Ben Settle

I don’t know why…

… but it still surprises me when so-called “business people” get their underwear in a wad when they see an offer.

You’d think they would realize the whole point of having an email list is to run a business, and not just give away endless amounts of free content forever.

Take, for example, my last email/blog post about copywriting joint ventures.

I basically gave away some extremely valuable information that has been worth well over $10,000 to me personally.

And yet, here’s an email I got almost immediately after sending it:

I hate these misleading articles that lead to a pitch. Pretty cheap. I’m unsubscribing. – M.

Apparently, the fact I put an affiliate link in the email that sends people to a website with nothing but MORE free content (there’s nothing even for sale there right now) hurt poor “M’s” delicate sensitivities.

And while I found his email amusing (hey, don’t let the door hit you in the arse, M)… it was also kind of annoying, too.

Of course, I have nobody to blame but myself.

I probably give as much “for real” useful free content as anyone. The interviews alone are worth more than many products you can pay for on those particular subjects.

And yet, I am no longer sure giving all this away is a good thing.

There are two reasons I say this:

1. My site is like “catnip” to people who only want free stuff.

This doesn’t make them bad people, by any means. But they tend to complain an awful lot and make for lousy subscribers.

And, even more important than that…

2. All this free stuff I give away doesn’t help you as much as if you paid for it.

Now, your first reaction to that may be, “NO BEN! It DOES help!”

And, in some ways, I am sure it does.

But rest assured, free is NOT better.

I’ll give you a “real life” example.

Once upon a time I bought the late Gary Halbert’s “Boron Letters” (back when he charged $97 for them — and didn’t give them away free on his site).

And because I bought those letters (and it kinda stung my pocket book to do so), I studied them night and day for several months.

In fact, I read them at least 20 times (probably more, but lost count).

I even sat down and copied the book out by hand just to get inside Sir Gary Of Halbert’s “head.”

This experience was invaluable to me.

I cannot put a price tag on how much it was “worth” — but I do know my income went up significantly after that.

And yet, I never would have studied them like that had I got them free on his site.

Which brings me to the point:

Free is costing you money.

It is NOT saving you money.

Especially long term.

And if seeing a sales pitch bothers you — even though you are in marketing and/or copywriting — then it could be you’re in the wrong business.

I mean, how can you possibly be a good seller… if you’re not first a good buyer?

Just something to think about.

P.S. Like anyone online, I often get hate mail (or “dork mail” as I consider the one I quoted above).

But I also get a lot of good mail, too.

In fact, right after the email I got above, the following response — to the exact same email the other guy was crying about — came in:

“Ben, I am continually amazed at the wealth of information and the imaginative nature of your e-mails on copywriting, etc. Even when I can’t use one of your e-mails, which is often because of the nature of my writing, I am so very impressed by the thoughtfulness of the content — and how spritely it’s written. Thanks for strong writing and strong ideas! Best, Tim”

Thank you, Tim.

Coming from you that means a lot (Tim happens to be a “for real” business professional, by the way, with the career history to prove it).

QUESTION: Ben, I heard you got your start in copywriting by doing joint ventures so you would not be paid a fee but on the sales. I am a new copywriter and would like to know how you set that up?

BEN: That’s a great question.

It’s an extremely important one, too.

Because while copywriting joint ventures can be VERY profitable if you find the right product and partner, they can drive you to the brink of insanity if you don’t.

Which is why, if I could do it over again, I would not just do joint ventures.

Instead, I would do what I do today… which is have three projects going at all times:

A fee-based project, a joint venture project, and one of my own projects.

So far, this has proven to be WAY more profitable than just doing joint ventures or just fee-based work.

Now, I will give you one piece of advice that, if you really follow it, will save you a whole bunch of aggravation.

And my advice is to ONLY do copywriting JV deals with people who:

1. Are as motivated (or more motivated) to make money as you are.

2. Have a list of at LEAST 5,000 people — many of which are actual buyers.

3. Have a history of mailing their lists regularly and often.

4. Have a product that is proven to sell.

There’s actually more to it than that.

But in my humble (but accurate) opinion, these four things are mandatory.

Otherwise you are setting yourself up for a potentially nasty fall.

