An Interview With One Of The Most Successful Copywriters Today…

Good stuff. Definitely picked up a couple gold nuggets

Awesome interview Vin! The part about men and women searching in different ways (online vs Doctor) was genius. Never thought about it like that before. Great elephant story too, Dot

Cheers,
D

Hi,
I’m glad everyone’s enjoying the interview.

Vin, is there some reason that I can’t access the audio? All I’m getting is the post and the replies.

Thanks again,
Dot

Yay Dot. Yay Vin. You both are my most favorite copywriters and two good friends.

I loved the call. Dot put into words the half-formed questions that have been lurking fuzzily in my mind. Dot, as usual, you are so thoughtful and came up with the best questions.

Vin, you gave me clarity on a lot of things I’ve been thinking about. Only, I didn’t know I was thinking about them.

Sometimes I lose focus and direction, getting off-track and going off on a tangent. The story is very important to me too, but there has to be a balance with the other things in my writing that needs to be there to get the job done. Weaving it all together to get the balance and the finessing is one of the very things I seek.

And there’s more to that elephant in the room, than meets the eye. It’s that very elephant, which is there, but everyone attempts their best to avoid eye-contact with. The elephant tales on different forms and meaning. The elephant that just might expose the writer if he or she looks it right in the eye.

I pictured Pimlico track and Dover Downs when Vin read the Kentucky Derby metaphor aloud. I also saw the Preakness. That became real for me and I understood what Dot was getting at. Horse racing at it’s finest just won’t work if done with an elephant. And that’s some of the finest writing involving all the five senses.

Also the elephant is what I visualize in my mind, but haven’t yet totally defined because I’m still working on it in my head, as a rookie writer. It will come in time and with perseverance. Dot, that reached me on all levels. It’s something I need to do and am figuring out now.

Both the questions and the answers are exactly what I needed to hear. I’m just a little out of focus and this call made things clearer, especially in my mind’s eye.

This call is true of all writing, even the column writing I do and the travel writing I aspire to and hope for. True, I have other aspects to work on, like finding more of my markets and then writing the exact query they’re looking for that gets a “yes” to my article idea.

Even with the paper I work for and the magazines I hope to work for, the column, query and the article involve copywriting. Yes I have people and places to show. But I have to know how to show them to the right market and get my foot in the door so the market knows why they need to choose me over someone else. I have certain calls to action, like… hey you, buy the paper and read my column. And you, visit this place and see more that I hinted at in the article.

I’m doing the same thing y’all are… my package is just different. And I’m big on storytelling too.

I know Dot well. We’ve chatted on the phone and actually met in person. Dot is cool and a best friend. We started out together, way back when. I have come away totally inspired from both Vin and Dot.

Vin,

The same thing happened to me and I had to install the Windows Player plug in for Firefox. There was a bar at the top of the page telling me I was missing the plug in. Dot if you’re using Firefox and don’t have the plug in, that might be what your problem is.

Vin,

The same thing happened to me and I had to install the Windows Player plug in for Firefox. There was a bar at the top of the page telling me I was missing the plug in. Dot if you’re using Firefox and don’t have the plug in, that might be what your problem is. Once I downloaded and installed it the audio recorder box showed up.

Love the explanation for story writing.

You can see the Zeigarnik effect in all the top shows nowadays. And several times throughout the same show.

What a beautiful interview. Loved it. Really engaging. Sounded like an ‘old’ married couple. A compliment.

Thank you so much Dot for asking your questions. You really got Vin spilling the beans on the power of effective storytelling.

And Vin, thank you. Sincerely. You gave away some real nuggets in there. One question…

You say this interview won’t be up for very long…

Is there any chance at all you could make this available to some of us privately by email? Could you send this to me please, it’s just that I need to listen to this a few more times to really get some of your key very valuable points sinking home. Would you mind please? Would this be okay with you?

I loved your take on the open loop ~ closing loop. As you were saying this… I found myself visualizing your words to cement the concept deeply within my subconscious. Genius. Loved it. Brilliant.

Thank you so much to the pair of you for such an intriguing interview.

Dishonest? Well, you made me chuckle with the ad lib. Very good indeed. Dishonest though? Hardly. Just more storytelling ‘selling’ from one of the best, if not THE best copywriter in the industry.

I hope you both enjoy a huge amount of success and as usual… as much happiness as you both can handle.

Kindest regards and best wishes,

Mark Andrews

Nice call folks;

Dot, I checked your site, and I have to say that is one of the best-written metaphors I’ve seen in a long time.

I particularly like how you just let the reader start into the elephant story without really signalling any intent up-front: you trust the reader to pull out the right meaning(s) and then tie it in to copywriting afterward, which is a neat way to explain where your service fits in.

Beautifully and confidently done – and refreshing to most Clambakers’ eyes I’m sure, to see the reader given the credit to understand what the writer is getting at.

Thanks for posting this Dot and Vin.

Pete

Wow, this is really great, folks. I’m very glad you like the interview. Vin was fun to talk to – and I made him laugh, deep and long, several times.

Thanks to everyone – and especially Vin, the Great PooBah.

Sincerely,
Dot

PS: Pete, could I please use your post as a testimonial? I really, really appreciate those words!

@David Babineau:

Thanks David. Enjoyed doing it.

Hey Vin –

I’ll be happy to “interview” you again sometime! Any time, in fact.

I never even got to touch on the “Where do you find high-paying clients” one that I’d planned to whomp you with.

Dot

Yes, good questions indeed, loved the interview

Cool interview. Thanks Dot.

— Ross

Hey Dot,

Sure, please do. No problem at all!

– Peter Michaels Copywriting

Thank you so very, very much, Peter Michaels! I deeply appreciate your kind words and your permission to use them.

Thanks again!
Dot

Loved your story on the herpes copy you did, Dot. That was funny. Listening to Vin answering your well thought out questions created the bridge I needed from fiction and article writing to copywriting, especially the uses of elements like the 3-act play, the loop and the cord and hook that you use to take the reader through the copy.

I enjoyed hearing your elephant metaphor and it did sound like poetry. Thank you both for doing this great interview on the craft. I enjoyed it.

Unfortunately Dot and Vin, nothing I did (install plug-in, then repair it) allowed me to play the interview…

Oh well, c’est la vie….