When you've been writing copy for as long as I have, you collect dozens of funny client stories. 

Most of them are Not funny at the time; they're really frustrating. But when you look back at them, they're quite laughable.

Here are a few of my favorites... 

The Commodity Advisory That Was Bearish on Commodities. 

So, I'm in this meeting with this advisor, and he's not recommending any commodities. He thinks the commodities market is going into the tank and has no recommendations. I say to myself, "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" 

When you're a commodities advisor, you recommend commodities to buy and sell to make money. If you're not recommending them, then why should anyone buy a subscription? 

The funny part— the guy's recommendations weren't all that good. LOL. 

So, what did I do? I created a one-off stock story that I could actually prove would make people money.

Another story: 

This was about a stock/options advisor with a moderately good track record. 

We had arranged a kickoff meeting weeks in advance. When we got on the call and started pumping him for ideas, he says, "Was I supposed to have prepared something?" 

The guy was killing me. It's not like he hadn't been in one of these meetings before. He was also the same guy to show up to VSL unshaven with no tie. GRRRR....

What did I do?  I created an evergreen promotion that lasted for years. (With ZERO input from him!)

Here's another good one: 

This one was during the Great Recession. I was meeting with a regional investment advisor on finding ideas to promote his stock and trading newsletters. He says on the call, "I'm very scared now. All of my money is in cash." Really, I say to myself. 

Then I blurt out, "Nobody will subscribe to your publication if you tell them to put their money in cash. They are looking to you for leadership and stocks that will make them money."

Ultimately, I used a scary story approach combined with a highlight reel of past winners to continue to promote the publications.  

The Options Advisor Who Was Afraid to Make a Trade

One funny, not-so-funny story was the guy who was just hired as an options advisor. He seemingly had a good track record. I wrote a great promo around that track record. 

But after the launch, we needed something new. The publisher invested around $100K in creating this guy's brand, and, get this, he could not come up with an options trade. WTF? 

He says, "The publisher is pressuring me to make a trade" as he whined. 

I told him, "Dude, are you an idiot, or what? Nobody will subscribe to your publication if you don't make trades. I can't make any money if you don't make trades because I have nothing to sell."

They dropped the guy after a few months. 

The Guy I Never Worked With 

After you've been around a while, the business comes to you, but not all of it is what you want. Just like a client wants to vet you, I would vet clients. 

Since I know just about everyone, I would call my contacts for inside information about who to and not work with. 

I'll never forget the time I mentioned John Doe to a contact, "Didn't that guy go to jail?" was one response. 

The other from someone else was even better. They said, "You know on 60 Minutes when you see Mike Wallace chasing someone down with a camera crew?" I said yes. "Well, he's the kind of guy they would be chasing." 

Never did work with them. 

The Client Who Hated My Promotion 
 

I created this new promotion for one of my best clients. They did not like it at all. The comment was, "What am I supposed to do with this? I don't see how this improves on our orders." To which I replied, "Isn't that why we test?"

We did. It was a BIG FAT winner. 

The feedback from another marketer at the same company was pretty funny, "They were surprised that I didn't rub my win in their face...." I said, "I didn't have to. The promotion did that for me."

The Morale of These Stories 

I hope you have gotten a good chuckle from these stories. They underscore the unpredictable and often amusing facets of the copywriting profession, emphasizing that not every scenario unfolds as expected.

My goal in writing this was to illuminate the challenges, frustrations, and unexpected twists that come with the territory—experiences that one day you will likely encounter, if not already.

Hopefully, you can use my experiences to navigate the adversity that will come your way and find innovative solutions—whether it involves devising a fresh approach, handling unconventional clients, or transforming an initially disliked promotion into a triumph through rigorous testing.

All good wishes,

Doug D'Anna

P.S. I Can't Stress This Enough

If you're aiming for a long and successful career in this business, mastering the art of rolling with the punches is non-negotiable.

Sadly, it's a skill that 90% of newcomers fail to grasp, leading to their downfall. I genuinely don't want that for you.

I've meticulously outlined the most significant mistakes copywriters make in a report that could transform your journey. 

By simply eliminating these errors, just as I did, you could be well on your way to building your own million-dollar copywriting business. 

Don't miss out on this opportunity

Here's the link to learn more.