I’m going to tell you why long copy is here to stay, no matter what Michel Fortin and John Reese tell you.

And when it comes to guys who keep their ear to the ground and their eyes on the numbers (and test results), no one has my greater respect than those two guys.

Yes, attention spans are dwindling. Yes, it’s becoming more and more an audio-visual world on the Web.

But let’s look at the whole question from a consumer’s point of view.

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To celebrate Independence Day, including the independence from being a slave to your business, I wanted to pass this very special note to you.

As you probably know, for close to a decade my wife, Sylvie Fortin, owns an outsourcing and project fulfillment services company, Workaholics4Hire, Inc. Her client list reads like a venerable who’s who in the marketing world.

Recognizable names include Shawn Casey, Yanik Silver, Frank Kern, and many more (including yours truly), who use her services regularly and have done so for many years. (For instance, her company was featured in John Reese’s Traffic Secrets, in the “Outsourcing Mastery” video.)

Her company offers a variety of services to fit most outsourcing needs that allow you to focus on growing your business rather than micro-managing it…

… From conducting research, creating products, and designing websites, all the way to handling emails, managing customer support, setting up PPC ad campaigns, ghostwriting articles, and much more.

Well, I don’t normally talk about my wife’s services (her doors have been closed to the public for a long time), but just recently she changed her business model RADICALLY. (And it’s not what you think.)

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First off, this post is in no way comprehensive. There are many different ways to monetize your blog.

Of course, there’s selling ad space on your blog, such as through the use of pay-per-click networks like Google AdSense — which is the most popular.

But offering willing advertisers to directly sponsor your blog by buying a post, an ad, or a link is one area that’s becoming increasingly popular.

Sites like ReviewMe.com, PayPerPost.com, and Text-Link-Ads.com are effective in allowing bloggers to get paid for selling content or links on their blogs. Basically, these networks bring both bloggers and advertisers together.

Granted, this has been the subject of a lot of controversy lately, particularly about disclosure. (And yes, all the links above are my affiliate links.)

But what if you want to make money directly? What if you want more control over how you monetize your blog? What if you want to make money based on sales (like an affiliate commission) and not just ad clicks or views?

Well, here are a few cool WordPress plugins I found.

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If you’ve read my report, The Death of The Salesletter, then you know that many of my "predictions" (I’m using quotes for a reason) were based on actual test results. Many of them were made by, or done based on tests from, John Reese.

John is one of my mentors. He’s not only a multi-millionaire but also a visionary. And lately, John has proven this to be true. Recently, he released a fascinating report entitled The Rebirth of Internet Marketing, which I highly encourage you to download and read — if you haven’t already.

While John touches on many aspects of the trends affecting Internet marketing (such as advertising, content, authority sites, and more), for me the most salient point is, without question, the decline in long-copy salesletters, and the increasing popularity and versatility of video-based salesletters.

However, there are a few things to note.

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Sad day. I’m speechless.

In case you haven’t heard, the infamous Gary Halbert, the Alpha Shitweasel, the Prince of Print, died in his sleep on Easter Sunday.

All I can say is, the copywriting world has lost one of its biggest icons. There will NEVER be another Gary Halbert, that’s for sure.

John Reese left the message on my copywriter’s board just after midnight. John Carlton, who was Gary’s best friend in this biz, wrote a blog post that says it all. (It literally brought tears to my eyes.)

I remember two years ago when I did a seminar with him, John Carlton, and Mark Joyner, called the “Fusion Seminar.” (There are some incredibly funny stories from that seminar, which I will share with you some time soon!)

Rest in peace, brother. You can also listen to two interviews I’ve done with Gary Halbert, and one with John Carlton.

Click here to listen to four hours with me and Gary Halbert.

You may know this, but my free Copywriters Message Board was the target of hackers in recent weeks. Not once, but twice.

This free forum is where top and aspiring copywriters alike converge to discuss, critique and share tips on anything and everything about copywriting. Some members include Gary Halbert, John Carlton, John Reese, Armand Morin, Clayton Makepeace, as well as a ton of top copywriters, both known and not so well-known.

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The difference between good copy and great copy are in the results achieved. In direct response, the number of actions the copy generates is what makes copy great. The more actions the copy drives, the greater the copy is.

My friend John Reese, a master at simplifying what we often tend to unnecessarily complicate, says it best. He says the only metric you should ever really count on is this: Yes or No.

That’s it.

Sounds simplistic, I know. But here’s the key point: your copy may get great feedback. It may entertain. It may inform, educate or even inspire. But if it doesn’t sell, it doesn’t matter.

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