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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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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Throughout my research, I’m always surprised when I stumble onto websites that are professionally designed and seem to offer great products and services, but lack or fail in certain important elements.

Elements that, with just a few short changes, can help multiply the results almost instantaneously.

Generally, I have found that there are seven common mistakes. I call them the “Seven Deadly Sins.” Is your website committing any one of these?

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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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I already talked a lot about headlines. There are quite a few blog posts about them here. But here are some additional tips.

There are two huge mistakes people make when they write headlines. Either they are too bland and don’t say enough (such as when they attempt to simply summarize), or they say too much to cover all the bases.

In both cases, you will lose readers.

1. The True Purpose of The Headline

The headline is more than a mere summary of the sales copy. Unlike the title of a book, for instance, it’s not meant to introduce the story. It’s meant to generate readership in the first place.

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They say that the headline is the most important part of your online copy. But your deck and lead copy are just as important. These often make up the the section called “above the fold,” which is the topmost section of your website’s page, without any scrolling.

(Think of the front-page headlines and pictures of a newspaper, folded on a newsstand. This section is vital, for it’s the section that sells papers.)

Online, it’s the first screen your visitors see when they hit your site. The deck copy is usually the portion immediately following your headline (also known as the “subheadline”), and the lead is the opening of your letter. (Usually the first few paragraphs if not sentences of your body copy.)

There are many things you need to take into account when developing your “above the fold” section. Adding a picture, grabbing attention, perhaps even incorporating audio and video.

But for the purposes of this article, I want to explore the concept of communicating your core idea, benefit, claim or promise, and doing it in the most powerful, persuasive, and productive way possible, in that vital above-the-fold section. It’s called…

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Long before I wrote my “Death of the Salesletter” report, my friend Jim Edwards has pioneered the use of audio and video to sell online.

He is not only the expert in mini-sites (salesletter-driven websites), but also the publisher of Internet marketing’s first multimedia newsletter using audio and video, entitled “I Gotta Tell Ya!”

(And this was before YouTube or Google Video even existed.)

He may be laid-back, brash, and opinionated. But like him or not, his advice has made countless millionaires. And now he is giving my members, subscribers and clients an opportunity to learn some of his advanced techniques using another one of many strengths: the online “webinar.”

And it’s absolutely free!

This is a chance for you to learn from both of us, as we use the Internet to show you, live and in real-time, some the hottest trends online right now. (And all you need is an Internet connection!)

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