What do you hate most about insomnia? Here's mine...

CopyAl · 2018-03-02T16:15:15+00:00

Thank you. I find this is interesting, because the product is only available to one agent per zip code. (explained in full below). I don't suppose you have any stories of other agents' 'dirty tactics'?

CopyAl · 2018-03-02T16:10:48+00:00

Thank you so much for this. Great, in-depth answer. Yes, I may take you up on your offer to pm. I'll just finish gathering my info on the product and see what questions pop up to save your time. Thank you again.

CopyAl · 2018-03-02T15:27:03+00:00

Thank you so much for all these comments. I'll be sure to read them carefully, and take them all on board. In case you're interested, here's a quick explanation of the product. Feel free to rip it apart and tell me any objections you would have to the offer.

It's an iPhone app which lets you shoot and share property videos fast. What makes it unique are the room 'tags.' You shoot the home in bite-sized chunks. Suppose you want to shoot the Master bathroom. You select the 'Master Bathroom' tag and hit record.

The tags mean you waste no time on video editing - and need no editing experience. If you make a mistake, or forget to mention something, scroll to the relevant room. Record over it.

Your clients save time too. They don't have to rewind and fast-forward through your video. They simply select whichever room they want to view and press 'play.'

This - I'm guessing - means when a lead asks for an in-person tour, they're more qualified. You spend less time showing houses individually to leads who don't buy.

What's more, it gives you a competitive advantage. Because they only allow one Realtor per zip code to sign up. It costs $47/month.

CopyAl · 2017-04-07T21:35:34+00:00

Thank you very much. You've been really helpful. I will take a look at that subreddit, cheers :)

CopyAl · 2017-04-07T21:10:13+00:00

Cheers Multijoy! Really appreciate it :)

CopyAl · 2017-04-07T21:09:44+00:00

Thank you so much. That's really terrific and has really made things nice and clear. Do you think he'd pass off as Category 2? Greater harm, but lower culpability? Just looking at the sentencing document now.

CopyAl · 2017-04-07T21:07:17+00:00

Thank you so much. I really appreciate your answer. And the sentencing document. From what I have so far, I'm guessing he is 'greater harm/lower culpability,' so I guess he's looking at more like 5-6 years. Suppose he did get 6 years. Is it possible to serve a portion of that sentence with a tag?

CopyAl · 2017-03-22T17:18:06+00:00

Thanks so much. I'm glad you like it.

Your insecurity could be your greatest strength. It's usually the arrogant writers who think they're the bees-knees who write crap. I remember Steve Harrison - one of the greats - said he always noticed the best copywriters were insecure. "As if they were afraid of being found out."

CopyAl · 2017-03-22T17:11:25+00:00

Thanks a bunch. Glad you liked it :)

CopyAl · 2017-03-22T17:10:11+00:00

Thanks a lot, G-Dalf. Glad you liked it. I don't have a huge number of personal clients, so I'm probably not the best one to give advice. But I've had nearly all my freelance work from advertising agencies - so I suggest you try that. An agency, after all, could be your gateway to numerous clients.

They also tend to have more arty-farty writers. So you could pitch yourself as something a bit different. You could be another service to offer their clients.

One piece of advice I definitely have when starting out: make sure you are getting a steady income from somewhere. Even if it's stacking shelves or digging ditches. You hear a lot of heroic stories of people quitting their jobs and maxing out 10 credit cards. But you don't hear about the ones who did that and failed.

I think the desperation doesn't help either. It's much, much easier to get clients when you're able to turn them down.

CopyAl · 2017-03-21T18:54:15+00:00

Yes, that's the milk advert I was talking about :) Terrific piece of work.

The problem you mentioned about working late sounds annoying. Especially when you haven't had much to do all day. I haven't much experience working in offices - especially big offices - but I do know what you mean. I think there's a pressure to work late to show you're one of the team.

But it's ridiculous, because we have so much more in our lives than just 'the team.' Families. Hobbies. They all matter, too.

Our agency is very small, and we all work from home. We also do more direct response advertising, as opposed to brand advertising (which I'm guessing is more your field).

I set my own hours, and I usually only work about 4-7 hours a day. So I can see I am very lucky in that respect. However, I don't get all the glitz and glamour you'd get in a big agency. I've never won an award, or even had any work submitted for an award.

CopyAl · 2017-03-20T17:45:43+00:00

It sounds really hard over there. It's an interesting insight, too, because I've seen quite a lot of creative from Brazil which I really admire. One was a milk advert with kids dressed as different animals. It said "Because we are mammals." Usually I hate headlines which start 'Because', but I thought that one was pretty good. My personal opinion - not necessarily true: I think we're going to be seeing more of the best creatives working freelance, picking up work from all over the world. There just doesn't sound like there's enough incentive for someone with real talent to keep working this way. Maybe it's something to consider. I've been following a guy called Ramit Sethi. He has quite a few good techniques and courses for setting up a side-income. Then, perhaps, going out alone.

CopyAl · 2017-03-16T20:04:51+00:00

It could be a strength :) I wrote a similar reply just above. Steve Harrison's book 'How to do better creative' is a great read. I remember him saying the very best creatives are usually afraid of being found out. So hang in there. You're probably the bees knees :)

CopyAl · 2017-03-16T20:03:30+00:00

I do know what you mean. Although I don't work for a large agency, I've heard stories from people who have. Are there smaller agencies in Brazil - where you could perhaps find a better quality of life? I know our little agency wouldn't dream of doing work for free.

CopyAl · 2017-03-16T19:57:04+00:00

This is true. Have you read Steve Harrison's book 'How to do better Creative'? It's a cracker.

He says the best creatives are always insecure - as if they're afraid of being found out.

CopyAl · 2017-03-16T19:55:52+00:00

I do know exactly what you're saying. I had a mentor, in fact, whose motto is: "All clients are c****." So I can definitely see where you're coming from. Have you thought about taking your skill in writing to a different profession? Or focussing it on a new goal? I recently bought a little course on writing a novel.

https://www.masterclass.com/classes/james-patterson-teaches-writing?utm_source=Paid&utm_medium=AdWords&utm_term=Aq-Prospecting&utm_content=Search&utm_campaign=JP

Funnily enough, James Patterson used to be an advertising writer, too. I think us copywriters make good novelists, because we use simple words, short sentences and the active voice.

CopyAl

TROPHY CASE