Copywriters Podcast

It happens to all of us, and can you remember a time where you wondered: “Is this really good copywriting? It seems like what I should write, but somehow it’s not clicking.” Here’s why you wonder. There’s a well-known saying from the Navy SEALs: "Under pressure, you don't rise to the level of your expectations, you sink to the level of your training". That goes far beyond the world of the Navy SEA...

Our special guest today, John Jantsch, is going to tell you about what could be the single most valuable sentence you have in your business for getting clients and customers. John’s the author of the Wall Street Journal best-seller Duct Tape Marketing, as well as three other books. Now when John talks about “core,” I’m pretty sure he’s not talking about your abs, lower back, and hip flexors. No, t...

You could have written the greatest copy in the world. Perfectly targeted with a killer offer. Great price. Unique and highly desirable. But I can tell you one way it is guaranteed NOT to work. And that’s if nobody reads it. Don’t laugh; it happens. There are a couple more than a dozen crucial things you must know and consistently DO to make your copy as easy to read as possible. Most people know...

Ever get frustrated with what happens when you try to get an AI to write something? According to Google Workspace Labs, the average prompt people give an AI is nine words or less. Nine words! The AI needs a lot more information than that to do a decent job for you. But the question is–what information? Today, we’re going to take a look at how AI goes so very wrong for so many people—and give you s...

Do storytelling skills REALLY make a difference for you? Just ask our special guest today, Parker Worth. Parker decided he had enough of high school at 16. His first job was cleaning toilets. From there, he went to electrician school and, after a few years, got a job traveling around the world as an electrician. But his own story really starts to take off when he discovers social media. That led t...

Today we’re talking about three new ways to use ChatGPT for copywriters and business owners, and another development from another company which is a lot lower priced than ChatGPT’s a month for its premium service. We’ll also talk a little about some other specific ways to use OTHER AIs, but a lot of our focus is on ChatGPT. Now, to be clear, I wasn’t all that hot on ChatGPT 18 months ago. But in t...

One meeting of the minds reigns supreme above all others in copywriting–and that’s when the copywriter understands and addresses the same thoughts that are most pressing in the minds of their best prospect. Our returning champion today is the incredible Caleb O’Dowd. He was here a few weeks ago when he told us some closely guarded secrets from his book “Monetization: How To Optimize Sales Funnels...

One of the greatest insiders in direct response today is not primarily a copywriter, but a graphic designer. Actually, our returning champion Lori Haller is a designer… and so much more. She works side by side with many of the greatest copywriters of our time to help create control-beating packages, for clients like Boardroom, Healthy Directions, Dr. Al Sears, Nutri-Health, KCI Communications, and...

27 Years Ago, pop singer Cher asked us this question: “Do you believe in life after love?” … and it promptly rocketed to the top of the charts, selling 11 million copies of the song. Today, in 2025, a better question—especially for copywriters—is “Do you believe in sales without belief?” It’s a question our returning champion today, Billy Broas, has thought about a lot, and mastered the answer to....

Two of the most confrontive words in a conversation are “Prove It!” Nobody really likes to be challenged about how true what they are saying. But when it comes to writing copy in the real world, you have to expect that prospects WON’T believe you. In fact, the more they like a claim you make, the more skeptical they will be. Why? Because of human nature. And also, because they’ve been disappointed...

Confidence in copywriting isn’t just about choosing the right words—it’s about embodying conviction in every line you write. In this episode, we explore the hidden ways self-doubt seeps into your messaging, sabotaging conversions before your prospects even realize why. From subconscious hesitations to subtle linguistic hedging, you’ll discover how these confidence leaks silently erode trust and di...

Today we look at an old and very true saying: It’s not about the money you make, but about the money you KEEP. There’s an old joke about a guy who loses money on every sale, but, he says, “I make it up in volume.” We’re not talking about back ends or affiliate sales here. Things can go sideways in your business if you’re not making enough sales, or your profit margins are too small. Or upside down...

