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Pitching Services To Brand Agencies... Best Approach?

by The Copy Warriors
3 replies
I'm getting ready to send out a pitch to some brand agencies (you know like madison avenue type stuff) and I was thinking about using a direct response style email blast instead of a traditional cover letter.

What do you think of this approach?

On the one hand I know that "typical" cover letters are lame as **** and not likely to get noticed.

On the other hand, I really don't have much experience with the brand marketing world and I'm not sure what they think of direct response writers.

Anybody here have experience with this type of thing?
#agencies #approach #brand #pitching #services
  • Profile picture of the author shawnlebrun
    Originally Posted by The Copy Warriors View Post

    I'm getting ready to send out a pitch to some brand agencies (you know like madison avenue type stuff) and I was thinking about using a direct response style email blast instead of a traditional cover letter.

    What do you think of this approach?

    On the one hand I know that "typical" cover letters are lame as **** and not likely to get noticed.

    On the other hand, I really don't have much experience with the brand marketing world and I'm not sure what they think of direct response writers.

    Anybody here have experience with this type of thing?
    I would check with Ewen Mack on this forum...

    I'm quite confident in saying he's figured out a way to get noticed by brand names... and happens to be one of the sharpest marketing minds on the forum.
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    MILLION Dollar Copywriter Offering Written Sales Letter or VSL Script Worth $5,000 - Just $500!
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  • Profile picture of the author joe golfer
    Most major brand agencies do a ton of direct marketing. For example, here is Ogilvy and Mather talking about it on their capabilities page:

    Direct Marketing | Ogilvy & Mather

    If you want to write direct response for that type of agency, your task is to find the person who runs the direct department and pitch them.

    If you are talking about writing brand ads, that's a different conversation.

    You should also consider approaching direct response agencies. Here are a few from an older list I found.

    http://media.dmnews.com/documents/36...harts_8789.pdf

    I would use an approach like Clayton did trying to break into major mailers. Or do what Carlton did getting into agencies early in his career. He talks about it in Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel.

    Some people shy away from agencies because they say the pay is 30 percent less than a comparable non-agency deal. The flipside is the name factor, meaning you'll be able to say you worked on recognizable brands, if that has value to you. I don't know about the pay rate, but it's something to find out as you move forward.
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    Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
    - Jack Trout
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    • Profile picture of the author The Copy Warriors
      Originally Posted by joe golfer View Post

      Most major brand agencies do a ton of direct marketing. For example, here is Ogilvy and Mather talking about it on their capabilities page:

      Direct Marketing | Ogilvy & Mather

      If you want to write direct response for that type of agency, your task is to find the person who runs the direct department and pitch them.

      If you are talking about writing brand ads, that's a different conversation.

      You should also consider approaching direct response agencies. Here are a few from an older list I found.

      http://media.dmnews.com/documents/36...harts_8789.pdf

      I would use an approach like Clayton did trying to break into major mailers. Or do what Carlton did getting into agencies early in his career. He talks about it in Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel.

      Some people shy away from agencies because they say the pay is 30 percent less than a comparable non-agency deal. The flipside is the name factor, meaning you'll be able to say you worked on recognizable brands, if that has value to you. I don't know about the pay rate, but it's something to find out as you move forward.
      100,000,001 thanks there dude.

      Most helpful post I've seen on here in a while.
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