Six-figure business opportunity Success
Stories …
Michael Samonek has been a freelance copywriter, author,
and inventor for more than 25 years. Before he discovered
Michael Masterson’s Accelerated Program for Six-Figure
Copywriting, he “chugged” along averaging about $1K a
week. At the March 1999 Bootcamp, Michael experienced a
copywriting “Eureka.” And, now he’s averaging $10K a
month!
For a complete interview with Michael,
click here
One year after Stuart Jurs enrolled in Michael Masterson’s
Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting, he
progressed from a basic student to working as a professional
copywriter for one of the top direct mail marketing firms in
the U.S. And, we’re proud to say, three years later Stuart
has produced numerous controls for them including one that
ranks as the third best performing package in the company’s
history. Way to go, Stuart!!
For a complete interview with Stuart,
click here
AWAI Masters Student Glen Strathy has received 14 PAID
assignments in the past 12 months. Just two years after
receiving the basic course, he’s living the writer’s
life!
For a complete interview with Glen, click
here
Masters student Rich Silver shared this exciting news
with us recently:
“I made an agreement with my brother and his business
partner to try and beat their control. They agreed to test
my letter on two conditions 1) if they didn’t like what I
wrote they wouldn’t test it. 2) I was responsible for
doing everything regarding getting the copy ready. They didn’t
care how long the copy was as long as it brought results. I
accepted the challenge.
I studied the stock market in depth and how my brother and
his partner invest. I then proceeded to write, rewrite and
rewrite the copy over and over again.
It was worth it. My brother and his partner are very pleased
with the results – and my letter is their new control.
They plan to double the next mailing. And, they want me to
write a space ad now too.
It’s interesting to note that a large part of what I wrote
in the sales letter came straight from what I learned in the
basic and masters programs.”
Masters student Edith Nee recently tested our strategies
for finding freelance copywriting work – with great
success! Her client – a national non-profit health charity
– was thrilled. Her first letter brought in a 72% increase
in the number of people who responded and a 28% increase in
the average donation received.
Click here for an excerpt of an interview
with Edith
Here’s a note we just received from Masters Student
Beth Erickson
“I attended your Bootcamp in Baltimore last September.
When I go home, I studied all the materials again;
particularly the “Getting Clients” session. Then I
figured, why not give it a whirl? So, I drafted my own
little direct mail package and mailed it to businesses in my
area.
I got a client from that mailing. Since then, I’ve sent
out more letters and work is coming in!
And, about two weeks ago I received word that my first novel
now has a home. I’m pretty excited and terrified. Within
the next few months, I’ll be a published author.
What’s so cool about this (and the reason I’m telling
you) is because after my coaching by John, I went through
all my fiction and reworked it – using the techniques
HAMMERED into me by John.
My favorite author is Jon Hassler. It took 10 years for him
to sell his first book. I’ve been working at this about
four years. AWAI helped me shave 6 years off my goal!”
Want to see some more reviews and
testimonials?
Then just click here...
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Fax
Your
Unconditional Guarantee:
If for any reason you're not happy
with Michael Masterson's
Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting
--- or you decide that direct sales copywriting is simply
not for you --- just return the program within 30 days of
receipt and your entire purchase price will be promptly
refunded.
Interview with Michael Samonek
AWAI: What got you started in copywriting and advertising as
a profession?
Michael: I got started back in 1970. I had dropped out of
Ohio State University’s pre-med program. I read a story
about how the American economy was changing from a
manufacturing economy to a service-based economy. It also
said selling information was going to be the wave of the
future. So I wrote my first information product – a report
on how to instantly stop hiccups – with a technique I
invented called, “The Accupinch.”
I decided to test an ad in the National Inquirer’s
classified section. Using a free booklet I ordered called
“How to Write a Classified Ad that Pulls,” I wrote and
placed the ad. And waited. I only got 3 orders. But, in the
process I learned to create products and advertising that
people WANT, not NEED. People need a hiccup cure, but they
want tacos, pizza, and Chunky Monkey ice cream.
