I mentioned recently that John Anghelache and Ryan Healy are in the prelaunch phase of a new programme designed to help copywriters get more clients (and make more money!).  They’ve released 2 new videos.  The first deals with a way to find all the prospective clients you’re ever likely to need. The second covers a contact letter that John has used to great effect (he gets a 40-75% response rate when he used this letter).

Well worth checking out the videos.  The quick summary of the message is…

1) Go fishing where the fish are; and

2) Approach prospective clients using classic direct response principles.

Ace copywriter Michel Fortin lends a hand to John and Ryan in his latest blog post “How I Used My Forum As A Marketing Tool”.  Michel talks in detail about the process he originally used (and still uses) to attract clients.  This is an excellent description of an approach any copywriter can use to build their business.  Despite the title of the post, you don’t actually need your own forum to apply these strategies.

At the end of the post, Michel mentions John Anghelache and Ryan Healy and also recommends their videos.

Finally, the incomparable Drayton Bird is involved with launching something called the “European Academy of Direct And Interactive Marketing”. On that site you can get a free (OK, you have to “opt-in” to their list) report called “How To Get A Better Job”.  It’s short, but packed with great insights and advice from Drayton. It also includes a couple of excellent prospecting letters that you can swipe.

While I think of it, an excellent resource not just for copywriters but anyone looking for a new job or new clients is “Don’t Send A CV” (or “Resume” in some editions) by Jeffrey Fox.  Takes a non-nonsense sales approach to the task (you’re the “product”, potential employers or clients are the “buyer’, why should they buy?) and provides plenty of practical advice.

The new copywriting program based on the work and approach of master copywriter Clayton Makepeace has just been released.

I say “based on the work of Clayton Makepeace” because it’s not actually written by Clayton but by his associate Tony Flores.

Who the hell is Tony Flores, you ask?  Well, Tony is a copywriter who went to work for Clayton and also became the editor of “The Screaming Eagle” newsletter (part of Clayton’s “Easywriters” membership programme).  As a result he got to understand Clayton’s approach in depth.

The new programme is called “The Ultimate Desktop Copy Coach” and it’s based on material originally presented in “The Screaming Eagle” newsletter.  I don’t have the new programme but I do have most of the original material from which it’s drawn.

Based on that, plus going through the sales letter for the new programme in some depth, I’d say that this is a programme well worth having a look at.  Tony Flores definitely has a skill for breaking down the components of the copywriting process and explaining them in detail so that they are easy to do yourself.

Plus, he has expanded the original material and put it into an easy to follow and comprehensive guide to creating winning copy.

As you’d expect, there’s a ton of valuable bonuses and extras included.  There are some video critiques from Clayton that I already have (and paid around $350 for from memory) that are outstanding.

One thing to keep in mind is that Clayton writes mainly for the traditional direct mail houses so the course is heavily slanted towards those kind of traditional direct mail packages.  However, the material is easily adapted to other channels (such as the internet).

All in all, if you’re new or relatively new and want a comprehensive course to writing great copy, this is well worth taking a look at.  If you’re an experienced writer and don’t already have Clayton’s programmes, this is a great resource to have in your library.

The official launch was last Friday (June 27) and there’s an introductory offer available until July 15. The programme isn’t cheap (the introductory price is $897) but it’s very competitively priced compared to other comparable quality courses on the market.

Here’s where you can get more details about “The Ultimate Desktop Copy Coach”. (No, this isn’t an affiliate link!  I just think this is something you worth knowing about!)

A short video from John Carlton’s “Copywriting Checklist” series.

It’s titled “The Nitty-Gritty” and the point it’s making is that the features of the product are not what you’re selling.

It’s what the customer will get from the product (the benefits) PLUS how they will FEEL about it when they have those benefits.