Copywriters Podcast

David Garfinkel
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Copywriting lessons from David Garfinkel

  1. 5D AGO

    Copywriting 101, Part 3– Old Masters Series

    As we return to our hit Old Masters Series segment, Copywriting 101, I’d like to let you know that the first edition of John Caples’s book Tested Advertising Methods was published in 1932–that’s 94 years ago! Caples updated the book more than once over the decades–the last edition was published in 1998. But the interesting thing is, over that 60 plus year span, the fundamentals remained the same. And they haven’t changed in the last 30 years, either. Just in the same way that storytellers still refer to Aristotle and scientists and engineers still depend on Newton’s three laws of motion, copywriters can reliably depend on the fundamentals Caples laid out. We are going to explore six more of them today. And if a little voice in your head is asking, “What the heck are we doing reviewing fundamentals?!”, let me remind you of what basketball legend Michael Jordan said: “Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.” RESOURCE Tested Advertising Methods, 5th Edition, by John Capleshttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0130957011

    30 min

  2. APR 6

    Next-Level Skills Every Copywriter Needs

    The future for copywriters and AI is pretty clear: AI will not replace copywriters. But… copywriters who know how to use AI will replace those who don’t. Sounds simple enough. However, once you get into it, you realize using AI to create copy that converts sounds easier than it is. And the question boils down to: How do you do it? I’ve been wrestling with that question for a couple years now, and I’ve found the answer. If you already know how to write copy without AI, there’s still some work involved to write copy with AI… but it’s a lot easier. If you really don’t know how to write copy, there are some things you need to learn… or help you need to get… in order to create copy that works using AI. Either way, there’s a path for you to be one of the copywriters of the future… one who knows how to use AI to write copy. That’s what we’ll talk about today. Finally, the best way to find out about the upcoming workshop where I’ll be teaching the five skills and how to get a superior competitive position is to make sure you’re on my Friday email list. If you get an email from me every Friday, you’re on it. Obviously. If not, go to https://persuasionstorycode.com And sign up at the bottom of the page. You’ll also get the first two chapters of my bestseller The Persuasion Story Code, absolutely free. And we’ll post the link in the show notes.

    36 min

  3. MAR 30

    Copywriting 101, Part 2– Old Masters Series

    Once again we’re back to our Copywriting 101 segments in the Old Masters Series, picking up where we left off a couple weeks ago. This is about copywriting fundamentals. It never hurts to review them, and if you weren’t grounded in fundamentals to begin with, it’s never too late to learn what they are. One of the best sources of an expert list of the fundamentals is John Caples, in his book Tested Advertising Methods. There was nothing fancy or intellectual about what Caples said or did, and yet he was one of the greatest direct response copywriters of all time. So our Old Masters Series turns to the late John Caples for source material. Based on his book, we’ve put together a list of fundamentals that everyone should remember and practice. It’s easy to forget or get distracted by the latest shiny object, but ultimately, to win, you alwayshave to go back to the fundamentals. That’s what we’re going to do today. – Tested Advertising Methods, 5th Edition https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0130957011

    34 min

  4. MAR 23

    Introducing 7 Types Of Microstories

    Let’s talk about something small. Very small. Small enough that most copywriters are forced tooverlook it, most of the time. Because we’ve all been trained to think in termsof big persuasive assets. The sales letter… the long-form VSL… the casestudy… the big story that carries the whole argument. And those still matter. But that’s not what most of us are writing mostof the time. Most of the time, we’re writing in tight spaces. Openings… transitions… subject lines… leads….things like that. Now, we think about those things, for sure. Weworry about those things. We obsess over those things. But rarely do we think thatwe have room to tell a whole story in those cramped, constrained spaces. Well, recently I’ve been workshopping a new bookcalled Microstories. It’s the next step of a new kind of story aftermy book The Persuasion Story Code. Microstories is a book about compressed persuasion. See, I kept noticing — in my own work and in thework of other copywriters — what I noticed was that sometimes, the smallestnarrative fragments were doing the heaviest lifting. Stories that were just one sentence. Or a mere two lines. And that small fragment would establish credibility…or soothe an objection… or even, shift a belief. All without announcing itself as “a story.” I’m going to share some of my early work fromthe new book today. Stuff you can use right away. My latest book, The Persuasion Story Code: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFD2KXNQ

    31 min

  5. MAR 16

    Copywriting 101– Old Masters Series

    The big secret of success, whether it’s in investing… in professional sports… or in copywriting, is one in the same: A focus on, and a mastery of, the fundamentals. The legendary basketball player Michael Jordan put it this way: “Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.” We’ve never done a show that just focused on copywriting fundamentals, so what better time than now? And one of the best sources of an expert list of the fundamentals is John Caples, in his book Tested Advertising Methods. There was nothing fancy or intellectual about what Caples said or did, and yet he was one of the greatest direct response copywriters of all time. So our Old Masters Series turns to the late John Caples for source material. Based on his book, we’ve put together a list of fundamentals that everyone should remember and practice. It’s easy to forget or get distracted by the latest shiny object, but ultimately, to win, you always have to go back to the fundamentals. That’s what we’re going to do today. RESOURCE: Tested Advertising Methods, 5th Edition https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0130957011

