>> Please forgive me – But here’s some free consultancy for you
I don’t know your problems, but I suffer from too many ideas but not enough follow-through.
I really should be shot. My only excuse is extreme old age.
Anyhow, a while ago I asked people who get these emails if they had any questions or comments.
This turned out to be a Pandora’s Box.
Pandora, you may recall, suffered for her curiosity.
When she opened a mysterious box to see what was inside a host of terrifying creatures emerged.
Well, quite a few of you replied, whereupon I immediately forgot about my email, I think because I was off to LA to see my daughter, maybe because I’m idle. I don’t know.
But if you were one of those who replied I’m sorry and now I’m making amends.
Bit by bit I’m going to try and deal with your questions and comments.
I shan’t answer in detail because I’d be here for the next three months.
But, this free consultancy will be useful to you.
Jenny said, “I love the study of masters. I’ll often take what you and others have written and structured my own promo after it.”
You’re on the right track there, Jenny.
I sometimes quote Mozart, saying, “I never tried to be original in my life.”
I’m no Mozart, but I’m very good at copying and I hope you are too.
And of course, you should indeed begin with studying the masters.
Jenny went on: “I would LOVE to know how to translate all these amazing techniques into a really effective email campaign.
I have a great direct mail funnel, but for the life of me, these do not work the same and I can’t figure out why…”
I can’t yet comment on why it’s not working, but I have a suggestion to Jenny and everyone else reading this.
Just send me three examples of your stuff and let’s see if I can say anything helpful.
(If you’re still reading, I’m going to show you my answers to Jenny in a future email in the hope that they’re helpful.)
Having said that I am clearly bad at communicating because your questions are all answered, free, if you simply join Ask Drayton.
It costs $29 a month.
But wait. Maybe $29 is too steep…
A dirty trick for you
You only pay a dollar to try ask Drayton for a month, so if you’re a bit of a scamp use that month to get your question answered
Now what about Ginny.
She was very, very flattering about my suggestions, but frustrated and sad that she didn’t think she was “a good fit”.
Ginny – I would really appreciate it, if you could tell me exactly what it is that makes you think you are not a good fit – when you actually say you love copy writing and do a fair amount!
Patrick commented, “If I’m honest, I learn by copying. I steal little bits of what you write. Emulate other parts. Twist and turn it for my own needs”
That sentence was quite a good bit of writing in itself.
Patrick also says something interesting, he edits 10 times more than he used to.
I congratulate you then, because I edit like a maniac.
Maybe not 10 times, but I wager, I never edit any of my emails less than five times.
I drive my trusty manager Kelly completely mad, but here’s why it’s so important to perfect things.
People think email is free. It is not. It costs the time you need to get it right. And the patience it takes people to read it … if they bother
Nearly every email you and I get is sloppily written. Almost all are about the writer, not the reader. Most use clotted biz-speak, full of rubbish about “reaching out”. Simple ploys are called “strategies”.
Few make worthwhile offers. Some simply imagine saying what they do is selling. The level is abysmal. What an opportunity for you!
Patrick mentioned Steve Harrison who, started his career with me and went on to greater things by far.
He also wants examples of putting curiosity into writing.
So I’ll end this by giving you some examples.
Oscar Wilde said “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and the tribute mediocrity pays to greatness.”
Here are the first five headlines from the list of 100 Great Headlines I first read over 60 years ago, and often copied .
You’ll notice that every single one inspires curiosity.
1. THE SECRET OF MAKING PEOPLE LIKE YOU
Don’t you want to know what the secret is?
2. A LITTLE MISTAKE THAT COST A FARMER $3,000 A YEAR
How can you avoid making the same mistake? $3,000 when that was written is around $300,000 in today’s money.
3. ADVICE TO WIVES WHOSE HUSBANDS DON’T SAVE MONEY — BY A WIFE
Appealing to those who suffer with the same problem – and how to solve it!
4. THE CHILD WHO WON THE HEARTS OF ALL
How did the child do that?
5. ARE YOU EVER TONGUE-TIED AT A PARTY?
I doubt there are many of us who haven’t been shy at a party, and would love a solution.
The majority of good headlines appeal to the readers curiosity for the simple reason that if the reader isn’t interested in the answer – they won’t read on.
You’ll be relieved to know that I’ve now finished today’s email, and I hope you thought you found it helpful.
I’m going to send you more responses to the questions I got, in a few days. I hope you found this lot useful.
But in case you’ve forgotten me saying it, I often point out that repetition is extremely important.
I read some research from McGraw Hill many years ago, which said the most successful advertisements repeated the proposition at least three times.
So, I’m going to say again, you can get any question you need answering if you join Ask Drayton.
You could even swindle me a a bit if you wanted.
You can grab Ask Drayton for $1 for the first month, ask me questions, and then, if you were a bit shifty, you could cancel.
I hope I’m not putting ideas into your head.
But seriously, you should try Ask Drayton.
What is in there, effectively covers almost everything I’ve learned over, to my alarm 60 years of experience.
But, it’s experience that’s helped me to an extraordinary degree.
What do I mean by an extraordinary degree?
I mean that as a result of so many years experience, I can still write stuff that sells.
And I hope you’ll be able to do the same too. It doesn’t require genius, it just requires application.
Application is the key.
Best,
Drayton
