What copywriters and marketers should know about the new anti-aging breakthrough

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Here are a few quick facts:

Dr. Steve Horvath is a professor at UCLA.

He’s a researcher in the field of anti-aging.

A while back, he developed something called the “epigenetic clock”.

This clock is a highly accurate measure of how old your body really is vs. what your driver’s license says.

And now, according to a paper published just yesterday, Dr. Horvath has found a way to reverse the epigenetic clock.

In effect, he has reversed aging. Significantly. In humans.

Over the course of a year, Dr. Horvath gave a cocktail of three common drugs to a small group of people. And instead of having their epigenetic clock move forward by 1 year, these folks actually got younger by 2.5 years.

Pretty impressive. ​​

Now, it’s possible this will turn out to be a cute but irrelevant result that can’t be reproduced or built on.

But my own hunch is that this is a major breakthrough.

Partly, that’s because I’ve been hearing high praise of Steve Horvath for a long time, from reputable people in the anti-aging space.

Partly, it’s because aging clearly hasn’t been solved yet, in spite of all the talk of telomeres and inflammation and mitochondria.

But why bring this up in an email about copywriting and marketing?

Well, if my hunch is right, then get ready.

Because you will soon see lots of direct marketing offers (over the coming 2-3 years, I’d guess) that take advantage of this new research.

In other words, expect lots of offers and promotions — supplements, newsletters, webinars, courses — that talk about reversing the epigenetic clock.

Maybe you will even be the one to write the big new control based on this idea.

Why not?

Now that you know about it, it’s yours to use.

Or at least, it’s yours to keep in mind, as new research on this topic continues to surface.

But maybe you’re not writing big long-form sales letters. Maybe you’re writing advertorials and presell pages. In that case, you might like the following:

https://bejakovic.com/advertorials/

Vegan sheila sues BBQ neighbors, marketing truth emerges

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The Internet is tittering today because of some bizarre news from Down Undah:

Nearly 9,000 fun-loving Aussies are planning a massive BBQ in front of the house of some sheila who complained about the barbecued meat smells wafting over from her neighbors’ yard.

The woman in question is a vegan. She described her experience inhaling barbecued fish aroma as “devastating” and “turmoil.”

And though the neighbors tried to appease her in various ways, the vegan sheila would not be appeased.

Instead, she took her neighbors to court. Not once, not twice, but thrice.

She even submitted a 600-page appeal when her case was dismissed.

So now, in retribution, she’s getting the mass BBQ on her front lawn.

Along with the derision of an international brigade of Internet strangers, all of whom are calling her crazy and entitled.

Well, I don’t agree.

I don’t think this woman is crazy.

Or entitled.

I think she’s just very good at buying the lies she’s been told:

“It’s immoral to eat meat.”

​”Own your own home — it will be your castle!”

​”Victim of injustice? Don’t worry. The court system is here to help you.”

We’re all a little like that vegan sheila. We just fall for different sales pitches.

But given her level of ferociousness, this woman does seem to be a particularly good potential customer.

So I wish I had something good to sell her, which would help her in her current misery.

Ideally, that would be a fire-breathing vegan political candidate, one who vows to set to rights all the wrongs this anti-BBQ victim has experienced.

Unfortunately, I’m not doing any political consulting yet.

But the same insights, about disappointed hopes and the unending search for a better life, can be used in more traditional marketing as well. If you wanna see how, take a look here:

https://bejakovic.com/advertorials/

An ugly 8-point checklist for writing copy faster

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I read a story yesterday about energetic writer Georges Simenon.

Over the course of his life, Simenon put out almost 200 novels, over 150 novellas, and countless stories.

He wrote fast. And he wouldn’t allow himself to be interrupted while writing.

So one time, when Alfred Hitchcock called, he was told that Simenon was unavailable, because he’d just started writing a new novel.

“That’s all right,” said Hitchcock. “I’ll wait.”

I bring this up because some time last week, I wrote about the importance of writing fast for copywriters.

It’s not simply about whipping yourself to go faster, like a burdened and bleeding donkey that’s struggling up a hill.

No bleeding is required.

Because there are ways to write and finish copy faster, while actually producing better results and stressing less. Here are some of those ways, based on my experience:

#1. Minimize your commute

It’s exhausting to read a bit, to switch tabs, to write a bit, to switch tabs again — no, wrong tab — switch tabs again, read a bit…

​​It’s like commuting to work. It doesn’t pay, but it costs you.

