How not to end up in FDA “jail” [WIKM]

How not to end up in FDA “jail” [WIKM]

What's in Kim's Mailbox? I'm back at you today with a fresh new breakdown of an "O to O" promo that landed in my (physical) mailbox this morning. You may ask what I mean by "O to O"? It's "offline to online"... and I'm seeing more of these direct mail promotions over...

Why offer trumps copy AND drama

Why offer trumps copy AND drama

Issue #144 Today is Black Friday, and rather than wake up early and go shopping, I decided to sleep in and have myself a leisurely morning and breakfast. (I plan to hit the Black Friday sales online as soon as I finish this email!) Great decision, because I came up...

Are affiliate swipes killing your business?

Are affiliate swipes killing your business?

Issue #143 A lot of you enjoyed the "non-testosterone" email I sent the other day about all the war-like shenanigans related to the Black Friday Mega-Bundle campaign I'm participating in. ANY support you can throw my way to help me climb to the top of the affiliate...

How to “dash for cash” for your client or business

How to “dash for cash” for your client or business

Issue #142 "Cash is king". I remember the head of the consumer division I worked for at Phillips Publishing, Bob King, saying those words...again and again. And cash is king for your business, whether you're a copywriter, marketer, or offer owner. Without sufficient...

Are magalogs DEAD?

Are magalogs DEAD?

What's in Kim's Mailbox? If magalogs could talk right now, here's what they'd say... "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated!" Yes, you might think these 20 to 32-page printed, magazine-like, direct mail promotions are an ancient dinosaur relic of the past....

The LEGO secret to building better “big ideas”…

The LEGO secret to building better “big ideas”…

Issue #141—October 22, 2021 Today you're in for a treat.. It's a special Guest Spot issue written by Gabriel Baumstark... one of my current copywriting mentees in my Fast Track to A-List program (I just opened the doors for next year's program. You can check out the...

7 MORE types of sales-boosting sidebars

7 MORE types of sales-boosting sidebars

Issue #140 Yesterday I sent you my first all-new Copy Insiders issue in a while... and it was all about something many up-and-coming copywriters have little experience with: SIDEBARS! I explained WHY you should master the art of writing sidebars... and how to approach...

A mini-master class on the lost art of THIS copy…

A mini-master class on the lost art of THIS copy…

Issue #139 Perhaps you've mastered how to write killer headlines... sizzling-hot emails... powerful leads... intriguing bullets... and persuasive closes. But if you're like many copywriters who cut their teeth strictly on online platforms, you may not have a clue...

The profound idiocy of seeing customer service as an expense

The profound idiocy of seeing customer service as an expense

Issue #138—August 27, 2021 Yesterday as I was driving to Baltimore to help my daughter with her move, I spent nearly a half hour on the phone with U-Haul in order to get a few last-minute questions answered. Most of that time I spent on hold, forced to listen to an...

The “one night stand” approach to sales

The “one night stand” approach to sales

Yesterday I wrote about how to upsell and cross-sell from a place of service... And not as if the initial sales transaction was a "one night stand" where you tried to milk as much sales out of that first interaction as possible...potentially poisoning the customer...

How to upsell and cross-sell from a place of service

How to upsell and cross-sell from a place of service

In this funnel-crazed era, people often forget the basics behind upselling and cross-selling. Let's face it. Acquiring a customer is hard. It's expensive, too. But the lifetime value of that customer could be hundreds if not thousands of dollars…if you do things right...

Niching down…WAY down (with help from the Partridge Family)

Niching down…WAY down (with help from the Partridge Family)

Issue #137—August 25, 2021 I've been taking some time away from work to focus on a number of family-related matters. At the forefront of them is my 95-year-old father-in-law, who as of Monday, was given a 72-hour window to live. However, we are now near the end of...

Why everyone thinks they can write copy

Why everyone thinks they can write copy

Issue #136—August 17, 2021 If you ever wanted to look for a J-O-B, now is one of the best times in years. According to the latest reports, there are more than 10 million job openings in the U.S., more than ever before...about 1 million more than there are people...

The new old media that can bring you more sales

The new old media that can bring you more sales

What's in Kim's Mailbox? Newspaper advertorial ads are about as "old school" as they come. Yet for years some of the most savvy direct marketers have been using them successfully to sell products like supplements and skin creams. Each weekend when my Sunday paper...

How one of my worst jobs made me a better copywriter

How one of my worst jobs made me a better copywriter

Issue #135—July 31, 2021 It's been quite the week...it's felt like the first time in over a month that I've been getting back into my regular work rhythm. And I hope you've enjoyed the stories and lessons I've shared over the past week from my latest adventures in...

Coffee with Parris

Coffee with Parris

Last week I decided to check out the Affiliate Summit East event at the Marriott Marquis hotel near Times Square in New York City. The first day it opened last Monday (after wasting way too much time standing in line to get my badge thanks to what seemed like a dated...

Fete(-ing) with Dan

Fete(-ing) with Dan

When I was in O'ahu a few weeks ago, my husband and I had dinner with Dan Ferrari (known as the "Bearded Genius", or is that Jesus?) and his girlfriend. This dinner wasn't some spontaneous meet-up between two veteran copywriter pals. No, it was the result of an epic...

Justin and me

Justin and me

The first time I met Justin Goff, it was about 3 years ago in Cleveland, Ohio at one of Brian Kurtz's mastermind events. Justin was one of the speakers, and he gave a great presentation about sales-boosting funnel tactics. Things like simple order page tweaks that...

Dinner with Gary

Dinner with Gary

I'm baaaaaaaaaack!!! And I have stories. Over the next week or two, you'll be hearing them...along with some valuable copywriting and marketing lessons, too. I'm going to share with you the stories and lessons gleaned from my dinner in New York city with Gary...

What all successful controls have in common…

What all successful controls have in common…

Issue #134—June 18, 2021 It's a sunny, almost cool Spring-like day here where I am--so I've got my office window open. And something seems a bit off. It's actually quiet and peaceful outside. Something is missing. Oh, now I know what it is... No cicadas! That constant...

Using celebrity to rev up your copy

Using celebrity to rev up your copy

Issue #133—June 11, 2021 It's a rainy Friday afternoon here outside Washington, DC...a good day to stay inside and catch up on all the "to do's" on my list before the weekend. And seeing how I recently wrote to you about how to leverage "star power" in your copy to...

What to do about the slew of copywriter wanna-bes

What to do about the slew of copywriter wanna-bes

Issue #132—June 4, 2021 FACT: There are more copywriters now than ever before. It used to be that once you racked up a few wins as a copywriter, you could easily collect hefty advances and book your calendar out a year or longer. You could also charge more for your...

The Classic M*ney Package

The Classic M*ney Package

What's in Kim's Mailbox? Well, this week is off to a roaring start. It's already Wednesday yet it feels like Monday. I found myself nonstop busy yesterday making up for one day off. Yes, even us freelancers get waaaay behind when we take a simple holiday. In any case,...

“Old school” is cool again

“Old school” is cool again

Issue #131—May 28, 2021 In recent months, I've seen a surge of "online to offline to online" campaigns landing in my mailbox. I've written about some of them, like in this past issue here (scroll down for the "What's in Kim's Mailbox" breakdown). But within the past...