Ben Settle

I swear…

Something’s in the air besides Spring right now.

I’ve suddenly been getting a TON of quextions about email copywriting & marketing.

Such as why do I send DAILY emails instead of weekly or monthly?

Why do I **butcher** the English language so much?

And how come I sometimes do the exact opposite of what many of the “goo-roos” do?

But you know what?

By FAR the most axed question has been:

And the answer is “no”.

As much as I LOVE email marketing (more than any other kind), I doubt I’ll ever have a course.

Even if I did, it’d be very, very expensive.

And probably only available to people who have bought my copywriting book.

But here’s the good newz:

I have NO problem telling you who my biggest email influences are.

The email “studs” I’ve learned and made the most moolah from.

So without further ado, here goes…

1. Matt Furey

Matt is numero uno for me.

I spent 5 years trying to “reverse engineer” his emails with no luck.

In fact, the more I tried, the WORSE my results.

After I got his big course last year, it all “clicked” (no pun intended).

See, you cannot learn MF’s system just by reading his emails.

There’s a powerful mindset and **strategy** behind them.

Anyway, if you can find his course (it doesn’t seem to be for sale right now) snatch that sucker.

I’m on my 9th time through it and am STILL pulling gems out.

2. Terry Dean

Terry is one of email marketing’s “pioneers.”

In fact, a lot of the Internet marketing and email stuff we all take for granted today came from Terry’s sweat and hard work.

And his email course (which is “chump change” compared to what you get) reveals ALL the cool things he’s learned from his testing with his and his client’s giant Internet marketing businesses.

It’s truly a “gold mine” of insights and advanced email strategies.

You can grab it at:

3. Jay White

If you’re on any “guru” lists, you’re already reading Jay’s emails.

His clients include dudes like Alex Mandossian, Stephen Pierce, Rich Schefren, Jeff Walker, and a bunch of other “players.”

And you wanna know what?

Jay just created his own course that he sells via AWAI (just google it and you can find it pretty easy).

Anyway, if you’re interested in taking your email marketing to the next “level”, these 3 guys come with my HIGHEST recommendation.

If nothing else, hop on their lists.

Just seeing these guys do their thing is an advanced email copywriting education in itself.

Ben Settle

UPDATE 6-18-10: I have since changed my mind and DID create an email course. It’s pretty expensive, and not meant for everyone. However, if you’re interested go to www.StreetSmartEmail.com

I ever tell you how I live in “Big Foot” country?

No joke.

In fact, I’m not far from Del Norte County, CA — near where that famous Big Foot clip from the 1960’s was shot.

And for a split second yesterday… I thought I saw him!

Here’s what happened:

I was driving along a back road outside town, minding my own business, when I saw this tall, and extremely hairy, thing walking along the road.

From a distance it looked EXACTLY like what I’d read of Big Foot.

But as I got closer I saw it wasn’t BF.

It wasn’t even a bear or some other animal.

Just a scraggly-looking hippy trying to thumb a ride.

Bummer.

Even so, the event got me thinking about something.

Something I believe can help your sales BIG TIME.

Here’s what I mean:

Believe it or not, Big Foot is big business for some people.

Since nobody has ever caught him (or them, whatever), and nobody has even gotten a 100% authenticated photo or movie of him, he’s truly become a legend.

Not only here in the Pacific Northwest — but around the world.

Almost everyone knows exactly who he his.

Exactly what he looks like.

And exactly what you mean when you mention his name.

In other words, he’s got MASSIVE personal branding.

And because of that, money is attracted to him like a magnet.

And guess what?

You and I can use this strategy in our businesses, too.

In fact, we have some “Big Foots” in the business world now.

Think of guys like Bill Gates.

Or Donald Trump.

Or (in marketing) Jay Abraham and Dan Kennedy.

All “Business Big Foots” — instantly identifiable (and even recognizable) by name, face and reputation.

Only question is HOW do they do it?

