As a writer I like to follow and read other writers especially good copywriters… and Kevin Rogers is CLEARLY a good one!
I don’t want to hype him up too much, but suffice it to say he’s good.
Anyway, I’m on his email list and received the below email, absorbed it immediately, then asked if I could repost on my site. He said ‘Sure man’…and here we are.
I’m leaving his pitch in at the end (no affiliate links) just because it’s a great one!
Enjoy!
Hey there,
Good copywriting pretty much lives or dies by the quality of communication between the writer and the client.
The better the communication, the stronger the copy. Period.
With other contractors, like, say, tech developers, communication can be handled by a trusted team leader. Ideally, one who understands all the weird phrases and acronyms around tech.
When I’m in a tech meeting, I feel like an actor in a Star Trek episode who was given a script for the Dukes of Hazzard.
TECH PERSON: I recommend we align the impulse drive with the deuterium detectors and harmonic combadge.
ME: Well, gol durn, I recon that dog’ll hunt, let’s commiserate on it up yonder at the Boar’s Nest with some sippin’ suds and pickled pigs feet.
Maybe you feel just as out of place talking to a copywriter?
However, as CEO, especially if it’s your name in the subject line, it’s critically important to form a solid working relationship with your copywriter.
You don’t have to plan a fly fishing excursion or a spa weekend together…
… but you DO need to block a few solid chunks of uninterrupted phone time with your copywriter.
And agree to go deep on those calls about your history, the inspiration behind your business — especially the product they’ll be writing about…
… and a lot about YOU.
I talk to so many CEOs who are nervous about a copywriter getting their VOICE wrong.
There are some really good ways for a decent copywriter to learn how to write in your voice…
They can listen to you talking – on podcasts, stage presentations, web trainings – and apply a system like Abbey Woodcock’s CODEX to break down your speech patterns and become an effective version of your voice in copy.
If that’s all they had, a skilled copywriter could do a decent job of playing the role of you in copy, like an actor playing a historical character who died before they ever met.
However, add to your “public voice reel” some quality one-to-one conversations with your copywriter where they can really HEAR you, in real time, get genuinely excited about some things, subtly annoyed over others, the way you pause before reflecting, how your timber shifts when you talk about family…
… and a good copywriter, like a method actor, will adopt the role of playing you so well that people go, “Wow, you can’t even tell the difference.”
Like Johnny Depp as Hunter S. Thompson.
True copywriting goes far beyond voice, of course.
Later in my freelance career, I was brought in on projects long before the product was even created.
Some clients would ask me to vet potential experts before entering into a product deal to make sure they had the goods to be a dynamic spokesperson, and the material to develop truly valuable products.
Those projects where everyone was fully bought in, as you can imagine, were always more successful.
So, if you’re an expert looking to bring on a copywriter, go beyond reading over samples and make time to have real conversations with your best copywriter candidates.
Feeling some genuine chemistry during those calls is a good sign that you’ll develop a strong relationship and get an Oscar-worthy performance.
And if you’re a pro copywriter, be respectfully demanding of your client’s time.
You know what you need to do your best work, so get full buy-in from your client and their team to help you become far more than a contractor… and become an Oscar-worthy actor playing the role of your expert.
And the winner is… everyone.
I’m rolling out the red carpet for you with three more great ways we can creatively collaborate …
1. Come hang out with me at Copy Chief LIVE!
If you want to be “in the room” with some of the sharpest business owners looking to hire copywriters, and the hottest up-and-coming copywriting talent, then join me and the other Chiefs in St. Petersburg for Copy Chief LIVE. Click here for details
2. Up your copywriting game as a member of Copy Chie
If you’d like to quickly improve your sales message and copy with proven templates and immerse with the sharpest minds in the biz, reply to this message and put “Copy Chief” in the subject line
3. Join my higher level program for Working Copywriters
Helping freelance copywriters reach “the next level” is what my “Real Free Life” program is all about. If you want higher quality clients, with bigger checks, all while working less hours, hit reply and put “Real Free Life” in the subject line.