Copy Chief Live 2021 – Takeaways

Matt Ambrose

2 years ago

This week was Copy Chief Live 2021 – three days of talks, mentorship and networking.

Sure, Copy Chief Live 2021 may have been virtual this year.

But that didn’t stop it being inspiring, and getting the mental cogs going about how I can grow my copy biz in the next year.

Here are my key takeaways from Copy Chief Live 2021:

Copy Chief Live 2021’s underlying theme – The robots are coming

The rapid advances in AI copy tools and massive rise in people becoming freelancers mean our jobs are under threat…

That is if you don’t upgrade your skills and ensure you’re even more valuable to clients.

So the overall theme was around upgrading your tactics, skills and mindset so you’re always one step ahead of the competition.

Use Google Doc for Portfolios

When reaching out to clients, rather than send them a long email filled with links to samples all over the internet, send them your portfolio as a Google Doc.

Include your intro, samples, wins and testimonials inside the doc. And create links to all the sections on the first page.

Here’s my Google portfolio as an example.

Dean Jackson – Cold outreach

When cold emailing clients, try using his 9 word email:

“Are you looking for a copywriter?”

This establishes this first of his five factors for a high quality client:

1. Willing to talk

2. Friendly and cooperative

3. Know what they want

4. Ready to get it

5. Want you to help them

Parris Lampropoulos – Interviewing gurus

When interviewing a product guru, ask them these questions:

How did you get into this crazy business?
How did you discover the product?
How is it made?
Where does the product come from?
What makes you different from other gurus?
How is it the only product that does X for Y by X better than any other?
Challenge the guru like you’re a hard boiled skeptic

David Deutsche – How to be exceptional

If you want to be an exceptional copywriter you need to go further than the average.

Know your audience

Go beyond demographics and understand their fears, dreams and what they ate for breakfast.
Know what their day is like and how the product fits in.

Know your industry

How has copy and marketing changed over time?
How has the way products are marketed and advertised evolved?
What are consumers being exposed to now?
What’s working in your niche? What’s not?
How have technology and tools evolved?

Patterns

Don’t just read a promo every day but reverse engineer it.
Analyze a promo’s overall structure and its small details.
Avoid being formulaic – Never use a pattern, template or formula you have not constructed or reverse engineered for yourself
Study the patterns that led others to great ideas, innovations, breakthroughs and solutions.
Do the opposite to what everyone else is doing.
Combine and uncombine things to find weird yet interesting connections.

Mindset

Have a sureness that something great will come to you, and you’ll get the inspiration to create something great.
Self doubt kills creativity and productivity. So you must be able to put doubt aside and really hear feedback without resistance (after joining David Deutsche’s “Inner Circle” group I can attest that you need to get good at receiving feedback to progress in this game).
Love the prospect and let them come away better off, whether they buy or not.
Cultivate the ability to see your work as if you didn’t create it.
Have the courage to show work to others
Relentless – Do whatever it takes to make an ad as good as possible.
Outknow the competition and leave them in the dust through deeper research.
Identify and build on patterns.
Create with confidence and ruthlessly revise with fresh eyes.

Kevin Rogers – Offer Vetting

How to standout as a copywriter and get more clients:

Identify what is your key skill?
Identify what is the #1 problem your key skill can solve for clients?
Write articles about how you solve problems for clients with that key skill.
Post your authority content around the internet.
Find people with the problem you can solve.
Help them identify and solve this problem for FREE.
Create a low priced MVP offer that people pay for.
Keep your MVP super simple e.g. 3 x one hour calls.
Develop case studies and testimonials from MVP offer.
Run small group coaching in your offer e.g. 4-8 calls over 8 weeks. And establish yourself as the go-to expert for your key skill.
Say “hello” to a flood of clients eager for your expertise.

Kevin Rogers + Rachel Mazza – 5 Rules to Client Calls

Book more calls > Combine Dean Jackson’s cold email strategy with a Google doc portfolio
Take control of the call right away
Talk less than your date
Find out how serious they are about hiring you
Follow up fast with clear instructions

How to open the call:

1 min of small talk to feel comfortable with each other

Then say “Thanks for jumping on a call today. I love what you do and am excited about his project…

I know your time is valuable. So what I find is best is that I grill you about your project.

It will feel like I’m interrogating you but it is the best way for me to find out how best I can help you.

Then you can ask me questions. Is that cool?”

Clients like it when you take charge and show you have a process and structure for running calls.

Chris Orzechowski – Creating 7 Figure Offers

Create a predictable system for solving common client problems e.g. how to write a sales letter.
Turn this system into plug and play templates.
Add videos explaining how to implement and provide examples.
Start selling it for $500.
Get pre orders first and then make it.

Income thresholds and when to create your own offers:

$0-$250k – Focus on master your skills

$250k-$500K – Start creating digital products

$500k-$750k – Test offers for fun to find which you can scale

$750k-$1m – Mount your winning horse and ride.

Mebi is the Future of Virtual Networking

After days 2 and 3 we had “Robot Dance Parties” inside Mibo. It was fun and dystopian seeing everyone zooming around and networking as video screens on wheels, but super immersive. You can even play games and take group photos.

Here’s me with Rachel Mazza and Chris Orzechowski: