Copywriters: Why Didn't You Enter the War Room Ad Contest?

[kindsvater]

It has been noted a couple places in the main forum that copywriters who often post here did not enter the recent War Room contest where Allen was asking for submissions.

One person said they didn't enter because they were afraid of being embarrassed if they did not win.

Ironically, a few people who did not win received quite of bit of great exposure, and I don't believe anyone at all who entered was embarrassed.

A few questions come to mind ...

Why didn't you enter? Same reason? Different reason?

Why should I bother to use your services?

Why are you here?

Yeah, I'm putting you on the spot - but you wouldn't expect softball questions from me.

[MikeHumphreys]

Well, I make more money as a full-time copywriter but I decided to enter the contest anyways. Figured I might earn some bragging rights if I won it.

How To Become One of the Marketing Elite…

I had to work on it over a few days, grabbing pieces of time in between client projects. Obviously, the people who paid me to write their copy by an agreed-up deadline take priority over any contests or personal projects. If I blew a deadline for your project because I was busy working on my entry for a contest that I *hoped* I'd win, then you'd be rightfully upset.

I have noticed a pick-up in emails and PMs since the contest from members asking for quotes, so maybe it is related.

If I were guessing, I'd say it may because Allen said he wanted a review hybrid type of piece than a straight sales letter per se. That opened the field up to allow the non-copywriters to compete.

If it was just a straight sales letter then you would have seen a much bigger turnout by copywriters... and they would have dominated the leaderboard IMHO.

As for your question on why you should hire me... take a long look at my copywriting website... read my client testimonials... who I've written copy for... and ask yourself this better question..."Why shouldn't I want to hire him?"

[colmodwyer]

First I've heard...

In any case, the winning ad is less than stellar, which might justify why some of the bigger name copywriters didn't enter... An opinion poll is not the same as a split test.

On top of that, a few folks make more than $3K a letter (as I understand it).

Colm

[The Copy Nazi]

Why wasn't the contest posted here as well huh? I would have KILLED that. Would have blown that out of the water with one simple idea. And in answer to your question - you might have noticed that some of us are rather busy. Too busy to visit The War Room and scroll through all the posts on a regular basis. Ditto for the rest of it. You run a copywriting contest and you don't link to it from here? I shake my head.

[KenThompson]

Too busy. There have been plenty of times when someone
wanted something "asap" and didn't want to wait until I
could get to them. Same concept, sort of. Basically just too
busy with ongoing projects.

I imagine there are lots of quite normal and mundane reasons why
copywriters didn't participate and not necessarily afraid of
being embarrassed.

Why should I bother to use your services?

Why are you here?

Yeah, I'm putting you on the spot - but you wouldn't expect softball
questions from me.

1. I don't know why you should or should not. But considering
your apparent tone, I recommend you don't. It's a two-way street.
Some will write for anyone if it's there. Others will write if it's there
and the person is cool about things.

2. A number of reasons and all unrelated to copywriting or getting
writing jobs.

3. Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything from you! But just wanted
to offer input since evidently it's being discussed. Just thought it may
help people to understand.

Thanks and take care.

[tomw]

To be fair Brian, I think you're taking things a little too seriously.

Many of us (non writers) entered just for the hell of it. For example, my background is as an advertising Art Director although now I own some agencies. I've worked with many of the best London writers but I'm not one of them. I only do (well, did) ideas, headlines and pretty pictures. Essentially, sales letters are Direct Marketing and I wouldn't have a clue how to write junk mail. I wouldn't want to either! But that's me. Other's love it.

Many that entered already make six, seven figures or more, so don't need the money or the exposure. Realistically, if an advertising client wanted me (or even one of our writers!) to sit down and think up just some ideas and headlines it would cost a hell of a lot more than all of the total prize money combined. My entry probably took an hour or two to write at most, was my very first sales letter or DM effort and it shows, see for yourself;

Business is a Battleground. You Need Warriors.

I didn't expect or hope to win. In fact, if by some miracle I had done, *that* would have embarrassed me because it would mean I had taken away an opportunity for exposure and an amount of money that could have sustained a talented young writer for a few months whilst learning the ropes and establishing themselves here.

Indeed, I would have given Allen the money back and asked him to maybe pull out another "random" surprise prize or give it to Kiva.

I guess most of the professional writers here that didn't enter where too busy with their own clients. Many that claim to be professionals claimed to be busy and, as I said in the original thread, could probably have done with the practice based on a lot of the stuff I read here. Maybe they just didn't know about it.

Since it was a copywriting competition others probably wonder why information about it wasn't posted in the copywriting forum and, as we all know, most writers are a self-absorbed, egomaniacal, stubborn and cantankerous bunch and they most likely thought,

"Well sod that! If you want me to impart my wisdom and bestow my genuis upon the masses you can damn well ask me directly!"



The realm of income opportunities in this field, or any other, extends far beyond the confines of the Warrior Forum. You'd have to be crazy to build a copywriting (or any other) business reliant on the existence of this forum alone.

Ultimately, if I where to hire a writer from The Warrior Forum, it would be from amongst those who didn't enter. This would be a great place to begin the search as it would mean that many of those guys are at a level far above needing to enter a competition for exposure or the amount of money offered as a prize. I could, therefore, justifiably expect their creative talent, word-craft and professionalism to be amongst the highest available here...

...or I could just call Vin.



Tom

[Daniel Scott]

Caling Vin is definitely a good way to go. That guy scares me with just how good he is and how much he teaches me.

Anyway, to answer the OP I didn't know about it. If I had known about it I may have been able to enter, but it would have been quite difficult to find the time.

I wasn't aware there was a prize involved, either... I would have done it just for bragging rights, I think.

So yeah, that's my excuse.

Now, I don't know who entered, but Mike is a pretty freaking good copywriter. And if he didn't win... well, I don't think it was an accurate contest (unless someone like Makepeace dropped by).

All possible reasons why a lot of copywriters didn't enter.

-Dan

[Rezbi]

I wasn't aware of it.

Though, I probably wouldn't have entered as I'm a little too busy with other things.

I've neve really been one for competitions.

[ghyphena]

I don't think it's fair to say no copywriters entered - I think the Copywriting Forum was very respectably represented - Mike, Cherilyn, Mark, Scott and others all put in entries.

Maybe the copywriters who didn't enter stayed out because they were too preoccupied with other projects.



- Gil-Ad

[DougBarger]

Congratulations to you Brian. Personally, I really enjoyed reading your winning entry and can definitely see why Allen loved it too.

It was quite simply a matter of timing for me. I was wrapping up a salesletter
for a client who had already laid out more than four figures to retain me plus 10% royalties of gross sales and there simply wasn't the kind of time the project would deserve to devote.

Without knowing what sort of deadline we were working with, it made it hard to book/schedule and also wouldn't be fair to my clients who had already paid.

However, with that said, it certainly would have been fun to do as it's definitely a product and person I believe in and you deserve to enjoy reaping the rewards for your work.

[Alexa Smith]

Originally Posted by kindsvater

Why didn't you enter? Same reason? Different reason?

For me, like any copywriting job, it would have been very time-consuming indeed and much though I appreciated the whole concept and was really interested in it, I wasn't willing to "try to knock something out quickly", even for a competition - especially for this competition, and ultimately decided not to.

Originally Posted by kindsvater

Why should I bother to use your services?

You shouldn't, if having entered competitions is one of the things you're looking for in a copywriter.

Originally Posted by kindsvater

Why are you here?

To learn, observe, discuss, heckle, meet people, and fill another "window-space" on my PC while I'm sitting at it, working. You?

[marciayudkin]

You shouldn't, if having entered competitions is one of the things you're looking for in a copywriter.

That would be a pretty bizarre way to choose any kind of service provider, in my opinion.

Brian, you are an attorney. Do you enter contests? If not, why should copywriters?

Marcia Yudkin

[MikeHumphreys]

Originally Posted by tomw

Ultimately, if I where to hire a writer from The Warrior Forum, it would be from amongst those who didn't enter. This would be a great place to begin the search as it would mean that many of those guys are at a level far above needing to enter a competition for exposure or the amount of money offered as a prize. I could, therefore, justifiably expect their creative talent, word-craft and professionalism to be amongst the highest available here...

Yes and no.

I've gotten half a dozen new inquiries since the WF contest ended who mentioned they saw my entry, so the additional free P.R. is always a good thing. I use multiple marketing, advertising, and promotional weapons to attract new potential projects, so this was a pleasant "bonus".

Last year when I won 'best email' category in Clayton Makepeace's contest, I got Clayton's most expensive product (worth $7500) as a top prize. In addition, it generated an additional $15K plus royalties in new business for me that I can directly trace to that contest.

A number of copywriters have used placing well in a contest to help elevate their professional status, including Vin, Bruce Wedding, John Hostler, and myself.

Perhaps the better idea to keep in mind is, if a copywriter created a very good or even impressive entry on short notice -- especially when they already had another project open on their desk -- then imagine what they can do for you if you let them take their normal allotted amount of time to write the copy for your project.

Take care,

Mike

[Bruce Wedding]

Originally Posted by kindsvater

A few questions come to mind ...

Why didn't you enter? Same reason? Different reason?

I didn't have any idea about it but I wouldn't have entered anyway. I don't work for free. I have nothing to gain from entering a contest. Its a basic risk/reward situation. New copywriters have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Originally Posted by kindsvater

Why should I bother to use your services?

You shouldn't. I don't take new clients.

Originally Posted by kindsvater

Why are you here?

Entertainment and to find the occasional marketing nugget.

[Rezbi]

Originally Posted by marciayudkin

That would be a pretty bizarre way to choose any kind of service provider, in my opinion.

Brian, you are an attorney. Do you enter contests? If not, why should copywriters?

Marcia Yudkin

Well said.

[Collette]

Originally Posted by kindsvater

Why didn't you enter? Same reason? Different reason?

Couple of reasons:
1) I saw the contest, but wasn't sure what the deadline was, and was neck-deep in my own deadlines for paying clients,

2) The contest was "spec" work, and I usually prefer doing "spec" work for myself.

When the choice is between spending several hours running up a comprehensive marketing proposal for a potential 5-figure contract, or spending several hours on spec work that might net me a few thousand... ummmm... gotta go with the 5-figure spec.

Originally Posted by kindsvater

Why should I bother to use your services?

Seriously, if your selection criteria hinges on whether or not I enter a spec competition, I'm not the right copywriter for you. We would be a terrible fit.

If I were choosing a lawyer, I would base my decision on his/her record and expertise. If I were hiring a copywriter, I would base it on their record and expertise.

Originally Posted by kindsvater

Why are you here?

Mostly to cruise for information to further my own education, sometimes to help if I think I can help, and frequently for entertainment.

Congratulations on your win!

[tomw]

Thanks for the input, Mike.

I guess I was simply presenting the other side of the coin to Brian, fighting the good fight on behalf of my fellow creatives as I am often (wrongly) tempted to do.

Of course I understand the value of awards for furthering a career - maybe more so Gold Pencils than accolades awarded at a web forum, but I get the point nonetheless.

The reality is that the standard for what we do is pretty high. ATL tends to be a lot more strategic, BTL tactical and it takes a lot more capability and talent to set the tone than dance to a familiar tune.

A lot of (IM celebrity) writers like Clayton and Carlton sell themselves on the basis of having written a sales letter that generated a million dollars in sales. They call themselves things like the "million dollar writer" and other such ridiculous phrases in order to develop a following of the naive and to sell them their infoproducts.

By the same "logic," many writers (and former art & creative directors like me) could justifiably sell themselves as multi-billion dollar writers and creatives based upon conceiving and executing national or indeed multinational campaigns that launched automobiles and every other kind of product under then sun.

Like I alluded to in my original response to Brian, the "IM niche" comprises a tiny, virtually invisible part of the marketing world as a whole. The truly great copywriters are the ones that sell you things all day - every day - without requiring you to toil through a tedious ten thousand words on a webpage. Unless directly connected with the business, most have never heard of them because they don't have an infoproduct to sell you or got their IM buddies to tell you they're "the best copywriter in the world" in return for an affiliate commission.

I won't even begin to discuss the nonsensical practice of advising aspiring artists to work to prescripted heuristics.



Tom

[Justin Mandel]

There's just much too much stuff for me going on for me to enter some contest at this time

It seems a little silly (and bizarre) to me to hire someone based on the criteria of them entering a contest

I am here to help analyze others' work, make suggestions for improvements, and see what tidbits I can pick up from others to further increase my own abilities

So let's then put the shoe on the other foot and ask you a question...what is it which makes you feel the need to aggressively put others on the spot?

A few questions come to mind ...

Why didn't you enter? Same reason? Different reason?

Why should I bother to use your services?

Why are you here?

Yeah, I'm putting you on the spot - but you wouldn't expect softball questions from me.

[Ashley Wright]

Am not gonna lie I just didn't know about it!! Maybe I just hadn't been on in a while! If i would of entered it would of required how do i say it... work! which at the moment I have a lot of!

[Scott Murdaugh]

I entered. And I'm not happy with my entry.

It's the only "contest" I've ever entered. Am I disappointed or even surprised that I lost? No.

