Advice to an aspiring copywriter up against the wall with the wolves at the door

A question once came in all the way from the Philippines from an aspiring copywriter in dire straights financially - whose mom needed medical care, he was hustling his arse off, etc, but he wanted some guidance. Here was my advice in no particular order: * Hit up your network - and let them know you’re looking for clients, most copywriting gigs, like most corporate jobs, are not advertised * Be useful - don’t beg, ask, or try to make creative offers as it comes off as desperate… instead try to find out what people want (you have to learn how to research anyway) and be useful. * Ask for referrals - whenever you get a client who is happy with your work immediately ask if they know anyone else who can use good copy, try to get them to do an intro for you, you can build an entire book of clients just doing this * Only take No for an answer - pull a Jim Camp and force flakey or wishy-washy people to tell you no i.e., “will you do me a favor and just tell me no, that way I can stop wasting your time and focus on the other clients I’m working with” * First hour always belongs to you - not your clients or anyone else, always be selling your own offers, building your own list, etc, the goal is to not “need” any one client, you be your own client first and foremost * Leverage - start going to your peers and think of ways to help each other, form masterminds, get yourself on podcasts, create your own local event for online marketers, just as a mixer (nothing for sale), that you host if you’re really hardcore and extroverted (admittedly I'm not, personally, and would not do this - I struggle with even summoning the ambition to do a small local intensive of 5 or so people...) All doable for most businesses. Even those who are struggling, scared, and otherwise not sure what to do. Especially since, I just told them what to do. And when you’re ready to grow an email list? See BerserkerMail. It’s the world’s only “Email Players-approved” platform designed by a Nuclear Engineer-turned-software-developer who also was the Executive Director of Technology at Encyclopedia Brittanica (where he ran a $12 million department of developers), owned a multi-million dollar SEO company (where he figured out what Google says they want and what they really want are not always the same — which has helped do wonders for BerserkerMail’s deliverability), and used to routinely send/track/test/automate as many as 30-50 million emails per month for his clients as a consultant. i.e., he knows a little bit about email. Not just how to create an automation & usability-friendly platform. But also how to help businesses get world class email deliverability, too. Not to mention: Nearly everyone involved with BerserkerMail is an Email Players subscriber who uses email for their own businesses (selling their own offers to their own lists) — including co-owners Nicole English (our COO) and John Wood (old school email guy and master of the game), and the head of our Helpdesk (Lance Hunt who probably gets more testimonials than the platform does — our clients love the hell out of him), and even the BerserkerMail podcast Producer (Jonathan Rivera) and the attorney we hire (Mike Young) who wrote the platform’s community guidelines and even gifts a copy of his book about how to be legally compliant in your emails to our paying clients in the mobile app. We’re a tight knit group over at BerserkerMail. And as you can see, the main players and support desk all USE email in our own businesses. We aren’t just managers, developers, investors, and bureaucrats. Nor are we simps for the DEI cult or looking to "exit." If that’s important to you, then you can get a free test drive and learn more here: [https∶//www.EmailPlayers.com/berserker]( Ben Settle 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