A member on my copywriters forum started a thread on what makes my forum so popular. Everyone chimed in with some great answers, and I appreciate the feedback.

(The cool thing about it is, that very thread also reached an important milestone. It was the 10,000th one! Talk about a coincidence, eh?)

But then someone asked:

“Michel, can I ask how you initially got the word out about your forum?”

My answer revealed a bit more than what the member anticipated. Instead of talking about how my forum became so popular, I went on a tangent and explained the step-by-step process I used to book copywriting projects.

The answer was so well received that I decided to reprint it here.

Now, you may be wondering what promoting a forum has to do with promoting my copywriting services. Keep reading because you’ll soon understand why…

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My last post, where a disgruntled copywriter demanded “the truth” about creating wealth in copywriting, inspired copywriter Andrew Cavanagh to share the story of his beginnings on my forum:

“Here’s how I made my first ‘money’ in copywriting.”

Then one by one, other copywriters started adding their own. The responses were nothing short of amazing!

Many of the stories show that there’s indeed hope. They also show that we were all struggling copywriters once, too. And we didn’t all become overnight millionaires with million-dollar clients, as “Chuck,” the disillusioned copywriter, postulated.

I loved it so much that I posted my own story. I’ve decided to share it with you here. (By the way, the picture at the top is of me, circa 1991. A lot thinner, with glasses, and a lot more hair!) Anyway, here is my story…

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In my coaching program, a student who is an upcoming copywriter recently asked where he could find clients willing to pay higher rates for his skills.

Having built a client base through networking on Internet forums geared towards start-up business owners, he now wanted to find opportunities that would allow for upward mobility within his craft.

This is a common scenario, because start-up businesses are easy to find and provide plenty of opportunities to practice your emerging copywriting skills.

I talked about three tips for aspiring copywriters in the past. I recommend any new copywriter to follow these three tips to build a track record and get to a level that makes them appealing to higher-paying clients.

After your skills are developed, however, it becomes necessary to seek out clients — better, more lucrative clients — who are established enough to pay a fair wage for your skills and, above all, your results.

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Just a quick note to let you know I’m still alive. I’ve been crazy-busy, as my wife and I are about to pre-launch our upcoming mega-product, “Success Chef.”

Over 200 videos and tutorials, and counting!

Nevertheless, I will be posting a new article next week. But until then, here’s a quick little video… Do you recognize the person interviewing me? He’s our client, a friend, and a very well-known TV figure. Yes, it’s John Daly!

You may remember him from the widely syndicated show, “Real TV,” on Fox. And now, he’s John Daly, the host of The Real Money Show. My interview is only one of a handful of top marketers John grilled on video…

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Since we’re getting ready to fly to Vegas to speak this weekend, I didn’t want to leave without making a quick post. But with no time to write an article myself, I decided to spread some link love.

Anyway, here are five of them…

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Facebook is growing by leaps and bounds. If you don’t know what Facebook is, it’s a social networking site much like MySpace, but with a lot more control, flexibility, and verstility. (Check out my profile.)

But after testing it for a while, I’ve concluded that it’s not a viable marketing tool. At least, not for me. There are two reasons why using Web 2.0 social-driven sites to make money (or to drive targeted traffic) is not viable.

First, and more importantly, it’s labor-intensive. It’s a full-time affair.

I don’t pretend to be a social marketing expert by any stretch. And I’m sure that, if you are a social site junkie, you can find some pretty creative ways for using them to generate massive amounts of traffic. Some already have.

But for me, my business, and my specific target market, and like many social networking sites out there, it’s a waste of time. So if you’re not prepared on working it extensively and religiously, then I discommend it.

However, nothing stops you from outsourcing the legwork, if you’re so inclined. But there’s another good reason why I don’t recommend it…

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The most profitable and often overlooked free publicity generator is the news release (also called "press release", although news release is a better term).

News releases are not only great marketing tools but also far more credible and believable than advertising since they appear to come from an objective third party.

While publicity is the most powerful promotional tool there is, it is the one that is the least effectively used.

All too often, business owners view news releases as a form of advertising. The copy is self-serving, promotional in tone, and one-sided, and offer no real value to a news-reading audience.

Don't get me wrong. The media’s goal is to report on stories that affect, or are of interest to, their readers or viewers. So, news releases are their best friends — but only if they follow a few important guidelines.

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