Never, Ever Follow These Copywriting Gurus
Frank Abagnale Jr. is known as one of the most prolific swindlers to ever walk planet earth.
If you don’t know his story — or haven’t seen the movie Catch Me If You Can, which is based on his life — here’s the gist:
Good ‘ol Frankie boy started his life of crime at the young age of 15.
His first victim was his dad, who gave him a truck and a gas card … which he eventually turned into a $3,400 bill that his old man was liable for.
But Abagnale didn’t stop there.
His crimes eventually progressed from unpaid gasoline bills to full scale workplace fraud.
After a while, Frank was impersonating a plethora of “high status” working roles in society.
His purported fraudulent roles include:
Airline pilot with over 2,000,000 miles flown
An assistant state attorney general in Louisiana
A hospital physician
And plenty more, including a pediatrician and a French teacher
Now … many people believe that these claims have been greatly exaggerated.
Some outright refute them.
And even Frank himself admits that he overdramatized aspects of his story.
But whether or not the claims are real, they highlight an interesting phenomenon.
In the age of the internet, ANYONE can present a “larger than life” persona using social media.
I won’t go down the rabbit hole of influencers renting Ferraris and filming YouTube videos in front of other people’s mansions.
But you know it’s a thing.
And although I haven’t observed this level of flagrant pompousness in the copywriting world myself, I’m sure it has either A) been done or B) will be done.
I’ve been in the Internet Marketing world for almost 10 years now, and have followed plenty of gurus.
Most of them made wild claims.
And many of them drove nice sports cars.
But a few—just a few—have been integral to my success as a copywriter.
How can you make sure you find and follow these people yourself?
Run them through this checklist. They must:
Have done (successfully) what they teach
They must stand behind what they teach as a currently viable methodology
They must actively practice what they teach
Their claims must be valid
They must not own a Ferrari
Okay, okay … the last one was a joke.
The truth is that anyone teaching you copywriting must be a practitioner of what they preach.
Whether that’s through their OWN email list for copywriters, or through their life as an active copywriter for other businesses.
And at the moment, I do both!
Though I am NOT calling myself a guru. I can’t stand the word and never want to be seen as one.
But copywriting has changed my life in many positive ways.
Including making more money (though I am far from wealthy).
Enjoying what I do (except for the occasional trash client).
And working where and when I want (for the most part).
In many ways, it’s the dream job I sought for many years in my late teens and early twenties.
And I can teach you some of what I do, too.
Though I can’t promise that you’ll end up with a Ferrari.
Doing so would just be … irresponsible … and flagrantly pompous.
Read more of my copywriting stories: www.stealthiscopy.com/blog.
David Patrick