I was very sad to hear that copywriter Scott Haines passed away recently after suffering a stroke on Christmas Day. Scott was well known and highly regarded in the direct response community. He cut his teeth working with the legendary Gary Halbert and he was close with people like John Carlton. Here’s a post with John’s recollections of his friend…
I didn’t know Scott but was very familiar with his work. I first came across him through a special report titled “The Amazing Copywriting Secrets Of An Adman Who Has To Live By His Results!” The original version was 60 pages and cost something like $27 from memory. It was jammed packed with useful insights as well as a number of letter examples that I ended up using often as “swipes”.
Scott’s “signature” program was “Shortcut Copywriting Secrets” that was essentially the condensed version of what he learned from Gary Halbert. For some reason the great “Sir Gary” never got around to producing a definitive course on his copywriting approach (although he did leave a huge body of work). Reputedly, when asked about such a program he referred people to Scott’s course. I have the course and it’s well worth a place in any copywriter’s library.
Now, about that interview mentioned in the post title…
Another protege of Gary Halbert and friend of Scott Haines is Caleb O’Dowd who recently sent out this message…
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Two weeks ago, I have lost my dear friend, Scott L. Haines.
I have been too heartbroken to write about this.
Scott, like me, was one of Gary Halbert’s protégé’s. He had an incredibly big, kind, giving heart. And he was one of the most talented copywriters in all direct response marketing.
I cannot find words to describe how much Scott meant to me, how amazing he was, how much I learned from him.
Thankfully, I interviewed him about a year ago, and through this, you can get a ‘glimpse’ of the man he has.
I want to share this interview as a gift to you and as a way to keep Scott’s memory and legacy alive.
You can click here to download it.
I hope you enjoy it. Here is what we talk about inside:
– How Scott Haines met Gary Halbert and got into direct response marketing.
– An ad Scott wrote that pulled in 6.5 million dollars in 18 months, from a list of only 13,000 people.
– Specific examples of amazing headlines.
– A tiny 7-inch one column wide newspaper ad where, for every $1,000 spent on advertising, brought in $60,000 in return, week after week.
– What Gary Halbert said when he was asked: “If you had only $500 to market your business, what would you do?”
– An online ad Scott wrote that brought in a fortune and could not be beaten for 5 years.
And a lot more.
And here’s all I ask.
If you like it, consider making a small donation here.
Scott loved his mother very much, and she is currently in a nursing home. A fund has been established to raise funds to hire a caregiver for her so that she can be at home instead.
Now that Scott is gone, and can’t be there to take of his mom, this is a way that we can all help improve her quality of life. So if you enjoy this interview, consider a donation.
Thank you very much.
And may God bless you with health and long years of life.
Warm regards,
Caleb O’Dowd
***
It’s a great interview and well worth 70 minutes of your time to listen to. Some real nuggets about what works in direct response and making real money in this business.
And if appropriate, please consider making that donation. Scott Haines was only 46 when he died…tragically young.