Things that I’ve experimented with to minimize this commute include keeping a notebook and writing down ideas with pen and paper while I read on the laptop. Also, opening up new browser and text editor windows specifically for that one project, and staying within them while working on the project.

#2. Steal from the rich and give to the poor

Keep track of successful ads and promotions. And then use them to swipe lead ideas. Swipe headline structure. Swipe sales letter outlines. Look over your swipe file, pull out a dozen relevant ads, put them all in front of your face, and use them for inspiration.

#3. Let that turkey bake

Before you start jamming away at your keyboard, give your creative mechanism a bit of time and space to form some ideas. This might sound a bit woo-woo, but you’ll know when it’s time to start writing.

#4. Channel Jack Kerouac

Once the turkey has reached critical temperature, put your hands on the keyboard and write. Write fast, physically fast, without punctuation, indentation, fact checking, etc. Channel Jack Kerouac, who wrote On The Road, an xx-page novel [fill in later], in y days [fill in later].

#5. Be the hammer AND the anvil

Goethe wrote, “You must be either the servant or the master, the hammer or the anvil.” Well, I think you gotta do both. First give your orders and make your commands, without mercy. Then, follow your own orders and commands blindly, without thinking or doubting.

This is where checklists, templates, and systems come in. Don’t have ’em yet? Start right now, and define some systems and checklists for yourself. Then get to work, and update your checklists and systems based on your results.

#6. “It takes an early bird to get the best of a worm like me”

That’s a quote from the great movie Pillow Talk. And it’s appropriate because in this worm’s experience, it’s best to work in the mornings. The brain is just more productive. I’ve heard this from lots of copywriters as well. These days, my working day usually starts at 7:30am and finishes by 11:30am.

#7. All play and no work makes John a tired boy

I work for 45 minutes and then I take a 15 minute break. But those 45 minutes are devoted to the task I’m working on. If I can’t focus on work, then I simply stare at the laptop in contempt.

The reason I do this is NOT to be more productive, though that’s a nice side effect. The reason is that it’s exhausting to force myself to get back to work after I’ve been slacking off. And it drags out the whole project by much more than just the wasted time.

#8. Accept gifts from the deep

Coming up with ideas is hard. Particularly when working. On the other hand, my brain — or some deep, unconscious part of it — will often come up with ideas at random times throughout the day. So I write those ideas down whenever they come, and I use my working time for more menial, mechanical, and less creative work.

And that’s my 8-item checklist. I hope you will find it useful. And yes, I realize that 8 is an ugly number, but that’s all I’ve got for now.

Of course, I will update this checklist when new ideas pop into my head.

Or when I start a new project, and I find that I’m still getting stuck and writing too slowly, even with this checklist in hand.

But more about that later. For now, if you want more checklists, specifically for writing story-based advertorials, then check out the following:

https://bejakovic.com/advertorials/

“Hating freelancing right now”

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I’m still working on revamping my book about succeeding as a freelancer on Upwork. One part of what I’ll include is my answers to 64 high-level, “big obstacle” questions that freelancers, including those on Upwork, tend to run into regularly.

Such as the following question from Reddit:

“Back then when I started out to work online (Internet Marketing & SEO) I kinda enjoyed it a bit but nowadays after 3 years part-time and now 1 year full time I kinda hate it at all..

“What might be the reason for it? Just bcz I got some money on my bank account? I think that gives me some trust that I can just chill out.”

I’ve personally never hated freelancing. But I have hated myself as well as my life while freelancing.

I put this down to my bad tendency to blame myself rather than external factors. And if you think I’m humblebragging, I’m not. I genuinely think it’s good for your mental health in the long run if you can honestly say, “I would have been successful — if not for the damned rain.” If instead you say (like I do), “It’s my fault because I didn’t bring an umbrella, stupid stupid!” you will eat away at yourself too much, too soon.

Anyways, on to the question.

I don’t know what causes hate, whether of freelancing or of the freelancer and his life. But I do know what can work as a fix.

In my experience, it’s to keep experimenting with different techniques. Some ideas:

Work in tight routines.

Stop working in tight routines and allow yourself to work however much and whenever you want.