    30 min

  6. MAR 9

    How Clive Cable’s Building An Agency With Virtual AI Copywriters

    Our returning champion is Clive Cable, who was here a few weeks agotalking about his new book Neurocopy. As Nathan and I got to know Clive a little better, we found out he hasbeen doing a LOT with AI and copywriting that frankly we haven’t seen anyoneelse do. For example, he has a story-lede generator that comes up with a big idea for asales letter or VSL, and then writes a unique story lede to start the piece. Clive’s created a bot that writes like Gene Schwartz–but he only uses itto write the FIRST PART of a piece of copy. He has another bot that writesprobably the best kind of close he’s ever seen. And he’s taken research to a whole new level using AI. Beyond that, he’s taken the late Chris Marlowe’s brilliant 21 questionprocess for creating copy briefs, and automated it using AI. And there’s even more. Clive is putting together an agency to help copywriters and companies,using his suite of AI tools, to do one of four things: 1. Beat a control 2. Do in-depth research 3. Figure out why something’s not working, and 4. Write brand-new copy, right out of the box. We’ll talk later about how you can reach out to Clive if you’d like tofind out more about what he’s doing. But for now, you might want to know Clive got started as a door-to-doorsalesman, offering home improvement products and services for as much as$25,000 a pop–and closing an amazing two out of every three people he talkedto. He’s also an experienced copywriter, and has generated over £40 million,which is over 50 million dollars, across 12 different industries. Clive also built a supplement company that generated £24,000 a month,selling products including colloidal silver, prebiotics and aerobic oxygen. We’ll dig into what Clive’s doing with his virtual AI copywriters. https://clivecable.com/

    34 min

  7. MAR 8

    How To Make Prospects Fall In Love, With Nathan Fraser

    Dante Aligheri was a copywriter kind of guy. Rather than write in the stuffy, formal Latin which is what everyone else was writing in the 14th century, he wrote in the home boy people’s language of Tuscan.Dante’s masterwork was The Divine Comedy, and his last line was“L'amor che move il sole e l'altre stelle”Translated into English, he’s talking about Love–the kind of love that moves the sun and the other stars.Thus proving that even in medieval Italy, LOVE was recognized as the most powerful motivating force in the Universe.Yet, how do we tap into that in our copy and take advantage of this irresistible force.Today’s extremely special guest, Nathan, is here to tell you. Of course you already know Nathan extremely well as the co-host and producer of Copywriters Podcast.But today he’s going to step out of the virtual control room to tell you how to make your prospects fall in love and obsess over your offer, which is something you really need to know, once you think about it.Nathan's websitehttps://cultishcontent.com/

    31 min

  8. MAR 8

    The Visual Design CRISIS, And What Copywriters Can Do About It, With Lori Haller

    It’s a full-blown crisis. As if writing copy wasn’t hard enough, there’s a new demand falling on the plates of copywriters more and more.And while maybe it’s not fair, it IS real. And it’s important that you know about it, and know what to do about it.Good news. We’ve got just the person to explain what it is and how to come out ahead, looking like a million bucks and being a hero, whether you wear a cape or not.The crisis is one of Design. These days, just as more and more is being expected of copywriters on the word and strategy side, so is more being expected on the Design side.That doesn’t mean you have to be a full-fledged designer to get copy jobs. You don’t.But you do need to know your way around what a well designed ad or web page looks like.And there are details you need to understand and offer ideas about.And our very special guest today and returning champion, Lori Haller of Designing Response, is here to sort it out and straighten it all out for you.Lori works side by side with many of the greatest copywriters of our time to help create control-beating packages, for clients like Boardroom, Healthy Directions, Dr. Al Sears, Nutri-Health, KCI Communications, and Agora.She has coached clients around the world, and she is an in-demand speaker and trainer.I’ve only scratched the surface of Lori’s incredible and long list of credentials. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who knows more or who has done more.Her company, DesigningResponse, based in Germantown, Maryland, has built a reputation for creating award-winning, sales-generating direct mail, online promotions, space advertising, and product development.She knows from up-to-date information in the field what are the new demands and expectations being placed upon copywriters. And she will talk about that today.Lori’s website:https://lorihaller.comReach Lori directly on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-haller-b2840717

    33 min
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About

Copywriting lessons from David Garfinkel

Information

  • Creator
    David Garfinkel
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    469
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © David Garfinkel
  • Show Website
    Copywriters Podcast

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