New copywriters write to me all the time, asking me how to get a high-paying job. A desperate few just want to know how to get any assignment.

Sometimes I have to resist the urge to jump across the computer screen towards them. I want to grab them by the shoulders, shake them until their eyes are shaking, and yell, “Hey, wake up, you’re one of the chosen few: you’re a COPYWRITER!

“You have been blessed with the gift of persuasion: the greatest superpower on the planet. Compared to you, Batman and Wonder Woman are weak!

“You are a modern day Obi-Wan, master of the Jedi Mind Trick.

“You are (tatataDAAA) PERSUASION PERSON!!!

“Mortal mothers fall helpless, briefcases in hand, before your considerable powers of persuasion.

“Great clients are also deadly mothers…so go ahead and convince them to hire you!”

YOU ARE THE MOST EXCITING PRODUCT YOU WILL WRITE FOR!

Throughout my 35-year career, I’ve been asked to write selling copy for investment conferences and hot water heaters…golf mags and exotic cakes…investment diamonds and bottomless pants…tours of Earth Santa and sex tapes… rare coins and junk furniture… tons of books and newsletters on finance, investing and health, and once, an entire company.

Best product I’ve ever promoted?

Damn Clayton peace!

I don’t have to these days, of course: my name and past successes are well known, and I turn down far more assignments than I could take.

But there was a time when I was a virtual unknown, struggling to make ends meet. I had my chops, of course, I had written some strong pitches for small clients on the West Coast, but I couldn’t even get the big ones to answer the phone.

ATTRACT CUSTOMERS WHO WILL MAKE YOU RICH!

I sat down in front of my trusty old IBM Selectric typewriter (the state of the art writing instrument in 1979) and wrote a sales pitch – about me!

I mentally put Clayton on the desk like he was any other product, and pulled out all the stops.

I then used that copy in a 6-step self-promotion campaign designed to get the best customers to call me.

How did it work? Like a charm. Within a week, my phone was ringing off the hook and I was chatting with the greats.

Within two weeks, the breakthroughs started coming.

And a few months later, a major mailer offered me a six-figure advance PLUS 5% of their gross sales, PLUS incentivizes the wazoo to take it exclusively.

This is how I did it and how you can do it too…

STEP #1: CHOOSE YOUR TARGETS CAREFULLY

First, I built a mailing list of 400 potential customers.

Since I was focusing on self-help publishers, I chose all the larger companies, companies I already knew about (Phillips, KCI, Agora, Boardroom, The Ruff Times and others), and used the Oxbridge Newsletter Directory to select the rest. .

Now, with the advent of the Internet, this investigation is even easier…

If I knew the name of the person in the organization that hired the writers, I included it in each address on my list. If he didn’t, he would call 100 organizations a week and say, “I need to send a letter to the person responsible for creating your direct mail promotions. Can you tell me who that is?”

STEP #2: GET THEIR ATTENTION

I wrote a short personalized one page letter saying that next Tuesday May 15th would be Red Letter Day.

The guy from FedEx was going to deliver a very important package, a package that would bring a huge increase in sales and profits. And I asked my prospect to take a quick look at it, saying it might be the most profitable minutes he’s spent reading in years. (You may want to do this with email – it should work even better!)

STEP #3: DELIVERY THE GOODS

I created a second short letter to go out with my samples. I introduced myself, did a short recitation of my accomplishments… said that in two weeks I would be completing my writing schedule for the second half of the year… that I had some intriguing ideas to increase your income and response. … and asked the prospect to take a look at the enclosed material and call me to discuss it.

I told him that I would be waiting for his call, otherwise if I hadn’t heard from him by a certain date, I would call him.

STEP #4: GET YOUR SPIEL DOWN PAT

I spent some time thinking about exactly what I would say if someone answered:

He would answer the phone on the third ring, not too eager, not too lethargic.

I would be polite, friendly and excited to have been called. He would congratulate him on the things he had seen coming from his organization.

I knew exactly what I would say if they asked me, “How much do you charge?” (depends on the product and promotion, we can talk about that later).

He knew exactly what he wanted the next step to be: schedule a call in a few days to discuss potential projects.

And I knew that I would ask the prospect to send me a “Care Package”: samples of their best promotions, bonuses, editions of their newsletter, etc. – that he could study in the meantime.

STEP #5: MAIL 100 INTRODUCTION LETTERS AND 100 SAMPLE KITS EVERY WEEK

The time in my self-promotion campaign was crucial. I sent out 100 cover letters every Monday so that my prospects would receive them before the samples arrived.

And also every Monday, I delivered 100 sample kits overnight so that potential customers who had received my cover letter the week before would receive my samples exactly when my cover letter said they would: Tuesday.

I waited by the phone: I didn’t expect anyone to call. Surprisingly, some called.

Some told me politely that they had all the writers they needed at the time. I’d say, “Great! Maybe we’ll have a chance to work together another time.”

Some said they liked what they saw and wanted to know more, in which case, I told them a little about myself, asked what they were looking for, requested the care package, and scheduled a call to discuss it all with them in a few minutes. days.

STEP #6: MAKE YOUR FOLLOW-UP CALLS RELIGIOUSLY

I set aside at least one full day each week to call the phones, calling all the prospects who should have called me the week before but didn’t.

I started with the prospects I knew were sending the most mail and worked my way down. If the person was not available, I left a voicemail:

“Hi Bob, I’m Clayton Makepeace. I sent you some samples of my work last week and I promised to call you to talk about them. I have some ideas to jumpstart your response and I can’t wait to share them with you. Give me a call?” I left my number and said I would be here all afternoon.

If they responded, he’d say, “Hey Bob, I’m Clayton Makepeace. I sent you some samples of my work last week and promised to call you to check them out. Did you have time to take a look at them?” – and things naturally progressed from there.

EVERY CENT THAT I HAVE EARNED SINCE NOW CAN BE USED IN THIS SIMPLE CAMPAIGN

Scrupulously following this self-promotion plan filled my calendar with new clients. It also made my name recognizable at the companies I wanted to work for, a fact that paid dividends in later years.

Some of the companies that responded created key turning points in my career, allowing me to reach grand slams that made me a “household name” in this industry and earned me millions.

IMPORTANT …

1. Everything you write to sell yourself reflects your ability to sell the client’s product. Take the time to ensure that each communication in your self-promotion campaign is also a showcase of your writing skills. Pull out all the stops.

2. Never let them see you sweat. Going out like you’re desperate for work just makes you look… well, desperate. Clients assume that if you were good, you would be fully booked by now. So be prepared with a reason why you have gaps in your schedule.

Maybe it’s September and you’re making your reservations for the first six months of next year. Maybe you’ve seen the client’s email and are so convinced that you can do better that you’re willing to clear out your busy schedule.

Whether you’re just starting your career or already have great weapons, you can earn more, MUCH MORE, than you do now!

Put my six-step self-promotion campaign to work for you, and you’ll be on your way to a six (even) seven-figure income as a copywriter in no time.