Here are my bona fides. So you can decide whether I’m the right copy instructor for you:
• 4+ decades of experience as a full-time professional copywriter.
• Former adjunct professor of copywriting at New York University.
• AWAI Copywriter of the Year and many other writing awards.
• Author of 100+ books including The Copywriter’s Handbook, considered by many to be a standard reference work in the field.
• Have written copy for more than 100+ clients including IBM, Kiplinger’s, AT&T, Medical Economics, and GE.
• Have earned 6 figures annually for decades and accumulated a 7-figure net worth, all from freelance copywriting.
• Still an active copywriter today working 60-hour weeks—and writing every day of the year.
• Featured in major media including CBS Hard Copy, CNBC, Los Angeles Times, Nation’s Business, and many more newspapers, magazines, TV, and radio shows.
• I write promotions that have boosted response rates for my clients from 10% to 900%.
• Have written over 100 articles for publications including Writer’s Digest, Cosmopolitan, City Paper, and Successful Meetings.
• I have written copy and content for virtually every marketing channel, from radio commercials and video sales letters, to direct mail packages and email marketing campaigns, to websites and white papers.
• No copywriter alive today has written for more industries than I have—from dietary supplements and investment newsletters, to equipment for refineries and chemical plants, to wastewater treatment and air pollution control, to telecommunications and software, to food and furniture – and many more.
Now, of the items above, one stands out….
Specifically, I strongly advise you to make sure your copywriting teacher is still an active practitioner writing for real clients.
Reason: Marketing is evolving so rapidly today, you want to learn from a copywriting instructor who is on the front line, helping clients increase sales and make more money. Only working copywriters are current on and practiced in modern marketing -- and up-to-date on new sales channels and selling methods.
On the other hand, steer clear of courses from copywriting gurus who proudly proclaim they no longer write for clients. Once they decide to get out of the game and sit on the sidelines, they can no longer keep up with or teach you what’s working in today’s multichannel marketing world.