… And also a personal “facepalm” story with it.

(Heads-up: there is nothing for sale, just a cool video that I want to share with you. If you’re not interested in my story, then you can just watch the video right now — but if you have a minute, read the story!)

My major face-palm moment: super-cool RSA Animate-style video (nothing for sale).

Okay, so here’s the story….

If you’re like most aspiring entrepreneurs, you’re probably feeling pretty frustrated.

You feel like you’ve tried it ALL, and things just aren’t quite clicking into place.

You feel like there must be some small secret that you’re missing…

… Something that would make it all make sense. Something that might be so simple — or even OBVIOUS — that it might be staring you in the face, but for some reason you just can’t see it.

Does that sound about right?

If the answer is yes, then you’re not alone.

I’ve just described pretty much anyone who’s working at building success online but hasn’t quite “made it” yet. (Believe me, I know — I’ve been there!)

But putting your finger on what that “missing piece” really is… that’s really, really hard.

Which is why I had a massive “facepalm” moment when my friend Danny Iny sent me this video. It really was that “duh, no kidding” obvious, but I hadn’t quite connected the dots in the way that Danny describes in the video.

Watch Danny’s video (and maybe have your own “facepalm” moment!).

Okay, that’s all for now. Just like I promised, there’s nothing for sale — just the video that I thought you’d enjoy.

Why Good Advice Could Be Crippling Your Growth originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

The post Why Good Advice Could Be Crippling Your Growth appeared first on The Michel Fortin Blog.

But we’re back on track and chemo has restarted.

Speaking of surviving cancer, this Saturday, June 1st, is National Cancer Survivors Day. So I wanted to let you know about something exciting I’m doing on that day.

And I need your help… 

In support of my wife and her ongoing battle, as well as for the memory of my mother, I am very excited to tell you that I am participating in a walkathon on June 1, 2013 benefiting the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.

It’s called “EPIC WALK For Women’s Cancers.”

On that day, to help celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day, I will be going the distance in the fight for cancer survivorship by taking part in the first ever EPIC WALK for women’s cancers.

It is truly a walk of epic proportions! In just one day, I will be trekking the 28km (17 miles) stretch between the Queensway Carleton Hospital and the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation’s Cancer Survivorship Centre.

In its inaugural year, the EPIC WALK will raise important and life-saving funds for women’s cancers, with 100% of funds raised by participants remaining in our community to improve regional cancer services.

Join me and together we can make a difference in the lives of women living with cancer. You can donate as little as $5. But can you spare $10? $25? Anything you offer matters.

Every. Single. Cent. Matters.

Click here to donate directly to the foundation…

http://ottawacancer.kintera.org/epicwalk/michelfortin

Thank you!

Michel Fortin

P.S.: If you want to cheer me on, the schedule is listed on the link on the left titled “Event Information” where there will be a participant cheering line on Sparks Street in Ottawa.

This Saturday, I’m Going The Distance originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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… From a tiny little list of less than 9,500 names.

That’s more than $3 per name!

Even better, there were no fancy videos. No launch partners and prizes. Nothing but good old email and a house list.

He wanted to prove that by doing everything WRONG — exactly the opposite of what most people do with their list — you actually make way more money.

You’ll be shocked when you see the stats that he shares at the webinar I’m hosting with him later this month.

It’s module 1 of his brand new 4-module Email Alchemy training course that unveils every single tip, trick and tactic for creating these windfalls. He’s going to open the kimono wide and show you every last detail.

The full, 4-module course is $497, but with this FREE pass to module 1. You’ll get to see a real-live case study that breaks through any limiting beliefs about whether it’s possible to create the same kind of life-changing paydays for you… with the power of a hot keyboard and the insider skills he reveals.

It’s the ultimate roadmap to turning unproductive, ready-to-be-deleted, road kill email lists into your own Fort Knox and solid gold profits.

Here’s just a small taste of what’s in store:

• Busting the big myth about open rates…
• Why conventional wisdom is dead wrong about content marketing (and why content is way too much work anyway)…
• The upside-down truth about clicktrough rates…
• The missing “Secondary Reward” you must provide for your subscribers (not in every email, but in most)…
• The soap opera theory of email marketing…
• PLUS, we’ll be digging into the meat of real emails he just used in the 10-Day, $30,000, $3 per name campaign.

He’ll basically be “opening his brain,” and dissecting these proven, profit-pulling emails, and the actual strategies and thought processes behind them.

