Ask for feedback BEFORE they see it

 

"I don't know; it just doesn't 'speak' to me."

"I'm not sure it says what we need it to say."

"Can you make it more 'today'?"

Non specific feedback is not helpful and tends to create a disconnect between the client, the writer, and the deliverable.

Consider providing a bit of feedback guidance when you submit your first draft by saying something like this in your email:

Anything can be changed, added or taken out, but please consider the following questions as you review the copy:

👉Are all the facts and stats correct?

👉Is there anything missing and, if so, what is it?

👉Are there any particular parts you really don't like?

👉Are all the features and benefits clearly explained? If not, please let me know what I've missed

👉Is the style and tone right for your prospects?

When you do this, you have a better chance of receiving useful feedback.

The Golden Rule

Never be afraid to ask for more detail,

otherwise you’re scrabbling around in the dark.

Hiring Qualifications

 

Will Any Agency Hire This Man?

He is 38, and unemployed. 

He dropped out of college. 

He has been a cook, a salesman, a diplomatist and a farmer. 

He knows nothing about marketing and had never written any copy. 

He professes to be interested in advertising as a career (at the age of 38!) and is ready to go to work for $5,000 a year. 

I doubt if any American agency will hire him.

However, a London agency did hire him. 

Three years later he became the most famous copywriter in the world, and in due course built the tenth biggest agency in the world.

The moral: it sometimes pays an agency to be imaginative and unorthodox in hiring.

That memo was written by David Ogilvy to one of his partners ... and the man described in the memo was Ogilvy himself, the man many refer to as "the father of advertising."

David Ogilvy

Ogilvy came to the US in 1938 and worked for Gallup’s Audience Research Institute. Ten years later, although he had never written an ad, he opened Ogilvy, Benson & Mather.

He went on to produce work for some of the biggest clients of the day: American Express, Lever, Shell, Sears, Rolls-Royce and built the agency into one of the world’s most prominent.

It sometimes pays to be imaginative and unorthodox in hiring.

A Technique for Masterful Co-Presenting

"I've got the whole presentation memorized. Word-for-word."

Matt was excited.

He and I would be in front of a perspective client in a couple of hours.

It was his first time on a formal two-person multi-media pitch to a potentially important client.

"I've gone through it a million times. I know my part and your part by heart."

Like I said, he was excited.

"Glad you're ready, Matt. I need you to transfer some of that enthusiasm to the folks who'll be on the other side of the conference table."

"I wont let you down, boss."

"Didn't even cross my mind. But I've gotta give you a heads up. Depending on their response, I might not stick one hundred percent to the script."

Matt paled. "Then how will I know when it's my turn to talk?"

"Don't worry about what I'm saying, on script or off script. I might deviate from what we wrote, but I'll always finish my part with the same last line we prepared."

"The last line ..."

"Yes, when you hear me go into the last line of my section, you'll know that when I finish that line it's time for you to step in and cover your section."

"The last line ..."

"Yep. And I'll do the same with you. While you're talking, I know you'll be on point and I'll be reading the room. When you hit your last line, I'll be ready to go. It'll be seamless. The secret is for both of us to be ready to go on the other person's last line."

"So I didn't need to memorize every word. Just my parts and the last lines of your parts."

"Pretty much. Now let's walk through it. I'll yadda-yadda my part ending on the line you're waiting for. While I'm finishing that line, take a breath and relax. When I hit the last word, wait a beat and step up with your part. Be confident. They need our offer. Talk with them. Don't recite, talk. Comfortably. Conversationally. And don't worry about me. Don't even look at me. I'll be there when you're ready for me."

"When I do my last line."

"Exactly."

_________________________

The rest of the story ...

After I posted the above on LinkedIn, Stanley Ezeobele commented: 

“Now you've got me invested in this story Scott. How did the presentation go?”

And I responded: 

"Matt did great, Stanley ... but before we reached the halfway point, I saw enough buying signals to change course and close the deal. On the car ride back to the office, Matt was happy about making the sale but a little disappointed that he didn't get to complete his part of the presentation. He did, however, agree that being prepared was what was important, even if we didn't have to use every tool we brought to the job to get the job done."

 

Placeholder Text

 

To show clients a more complete view of a design that includes copy, it is a common practice to show “lorem ipsum” Latin text in the area finalized copy will eventually be. It looks more natural than just repeating a phrase like "content here", giving the design the flavor of what the final page may look like.