What you want is to write an ad for a product that you already know sells, to a list of people that you already know are capable of buying, for a client who you already know will run your ad.

This doesn’t guarantee you success, obviously.

But it does dramatically beef up your odds.

On that note, let me say one more thing.

Probably the best person to ask about copywriting JV deals is not me… but my buddy John Anghelache.

These are actually John’s specialty and he has done far more of them than me.

Had I learned John’s method of doing these JV’s in the beginning, I would have saved myself from making a pile of dumb mistakes that cost me a small fortune in time and money.

And here’s the good news:

For the first time ever, John is going to reveal his exact method of setting up profitable copywriting JV deals in a special coaching program he and Ryan Healy are soon launching.

If you’re serious about making it as a freelancer, I highly suggest checking it out at:

I was reading Brian Clark’s latest blog post today at www.CopyBlogger.com about bullet points (one of the BEST bullet point tutorials ever, IMHO), started to draft a comment, and, before I realized it, my comment was a full fledged lesson in itself!

So instead of posting it as a comment on Brian’s blog, I decided to post it here.

But before reading my “add on” lesson, I HIGHLY encourage you to read (even print out) Brian’s post at www.CopyBlogger.com/bullet-points-for-bloggers.

Ready?

OK, here we go…

1. Give-Away Bullets.

These are sort of like the lady who hands out cheese cubes at the grocery store. She gives people a little “taste” of food that keeps them alert and shopping — and many times they end up with the thing they tasted in the shopping card.

You can do the same thing with your bullets.

Every now and then, just flat out give away one of your secrets.

For example:

• How to use simple cartoons to explode your sales…no matter what you sell or who you sell to. (For example, you’d be amazed at how easily a picture of a phone operator with her headset on can jack up your response!)

Another play on this is to give half (or even most) of the secret away… and then add a little “twist.”

Like this…

• Two proven “cures” for writers block. (The first one is simply doing a lot of research. The second one is much easier… and can be found at your corner grocery store.)

2. Expansion Bullets.

I LOVE using these in ads that have lots of bullets.

Not only do they break up the “sameness” of the page (when you have several pages of bullets) — but they also add more tease, demonstration and curiosity.

Plus, they give a nice little “loop” effect to your ad that keeps sucking the reader back in.

Here’s an example:

Speaking of stopping diseases… chapter 32 of “Why You Should Never Give Your Dog A Bone” will show you…

This is no joke.

In fact, if you want to kiss those sky-high vet bills and expensive pet medications goodbye forever… then turn immediately to page 92 and discover:

Why some colleges will perform veterinary services for your dog (as education for their veterinarian students) at a reduced cost (and sometimes free!)… A special website where you can buy dog medications for as much as 50% off… A secret way to get high-quality veterinary services 100% FREE for the rest of your dog’s life… How to save a HUGE amount of money on your vet bills by asking your vet one (almost laughably simple) question… And more.

There are actually 12 money-saving secrets in this chapter.

And each one can save you a pile of money the next time your dog gets sick, hurt or just needs a routine checkup.

Here are a few more of the little-known secrets revealed in this hot new book for dog owners:

And then it just goes back to hitting them with more bullets.

3. “Can’t Be Done” Bullets.

This is my all time favorite bullet point technique.

I first heard Eugene Schwartz talk about this in a video speech he gave, and have used them with reckless abandon ever since. (In fact, I like it so much I dedicated an entire chapter to this in my book “The Copywriting Grab Bag.”)

Basically, this is where you say something that is “almost” unbelievable.

Something 100% true, but that is so whacky and “out there” it makes you say,
“How in the heck can you do that???”

Here are some examples:

And so on, and so forth.

Anyway, those are three more techniques to add to Brian Clark’s excellent list (which, again, you can get at www.CopyBlogger.com/bullet-points-for-bloggers).

I hope you enjoy (and profit!) from them.

Just got back from seeing “The Hulk.”

Holy crap I love these comic book movies! (And my “fanboy” hairs are all a tingle about the upcoming “Batman.”)

Funny thing about “Hulk” though… is how much it reminds me of certain copywriters.