For one I had no idea when I wrote my entry what the target market was... Since I'd say a good majority of this forum is already signed up, I took a chance and wrote my ad directed at people who are new to this forum and IM in general.

When I wrote my ad I had two projects open on my desk... Both of which paid out more than 1st place.

But I took an hour to put something together... It was different than the other approaches, and I was taking a gamble on the target market.

I didn't have an extra 40 hours to put together my best work... What I did put together would convert (I think) IF I was right about the target market, but I wasn't.

I don't take offense to any of your questions, and I'm happy to answer them for you.

Why didn't you enter? Same reason? Different reason?

I did. However it wasn't my best work given the fact that I was guessing about the target market and the fact that paying clients, it doesn't matter if I'm writing in a contest for Carlton or anyone else... My paying clients come first.

I found some time to put something together, but I'll be the first to admit, while I feel it was better than some entries, I missed the mark as far as WHO I was selling to, and it definitely wasn't my best stuff...

If I could have sent Allen a questionnaire to fill out, and I had the time to put into it that I have for paying clients, my chances of winning would have been greatly improved.

Why should I bother to use your services?

Most of my clients aren't here on the forum... Although some are.

If you can wait a couple of months for your project... If I like your product and if we mesh well together then maybe I'm the right copywriter for you. Then again, maybe not.

Why are you here?

To convince myself I'm being productive when I'm not. To keep my eye on the pulse of IM... I'm just as interested in marketing as I am copywriting, they go hand in hand.

I've also met a lot of great people here and have found some fantastic ideas. I'd also like to think that I do offer some value to the forum.

I will tell you why I'm NOT here, and that's to find copywriting clients... MOST Warriors aren't my target market... But I do love meeting fellow copywriters, marketers and talking business with like minded people.

Hope that helps.

Peace,

-Scott

[lakshaybehl]

I thought I would write, and I really wished I would... Just that I didn't get into the right time frame. And its not my fault. I assumed it'd last at least 3-4 weeks. Heck, copywriters take longer.

I always wait for ideas to come to me after impressing upon my subconscious that I need them.

Just waited, and didn't gather enough ideas before the winners were declared.

I was actually pretty surprised, though.

-Lakshay

[kindsvater]

Hey guys and gals, thanks for the responses.

Something to think about as a copywriter ... you don't have to wait for a contest to try to help out Allen and the forum.

When you're not so busy you could take some time to write a better ad and privately send Allen a PM. I can't speak for Allen, but I'll speculate if he likes it he'll test it out.

The worst that could happen is time being spent with no result. On the other hand, you might get a testimonial from the big guy and be able to advertise that the forum has used your handiwork. You might even get paid. Who knows?

If you're here to get some business it could be a real boon for you. Even if you're not, still a good item for the resume (whether you're talking about the forum, writing for one of the most popular sites on the Internet, etc).

Personally, I obviously didn't enter for the money (my daughter will be donating to a local animal shelter she selects next week) and it wasn't for any business interests I have.

Rather, Allen and the forum have been very valuable to me and I don't mind doing whatever it takes to try to help him and the forum out.

I'm not going to presume that I am now qualified to be dishing out advice on this subforum. My own copywriting 'checklist' is something I've developed from Dan Kennedy and Robert Cialdini - probably quite basic by your standards.

If I have 2 cents it is this: my knowledge of Allen, from having read virtually every post he's ever written, and from reading his eBooks, and knowledge about the forum after being here a few years, was undoubtedly helpful. I believe the top 3 selections all had some 'personal personality'. Those who submitted entries who are new to the forum, and/or not even members of the War Room, were trying to win money and not trying to help the forum - and it probably made all the difference.

I don't know about you - but I got a lot of great ideas from reading the various entries.

[Scott Murdaugh]

KindsVator,

Congrats on the win!

And that's awesome you're letting your daughter donate the prize money to a good cause...

Just wanted to chime in and say I'm glad the winner is gracious and deserving, and even happier to hear that you've not only helped the forum but another great cause as well.

My hat is off to you. (Not in the avatar, but it's off right now, promise).

Thanks,

-Scott

[Josiah]

I am a copywriter and I did enter...

My current fee is $5000 per letter (not my primary income anymore, I do it because it's enjoyable sometimes)

I didn't win anything...

Although CONVERSION wise... I am almost certain I would have blown anyone out of the water...

I more entered for bragging rights though...

My entry: "How I Made A Whopping $5019.34 in LESS Than 4 Weeks... With The Help Of This *SECRET* Group..."