We’re past the point of wondering about or fearing AI when it comes to copywriting. At this point, the big question is: What do I need to know, do and have to make it work for me? I say that because copywriters at all levels of skill and in all niches are using AI in all kinds of ways. It’s no longer the new new thing. It’s a part of the business, and it continues to grow in importance and ability...

We have a very special guest today. A legend among insiders, Caleb O’Dowd is a master marketer and copywriter. He has been launching and scaling businesses from zero to seven figures and eight figures, through the smart use of great copy and strategic sales funnels. In more industries than I can count. Including some of the most brutally competitive. I was thrilled when Caleb agreed to come on Cop...

At the highest levels of copywriting, big financial publishers ask copywriters to do a “re-lead” when they want to increase conversion on a proven offer. What’s that? A re-lead is basically a reframing of the intro to a sales letter, in the hopes that the reframing will spur greater sales. And it’s probably no coincidence that when my mentoring clients show me copy they’re having trouble with, the...

You could say the purpose of a sales funnel is to create desire that leads up to a sale, but these days, if that’s what you say, you’ve left out an important part. A part that very well could make the difference between a sale and no sale. With trust in general at such an all-time low and the feeling of isolation so rampant, people want a little more. They want to feel like you, as a business or a...

Our returning champion is Brenna McGowan, the master of the pre-launch. Today she’s going to tell us about a special pre-launch technique called Anticipation Marketing™. Perhaps the best advantage it gives you is it puts you front and center in your prospects’ minds, and at the same time gets them eagerly looking forward to getting the full details about what you’re going to launch. Maybe even mor...

It’s the day before the day of the night before Christmas as we put this on the air, and a very unknown year looms ahead. One thing for sure, no matter what happens: The market will be more unforgiving in 2025 than it was in 2024. Why? It’s simple. Competition keeps growing. So does impatience among almost all consumers, and mistrust among many of them. What this means to you, as a copywriter, is...

So, we’re right in the middle of the Christmas shopping season as we come to you this week, and I’m wondering: Have you figured out how to delight your customers and fatten up your bank account? If you haven’t you’re not alone. Many copywriters and businesses don’t know exactly what to do to join in the holiday buying and selling fun… so they don’t do anything. Which is a shame, because there’s a...

For the copywriting word of the year, I’d like to nominate the word “authenticity.” It’s a big deal right now. People talk about it a lot. I will give you an example on today’s show of how an accidental Facebook ad created more engagement than anything else I’ve ever seen. I went over the ad with my clients and we figured out that it was the way they used authenticity in the writing of it that tou...

Have you ever heard a song and thought, “Dang! How did they do that? I wish my copy was that catchy!” Well, Nathan and I have thought the same thing and in fact pondered the similarities between writing a song and writing copy. You see, we’re both songwriters. We stoutly assert that we are both amateurs at this. At one point, music was Nathan’s business. I never got that far. It’s always been just...

Ever wonder why some copywriters consistently crush it while others struggle to get conversions? This episode dives deep into the Five Stages of Copywriter Awareness—a transformative framework that shows the path from instinctive, mediocre copy to breakthrough results. If you’ve ever felt like your copy was missing something, this episode will pinpoint exactly where you’re stuck and how to advance...

Once you’ve finished your copy, the anxiety begins. And it almost always boils down to the answer to this question: How good is this copy–really? When people ask me to critique their copy, they’re often amazed at how quickly I can get to the heart of things. Once I have an overall opinion, I’ll drill down to a lot of specifics. But I think it’s important today not to talk about those specifics, bu...

Today we’re going to do another episode of “Just because it’s a story, it’s not a hero’s journey story.” What I mean by that is, many people have been misleading copywriters and salespeople for a while now. Saying, if you’re going to tell a story, it’s got to be a hero’s journey story. As you may know, in my book The Persuasion Story Code, I show 25 types of stories that are decidedly NOT hero’s j...

It’s become so common we don’t even think about sometimes, but subscription products have really taken over our world in a way no one could ever have predicted. And along with them, new demands and new opportunities for copywriting. If you look at the past, you’ll see a lot of promotions were based on a single sale, with the copywriter or the business HOPING that the customer might buy the upsell....