When I hear some of the mega claims certain copywriters make about “their copy” bringing in millions of dollars (without any mention of list, offer, positioning, company credibility, product quality, market place timing, ad design, etc), I see this image of the copywriter ripping off his shirt, pounding his chest like the Hulk and screaming at the top of his lungs…

“COPYWRITER SMASH!”

“RRRRRAAAAAARRRRR!”

And let’s face it.

Just like the Hulk, the more excited they get… the STRONGER their hype gets.

Which is kind of a pity.

Because no matter how much we copywriters think otherwise, copy is merely a sales multiplier.

It’s not going to make a crappy product better.

It’s not going to magically force people to buy something they don’t want.

And it’s sure as heck not going to “hypnotize” someone into buying something against their will.

Yes, copy IS extremely important.

And if you have the right traffic, positioning, product and offer it can blast your profits through the roof.

But copy is not “king.”

Heck, it’s not even queen.

(It’s more like a jack or 10 of spades.)

In fact, Ken McCarthy nails it in his “System Club Letters” book:

“… All things being equal, the prize goes to the person who writes the best ad. But the reality is ‘all other things’ are rarely equal…and the so-so letter to the hyper-responsive list is going to wipe the floor with the brilliant letter sent to the so-so list.”

Words to live by for ANY copywriter.

Even if your copy really is “super.”

P.S. If you’d like a free MP3 of the interview I did with Ken McCarthy about copywriting (that he contributed to my “Copywriting Grab Bag” book), simply buy “The System Club Letters” from his site at:

And then send your receipt to: ben [at] bensettle.com

An no… I am NOT an affiliate for his book. I just think it’s one of the single best marketing books I’ve ever read, and I think the marketing world would be a much better place if everyone owned (and read) it.

P.P.S. Speaking of “The Copywriting Grab Bag” book…

Yesterday I got a testimonial for it from Internet marketing “legend” Terry Dean.

You can hear what he said in a 30 second MP3 clip here:

It was a real honor to get a testimonial from Terry.

Frankly, if anyone has the right to be called an Internet marketing “guru”, it’s him.

Anyway, I’m soon raising the price considerably (probably to $97) when I write a “real” ad for it. So if you want the book while it’s still relatively inexpensive, just go to:

Lately it seems unsubscribing from lots of email lists has been all the rage.

It makes sense, too.

I mean… not being on dozens of lists frees up your time and inbox so you can focus on important things (like running your business and making more dough) — instead of wasting your time reading one hyped-up sales pitch after another after another after another.

But you know what?

If you’re an email marketer, getting off some of those lists can be a HUGE mistake.

Strange as it sounds, I believe all this unsubscribing is costing you dearly — especially if you’re leaving the really hard-core, “frothing-at-the-mouth” hypey lists.

In fact, I believe you should join every single stinkin’ hype-filled list as possible.

The more full of BS the better.

The more they insult your intelligence the better.

I’m dead serious about this, too.

Let the onslaught of hype and BS hit you every day, day in and day out.

Examine every plead, gimmick and “excuse” for contacting you they concoct.

Notice how they treat you like some kind of drooling biz-opp lunatic whose only reason for existing is to give them your money, put their slapped-together product on the shelf (unopened), and then buy something else from them.

Anyway, why would you want to subject yourself to this madness?

What will this do?

Depending on how you conduct your email campaigns now… it could do a LOT.

You see, after being treated like a cyber “doormat” like this, you might start writing totally different emails to YOUR list because you will genuinely empathize with them and value their time.

You might also think twice before thinking of your list as just a “herd” (as many Internet marketers call their lists). And maybe think of them as people with real problems, desires and things to do besides sit down and read emails all day.

If you are an affiliate marketer, you might realize sending your list the exact same “form” email (that every other affiliate is sending) makes it almost impossible NOT to delete your emails.

Heck, you might even start to see how your list thinks of YOU (if you’ve been doing the above things).

And… if that is the case… you might NOT like what you see.

Anyway, I did this “list torture” exercise a while back and it was a real eye-opener.

And if your email response is poor, it may make a big difference for you, too.

P.S. I’m almost done with my Affiliate Trump Card product. To be notified when it’s ready (and get an “early bird” discount when it is) go to:

This interview is with Matt Gillogly, a self-described “renegade Christian entrepreneur” who shows Christians how to create wealth using Biblical concepts.