And (even more importantly) how you can you and I do it?

There are LOTS of ways to build your personal brand like this.

For example:

You can do what Walt Disney said — and run your business in such a way others can’t HELP but tell everyone they know about you.

You can also run the speaking circuit and get known REAL fast.

Another good way is to position yourself as the person at the top of the mountain in your niche — such as with outrageously expensive prices/fees (remember those $25k Jay Abraham seminars — whoa!)

There are also a few ways in my copywriting book.

Such as routinely getting yourself in the mass media — TV, radio and print — the way I explain in appendix 11.

Or using ordinary articles like marketing genius Mike Winicki does on page 195.

Or using email the way Terry Dean reveals on page 271.

Really, there are LOTS of ways to be the “Big Foot” of your niche.

The person everyone wants to meet, do business with… and even pretend they “discovered” when talking to their friends.

Whatever the case, it’s worth some SERIOUS thought.

It’s the ultimate in market positioning.

And makes selling a breeze.

Ben Settle

Remember the recent email about price shoppers vs investors?

The one where, at the end I said that, although the email was a blatant sales pitch, there was a “hidden” sales lesson in it?

And how I also asked if you saw the lesson?

Well, let’s just say the response has been VERY interesting.

Most people who responded caught one of them.

But only one subscriber caught all 3.

Here is what she said about the email and also my copywriting book:

Shirley, thank you so much for taking the time to write that.

You definitely nailed 3 big lessons from that email.

Posture being the one everyone else missed.

Funny how these are not “copywriting”, but old fashioned SALES strategies, eh?

It’s no coincidence that day’s book sales were higher than the previous several days **combined**.

As the great copywriters have said over the past 100 years:

If you want to get good at copywriting, study SELLING.

Because let’s face it:

It’s not exactly a walk in the park trying to persuade a complete stranger, who can’t see or hear you, to give up their hard-earned moolah (especially now) to buy something they didn’t even know existed 5 minutes ago.

And yet master salesmen — especially the “belly-to-belly” kind — sell to skeptical strangers all the time.

Study both sales AND copywriting masters, and you won’t go wrong.

Anyway, That’s it for today.

Next time… something wild and wacky.

Ben Settle

P.S. The best copywriters are almost always savvy sales pros. And many of the ones I interviewed in my copywriting book are tops at selling face-to-face as well as in print.

Got this question about The Copywriting Grab Bag book.

If you wondered why it’s priced so high, this will explain all.

And even if you couldn’t care less, if you look closely, there’s a valuable sales lesson “between the lines.”

Here goes:

QUESTION: Ben, why should I buy your book from your site for $129 when Amazon has copies for $40 or less?

BEN: That’s a very good question.

There are two answers:

1. The older version is outdated.

At least one chapter (about writing headlines) is no longer applicable.

It also doesn’t include the appendix interviews with A-List copywriter Doug D’Anna, Email marketing genius Terry Dean or the lesson on writing offline press releases.

These three lessons ALONE could be sold on their own for $97.

2. The new version comes with lots more “stuff”:

Including a CD with the MP3 audios of the appendix interviews and a bunch more “goodies” — A giant swipe file… Bullet point templates (the same ones I use when writing bullets)… A rare interview detailing EXACTLY how I structure and write ads for one of my 7-figure clients… An advanced email copywriting lesson… And more.

By the way…

There’s NO shame in not being able to buy a product due to temporary circumstances.

But even so, this book is NOT for price shoppers.

Nor is it for anyone more obsessed about SAVING a few bucks than MAKING a bundle.

I know I risk sounding like an “a hole” here.

But I’m not hard up for buyers.

If I was, I probably could have doubled my sales had I sent multiple emails during the launch (I sent only one).

More:

The book is cram-packed with millyun dollar tips from guys like Doug D’Anna… David Deutsch… Ken McCarthy… Terry Dean… Doberman Dan Gallapoo (who worked side-by-side with the great Gary Halbert)… Brian Clark… and more.

