Putting a Corkery in the dreams of lying AI copywriters

Email Players subscriber Ben Corkery tweets: "AI “copywriters” down bad. Shoutout el Benbo for training me right I’ve done a shabby few million and I credit much of it to his wiley ways…" The context: I posted a bit I saw on reddit from a guy lamenting how horribly his “email newsletter” was doing. Specifically, how he uses AI (i.e., he’s already dead in the water) to write blog articles, and even that takes him a bunch time, which is as amusing as it is ironic. All to see low opens and clicks, and not booking any clients or generating leads from his dopey AI-written newsletters. As I put it: “The 'email newsletter' & AI bubbles popping like Rice Crispies” They have been for a long time just like the subscription offer bubble has. In fact, most recently the Wall Street Journal had an article about nobody buying subscriptions anymore, and just below that was their note that in order to read the rest of the article you had to subscribe to their paper. We truly do live in interesting times... And it’s only getting worse day by day. The claims of a few AI goo-roos who sell AI services or tools notwithstanding. But the most amusing part about it all? You have guys out there who will prompt “write an email in ___ voice!” and get an email that doesn’t even sound remotely like the person they are wanting their emails to sound like. But that is not even the worst part. The worst part would be if it actually did work — because all they’d be doing is essentially lying to their lists, not creating any kind of real relationship with them, and just be shown as the empty-headed posers they are if their customers ever heard that person speak, do an interview, or read something else by them — proving they are as phoney as a $3 bill. Clown world indeed. The news, the political talking points, the propaganda, the economy, all of it is fake. Everything is a lie, or a distortion of truth, or outright devious manipulation. And I’d add writers use fapGPT, AI, etc to that list. If you want to learn how to approach copywriting in a way that won’t make you the empty-headed poser lying through your teeth to your market ad plagued with imposter syndrome just to see miserable results like Reddit guy above, then I’d suggest subscribing to Email Players in time for the September issue. Why the September issue? Because it’s all about copywriting. And, specifically, it analyzes page-by-page, bullet-by-bullet, and precept-upon-precept one of my sales pages selling an esoteric offer (i.e., does not appeal to a huge part of my list) that still makes my business quite a bit of profit year in and year out… and that the great A-list copywriter Bob Bly recently told me was brilliant and one of my best. His comment was the inspiration for this issue. And I believe it’s some of the best copywriting teaching I’ve done yet. Of course, that is in the eye of the beholder. If you want to see for yourself subscribe in time before the deadline here: []( Ben Settle P.S. Here’s more of what awaits you in the September Email Players issue: * A bit of a strange copywriting writing trick I learned from an attorney that can help (1) make your sales copy more legally compliant and (2) increase your sales at the same time. * A bizarre secret (found all throughout the Bible) that can help automatically give your ad copy more credibility, more drama, more intrigue, and, yes, more sales. (And no, it does not matter if you’re writing to anyone religious or even "turning on the rotisserie" atheists — does not matter, this tweak of human psychology works across the board.) * What the great retired A-list copywriter Doug D’Anna told me on a Twitter Spaces call about what would have made his world class copy even better, stronger, more responsive had he focused on it more early on in his career. * The sleepy-looking “S-word” you can add almost anywhere to your sales copy to snatch more attention, nab more engagement, and grab more response. * An ingenious way of writing bullets in a way that feels like you are teaching something but, in reality, you are only making the reader hungry to buy what you’re selling. * A Hollywood screenwriter secret that can not only make your ads more persuasive, but can also make the experience of buying as fun and enjoyable as child opening Christmas presents. (Not even exaggerating either — this is the exact same psychology that makes it so a child can’t sleep at night before Christmas but applied to your advertising. Powerful stuff. And most copywriters never think about it.) * A writing secret used by Stan Lee (when naming the fictional country of Wakanda that sounds so real many people literally have admitted to looking for it on a map) that can add lots of drama to your sales copy. (The secret is also “baked” into the mega selling book title “The South Beach Diet”, if that tells you something.) * A neat little twist you can put on your ad copy bullets that can help make them automatically (the brain almost can’t help itself but focus on what you’re