Josiah

[Bruce Wedding]

Originally Posted by Josiah

Although CONVERSION wise... I am almost certain I would have blown anyone out of the water...

You'd have my vote. Good job.

[Lance K]

Josiah, did you see Allen's response to your reply in the contest thread?

Originally Posted by admin

FTC nonsense. It would have required a little too much editing. A couple of the ones that did win will also require some editing.

If not for that you definitely might have been in there...and the design of your entry was great! Exactly what I was hoping for as far as design & layout goes.

[Josiah]

Haha thanks Lance, nope I didn't

Darn those Feds eh?

Josiah

[tomw]

Hey Josiah,

That's a great letter.

It led me to review my own humble (well, useless) effort and, despite having the recruitment rhetoric of the Forties, the rallying cries of Churchill's patriotism and the reflective verse of Owen and Sassoon buzzing around my head for inspiration, I still appear to have written an infomercial script for Laserquest.

Hats off to you and the rest of the pros.

It just reinforces for me that when it comes to the creative arts, knowledge is secondary to talent. Guess I'll stick to strategic planning and pretty pictures.



Tom

[MikeHumphreys]

Originally Posted by Josiah

I didn't win anything...

Although CONVERSION wise... I am almost certain I would have blown anyone out of the water...

I more entered for bragging rights though...

Well, Allen told you why you didn't win in the contest thread.

You would have landed him and you (if you were in the U.S.) in FTC hot water which is a major no-no.

Nice-looking layout and design... but unless there was some actual testing, you can't say that yours would have blown anyone else out of the water.

Until Allen tests his group of finalists, it's not conclusive on which one will convert best for him.

That's why we test... because even the very best copywriters can guess wrong on what will convert best. And BTW... it's not always doing a hard sell.

One of the biggest selling sales letters ever was the Wall Street Journal. Did over 1 BILLION dollars in sales over many years before someone else beat it as a control. Didn't look like a sales letter. Definitely wasn't a hard sell.

More like a letter with a compelling story that has been badly knocked off countless times since. Ironically, it was a swipe of an older piece which I'm forgetting right now (I think it was a swipe of somethign written by Bruce Barton... one of the old-school copywriters/DM people could tell you for sure).

The other thing is... if Allen had kept the orginal rules enforced, most of the entries would have been disqualified because they weren't a review/article/sales letter hybrid like Allen asked. Scroll through the contest entry thread and you'll see several people who quoted Allen's OP with an update to the rules.

I believe Allen changed that request, otherwise a lot of entries would have been disqualified which would have upset ALOT of Warriors.

I said it before and I'll say it again: If it had been a straight sales letter from the get-go, then the leaderboard would have been dominated by copywriters, not noticeably absent.

There would have been some additional copywriters who would have entered IMHO that can write some killer sales copy... but probably have never written a review type of article... so they didn't enter.

Some of the copywriters who DID write a review style piece, including me, would have written a straight sales letter instead. We were following the contest rules that had given at the time.

We write sales copy all of the time... not review style pieces. That's why copywriters charge a lot more than the article writers of the world.

Anyways, it was Allen's contest, his rules, and his cash, so it was Allen's call on what were the best entries.

Congrats to all of the winners,

Mike

[ghyphena]

Originally Posted by MikeHumphreys

I think it was a swipe of somethign written by Bruce Barton... one of the old-school copywriters/DM people could tell you for sure).

Bruce Barton's 1919 letter for the Alexander Hamilton Institute "Modern Business Course".... I think the headline was "The Story of Two Young Men Who Fought in the Civil War".

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by kindsvater

Why didn't you enter?

Like most good writers, I was booked up with clients.

There are worse problems to have.

[Collette]

Originally Posted by tomw

...It led me to review my own humble (well, useless) effort and, despite having the recruitment rhetoric of the Forties, the rallying cries of Churchill's patriotism and the reflective verse of Owen and Sassoon buzzing around my head for inspiration, I still appear to have written an infomercial script for Laserquest.

...Guess I'll stick to strategic planning and pretty pictures.



Tom

LOL. Please don't, Tom. If nothing else, Monty Python could use ya as a backup writer!

Seriously, tho'... I was under the impression that the letter was to be directed to members of the free forum, persuading them to join the War Room.

And herein lies my quandary:

It baffles me that ANYONE could lurk in the FREE Warrior Forum for a week or less...

And NOT gladly pony up the piddly $37, 30-day, money-back guaranteed pass fee to see what the PAID value was.

I mean, I'm terrible at math, but doesn't that work out to less than .02 cents a day for 20 years?