And let me be brutally honest about something:

When I interviewed these “players”, I did it selfishly.

I didn’t ask them what their favorite color is.

I asked questions that’s help me kick but in my own business.

And the secrets they (very generously) revealed have made a HUGE impact on mine (and my clients’) profits.

Frankly, I didn’t have to package them into a book at all.

Especially a book that costs only $129 smackeroos.

I could have milked it like some Internet marketers do — and put each interview on a separate CD, doubled the font size to add more pages, inserted blank pages that say “Notes” to add to the page count, stuffed the pages into a heavy binder, etc, just to make it bulkier so I could charge $297, $397 or more.

Anyway, you can learn more about the book at:

Shoot — that was more of a sales pitch than a “tip”, wasn’t it?

Even so, there’s a valuable sales lesson “between the lines.”

Did you catch it?

Ben Settle

I have something kinda weird to share today.

Despite its weirdness, I hope you find it as helpful as I have.

Anyway, here goes:

As you may or may not know, I live in a little sea-side town in the Pacific Northwest.

And I’m extremely thankful for it.

I love the smell of salt water, the mild weather, the quiet, and all the other cool things about living here.

Frankly, I enjoy it so much, I kinda don’t like leaving town.

In fact, there are VERY few things (outside maybe a funeral) that motivate me to go anywhere these days. Including the two prestigious Internet marketing events I was invited to attend (as a guest) this year.

Maybe I’m crazy, but that’s just how it is right now.

However, there is one thing my town IS missing.

Something that’d make it dang near perfect:

A lighthouse.

I think lighthouses are just flat out cool.

They are literally beacons of light that guide ships safely to shore through hard times at sea — storms, thick fog and other dangerous conditions.

They make traveling safer for passing ships.

In some cases, they can even save lives.

All of which got me thinking recently.

Lighthouses are pretty rare in BUSINESS, too.

Let’s face it, there are a ton of bad businesses out there.

And a lot of lame, “just going through the motions” types.

But very few what I call “lighthouse businesses” — who act as beacons of light for their customers.

Who guide people through the maze of lies and chicanery of unethical marketers.

Who truly want to help people solve urgent problems in their lives — and are not just in it for the moolah.

I’m talking about businesses who cheerfully go the extra mile for their customers even when it’s inconvenient — not because they HAVE to… but because they WANT to.

In fact, here’s a prediction:

I predict it’s the lighthouse businesses — who truly have a MISSION, are in LOVE with their markets, and bend over BACKWARDS in their products, marketing and customer service — that make the most moolah in the coming months and years.

And will actually thrive MORE the worse things get.

Anyway, what about you?

Are you a LIGHTHOUSE in your market?

Are you a beacon of light people are DRAWN to?

Someone that sells quality products you use and truly BELIEVE in?

Someone so trusted, that people count on you to guide them through making the right decision when spending their hard-earned money?

Just something to think about.

It’s definitely something I’ll be thinking about more to stay grounded and on track.

Lighthouse businesses aren’t always the sexiest companies.

But they stick out like sore thumbs from everyone else.

Especially in tough times when skeptical customers abound.

Ben Settle

P.S. To be a lighthouse business also means marketing in ways that are both ethical AND profitable. Ads that bring value to peoples’ lives and don’t waste their time with nonsense. You can learn 122 ways to write ads like this in The Copywriting Grab Bag:

I think it’s high time I tell you about something.

Something extremely important if you write ads.

Something that was drilled into my head while interviewing the “A
List” copywriting masters who contributed to my Copywriting Grab Bag book.

Listen, you might find this weird, but I wrote my last two ads without even seeing the products.

Instead, I just sat down and cranked ’em out.

No product to study and no real details about what was in them.

The results?

One is (so far) kicking booTAY.

And the other has yet to be tested (but will likely do VERY well, or else completely BOMB — as I went for the “touchdown pass”.)