One day I saw a full-page ad for a book titled, “The Lazy
Man’s Way to Riches.” That was the headline of the ad,
too. I was foaming at the mouth, so I ordered it (along with
a about a million other people I later learned.)
That’s the book that really got me started in the business
of direct response advertising as a profession. A few years
back, I was placing an ad for a book I had written through
an agency that buys and sells ad space. The owner of the
agency said he liked my writing style and asked if I would
write an ad for his son who was struggling with a mail order
business. I wrote the ad for free – and Irv, the owner
(and father) – started recommending my copywriting to his
other clients. Suddenly, I was a professional copywriter.
AWAI: Can you tell us about any “Eureka!” moments since
you’ve become an AWAI student?
Michael: Yes, it was at the first AWAI Bootcamp I attended.
During the afternoon session, when Michael Masterson
revealed the 4U’s for the first time, I knew right there
that my job had suddenly become a lot easier! In space ads,
being able to write scorching headlines and bullets is the
whole ball game.
Prior to this Bootcamp, I was averaging $1,000 a week with
my little agency. After applying the new principles I had
learned to my own advertising, my income jumped to an
average $10,000 per month.
AWAI: What advice would you offer students enrolled in AWAI’s
copywriting program?
Michael: I try to set daily goals for myself. And, I read
everything published about direct response copywriting.
The best advice I can offer to other students is to write
and study a few pages every day. Then reward yourself. Make
it a habit every day to do a little and before long you will
have accomplished a lot.
TOP
Interview with Stuart Jurs
AWAI: How did you become interested in copywriting as a
profession?
Stuart: When I graduated from college, I had no idea of what
to do with my Linguistics degree. I received AWAI’s “Can
You Write a Letter Like This One?” promotion and was
intrigued. I felt that I was a strong writer, and until that
letter I had never thought of copywriting as a career. My
job at the time was answering customer service e-mail, and I
didn’t enjoy it.
AWAI: What was the most important, most profound, or most
helpful technique that you learned through the Michael
Masterson program?
Stuart: All of the secrets work together synergistically, so
I can’t say one secret worked better for me than the rest.
AWAI: You did two assignments for Fourth Avenue Marketing
Group. Can you tell us a little about what you learned while
working on those packages?
Stuart: I learned a tremendous amount. My first draft of the
second assignment didn’t pass Don Mahoney’s “bar-stool”
test and I had to do five drafts before my copy was
acceptable. I needed to improve the “dating the reader”
aspect of the letter among other things. It just wasn’t
personal enough. So I got personal stories from the client,
and I injected them into the copy.
AWAI: Was there anything in particular that Don did to
really help you?
Stuart: Yes. Don gave me concrete ways to make my copy
better. If the piece needed more information or something
needed to be presented in a different way, he didn’t mince
words about it. He told me exactly what needed to be done.
AWAI: You’re now working for one of the top direct mail
marketing firms in the U.S. as one of their full-time,
in-house copywriters. Tell us how you landed the job.
Stuart: After the first Bootcamp I attended, I decided I
wanted to try and get a job as a copywriter, even though I
knew I still had a lot to learn. I was on the mailing list
of the company I’m working for and they’re located near
me, so I decided to apply there.
First, I asked them if they had any in-house copywriters.
They said they did, so I filled out an application and
brought them the 2 assignments I did for Fourth Avenue
Marketing Group and a cover letter.
I obtained a contact name and called him every week for
about six weeks. Finally, I got a call from the VP of
marketing, and he told me he would give me a project to do.
He said he would have to test me with two or three projects
before he could hire me.
My first project was a bookalog, and I had never done one
before. In fact, I had never done an assignment using the
“advanced” knowledge I learned at the Bootcamp. But it
went fairly smoothly, and they liked my work. They also
liked my second project, and I was hired soon after.
AWAI: What advice would you offer AWAI students?
Stuart: Enroll in the Masters Program. That’s what got me
my job. And, if you get poor-quality direct mail from a
company, approach them about writing for them, and keep
going after it until they let you in or tell you to go away.