But before you listen to this interview, be warned:

There’s a LOT of scripture quoted in this interview.

And we talk a LOT about Jesus, the Bible and Christianity.

So if those things give you “heartburn”, then you may want to skip this one — because Matt doesn’t hold back about his faith and the lessons he learned when God recently put him through the “wringer” to get his attention (including taking his business from $150,000 per month to $0).

Anyway, if you’re a Christian who wants to use your business to glorify God and prosper at the same time, then this interview will show you how to do it.

You can access it in Streaming audio, MP3 or written transcript below:

Bible Business Secrets (51:08):

For more information about Matt Gillogly and his new Renegade Christian Entrepreneur membership site, go to:

Got some awesome news if you write email copy.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a BIG fan of Matt Furey’s emails.

In my humble opinion (and probably most everyone else’s opinion that I know), Matt Furey is the email copy KING, bar none.

From what I understand, Matt generates millions of dollars every year simply by batting out a few emails each day.

Only problem is… his teachings on copywriting are hard to come by.

For the most part, the only way to learn from the “great one” is by collecting and studying his ads or attending his seminars.

However, on Wednesday, July 2, A-List copywriter David Deutsch is holding a free teleseminar with Matt Furey about how he writes copy.

David has interviewed a LOT of great copywriters in this series so far.

But this is easily the one I’ve most looked forward to.

And if you are not yet on David’s tele-seminar announcement list (it’s free), then I HIGHLY encourage you to get on it now, so you can get the details of his rare interview with Matt Furey:

P.S. If you sign up at the link above, and then send me your “welcome” email after opting in (email to ben [at] bensettle.com), I will give you a rare MP3 file of me interviewing David Deutsch about copywriting. David is considered one of the top copywriters on the planet. And he definitely gave up a lot of “goods” in this interview.

It’s yours, free, when you sign up for the tele-seminar series and send me your “welcome” email:

Here’s an interview I just did for Melody Campbell’s (www.TheSmallBusinessGuru.com) “Get More Business” Internet radio show.

The “theme” of our chat is how any business can attract an endless flow of new customers and clients in 21 days or less.

The information in this interview applies to any business, product or service — copywriters, product manufacturers, professional services, consultants, retail businesses, network marketers, and even starving artists.

You can listen to this interview in MP3, streaming audio and written transcript below:

21 Days To Unlimited New Business Interview (35:23):

By the way, after six years of being in business, I finally got around to putting up a “menu” of copywriting services.

If you’re looking for copywriting, marketing consulting (newly added last night), press releases, auto-responders, audio infomercials, ad rewrites or critiques, and other writing services go to:

I don’t take on a lot of new clients anymore.

But if you qualify, and if we’re a good “fit”, we might be able to do some business.

If you’re a freelance copywriter (or want to be one) I’ve got great news:

John Angel and Ryan Healy have uploaded a free video that will show you how to quickly and easily start landing high paying freelance copywriting jobs — even if you’re just starting out and have no idea where to begin.

John and Ryan probably have more real life experience nabbing heavy duty clients than anyone else on the planet.

Between the two of them, they’ve worked with Gary Halbert, Michel Fortin, Peter Stone, Yanik Silver, Alex Mandossian, Tellman Knudson, Marc Goldman, and more.

And this free lesson contains just a few of the ways they did it.

It’s also just part one of a series of free lessons they’ve put together to promote their new coaching program.

So yes… there is something for sale.

BUT… you will get a TON of value out of these free lessons (more than enough to get some clients) whether you buy anything or not.

Anyway, you can grab your first free lesson at:

P.S. By the way, the above IS my affiliate link. And if you buy their coaching program through it, I will give you a ton of valuable bonuses — including an hour on the phone with me about anything you want to talk about that I’m qualified to answer.

Topics like:

Copywriting, publicity, press releases, selling with audio, affiliate marketing, positioning, selling face-to-face (or over the phone), product creation, and anything else you’ve seen me write about in my books or on my blog.

I’ll also give you some other valuable stuff, too, which I’ll talk about more later.

In the meantime, check out the free video at:

And if you have ANY questions about John and Ryan (I know them both very well) or their coaching program, call me personally at: 815-425-4483