Swipe file advice from 2 of the greatest copywriters who ever walked God’s blue earth
Published: Fri, 11/20/20
“If you use swipe files, that is fine, but don’t delude yourself into thinking you have any kind of mastery of copywriting if you have to use one.”
See some copywriter ex-spurts blatantly swiping?
Especially large swaths of copy?
And, word-for-word?
Amateurs at best.
Or outright losers at worst.
So much so, if I see someone subscribe to my email list and the word "swipe" or "swipes" is in their email address, I immediately delete them from the list.
Why am I such a tyrant about this?
Because one of the dumbest things anyone can do is "swipe" whole cloth.
More:
Some 13 years ago, I wrote a book called The Copywriting Grab Bag, and it contains interviews with some of my favorite copywriters. One of which is an A-list copywriter you may never heard of named Doug D’Anna. And this great man of copywriting said something extremely valuable about this swipe file business during the interview.
Here’s what he said:
“When I first started out I had a swipe file too. You know what the first thing I discovered was when I realized who Gary Bencivenga was and the game I was in? I threw everybody else’s piece away. Why would I do that? Because I might have been thinking that I was swiping something that was good or using a model that was a winner when it wasn’t. That was the first thing. You need to have control pieces in your swipe file. But, you’ve got to remember that control piece worked for that piece at that time in that market in that environment. So it’s really more of a case study to look at.”
That advice has been worth solid gold bars to me over the years.
Now may it be just as valuable to you, too…
Speaking of looking at great ads as case studies vs words to steal by the dumb & lazy:
Today is the deadline to get Kim Krause Schwalm’s new “Million Dollar Controls” program.
You can read all about it at the URL below.
And if you get her program by tonight, Friday November 20th at midnight EST, and if you email me your receipt by that deadline (not just buy the program — you must send me your receipt by the deadline), you will get a $200.00 discount, plus I will give you a special bonus:
“elBenbo’s Copywriting Capers: Season 2”
This 2+ hours of audio training contains dozens of insights, ideas, methods, and lessons I learned while working as a freelance copywriter for some of the most brilliant marketing minds on the planet. In many ways, these are some of the most valuable lessons I ever learned.
And, I daresay you’ll never find a lot of this in any book or course.
To get these bonuses along with a $200 discount off Kim’s Million Dollar Controls program, do this:
1. Buy it at the URL below by tonight, Friday Nov 20 at midnight EST
2. At the checkout use coupon code: BEN200
3. Forward your receipt to ben@bensettle.com by the above deadline — if you send me your receipt after that deadline, you will not get any bonuses
NOTE:
You will need a smart phone to access these bonus videos.
And it'll have to be newer than when Steve Jobs walked the earth.
Here’s the link:
https://www.EmailPlayers.com/ep-kim
Ben Settle
P.S. Here are a few of the secrets inside the elBenbo’s Copywriting Capers: Season 2 bonuses I will send you if I get your receipt before the deadline:
* A 4-word question that can “close” more freelancing clients than any fancy one-liners, sales techniques, or manipulative tricks ever can. (Just say this at the start of every conversation you have with a client lead and watch what happens!)
* A market research secret invented by Frank Capra (one of the single most financially successful Hollywood movie directors who ever lived) to know whether your sales copy will be a hit or not before running even a single test.
* The (admittedly bizarre) “why I don’t shop at Walmart” secret for getting an insane level of engagement & sales from your email list, social media followers, & other online leads almost any time you want.
* How to turn a financially withering client dry spell into a book of high-paying clients who want to give you all the work you can stand.
* The 2 worst things you can do when it comes to doing market research for a freelance copywriting assignment. (I know this first hand after watching one of my best clients — who paid me a small fortune in fees — have to rewrite half of one of my sales letters. Embarrassing!)
* The single “ripest” & most profitable market for copywriters looking to do their own thing to get into. (I’ve sold in this niche twice and can assure you it’s rife with hopelessly inept marketers who only succeed because the market is so rabid to buy… and that’s why it probably won’t take much to clean up in it if you have even average copywriting skills.)
* Why (with rare exception) the single dumbest thing a copywriter can do is run their copy through a mastermind group for feedback. (And this is just as much the case if the group is full of savvy or even “world class” copywriters.)
* The one mistake even experienced freelancers make when it comes to so-called “handshake deals” with clients.
* elBenbo’s 2 rules for freelance copywriting success. (One is to never work for free — the other is something far less obvious but just as important to getting paid, getting paid on time, and getting paid the maximum amount you can command.)
* Why you should take any training, teaching, or advice from the early “Web 1.0” gurus from the 90’s and early 2000’s with a big, fat grain of salt. (Hint: when you see a lot of the stupid advice they still give to this day, you will realize a lot of those guys would have been dead in the water if they hadn’t gotten in early, when all you needed to do was have a decent sales letter and a circle jerk network of marketers all giving each other testimonials. This won’t be popular with a lot of goo-roo fanboys who hear it, but it’s for their own growth…)
* The only two people (other than myself, of course) I recommend learning email marketing or email copywriting from.
* The absolute BEST kind of JV partner to do business with if you want to use your copywriting skills to make a lot of money very quickly.
* Why all the stupid copywriter checklists you see floating around social media should be avoided like the bubonic plague if you want to make any real money as a copywriter.
* How to know if something you write about in an email is truly controversial (which is perfect for getting a ton of engagement and probably also a ton of sales, too) or you’re just pandering & virtue signaling for likes and ego boosts like your Facebook friends do all day long.
* A clever way to pump up your writing speed while also attracting more clients.
* How to be the only copywriter your clients won’t dare want to fire, get rid of, or displease. (And this has a lot less to do with talent, skill, or how effective you are than most would assume.)
* What to do with your pricing terms that can often attract nothing but the best clients while also making it far more likely they’ll run your ads without a bunch of pointless edits & changes.
* The “nothing special” copywriting secret I used to write a long-running control nobody could beat (all the way up until the day they retired the offer) in one of the most competitive & cutthroat markets on the internet.
* Why you should probably run from any client, JV partner, or anyone else you want to do with business with if they natter on about using or needing a “nurture sequence.”
NOTE:
You will need a smart phone to access these bonus videos.
And it'll have to be newer than when Steve Jobs walked the earth.
Here’s the link:
https://www.EmailPlayers.com/ep-kim