Less than .02 cents a day to have unlimited access to information you can use to create thousands - or even millions - of dollars over that same 20 years.

The value is so blindingly obvious that I just don't get it. I really don't.

It's such a complete no-brainer, I have to believe that anyone who dithers about joining the War Room has no brain.

And I have no talent, or interest, for persuading scarecrows to learn.

[tomw]

Originally Posted by Collette

I was under the impression that the letter was to be directed to members of the free forum, persuading them to join the War Room.

Yeah...I know. When I wrote mine, I had no idea who I was talking to. I simply assumed Allen intended to use the winning entries outside of the forum to bring in newcomers. And I didn't see his update until *after* I posted my entry.

Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Thanks for the kind words, Collette.

Perhaps I'll invest in some TV writing training from Vin. Then infomercials will be on primetime.



Tom

[tomw]

Hey Collette,

I read your comment in another thread about Mega headlines and it made me laugh, brought something else to mind and while we're on the subject of Monty Python-esque writing...

(I can't believe I'm about to do this - all credibility will go out of the window)

...if you have time, take a look at the paragraph in my entry that begins,

"whether it's a quick tip..."

My first attempt at it kind of veered towards the surreal, absurd and downright hilarious. I've copied and pasted it below and formatted it so you can "hear" how it read in my head...and please don't mock the afflicted.



Whether it's a quick tip,
programming pointers,
copywriting,
advertising,
complete business mentoring
- even one on one coaching -
an army of experts lies ready to lead you to glory.

You'll meet face to face.
Stand shoulder to shoulder.
Join mastermind groups second to none.
But forwarned is forarmed.
Hold firm.
Brace for impact.
You're going to be blown away.

Feel the shock.
Gaze in awe.
At the
dastardly, devilishly,
devastatingly, craftily,
cunningly, cashpumpingly,
true-Warrior-style-alee,
evilgrin-smile-heehee,
monster-size,
military-grade,
gold-scrumping,
queue-jumping,
cream-sumping,
Trump-bumping,
schemes and manoeuvres
that put every Generalissimo to shame.

But the coups here are financial,
there'll be no legal wrangle
and you'll keep all the money you made.
So why not sign up
and change that rotten luck?
Click the link.
Pay by card.
Join today.

[Bill Farnham]

Tom,

A least you didn't use any clichés, so you got that going for ya.

And I fell prey to that sudden change in focus as well. It was like playing 'bobbing for apples' and then they put melons in the bucket and I couldn''t get my mouth opened wide enough given what I had already submitted.

I hate it when that happens.

KJ

[tomw]

Originally Posted by Killer Joe

A least you didn't use any clichés, so you got that going for ya.

But I was attempting to be ironic, Bill.



It could have been worse. I could have run with the above. Which is only *one* example of my first draft paragraphs that went slightly awry.

Tom

[Collette]

Except for your tiny lazy-lapse into Bushian-era cliche... the whole thing has a lovely Dr. Seuss quality to it which I find most engaging (perhaps because it appeals to the unregenerate juvenile in me? )

Particularly love the imagery of:

"...cream-sumping,
Trump-bumping,..."

Gotta steal that.

P.S. *sniff... sniff* Do I catch the wonderous aroma of a man who reads poetry...?

[Josiah]

Originally Posted by tomw

Hey Josiah,

That's a great letter.

It led me to review my own humble (well, useless) effort and, despite having the recruitment rhetoric of the Forties, the rallying cries of Churchill's patriotism and the reflective verse of Owen and Sassoon buzzing around my head for inspiration, I still appear to have written an infomercial script for Laserquest.

Hats off to you and the rest of the pros.

It just reinforces for me that when it comes to the creative arts, knowledge is secondary to talent. Guess I'll stick to strategic planning and pretty pictures.



Tom

You should...

Without pretty pictures the world would be a disaster

Josiah

[David Raybould]

Why didn't I enter?

To be blunt, I'm too busy making my
clients millions of dollars.

Why am I here?

Call me sentimental, but I actually
get a kick out of helping people with
their copy.

-David Raybould

[Kevin Lam]

I didn't even know about it. Been out of the forum and staying away from some negativity. Heard it's gone today though. Even if I did, I have too many work and clients as it is.

[Texas_Guns]

I wasn't aware of it either. If I had known about it,
I would have jumped on it in between projects as a
fun side project.

Huh.

What does a copywriter do to rest from writing copy
all day for clients and for fun? Write copy. Go figure!