But… how is this possible?

How can you write an ad without seeing the product?

The answer:

I didn’t NEED to see them.

Because I knew the MARKETS.

I spent hours on the phone with the clients.

Asked tons of questions about how their markets behave and make decisions.

And pored through all the high-selling ads in their markets — analyzing and studying their benefits, colloquialisms, offers, appeals, etc.

In the end, I banged out both ads (except for the bullets) “blind.”

Anyway, here’s the point:

I know it doesn’t sound “cool” — but copywriting is not about pulling a magic headline out of your hat.

Or memorizing all the latest super duper persuasion tactics.

Or slapping the “ballziest” guarantee on the end.

Yes… those things are awesome.

And they CAN dramatically boost your response.

But in the end, it’s about the MARKET, not the “technique.”

It’s about WHAT you say, not how you say it.

And it’s about taking the time to dig up facts about the market your lazy competition can’t be bothered with.

It’s no coincidence the two “A-List” freelance copywriters featured in The Copywriting Grab Bag harped on knowing the market more than the coolest copywriting “tips and tricks.”

Because in the end, all selling basically comes down to this:

Words to live by no matter what kind of product you sell.

Ben Settle

P.S. You can learn over 122 MORE ways to outsell your lazy competition and show ’em who’s boss in your market at:

This may sound strange (it’s strange to me)… but lately, some people have been almost worried about my lack of political emails.

Believe it or not (and I still don’t get it), there are some who are actually kind of disappointed I haven’t been rapping about Obama’s latest spending spree.

Or Algore’s most recent “global warming” alarms.

Or about any of our favorite other gummint sociopaths.

Still others (who vehemently DISAGREE with me) have been bracing themselves for impact — almost itching to reply back and show me how wrong I am.

What’s going on here?

Have I lost my ballz?

Am I “wussing out”?

Not exactly.

I’m just PROTECTING myself.

You see, I’ve got a TON of stuff going right now.

Including multiple client projects, marketing my copywriting book, and even helping a loved one get her own website running.

And so, I’ve been on a self-imposed “news fast.”

I’m not exposing myself to ANY political or world news.

Sure, sometimes on Twitter I get a “whiff” of whatever toxic dish the media hacks are cooking up.

But I REFUSE to eat their poisonous food no matter how good it smells from the kitchen.

And you know what?

I HIGHLY suggest you consider doing the same.

Especially if you want to prosper in the coming months.

Here’s why I say this:

A few years ago, I had the good fortune to write an ad selling a product showing people how to buy large ($1 million or higher) businesses without using any banks, credit or your own moolah.

There was a LOT of cool stuff in this course.

But one thing the author said has stuck with me since (paraphrased):

“During recessions, stay the hell away from the news.”

His reasoning was the news is negative.

Their mantra is “if it bleeds, it leads.”

And when you are in business, you need to FOCUS on yourself and your business more than ever — and not get distracted by all the doom and gloom.

In fact, it’s this guy’s contention that, if you simply ignore the news, you will almost automatically be more successful.

And you know what?

I have found this to be 100% true.

Since going on my news fast, I have been WAY more focused.

I fall asleep much faster and easier at night.

And my productivity has (literally) DOUBLED.

All from not wasting time on the newz.

So anyway, that’s why I haven’t yapped about current events.

It’s also why, God willing, you won’t hear me yapping about it any time soon.

I kinda LIKE my news fast, now. 😉

I may even be on it indefinitely (or for a very loooong time).

Try it yourself for a few days.

You’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.

Ben Settle

P.S. For more ideas on how to make out like a bandit during a down economy, go to:

Yesterday we saw Rorschach’s “finger snapping” sales secret.

Now I want to tell you about another character from Watchmen.

A character just as COOL as Rorschach… with a copywriting secret just as PROFITABLE.

His name is Dr. Manhattan — a blue, bald naked guy who the ladies find quite studly.