selling when doing this) get more attention, more engagement, and more sales. * One of the best places to learn how to write powerful headlines that practically nobody look at anymore. * A “quickie” guide (you can see on display in one of the late Gene Schwartz’s most infamous ads) to writing persuasive pre-headlines for your ads and sales letters. * A trick I learned from the late, great copywriter Robert Collier for writing longer (even entire paragraph-sized) bullets without losing peoples’ attention. * Why it can be a big, fat, even business-fatal mistake to write to, pander to, and sell to “hyper buyers.” (I doubt 1 in 1000 copywriters will agree with this controversial — but absolutely proven in my 22+ years in the game — take on copywriting. I even had to explain this to one of the world’s top direct mail guys recently, but he understood after I showed him my side of the story. Yes, hyper buyers are easy to sell to, and yes you can get a lot of buyers, and yes that is who probably 99% of copywriting books, courses, teachers tell you to focus on selling to… but if you are the business man who has to deal with the fallout of catering to them, I suggest reading this very closely and carefully. Most copywriters take a mercenary approach and only care about “response” — which is a big mistake, imo. Anyway, more about this inside.) * A clever way to write deck copy (the copy under the main headline) that takes away some the “bite” people feel when reading a sales pitch — potentially making it more likely to be read, consumed, bought from. * One of the top 10 copywriting courses I posses that isn’t even about copywriting. (Admittedly I do not know where you can get this today, except maybe on eBay.) * How to choose the perfect photo for your sales letters. * How to structure your ad copy opening sentences in a way that has “built in” believability and credibility. (Probably even if you say something totally crazy.) * 3 magic transition sentences (based on what the late, great A-list copywriter Jim Rutz did in his ad copy) that can help make your sales letters, emails, and other marketing compulsively readable. * A delightfully sneaky way to get rid of “sticker shock” when selling high ticket offers. * A shrewd (but gutsy, almost nobody will even test it, they’re too scared) way of writing sales copy that can help open the reader’s mind, automatically lowers his sales defenses, and sometimes completely removes price resistance. * Why so much sales copy written by zoomers (that has nothing to do with the quality of their actual writing) gets ignored or even mocked by prospects they are attempting to sell to. * How to “recruit” celebrities to help write your ads without paying them anything. * An unusually persuasive way (that, I think, was invented by Gary Halbert) for writing bullets that add a thick persuasive layer of interest, intrigue, and engagement to nab sales you probably would not get otherwise. * How to shamelessly (but legally and ethically, no stealing or plagiarizing required) use the work of experts (even famous experts) about whatever you are writing about to help better sell your offers. * What to say when you get to the last third of a long sales letter to help keep readership higher, more engaged, maybe more likely to buy. * A surprisingly effective way to use yellow highlighting in sales copy to nab way more readership and sales than you probably would otherwise. * 3 tried-and-true sentences (you can swipe “as is” if you want, I don’t care, and don’t even know who first invented them) to segue into your close — whether in long sales copy, emails, or any other kind of advertising. * And a ho' bunch more. In fact, I am also including a special 8-page bonus report called: “The ‘Get off my lawn!’ Zoomer-Friendly Direct Marketing Cheat Sheet” I don’t, as a rule, cater to Zoomers, pander to Zoomers, or have much to offer Zoomers. Not even necessarily through any fault of their own, either. Usually when they come at me I’m like the old fart in the lawn chair telling them get the hell off my property. But a couple months ago a guy asked if he could interview me by email. His questions were coming from what sounded like a Zoomer perspective. I cannot say he is a Zoomer for sure, though, as I have never seen him. The questions just come off as Zoomer-ish. Good questions though. And he came at me with respect, and not with any idiotic entitlement like a lot of the youts do. Anyway, I thought my answers might be useful for all generations of Email Players subscribers. Especially since they are quick, raw, and curt. Just like my temper when I see Zoomers on my lawn… All right, that’s what awaits you in the September issue. To subscribe in time to get it while you still can go here: []( This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. Copyright © 2024 Settle, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this email may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Settle, LLC. Click here to [unsubscribe]( Settle, LLC PO Box 1056 Gold Beach Oregon 97444 USA