TOP
Interview with Glen Strathy
AWAI: Being a copywriter is quite a change for you. What’s
been the best part so far?
Glen: Although I’m just beginning, I feel copywriting
offers me the opportunity to enjoy much more freedom in my
life. I like variety – the chance to work for short,
intense periods of time on a variety of projects, each
offering it’s own challenges. I also like coming up with
creative ideas. And, I’ve always been good at research.
Copywriting offers me all of these things.
But, even better, copywriting offers me the chance to work
and live wherever I choose. For example, I can be working on
a project for Fourth Avenue Marketing Group in Florida,
while living on a lake in Ontario, Canada. In the future, I
would like to live in Europe for a year or so. Copywriting
will let me do that while continuing to earn a living. I
also like setting my own hours. And working at home lets me
spend more time with my wife and 2-year-old daughter.
AWAI: What have you learned from AWAI that you’ve applied
to your copywriting career?
Glen: AWAI’s courses have been invaluable. In the past,
although being a writer appealed to me, I thought that it
meant being a poet, novelist, or playwright. (You might as
well put “starving” in front of any of those three.)
AWAI showed me there was an entirely different venue where
writing was valued and rewarded. And, that copywriting can
be as respectable as any other field of writing.
Moreover, I found that throughout the courses and Bootcamps,
I was actually learning a new way of thinking – about
business, about the world, about relationships, and
especially about advertising. I learned to see copywriting
as a helping profession, and that let me get excited about
it.
AWAI: What’s been the biggest benefit of working for
Fourth Avenue Marketing Group?
Glen: The biggest benefit was getting that first copywriting
assignment, and the others that followed. I now have more
confidence in my abilities. And when I look for copywriting
jobs on my own, I’ve got something in my portfolio to show
prospective clients.
AWAI: What secrets from AWAI have helped you the most?
Glen: The Architecture of Romance certainly. And how to
write in an effective voice and style. I was used to writing
academic papers for university courses – where clarity,
directness, and a personal voice are shunned. I find I can
now pick up almost any sales letter that comes in the door
and see the weaknesses instantly.
AWAI: How has mentoring added to your copywriting ability?
Glen: Working with a mentor helps ingrain the skills of
writing good copy. Whenever I’ve gone astray, especially
on the first few assignments I did, or when struggling with
an approach for a project, I can count on my mentor to help
me re-focus and correct any weaknesses.
AWAI: What advice would you offer students enrolled in AWAI’s
copywriting program?
Glen: To persevere – it’s easy to get lazy about
finishing the assignments, especially since the course is
deceptively simple. I didn’t because I was pretty sure
copywriting was what I wanted. So the small amount of effort
it took was nothing compared to the potential rewards.
TOP
Interview with Edith Nee
AWAI: We’re happy to report you’ve landed your first
client. Tell us about how you did it.
Edith: It started when I got a fundraising letter from the
Alzheimer Society’s national headquarters. Like I was
coached to do in the copywriting course, I contacted them
(via e-mail) and asked if I could write a fundraising letter
for them. After some phone tag, I spoke to the Development
Director. She asked to see some examples of my writing. I
faxed two of my letters from the course to her on Friday. By
Monday, I had my first assignment!
I did additional research to supplement the background
materials they gave me. And, I managed to complete the
letter in less than a week.
After one revision, my first letter was in the mail. And, my
client was very pleased with the results – 72% increase in
the number of people who responded and 28% increase in the
average donation received.
Since then, they’ve asked me to write 4 more letters for
them.
TOP
Want to see some more reviews and
testimonials?
Then just click here...
Or...
Via Our Secure Server, by Phone, or by
Fax
Your
Unconditional Guarantee:
If for any reason you're not happy
with Michael Masterson's Accelerated
Program for Six-Figure Copywriting --- or you
decide that direct sales copywriting is simply not for you ---
just return the program within 30 days of receipt and your
entire purchase price will be promptly refunded.