So you can zip right up the learning curve to true email marketing mastery …and ditch the painful trial and error that most people never get past.

It’ll be live and interactive. There’ll be real-time Q&A and a truly astounding mother lode of free gifts to celebrate the recent release of this premium training. No purchase required.

Heres the link again…

Access Part 1 of This $497 Course For FREE!

Talk soon,
Michel Fortin

P.S.: If you write emails to promote your own products and services, then this training is perfect for you. It’s also ideal for hired gun copywriters looking for the most lucrative ways to bag quick, easy 5-figure paydays writing these innovative campaigns.

Free Pass to First Part of $497 Email Course originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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It’s in uncovering the gold in your own backyard, so to speak. It’s in creating repeat sales, increasing referral sales, and, most importantly, keeping existing sales.

Like it or not, all of those three rely on and inexorably revolve around one specific area of your business. And that’s good customer service.

Now, you might think that you provide customer service right now. But I can bet you dollars to donuts you’re not. You’re lying to yourself if you think that simply answering questions is enough. That’s not serving customers. That’s just informing them.

Whether you own a business, sell products, or provide services, or simply deal with customers either directly or indirectly and for whatever reason, one of the most important and often ignored areas in your business is your customers.

How do you give good customer service beyond merely answering emails?

The answer is that it takes a team.

When I started in business, a mentor once told me to always hire a third party to sell to and deal with customers. Why? Because, as he said, “A third party will always sell you better than you will ever be able to sell yourself.”

Chalk it up to appearing less self-serving (as shameless self-promotion can often be viewed as arrogant and less objective), or to avoiding shame itself (as timidity, humility, and self-criticism often limits our ability to trumpet our own skills and benefits), either way having someone else is proven to dramatically boost sales.

I witnessed this dramatic boost myself when I hired my wife Sylvie Fortin’s company, which is how we met by the way, to handle my customer support. (She often jokingly adds that I’m her only customer that got the extra bonus.)

She made me realize that my business increased substantially, not because of having a mere customer support team, which in itself helped me tremendously in freeing up my time to focus more on building my business and marketing my services, but because customer support is so much more than supporting customers.

It was this erroneous assumption that made me so hesitant for a long time to hire support staff, because I looked at customer support as an expense.

Boy, was I wrong!

Customer support, in the way my wife’s company provides it, also helped me make more sales, evangelized for my company, promoted my other products and services, reduced my costs, prevented unnecessary refunds, and much more.

In fact, Sylvie, who’s company Workaholics4Hire.com provides a variety of tailored outsourced customer support and project management services, tells it like this:

“You don’t want a customer support representative, much less a mere helpdesk or software, to screen and siphon emails or support tickets,” she says.

“What you want is a Customer Care Advocate.”

If you think the difference is just the title, think again.

A customer support representative is a representative, sure. But who do they really represent? They represent the company. This might be fine, but for the customer it creates friction. Unconsciously, it sets up a confrontational environment.

(How often has your level of anxiety kicked up a few notches when you were about to deal with customer support, particularly when it was to ask for a refund?)

Support staff also act as gatekeepers or barricades. On the surface, this seems like a good idea. But to the customer, it makes them feel trapped, unwanted, or dismissed.

Plus, if staff can’t answer the question, usually with a stock answer, or if they’re dealing with a complaint or a difficult client, they’ll find no hesitation to lie, pass the buck, downplay the problem, or direct them to someone else to avoid dealing with it.

After all, customer support is just a clerical job, right?

In fact, as clerks, chances are they’re paid by the hour. If so, especially if they’re outsourced help, then their only incentive is to take as much time as possible assisting clients. The more time they take, the more money they make.

Customer support representatives tend to be reactive. In most cases, their goal is to deal with customers. But only as needed. So they simply answer questions and handle common objections as they come in. And that’s pretty much it.

Many of them will also screen for negative feedback, and downplay or even hide it, especially when it’s to their detriment. I mean, who would want their boss to know that their product, their website, or goodness forbid, their customer support is terrible?

In short, they are just hired help. No more, no less.

On the other hand, here’s a look at a Customer Care Advocate.

A customer care advocate’s role is a lot different than that of the representative. In this case, they represent the customer, not the other way around.

They don’t act as gatekeepers but as conduits. They are bridges instead of barricades. Their job is to direct customers to the best answer, the best solution, the best resource, the best alternative, or the best department for their specific situation.

Rather than “passing the buck,” if you will, they prefer to take full responsibility of that customer’s specific question or problem, and then align resources to match.

