Write the most honest CV or bio as possible. Talk about how you got started in your sector. Was it obvious all along? Or did you fall into it? Don’t brag, perhaps even be a little hard on yourself when describing your dedication, work ethic, skill etc. Perhaps talk about your surprise you’ve got to […]
Continue readingSorry to some of you who have seen this one already. I’ve added a little extra detail which may be helpful. Don’t worry, a third exercise “The Productive Rant” is on it’s way to you shortly 🙂 At some point, I decided to target PR and Communications Directors. I figured they may have £budget […]
Continue readingLet’s move onto the productive rant. This is a simplified version of an exercise from The Serious Guide to Joke Writing by Sally Holloway. A great book, check it out. Think of a topic you have strong opinions on. Start a Google doc and put a heading at the top: I can’t stand [topic] E.g. I […]
Continue readingI did a training session called Stop Selling Time last night. It focused on the last 7 months, where I’ve created an entirely new business creating and selling digital products to my audience. (Hi Charmers!) It covered: Why you should build a following The key elements that speed up organic growth The technology, time and […]
Continue readingMy recent interview with Ben Settle reminded me one of the cool side benefits of having a ‘following’. He’s been able to leverage his following to promote his creative passion, his series of novels. It provides a huge shortcut. Your purely creative work can ‘piggyback’ from your professional following. Even if I made not a […]
Continue readingI was recently on the McMethod podcast. Check it out here: https://www.themcmethod.com/episode-180-jon-buchan-cold-emailing-strategies-make-people-open-read-reply-even-massive-brands/
Continue readingWhen people join my Facebook group, I ask three questions. One of those questions is “What’s your biggest pain point?” The top answer, by far, is “Need more clients”. This is probably no surprise, as this group started out as a group predominantly about cold pitching. I still believe cold pitching is a great way […]
Continue readingMany cold approaches fail because they go straight to persuasion. The very first line starts with something like … “We’re the best people in the world at X… We’ve worked with X client and are ground-breaking X technology is a world’s first…” YUCK! Of course, that gets deleted! Your job is to sell the idea […]
Continue readingMy friend, Sam, used to work at Primark (discount retail store) until we took him on as a copywriter. I asked him if he missed it. This was his response. Hilarious. This reminds me of a great exercise for writing funny copy from the book “Be A Great Stand Up” by Logan Murray where you […]
Continue readingI’m proud of what my Facebook Community, Charm Offensive, has become. I love the types of content people submit. It’s become the unusual, amusing, ‘pattern interrupting’ place I wanted it to be. I enjoy the blend of topics that are discussed. We cover cold pitching, sales, copywriting, advertising, growth hacking and tribe building with a […]
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