Take a change of scenery.

Take a break during the day and do something new to appreciate the fact that you have flexibility.

Keep looking to improve your skills and get more specialized and valuable.

Keep increasing your rates to make your life better and to challenge yourself.

Keep working on your own side projects that will both help you with freelancing and might have some value on their own.

None of these things is going to be THE ONE TRUE answer. But if you keep trying them all, and switching them up, you might just make your whole life better, in small but significant ways, in many different dimensions. And in time that will help you cope with tough times, because those will always come. But they don’t have to cause you to descend into spittle-ejecting hate.

So that’s my bit of pulpit beating for today.

If you have questions about freelancing or copywriting obstacles, you might like that book about Upwork I’m preparing. To get notified when I finish it up, you can sign up here:

https://bejakovic.com/150-dollar-per-hour-freelancer

What I’ve learned from weeks of heavy promiscuity

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Over the past several weeks, I’ve been highly promiscuous.

Not sexually, thank God.

But with my email address. I’ve been giving it out left and right, up and down, to people who want it and to those who don’t.

Predictably, my inbox is blowing up. And it’s been a mildly enlightening experience.

Because whenever I check now, I have between 5 and 10 new emails, all of which fall into one of two predictable categories. In fact, it’s just how I imagine it is to be a hot girl on Tinder. Desperate or creepy guys are constantly writing you, and they have one of two things to say:

1) “Yo I’ll cook you some romantic shrimp pasta and then we can play jenga and then have the freakiest sex you ever had in a room with a great view.”

That’s in the early stages of the courtship.

When (if?) this heavy-handed benefits play doesn’t work out, it’s time for stage 2:

2) “Yo why you don’t respond to my messages? I thought you said you like shrimp pasta. I’m still free this Friday. I can come pick you up.”

Like I said, this is basically what ALL of the emails I’ve been getting look like.

They either scream heavy-handed benefits (Real subject line: “8 second trick to get the benefits of 4 hours of meditation TONIGHT”)…

Or they are pitching a sale, and are bummed when you don’t respond (Real subject line: “It’s not too late…”).

It’s like all these desperate or creepy email marketers don’t realize I’m a hot girl with lots of options (metaphorically speaking).

Here’s a better approach.

It’s something I read from Kevin Rogers of Copy Chief yesterday. Says Kevin (I’m paraphrasing), let’s face the fact that email marketers and their readers are in an open relationship.

You probably get emails from lots of different people besides me.

I’m not judging, though.

Because to be honest with you, I’ve just sent this exact same email (all right, now it’s a blog post) to several other people besides yourself.

No neediness. No drama. No recrimination.

Open relationship. Keep this in mind and you’re likely to write much better and more effective emails.

Anyways, before I sign off, let me get back to Kevin Rogers.

I don’t have any particular relationship with the guy.

But I thought you might like to know he’s putting on an event called Copy Chief Live.

Basically, it’s a conference that brings together copywriters and big direct response clients (Agora Financial, etc.) who want to hire copywriters.

So if you wanna feel like the hot girl on Tinder, but in real life, then this event might be worth a look. I’d love to go myself, but unfortunately it’s the only time I can’t make it.

In case you want more info before the price goes up later this week, here’s the link:

https://copychief.live

“Half of my copy is wasted but I do not know which half”

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I just read that the US government is deploying the military to fight fake news.

The plan is to spend billions of dollars to create high-tech, military-grade, “Hot or Not” artificial intelligence that can detect fake news automatically.

Good luck to ’em.

Though personally, I’m all for fake news.

After all, that’s kind of how I make my living.

Over the past 9 months, the bulk of my income has been from writing “advertorials” that are shown to Facebook users.

And while I’m not helping get Trump elected (yet), I am writing propaganda that’s pretending to be more or less innocent blog posts.

The similarity between this and “Russian meddling” was so obvious to me that I even considered naming my upcoming book on advertorials, “Fake News Bonanza.”

Anyways, while we are on the topic of advertorials, I want to bring up an ancient proverb.

It’s been attributed to Biblical-era marketers such as John Wannamaker and William Wrigley. It goes something like this:

“I know that half of my advertising is wasted but I do not know which half.”

Luckily, this isn’t just a problem for advertisers who pony up the money to run ads.

