I have been wanting to write a blog about the conference I had the good fortune to attend over a month ago now, which I had the good fortune to get a ticket for after winning a prize as part of a networking competition in the Accelerator also headed up by copywriters, Kira Hug and Rob Marsh whose membership groups The Copywriter Club and The Copywriter Underground I’m part of.
Iād heard of the conference before as itās been happening every year since 2018 in different locations in the States but for real-life events, I have to figure out costs of travel, childcare and such.
The conference started each day with networking via Airmeet, which I hadnāt used before but was fun and in some strange way more fun than in-person networking where ambiverts like me can get distracted by background noise and such.
Carline Anglade-Cole – How to get 2…3…or more controls from one sales promo!
After a warm welcome to the conference, the first speaker up was Carline Anglade-Cole who was among the speakers who I was looking forward to hearing speak and Iām probably going to say this often in this blog series because there were some amazing names in the line-up. Carline wrote the book ā¦ā¦, which Iāve read and although she is in a different niche from me, more specifically in healthcare she is an incredible force with the first of many brilliant stories. It was through Carline that I first heard about ācopy controlsā in the sense of having a piece of writing that really hits the mark and can be used as an example for future clients of what great copy is. If you have ever seen those sales brochures selling pharmaceutical goods, Carline is one of the big names behind these.
She brought the seminar to life by asking us which of a few examples of headings did we think were most successful and was then able to share which was the right answer.
After the conference, I kept thinking to myself āMama gotta pay the mortgageā and had attributed this quote to another speaker but it was Carline who used this as an incentive. This resonated with me as a mother and someone who really wants to make it as a writer. Carline also confirmed to us that the way to become an ‘A Grade’ copywriter is to have more winners than losers. I hope Iām on my way slowly but surely as Iām accumulating my winners.
Kira Hug – Create Your Brand Personality
https://kirahug.com/I fell in love with branding after completing a workshop on it as part of another membership so I knew that I had to see Kiraās Figure out your Brand Personality, which was the next workshop at the conference.
I love Kiraās vibe and personality and this workshop included a few examples from fellow writers who were looking to go deeper with their own brand.
The first volunteer, Caitlyn is in the Health and Wellness space and is very much one of the writers whose journey I love to follow as she has a funky spirit and is ahead of the times with her ideas. She was encouraged to put together a brand board of what her ideal living room would look like as a metaphor for her brand and then explore what ātoastā she would give if she were to host a dinner party. I loved the Caitlyn was able to deliver her toast there and then on the call and knew that this is a woman who holds cool dinner parties.
Much of my notes for this workshop ended up being about what I would love my brand to be about and to give you some idea Iāll share it as a Pinterest board as part of this article.
Joanna Bain – Toward a Better Class of Clients
Joanna Bain (nee Wiebe)’s seminar was mind-blowing for a different reason. Now Iāve attended plenty of talks, lectures and seminars in my time though I think Joanna was the first person to make so much value that she was going ahead of her slides. I started writing notes but I just couldnāt keep up and she has the kind of energy I would love to have. The subject of the seminar was āTowards A better class of clientsā and she started the presentation by asking us rhetorically āYou wanna make more moneyāā¦.You bet I do, thatās why Iāve been surrounding myself with talented copywriters and will be for another two days or so!.
Joanna followed this up by suggesting that we write copy that no one else could. She also listed reasons why copywriters have been fired, including not asking clarifying questions.
She described a better class of client as one who:
– Pays well
– Has good values
– Has more projects
– Can send referrals
– Does send referrals and
– Can easily give case studies.
Joanna also shared the acronym DAMR and I do love an acronym. This one stands for
Do great work
Attract a better class of client
Make easy money
Repeat.
Joanna also reiterated what Carline had said which was to ask whether we are analysing the control. This was a really helpful tip for me as a relatively new copywriter because Iāve written various kinds of copy including webpages, Facebook ads, Instagram ads and carried out research and Iām aware that I need to keep getting better.
One of the best pieces Iāve done was for a test and I know that for any future piece of work I can compare it with one that has gone before to assess which is the better of the two.
Joanna Wiebe is well known for being a conversion copywriter and an excellent one at that who has gone on to sell other courses and membership programmes.
As mentioned earlier there was so much value packed into this presentation that my notes ended up looking a little garbled though I will end this section by sharing the discovery process that Joanna shared with us which was to:
– Identify the problem that your client has.
– Share with them the cure.
– Show the client the proof that you can help them with the cure and
– Present your offer to them.
Next week Iāll be continuing the TCCnIRL blog series with notes from Bree Weber, Rob Marsh and Eman Ismail.