Communication,  copywriting,  Marketing,  Product Launches

Getting Your Personality In Your Copy

Before I give you some of the mind-blowing lessons from what I believe is one of the greatest direct response marketing copywriters – Dan Kennedy, I wanted to share a quick story. 

Later in my career as an online strategic marketer, what was exciting to me was sharing the same stage with Dan at his request. Then later working with him and Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle for a year.

Working with him and actually meeting with him on several occasions, not to mention the two writing contests I’d won where he granted me two separate live, in-person (obviously before the pandemic) 30-minute consultations about my business. 

What I learned from this copywriting and speaking genius was pure gold. One of the things about Dan is when you mention his name to people who know of him, they either love him or despise him. 

Actually, this is a good thing, because as you will learn in this email, being milk toast will not help you in your venture to keep building your business.

You want to attract your dream clients’ customers, and you want to repel those that are not them!

I feel like I need to say that I don’t agree with Dan’s politics or some of his personal views. Yet, I listened to him, got his courses and read his books because I could see past that persona and reaped the rewards. 

Plus, I’ve used a ton to create a business I love that’s been sustainable for over 15 years now.Something else about Dan is he has this gruff, standoffish exterior. And a reputation is being kind of aloof and not so nice. 

I’m here to tell you, that’s not the side I saw of Dan. When I’d met him those times where he was so eager to help my business, he was like a kind-hearted teddy bear, always giving me a hug, a little reluctantly, and yet he still would.

I have more than a few pictures with him. (Because I went to his two live events every year, for eight years.) My favorite was one of the last pictures we took together when he spoke to Brian Kurtz’s Masterclass in Cleveland, where I was a member. 

He was actually smiling in the picture, which was a first. I had just shared with him how I was several years sober. And he was incredibly pleased for me as he’s been sober for a good 25 years or more.
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Myself and Dan Kennedy 2019
Let me share some of the best things I’ve learned from Dan when it comes to copy. This comes from his course – How to Create Personality In Copy. 

I have all of his products and books and was kicking myself because if only I would have read this sooner. Well, you may know the answer to that one – books and courses, like mentors, show up when you’re ready. 🙂

In sharing these nuggets from this course, they will significantly help you acquire and keep clients/customers for life. They will eagerly read, consume, listen and even buy from you. 
  • Think of Your Copy as Series Fiction – Think about your business as a never-ending novel that builds a relationship with the reader. Novels focus on key elements like plot, characters, adventures, and ideas. So can you!

  • You are a Guru – Leader – Hero – You are that character. Think of yourself as the protagonist, guru, leader, etc. You can’t be boring or milk toast to your audience. You won’t ever please everyone, so don’t even try – just be yourself.

    You need to share some of your personal life so your audience will connect with you. Accentuate your positives, and be as real as you want so people will want to know, like, and trust you. You want to be likable and maybe have overcome some adversity that they can identify with. Your audience wants to care about you. So share something with them so they can.

    Some examples – Overcoming addiction, divorce, bankruptcy, inept with tools, technology, etc. They want you to be exceptional, and they also don’t want you to be perfect. For example – everyone who knows Dan Kennedy knows he’s a militant when it comes to time and his radical behavior.

  • Create Core Parables – As a character, you need to have your core story that everyone knows. Plus, it’s good to have an inventory of stories you tell over and over again. These stories need to teach principles that you become known for. Ones that they will keep retelling to their friends, etc. 

    Some examples – Everyone who knows Dan Kennedy knows at least one of his signature stories – the door-to-door salesmen whose status goes from annoying pest to a welcome guest when he saves his house from going up in flames. This is a core story for using direct response marketing. Then there’s the Al the plumber story about why you need to use direct mail. Both parables have great meaning and are what he’s known for. 

  • The Miracles – These are amazing things the guru is known to make happen. Maybe it’s an amazing time-saving miracle or healing miracle. Or, in Dan’s case, it’s how he created a multi-million dollar business with no mobile phone, no email, and only communicating through fax or his assistant. Plus, he’s superhumanly productive. This is a miracle like showing a caveman fire. Everyone will want to know how you do it and will be mystified by it. 

  • Dogma – These are the foundation, the fundamental beliefs, laws, rules, principles, guidelines, etc. Using me as an example – my 7 Steps to Soulfully Market and Launch Anything. What are yours?

  • Common Enemies – You must stand for and against something. Great characters stand four and against things. People unite easier by what they’re against than what they’re for. An example of common enemies – constant interruptions, technology disasters, email box overflows, the government, charlatans, etc. 

  • Creating Insider Language – Have your own language and terminology that’s proprietary for you. An example – I don’t like using the word marketing funnels to describe your online customer process. So I call it your “online dream client/customer experience.” Many marketers have created their own language that their followers are familiar with, and you ought to have your own as well.

The core strategies above are critical for you to build a sustainable and long-lasting business.

I want to emphasize how important it is for you to stand out from the crowd. You can’t be everything to everyone, so don’t even try!

Carve out your niche and attract those like-minded people to your core values, your beliefs, philosophies, how you like to run your business, etc.

You want to attract your dream clients/customers, and you want to repel those that aren’t. That’s how you create a long-lasting business.

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