If you want to venture beyond the standard ipsum*, there are generators that take a more playful attitude to placeholder text. Here are a dozen of 'em:

Office Ipsum 

http://officeipsum.com/

SAMPLE: Let's take this conversation offline baseline beef up. We don't want to boil the ocean run it up the flagpole a tentative event rundown is attached for your reference, including other happenings on the day you are most welcome to join us beforehand for a light lunch we would also like to invite you to other activities on the day, including the interim and closing panel

Coffee Ipsum 

http://coffeeipsum.com/

SAMPLE: Chicory, cream doppio cinnamon cup affogato dark mazagran. Grinder, cinnamon, cup, plunger pot extraction instant viennese doppio. Breve americano, half and half seasonal single shot extra  siphon. Turkish, rich, skinny, dark caffeine beans, sweet french press organic robusta.

Pirate Ipsum  

https://pirateipsum.me/

SAMPLE:  Prow scuttle provost Sail ho shrouds spirits boom mizzenmast yardarm. Pinnace holystone mizzenmast quarter crow's nest nipperkin grog yardarm hempen halter furl. Swab barque interloper chantey doubloon starboard grog black jack gangway rudders.

Cupcake Ipsum 

http://www.cupcakeipsum.com/

SAMPLE: Sweet oat cake cheesecake gummi bears chocolate cake. Gummies cotton candy topping brownie tiramisu cake biscuit brownie. Soufflé dessert carrot cake caramels sweet roll marzipan biscuit danish. Chocolate bar sesame snaps sweet roll cheesecake liquorice bear claw. Cheesecake toffee sweet lemon drops sugar plum lollipop croissant. Lollipop chocolate bar sweet

The Godfather Ipsum
https://godfatheripsum.github.io/

SAMPLE: I am sorry. What happened to your father was business. I have much respect for your father. But your father, his thinking is old-fashioned. You must understand why I had to do that. Now let's work through where we go from here. Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in. Hey, listen, I want somebody good - and I mean very good - to plant that gun. I don't want my brother coming out of that toilet with just his dick in his hands, alright? Is that why you slapped my brother around in public?

Cheese Ipsum

http://www.cheeseipsum.co.uk/

SAMPLE: Bavarian bergkase cheese strings pecorino. Dolcelatte babybel feta bavarian brie cream cheese port-salut mascarpone. Ricotta cheese and biscuits who moved my cheese edam mascarpone taleggio macaroni cheese. Edam cut the cheese boursin goat bocconcini monterey jack. Cheese slices.

Hipster Ipsum 

https://hipsum.co/

SAMPLE: Photo booth cornhole heirloom whatever bicycle rights, direct trade echo park fingerstache blog venmo retro synth quinoa craft beer. Vape ramps pork belly banh mi, kombucha kogi cred cloud bread messenger bag meh adaptogen iPhone yuccie 8-bit. Hammock +1 tote bag live-edge trust fund umami occupy affogato single-origin coffee distillery hashtag.   

Cat Ipsum 

http://www.catipsum.com/

SAMPLE: Hiss at vacuum cleaner kitty loves pigs ha ha, you're funny i'll kill you last my cat stared at me he was sipping his tea, too decide to want nothing to do with my owner today kitty run to human with blood on mouth from frenzied attack on poor innocent mouse, don't i look cute? sleep on keyboard. Poop on floor and watch human clean up walk on keyboard and meow .

Bacon Ipsum 

https://baconipsum.com/

SAMPLE: Bacon ipsum dolor flank buffalo sausage tongue cow. Spare ribs buffalo ham hamburger pig ground round. Bacon porchetta ground round chicken, venison chuck corned beef. Pork chop frankfurter picanha, fatback rump turducken short ribs meatball swine pork belly drumstick strip steak. Ham hock drumstick bresaola bacon. Beef ribs bresaola chuck tenderloin cow salami, andouille pork.

Sagan Ipsum 

http://saganipsum.com/

SAMPLE: Dream of the mind's eye trillion across the centuries corpus callosum Apollonius of Perga preserve and cherish that pale blue dot? Network of wormholes the only home we've ever known bits of moving fluff two ghostly white figures in coveralls and helmets are softly dancing cosmic fugue the ash of stellar alchemy? Citizens of distant epochs Tunguska event prime 

And that's just scratching the surface.

A quick search will find you placeholder text with just about any kind of theme you can imagine, including: 

Zombie Ipsum 

Samuel L. Jackson Ipsum 

Space Ipsum

DeLorean Ipsum

Skate Ipsum

Bob Ross Ipsum 

Tuna Ipsum

Bluth Ipsum

Heisenberg Ipsum

On the Farm Ipsum

Cheeseburger Ipsum

https://www.makesum.com/

______________________________

 

 *Traditional "loren ipsum" placeholder text:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

_________________________ 

OOPS!

Placeholder text is just that. Always doublecheck the final draft
to make sure the finished copy has been incorporated into the design
before it goes to production.