Once upon a time my ex-copywriting apprentice (before she knew better) got peeved at my website. Specifically, she noticed the left hand sidebar has no testimonials from any females, and wanted to know what is up with that?
Her theory was it’s 1 of 3 reasons:
A) women cannot write a review as titillating as a man’s review
B) women hate me and hence the reviews go unpublished
C) women have no place on the left side bar — cuz I’m “sexist”
My answer?
“C”, of course.
(To which I got the reply, “there is no hope for you…”)
Okay.
Relax, ladies.
I know how some of y’awl take everything I say literally.
(Context, baby, context…)
No, the REAL reason is…
I reserve that all-coveted left hand sidebar for leaders, giants and superstars in the bid’niz. Like Gary Bencivenga (universally acknowledged as the greatest living copywriter)… Bob Bly (called “America’s top copywriter” by McGraw Hill, and bestselling author of over 75 books)… Ken McCarthy (one of the original “founding fathers” of Internet marketing — one of the reasons any of us are even selling online at all)… Richard Armstrong (one of the single most in demand “A list” direct mail copywriters on the planet, whose ads you probably get all the time in the mail without even realizing it)… David Garfinkel (the World’s Greatest Copywriting Coach — with the clientele and mile long list of superstar copywriting students to back that claim up)… as well as direct marketing superstars Russell Brunson… Brian Kurtz… Daegan Smith… Mark Ford… (people who have, quite literally, shaken the foundations of the direct marketing world both online and offline)… and so on, and so forth.
So, where are the dames?
The female leaders in the biz?
I don’t know.
Maybe they don’t (gasp!) like me.
Or, maybe they simply don’t (double gasp!!) read my stuff.
Or, maybe, just maybe… they *want* to send me a testimonial, but are afraid to for some reason…
Fact is, it doesn’t really matter.
My market is mostly men.
And so, that’s who I sell to.
(And, thus, whose testimonials have the most impact.)
OK, that’s it for today.
For advanced email training, go to:
Ben Settle
P.S. By the way, a little FYI for chicks reading this:
I do have lots of female testimonials, but they are posted either on my testimonials page, or I published them as their own blog posts/emails when they sent them in. That means I dedicated a WHOLE email and blog post to each woman, where my entire list saw their testimonial and their name, etc.
(i.e. free plug for them each time.)
Now who’s the sexist?
Hmm?
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Now get back in the kitchen and make me a sammich…
