different ways to write emails that make it a total no-brainer for someone to write weekly, bi-weekly and… yes.. even DAILY emails.

But not just any old emails.

I’m talking about the kind of emails people look forward to reading (and buying from), that’ll whip you into a true email stud (or studette).

Anyway, it launches Monday.

If you’re interested, keep an eye on your inbox…

Ben Settle

I’ll always remember 2009 as “the year of the flake.”

Seemed like there was a flake behind every bush.

Flakey accountants.

Flakey doctors.

Flakey printers.

And even my own flakiness reared its ugly mug (i.e. the Crackerjack Selling CD Club I built up for 6 months… only to drop it after 30 days).

I can’t speak for other flakes out there.

But my excuse for flakiness was taking on too much.

Seems I couldn’t tell anyone “no” and jumped into every project I saw. The result was not living up to all my commitments and, yes, being a big, fat flake.

Ugh.

Why am I telling you this?

Because nobody is immune to this phenomenon.

And if you want to INCREASE your amount of the green stuff (i.e. moola)… and also DECREASE your chance of burnout… then simply learn to F-O-C-U-S. I’ve been doing just that this year and, so far, the first 1.5 months of 2010 have been more productive than the last 6 months of 2009!

By focus, I mean don’t scatterbrain on 8 or 9 ventures.

Instead, zoom in on ONLY 3.

Why 3?

Because your brain likes 3.

Which is why, while working on one project, people tend to get cool ideas for the other two projects simmering on the stove.

Example?

OK, right now I’m working on a client sales letter, various emails/pages for another business, and my new print (offline) newsletter I’m launching next week. And it’s amazing how, while working one project, solutions and ideas for the OTHER two projects “slip” into my head — sometimes so fast I gotta stop to write all the ideas down.

Kinda groovy how the mind does that.

Anyway, just something to chew on.

I know it sounds weird.

But less work is the key to more of the green stuff.

Ben Settle

P.S. Next week I’m launching my print (offline) newsletter. The feedback on the first couple issues and bonuses (i.e. bribes) that come with it have been incredible. One hardcore direct marketer (Doberman Dan Gallapoo) said it’s one of the best marketing newsletters he’s read since Gary Halbert’s.

Is it really that good?

IMHO, it’s not even in Gary’s newsletter’s league.

But that kind of feedback from a veteran kitchen table entrepreneur like Dan is a good sign.

Stay tuned for more details…

Lately, I’m unfriending FaceBook “friends” left & right.

There are many reasons why, too.

But usually they fall into one of the “people-who-irritate-the-living-crappola out of me” categories below:

FaceBook Mannequins:

Some people on FB try to give the illusion of perfection to the point where it reminds me of the robots in the movie “Surrogates” — perfect, flawless… and creepy.

Cheapskates:

What is it with people whining about the idea of FB charging a few bucks per month (which is probably a myth anyway), especially when it’s less than what many of them are paying each DAY for their daily Star Bucks sugar coffee?

Sour Pusses:

Who wants to be pals with people who are wound up so tight they have no sense of humor whatsoever?

Wall Spammers:

I wonder if these people have any idea how truly lame (and annoying) all their virtual hugs, shots, Valentine’s Day gifts, and other fake presents are?

Inbox Spammers:

This is when someone CC’s you an FB message sent to 10 other people, and you keep getting everyone’s back and forth banter — whether you care about the conversation or not (with no way to opt-out, except pushing the “spam” button each time someone replies).

Decoy Taggers:

These are the people who put up pictures of buildings or monuments or whatever, then tag as many people on there as they can to, presumably, get all those peoples’ attention. I wonder which social media goo-roo is teaching this?

Anyway, here’s the bottom line:

FaceBook, Twitter, etc can be fun (and amusing).

But they’re crawling with people who seem to have PhD’s in cheapness, lame marketing and wasting peoples’ time with nonsense — and so zapping them from my list is now mandatory.

And you know what?

If you value your time, you may want to do the same.

Ben Settle