1:27pm
Saint Paul
Last week I sat—virtually—with a few dozen other copywriters in a webinar about Financial Copywriting.
If you don’t know, Financial is one of the “Big Three” markets. The other two are Health and Relationships.
This webinar, no doubt, was filled with good advice on writing for companies that sell financial “get rich this week!” type info.
And those promotions generally do well. Because most everyone wants to get rich.
Including the webinar attendees… including me… who were promised that the financial info companies were all in desperate need for copywriters.
“If you can write an email like this one,” said the guest, showing a simple, 5-line message, “then you too can earn big royalties!”
We drooled.
Because of course I can write that. And once I get my foot in the door…
Then, at the end was the pitch:
“Join my new community. You’ll get copywriting training, plus side-door access to these companies.”
Well, I said to myself. I don’t need the training so much as I need the doing.
(Don’t get me wrong—I’m learning new ideas every day. Revisiting old ideas. Testing. But I am already a working copywriter, with more knowledge than most—no brag just a dogged drive to be the best—and I’m in multiple communities now. I don’t need a social network so much as I need a million dollar payday.)
So I skipped the line. I went straight to LinkedIn. Found a number of financial info firms and started making my introductions.
One guy, I’ll call him CM, said “We’re not hiring anyone right now. No one is. Where did you get this idea?”
I told the story.
“Was he selling you something? Or did you already buy it??”
Of course he was selling something. And no, I did not buy.
“Good,” said CM. “Sounds like he’s selling access to something he has no control over.”
And then, CM gave me advice that I’ve read before, and maybe you have too.
In his book “The Seven Lost Secrets of Success,” Dr. Joe Vitale relates a story from legendary marketer Bruce Barton.
Barton welcomes a “crumpled and dejected citizen” into his BBDO ad agency office. It’s the mid-1920s and the man was looking for work.
“Look at all those buildings,” Barton said. “All filled with offices. Business offices. Offices of people who have goods to sell and most of whom don’t know how to sell them…
“You say you can write sales letters. This is your great chance to prove it. Write those people a letter that will sell them the idea that they need you to help them sell their goods.”
“The Seven Lost Secrets of Success,” Joe Vitale, p49. (c) 2007
And that, *|FNAME|*, is what CM said when I asked who to talk with about freelance work:
“If you want to get a job here—or anywhere, really—what you have to do is send a package.
“Send a package to the copy chief.
“Sell yourself.
“Be… a marketer.”