It’s also a problem for copywriters, who depend on the success of their copy either 1) to get more work or 2) to get paid.

I found myself in this situation just recently while writing an advertorial for a protein + caffeine shake.

Who’s really buying this thing? And why?

I don’t know. At best, I could write up two versions of the advertorial, one for each of my best guesses on the target market.

So that’s what I did.

The good news is, I can do a little bit better than Messrs. Wrigley and Wannamaker.

Because as a copywriter, you don’t actually have to watch half of your copy go to waste.

It’s enough to simply come up with a new headline (“My new go-to keto breakfast!”)…

A new lead (“Oh no, I’m so late again”)…

And then to watch which of the alternate approaches will prove best.

If you are a copywriter, I hope this little tip helps you double the odds of success, while only costing you 5% more effort.

And if you’re an advertiser — or a copywriter — you might find the following interesting. It’s a sign-up list to get notified when I launch that book on advertorials, which will have much more specific advice about how to make advertorials successful:

https://bejakovic.com/advertorials/

How to write copy much faster without working any harder

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When most people sit down to write sales copy, they go about it all wrong.

First, they beat on the keyboard for a few minutes or a few hours.

Then they look over the mess they’ve made.

And then they start pulling out their hair in frustration.

Time is passing, but they haven’t written a damn thing yet. Not anything good, at least.

But not you.

Because right now, you’re gonna find out a little secret that I recently discovered in a massively successful promotion, written by A-list copywriter Parris Lampropoulos. I call it the “suckers lead.” It goes like this:

HEADLINE: How to [get unlikely benefit X]

LEAD: Most people [do the conventional thing and get screwed]. But not you. Because you turned to [page in the book on offer]. Here are some of the secrets you’ll learn: [list of fascinations].

Now, maybe you think this lead is obvious.

Maybe you’re saying, “Yeah, sure John. I coulda thotothat myself. I don’t need you to tell me some supposed A-lister’s supposed dumb secrets.”

If that’s how you feel, then I pity you, young starling.

Because you are likely to waste a lot of time, pull out a lot of hair, and write a lot of shitty copy.

You see, one of the things I’ve been focusing on relentlessly over the past weeks…

Is writing FASTER.

It’s not about typing furiously, about stressing yourself out, or about producing crap.

Instead, it’s about having templates, checklists, and processes to eliminate wasted work, second-guessing, and thumb twiddling.

That’s one of the reasons why I’m collecting leads like the one above — even if they might seem simple.

In fact, this is something I’ll do with the advertorials book I’m putting together. I’ll include a list of simple leads, outlines, and angles to use for various kinds of products.

In case you’re interested in seeing this when it comes out, here’s where you can sign up to get notified when I finish and release this book:

https://bejakovic.com/advertorials/

The Claude Hopkins secret hidden inside Boogie Nights

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There’s a memorable scene in the 1997 flick Boogie Nights:

It’s New Year’s Eve, 1980.

Party at the house of Jack Horner, the porn director played by Burt Reynolds.

The assistant director, played by William H. Macy (the main guy in Fargo), is wandering through the crowd inside Horner’s house, looking for his wife.

Nobody has seen her.

Eventually William H. makes his way to the bedroom.

And he finds his wife there, banging some other guy.

​​Yet again.

So William H. walks out of the house and to his car…

He pulls out his gun from the glove compartment…

Locks the car…

Walks back inside the house…

To the bedroom…

Where, in cold blood, he shoots and kills the wife and her hump partner…

Before walking out of the bedroom and blowing his brains out in front of all the partygoers.

I bring up this scene because it brings up the power of possessiveness. Not just about cuckolded husbands who are pushed past the breaking point. It also works in marketing. As Claude Hopkins, the father of direct marketing, wrote a hundred years ago:

“When a man knows something belongs to him, even if it’s a trifle, he will make the effort to get it.”

For example, when Hopkins and the OG marketers like Robert Collier had a boring offer, like a history book or an inquiry form for an insurance policy…

They often wouldn’t focus the sale on that boring offer.

Instead, they would just notify the prospect they had something that belonged to him.

Like a pen with his name etched into it… Or an edition of the boring history book with the prospect’s name engraved on the spine.

This kind of marketing tactic isn’t so common in the digital marketing world. Or at least it’s not being done well.

