Why copywriters are NOT allowed at my climbing gym

I’m waltzing into the climbing gym yesterday afternoon when I’m abruptly stopped from entering.

“David!” someone shouts behind me.

I spin on my heel, surprised at the sound of my own name.

The voice is from one of the gym’s staff members, who I’ve seen working here for at least the last few years.

“Quick question for you,” he inquires.

“Uhhh. Okay. But I swear the chalk thing was an accident, okay?” I respond.

“... Chalk thing?”

“Yeah, I dropped a bunch of chalk near the west wall the other day. I tried to clean it up but the padding is so den—”

“No, no,” he cuts me off. “That’s not what I wanted to ask you about. I just wanted to run through a quick check on your auto belay knowledge.”

(If you don’t climb, an auto belay is a device at the top of a climbing wall that allows you to climb solo, and then lower yourself down without human help.)

“Oh, yeah of course,” I reply, wiping my sweaty palms on the back of my climbing shorts.

“Alright,” he starts off. “First … Have you ever used an auto belay device?”

“Yes.”

“And do you know that you need to clip BOTH carabiners into your harness?”

“Both carabiners, of course.”

“And finally, you know you ALWAYS need to give yourself a buddy check before climbing, right?”

“Oh yeah. Of course. Self-buddy check!”

“Great! I’ll sign you off for the auto belay safety certification. Thanks!”

Phew.

With the exchange finally over, I head into the gym to start climbing.

But I can’t help but shake the feeling that this situation reminded me of something.

Something important.

Something … copywriting related.

Ah, yes — the exchange I had with the gym staff is similar to how you need to ask questions to new clients!

Whenever I’ve onboarded a new client or I’ve started a new copywriting role, I absolutely bombard people at the company with questions.

Especially anyone “high up.”

Mainly, I’m trying to get a sense of what’s working and what’s not, with specific examples they can point to.

A few questions I typically ask:

What would be the biggest win for you right away?

What do you know for SURE is working? And what does NOT work?

Who are your competitors and what do you like about their copy?

I do all of this at the beginning of the relationship — sometimes even before I’m officially “hired” — so I have a strong base to start with.

But it does require me to somewhat accost people to get what I need.

Is it weird? Yes.

Do I do it anyway? Absolutely?

Should you do it too? 100%.

And here’s another thing you should do: sign up for my daily emails.

David Patrick