Every year American Writers & Artists Inc (AWAI) hosts a huge conference for writers and creatives in Delray Beach, Florida.
Since I recently moved to Delray, this is great for me.
I get to attend one of the biggest writing conventions in the US without all the hassle of getting on a plane, booking a hotel, and spending (sometimes) thousands of dollars to sit in a conference room trying to absorb information that I probably won’t remember.
While big events are a fantastic way to network, meet potential clients, and improve your skills…
… these days I only hit up 1 or 2 per year.
That’s why I was super excited to see David Deutsch speak at AWAI last year.
One of the best direct response copywriters in the world downloaded his brain right on my doorstep.
But I tell ya, even if David had given this presentation in Timbuktu I STILL would have made it there.
He shared insights about balancing big claims with believability in your copy that dropped my jaw to the floor.
Everything he was saying was so simple, yet so profound! It gave me a whole new spin on the way I approach long-form sales letters.
It’s no wonder his work generated hundreds of millions for leading publishers and businesses.
Since he’s one of the nicest guys in marketing – David was kind enough to sit down and let me grill him about the presentation and his impressive writing career on The Business of Writing Podcast.
He walked us step-by-step through how he went from being a junior typist to becoming one of the world’s most successful copywriters…
And then he proceeded to give one long “mic drop” on everything you could possibly ask about writing professionally, including:
- The big difference between writing copy for advertising and writing for direct response
- How to find the balance between making a promise and maintaining believability in your writing
- The type of copy that’s most effective — no matter what format or niche you’re working in
- How David builds instant trust with his readers
- Why he tries to sell stuff in person, face-to-face, before he ever tries to do it on paper (even though he’s a major introvert)
- The ‘talent stack’ you need to get to the top of any writing field
- A-ha moments that change the game for David’s coaching students
- And so much more.
David is one of a kind. He’s insightful, witty and completely transparent. In fact, my podcast partner Laura has listened to this episode 4 times already because it’s a straight-up master class in building your writing career.
If there is only one thing you do this week to make your work a little better, make it this:
Enjoy!
Rachel
P.S. – If you want to get into direct response publishing like David, advertorials are a GREAT way to break into the hyper-competitive world of publishing.
In fact, Money Map Press (one of the Agora Companies) requires all of their new writers to learn advertorial writing before they can work on a promo.
I’ve got a brand new Advertorial 101 Training Program starting next month with limited seats.
Want in?
Join the waitlist here to get first dibs.