That might be an opportunity for you. As the Boogie Nights scene shows, possessiveness is a deep human instinct, and it certainly didn’t disappear 100 years ago with Hopkins and Collier.

So if you are selling something online, it might be worth thinking a bit about modern day equivalents of the name-engraved book. Or the wife banging another guy.

For now, if you want some more help with marketing, whether for selling your products or merely returning other people’s property, then take a look here:

https://bejakovic.com/advertorials/

Be more like James Blunt

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I was just driving and I heard on the radio that Ed Sheeran is retiring.

He is planning to get married and raise a family, and that’s why he’s stepping away from the music business.

Right now, millions of men around the world are holding their breath and waiting to exhale a big sigh of relief if this news turns out to be true.

Because the only English singer-songwriter worse than Ed Sheeran is James Blunt. But at least James has his incredible social media presence to make up for his sickly sweet songs.

(What, you haven’t seen James Blunt on Twitter? Go and check. It’s worth 15 minutes of your time.)

I was talking to a friend today about this. And he commented that James Blunt has cracked the code on sentimental bubblegum (there should be a name for this genre of music).

So now, James puts out a new song or new album every few years…

He rakes in a few more million dollars…

Which he uses to entertain gaggles of beautiful women at hip London nightspots…

All the while trolling people who mock his awful music on Twitter.

I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a pretty good business.

Just swap out “sentimental bubblegum music” and replace it with “helpful information product,” and you’ve got the ideal lifestyle of the successful digital marketer.

So that’s why I want to be more like James Blunt.

And that’s why I suggest that maybe you too consider emulating this great man.

All right, before I go to bed, I have my usual pitch to make:

In case you need some sentimental bubblegum copywriting, specifically advertorials to promote and maybe even sell your helpful products, then you might find the following offer beautiful:

https://bejakovic.com/advertorials/

10 fresh ways for freelancers to compete against cheaper rates

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A question comes via the Reddit copywriting group:

“How do you compete against people who can do the same work you can, but much cheaper because they live in a country where living is just cheaper (India for example)?”

I honestly don’t think it will matter much what I say.

Because most people who ask this question are too far gone.

Like R. Kelly, fighting against his evil urges but giving in inevitably…

These people are possessed by the evil urge to believe that freelancing won’t work out for them. And like R. Kelly, they will inevitably give in to this urge. They will prove themselves right and fail.
​
Of course, it doesn’t have to be this way.

So in the interest of eternal glory and in the hope it might help someone somewhere, here are 10 fresh ways, which I’ve just baked up, to help you compete even against thousands of people who will charge much less than you:

#1. Have a track record of success. I just read that Stefan Georgi charges between $50k and $100k for a sales letter, plus royalties. His secret? The long track record of making his clients much more than he charges them.

#2. Be more likable. People will hire you just because they like you. Conversely, they will refuse to hire you just because they dislike you.

#3. Get there first. Be the first to apply for an opportunity. Or get in contact with clients that nobody else is approaching. Or that nobody else can reach.

#4. Offer a guarantee. Most freelancer copywriters don’t offer a guarantee. This includes me. I tell clients, “I guarantee I’ll work my ass off for you, and that’s it.” So if you are brave and smart and you offer a guarantee, you can stand out.

#5. Explain your service better. Like Claude Hopkins, who made Schlitz the #1 beer in America by saying it’s pasteurized after it’s sealed. Every other beer was pasteurized as well. But nobody else was explaining these facts.

#6. Explain why your service is better. Why do you deliver a better service than others — other than just trying hard?

#7. Be non-needy. There’s some magic in not worrying whether any particular client comes or goes. The best way to do this is by having other good options. You’ll be surprised how well clients will pay you when they realize you don’t need their money.

#8. Be famous. Start a blog. Get on a podcast. Get on a stage. Marry a Kardashian.

#9. Move into the profits column. Stop offering services that cost your clients money. Instead, start offering services that make your clients money, and take a share of the money they make.

#10. Let your clients sell themselves. I’ve talked about this before, but simply by asking your clients a few open-ended questions about their business, their problems, and their projects, you can often get them to sell themselves — without you saying much or anything at all.

Will these 10 tips help you? I hope so.

And if you have some more questions about the business of copy and how to make it work for you, you might like the following:

https://bejakovic.com/150-dollar-per-hour-freelancer