And he’s the only “hero” in the deal with actual “super powers”: The ability to manipulate matter at the atomic and subatomic level.

(Which is “geek-ese” for he can do whatever he wants.)

He can make stuff out of nothing, teleport, reduce a person to ashes with a mere thought, hang out on Mars, change his size, turn wood into glass, and even make duplicate versions of himself.

(You’ll have to see the movie for WHY he would do that…)

You want to know what else?

He is also a walking copywriting METAPHOR.

I kid you not, either.

Think about it:

What is your job as a copywriter if not to give yourself (if even temporarily) unlimited powers to do whatever you want for your prospects?

To grant their every wish.

Fulfill their every dream.

And (to paraphrase the late copywriter Eugene Schwartz) become, “The scriptwriter for your prospect’s fantasies”?

You know, it sounds weird, but often the best ads are written BEFORE the product is made for this exact reason.

In fact, the last ad I wrote was like this.

We had no product, just a market and a list of what that market desperately wants and needs right now.

So I simply created the product as I was writing the ad.

Taking everything we knew about the market and creating the ultimate “super product” in my head.

My point?

Whether you have the product or not… it’s your job as the copywriter to figure out everything your prospect wants, and create a fantasy in their brains as to how your product can grant all those wonderful miracles.

It’s the heart and soul of moolah-making copywriting.

Frankly, you’re not just “writing.”

You’re like the “Doctor Manhattan” of their lives — giving them anything their little hearts desire.

All of which makes selling in print a piece of cake.

As well as a whole lot of fun 😉

Ben Settle

P.S. This creating fantasies thing can REALLY explode your response — even if you are not the best “copywriter” in the game. You can read more about how to become the “Doctor Manhattan” of your niche in chapter one of The Copywriting Grab Bag:

A couple nights ago I saw the movie “Watchmen.”

The movie was a LOT of fun… and had the added benefit of containing a very powerful sales lesson any one of us can benefit enormously from.

Here’s what I mean:

One of the reasons I like the story so much (I’ve read the comic several times over the years) is because of the bizarre characters.

My favorite being “Rorschach.”

Just a fascinating guy.

He’s short, kinda gangly and (from the story) smells bad.

Yet, the bad guys are scared to death of him.

Whenever he walks into a bar, the music stops and people tremble in fear.

Reason why is because Rorschach has no problem walking up to the biggest goon in the joint, grabbing his finger and breaking it BEFORE asking any questions — sending even the nastiest thug to his knees begging for mercy.

The point?

Rorschach doesn’t have to be the strongest, tallest or heaviest guy to kick azz.

He’s got leverage.

In this case, the bad guy’s ever-so-delicate fingers.

All he needs is one finger to control and dominate someone.

And guess what?

We can do this in selling, too.

You don’t necessarily need the best written ad, the most eloquent style or the smoothest voice and look.

Nope.

All you need is leverage.

To grab your competition’s fingers (figuratively!) and send ’em into a fetal position crying for their mamas.

Here are some simple (REALLY simple) ways to do it:

1. Be the most honest & ethical business

2. Avoid using hype or shady manipulation tactics

3. Write your advertising to the **skeptics**

4. Write like you talk — and not like some robot

5. Have the best customer service

6. Show the REAL you in your emails, ads and other communications

7. Sincerely CARE about your customers (what a concept, eh?)

8. Always value your customers’ time

9. Think up better (more gutsy) offers than your competition

10. Contact your list every day (or at least almost every day)

There are more, of course.

But if you focus on these 10 you should see a major sales bump.

How do I know?

Because since focusing on these 10 things over the past year, I have noticed a fat spike in my sales and my customers’ happiness.

As well as gaining powerful, long-term leverage.

Ben Settle

P.S. Hey, guess what?

An 11th thing you can do for leverage is ALWAYS ask for the sale.

Like this:

You can give yourself even MORE leverage by using any one of the 122+ secrets in The Copywriting Grab Bag book at: