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Copywriting lessons from David Garfinkel
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Deadly Manners is a 10 episode, dark comedy murder-mystery series set in the winter of 1954. It follows the events during the night of the affluent Billings family annual dinner party with their distinguished, eccentric guests. However, all is not fun and games as shortly after the party starts, a snowstorm begins to rage outside, trapping all the partygoers inside their host’s mansion. When a murderer starts killing off those in attendance, the guests must figure out who is responsible, or ...
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This podcast is hosted by the two creators of Deadly Manners: Ali Garfinkel (Writer) and Alex Aldea (Producer). They discuss the process of making the show and interview members of the Deadly Manners team.
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What’s the opposite of a confident salesperson who makes it easy for you to buy?A nervous salesperson who jumps the gun and makes you want to run away!Today’s returning champion, Brenna McGowan, understands this difference all too well. She has mastered the arts of the pre-launch and the launch, and she knows all the big and little differences.Beca…
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Wouldn’t you love to have a confidential chat with a copywriter working at the highest levels of our business?Well, we can’t provide the confidential part. This IS a podcast, after all, not a Signal chat.But today’s guest, Cain Smith is on the front lines of some of the biggest businesses using direct response. So we can provide the copywriter work…
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It happens to all of us, and can you remember a time where you wondered:“Is this really good copywriting? It seems like what I should write, but somehow it’s not clicking.”Here’s why you wonder.There’s a well-known saying from the Navy SEALs:"Under pressure, you don't rise to the level of your expectations, you sink to the level of your training". …
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Our special guest today, John Jantsch, is going to tell you about what could be the single most valuable sentence you have in your business for getting clients and customers.John’s the author of the Wall Street Journal best-seller Duct Tape Marketing, as well as three other books.Now when John talks about “core,” I’m pretty sure he’s not talking ab…
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You could have written the greatest copy in the world. Perfectly targeted with a killer offer. Great price. Unique and highly desirable.But I can tell you one way it is guaranteed NOT to work.And that’s if nobody reads it.Don’t laugh; it happens.There are a couple more than a dozen crucial things you must know and consistently DO to make your copy …
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Ever get frustrated with what happens when you try to get an AI to write something?According to Google Workspace Labs, the average prompt people give an AI is nine words or less.Nine words!The AI needs a lot more information than that to do a decent job for you.But the question is–what information?Today, we’re going to take a look at how AI goes so…
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Do storytelling skills REALLY make a difference for you?Just ask our special guest today, Parker Worth.Parker decided he had enough of high school at 16. His first job was cleaning toilets.From there, he went to electrician school and, after a few years, got a job traveling around the world as an electrician.But his own story really starts to take …
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Today we’re talking about three new ways to use ChatGPT for copywriters and business owners, and another development from another company which is a lot lower priced than ChatGPT’s a month for its premium service.We’ll also talk a little about some other specific ways to use OTHER AIs, but a lot of our focus is on ChatGPT.Now, to be clear, I wasn’t…
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One meeting of the minds reigns supreme above all others in copywriting–and that’s when the copywriter understands and addresses the same thoughts that are most pressing in the minds of their best prospect.Our returning champion today is the incredible Caleb O’Dowd. He was here a few weeks ago when he told us some closely guarded secrets from his b…
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One of the greatest insiders in direct response today is not primarily a copywriter, but a graphic designer.Actually, our returning champion Lori Haller is a designer… and so much more.She works side by side with many of the greatest copywriters of our time to help create control-beating packages, for clients like Boardroom, Healthy Directions, Dr.…
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27 Years Ago, pop singer Cher asked us this question:“Do you believe in life after love?”… and it promptly rocketed to the top of the charts, selling 11 million copies of the song.Today, in 2025, a better question—especially for copywriters—is“Do you believe in sales without belief?”It’s a question our returning champion today, Billy Broas, has tho…
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Two of the most confrontive words in a conversation are “Prove It!”Nobody really likes to be challenged about how true what they are saying.But when it comes to writing copy in the real world, you have to expect that prospects WON’T believe you.In fact, the more they like a claim you make, the more skeptical they will be.Why?Because of human nature…
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Confidence in copywriting isn’t just about choosing the right words—it’s about embodying conviction in every line you write. In this episode, we explore the hidden ways self-doubt seeps into your messaging, sabotaging conversions before your prospects even realize why. From subconscious hesitations to subtle linguistic hedging, you’ll discover how …
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Today we look at an old and very true saying:It’s not about the money you make, but about the money you KEEP.There’s an old joke about a guy who loses money on every sale, but, he says, “I make it up in volume.”We’re not talking about back ends or affiliate sales here.Things can go sideways in your business if you’re not making enough sales, or you…
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We’re past the point of wondering about or fearing AI when it comes to copywriting.At this point, the big question is: What do I need to know, do and have to make it work for me?I say that because copywriters at all levels of skill and in all niches are using AI in all kinds of ways. It’s no longer the new new thing. It’s a part of the business, an…
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We have a very special guest today. A legend among insiders, Caleb O’Dowd is a master marketer and copywriter. He has been launching and scaling businesses from zero to seven figures and eight figures, through the smart use of great copy and strategic sales funnels.In more industries than I can count. Including some of the most brutally competitive…
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At the highest levels of copywriting, big financial publishers ask copywriters to do a “re-lead” when they want to increase conversion on a proven offer.What’s that?A re-lead is basically a reframing of the intro to a sales letter, in the hopes that the reframing will spur greater sales.And it’s probably no coincidence that when my mentoring client…
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You could say the purpose of a sales funnel is to create desire that leads up to a sale, but these days, if that’s what you say, you’ve left out an important part.A part that very well could make the difference between a sale and no sale.With trust in general at such an all-time low and the feeling of isolation so rampant, people want a little more…
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Our returning champion is Brenna McGowan, the master of the pre-launch.Today she’s going to tell us about a special pre-launch technique called Anticipation Marketing™.Perhaps the best advantage it gives you is it puts you front and center in your prospects’ minds, and at the same time gets them eagerly looking forward to getting the full details a…
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It’s the day before the day of the night before Christmasas we put this on the air, and a very unknown year looms ahead.One thing for sure, no matter what happens:The market will be more unforgiving in 2025 than it was in 2024. Why?It’s simple. Competition keeps growing. So does impatience among almost all consumers, and mistrust among many of them…
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So, we’re right in the middle of the Christmas shopping season as we come to you this week, and I’m wondering:Have you figured out how to delight your customers and fatten up your bank account?If you haven’t you’re not alone.Many copywriters and businesses don’t know exactly what to do to join in the holiday buying and selling fun… so they don’t do…
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For the copywriting word of the year, I’d like to nominate the word “authenticity.”It’s a big deal right now.People talk about it a lot. I will give you an example on today’s show of how an accidental Facebook ad created more engagement than anything else I’ve ever seen.I went over the ad with my clients and we figured out that it was the way they …
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Have you ever heard a song and thought,“Dang! How did they do that? I wish my copy was that catchy!”Well, Nathan and I have thought the same thing and in fact pondered the similarities between writing a song and writing copy.You see, we’re both songwriters. We stoutly assert that we are both amateurs at this.At one point, music was Nathan’s busines…
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Ever wonder why some copywriters consistently crush it while others struggle to get conversions? This episode dives deep into the Five Stages of Copywriter Awareness—a transformative framework that shows the path from instinctive, mediocre copy to breakthrough results. If you’ve ever felt like your copy was missing something, this episode will pinp…
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Once you’ve finished your copy, the anxiety begins.And it almost always boils down to the answer to this question:How good is this copy–really?When people ask me to critique their copy, they’re often amazed at how quickly I can get to the heart of things. Once I have an overall opinion, I’ll drill down to a lot of specifics.But I think it’s importa…
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