RIP to my copywriting master
Published: Thu, 01/12/17
Scott Haines.
Scott was one of my main copywriting influences early on when there simply wasn’t much to learn from.
I studied his ads night and day when starting out.
I wrote many of his ads out by hand over and over and over and over (and over).
His Trump University sales letter is a masterpiece of persuasion (and fugk you loser POS liberals with too much time on your hands who want to whine about that — put your idiotic politics away for a second).
I only got to hang out with Scott a few times and still have his name in my phone, we were supposed to hang out again. I already miss him. I miss talking to him on the phone about copywriting as we (sometimes, not often) did. I was looking forward to hanging with him again this year to talk. This sucks. He was one of the best copywriters in the game. But, even more than that, he was a good man. He was respectful, treated my list like gold (people on my list who bought his copywriting product all raved), and was someone it was a pleasure to sell his info product about copywriting.
Anyone who knew him knows this.
I am not saying anything the people who knew him better than me don’t already know.
To be honest, this shyt is just hitting me finally.
I am a slow reactor to things like this, when people I love or respect die or are sick I always have a hard time dealing with it. I hate funerals. And I hate it when people I love get fatally sick. I simply don’t know how to handle it. So this comes late, but not because I don’t care, I just suck at processing grief and am really good at hiding it.
Anyway, I heard about his illness on Christmas from Craig Eubanks and my first reaction was, he was gonna make it. I heard he had a 25% chance of making it, and I had already started drafting an email to sell his copywriting course for when he recovered in case he needed it. I really wanted him to pull through and assumed he would.
He was a fighter.
A professional.
And someone who I looked up to — I just wish I could have told him that.
I hope to honor Scott in my business dealings.
This isn’t bull shyt posturing either — I sincerely looked up to him and I happily bought my first high end copywriting product from him using the fees from my first copywriting project (he had the rights to certain Gary Halbert Letter issues, and the bonus was some additional GH letter selling continuity — which I drew much inspiration from when selling my own continuity).
Scott was one of the first people I learned copywriting from.
He was one of the best copywriters who ever lived, but also a helluva guy.
And I know everyone who knew him thinks the same.
So RIP Scott Haines.
You made a difference in this copywriter’s life.
A bigger difference than I ever told you even when I went into hardcore fanboy mode on you when we hung out (which I did).
And I know you made a difference in a lot of other lives too.
One more thing:
Years ago Scott let me interview him.
We were selling his copywriting course (one of the best on the market).
The links aren’t active. But the interview — especially the part about using *curiosity* in advertising — guided my career in email, copywriting, and everything else I’ve done like nothing other.
Here is the link:
http://bensettle.com/blog/scott-haines-copywriting-interview/
I hope you get as much value from it as I did...
Ben Settle
P.S. If you have learned anything from me -- copywriting, email, whatever -- chances are it was strongly influenced by Scott.