For example, if a customer has a problem with a purchase, the typical response is to refund the sale. But an advocate will hear them out, ask probing questions, and even pinpoint the source of their frustration, which may go beyond the purchase itself.

After that, they try to save the sale, sell an alternative, or save the customer.

Maybe there’s another product that will fit their needs more appropriately. Perhaps the customer has an underlying issue that needs to be uncovered. Or maybe there’s a snag somewhere the company needs to pay attention to and correct.

Ultimately, dealing with the customer without dealing with the real issue (i.e., without first digging a bit deeper) can only provide a band-aid solution to a problem that never gets fixed. Or worse yet, to a customer that never comes back.

That’s why advocates are paid (or incentivized) for their overall workload and rewarded for their efficiency, which means they get paid by how many customers they successfully helped, kept, or created for the company.

They are proactive by seeking out opportunities to improve customer satisfaction, increase repeat sales, enhance referral business, and above all, reduce refunds.

They don’t hide negative feedback. On the contrary, they encourage it.

Complainers are never shunned, and their complaints are always welcomed and taken seriously. In each complaint lies an opportunity to either plug costly leaks in your business or boost sales that would have been otherwise left on the table.

By the same token, your customer care advocate will actively seek opportunities to promote your brand, tell others about you, monitor your reputation, and even fiercely defend you when a complaint is groundless or unjustified.

Unlike hired help, an advocate is a partner in your business.

There’s an old saying that goes, “The customer is always right.”

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you know that’s not always true. If it were, or if you really wanted to make all your customers 100% happy, you would be giving away everything for free and you would be out of business in no time.

Not every customer is right for your business. That’s why I prefer to say that the right customer is always right. Or better yet, the customer is always valued.

Because right or wrong, they are valuable to your business.

And to make sure you have the right customer, or make them feel valued by steering them in the right direction, then you need to have the right customer support team.

The benefit of having an outsourced team is that you don’t have to worry about training staff, the need to replace them when they’re off or fail to show up, crashed computers and buggy helpdesk software, or tax issues and human resource costs.

So I highly recommend you check out Workaholics4Hire’s customer support packages, and see how you can zoom in on this overlooked profit center in your business.

Whether you offer no customer service right now, rely on some helpdesk software, or have existing support staff in place — and you want to drastically improve your client attraction, satisfaction, and retention rates — then find out how we can help you turn more customers into loyal, vocal, and profitable fans.

The Most Overlooked Money Maker in Your Business originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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Join thousands of entrepreneurs and WordPress enthusiasts from around the world for this series of 13 free, content-rich webinars on WordPress Web Design, Internet Business, and Entrepreneur Success.

You’re not going to want to miss this opportunity to hear from myself and my peers. Some of the presentations by topnotch experts include:

• Getting Organic Traffic to Your Blog
• Performance Execution for Entrepreneurs
• Monetizing WordPress, and WordPress Community Sites
• Thesis v2 Theme, Inside and Out
• Branding Secrets, with Branding Expert
• And six other world-class presentations!

Review the program and celebrity-speaker lineup, and signup from here.

My colleague Marc Beneteau, Founder of WP Academy who’s hosting the event, is passionate about getting the tools for successful Internet marketing into everyone’s hands, and at prices they can afford.

The Free WordPress for Business Virtual Summit is going to cut months off your learning curve of effectively creating and marketing your website.

For information, check out the full seminar schedule and reserve your seat.

(In the interest of full disclosure, that’s my affiliate link. But it’s only if you decide to buy products after the seminar. The seminar series itself is 100% free.)

Upcoming WordPress Virtual Business Summit originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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If you ever wanted to boost your sales, increase your conversion rate, transform your website, or improve your results dramatically, then here’s your chance.

You can have a top copywriter, response-oriented web designer, and sales-driven WordPress geek give you a review of your marketing copy, your sales video, your WordPress website, or your plugins and configurations…

… And provide you with actionable recommendations or answer any question you may have about your business, all recorded on screencam video for your reference…

… At half the regular price price!

Book your consultation today with Michel Fortin!

My critique consultations are a minimum of $1,000 and can go up to $3,000. But until midnight, Valentine’s Day, I’m cutting my fee in half — yes, a whopping 50% off! — for a critique session (up to an hour) with me for only $500 USD.

That’s $500 for a full-on session with me!

You can order now but you don’t have to book right away — you can schedule your session at anytime within the next six months. So there’s no rush.

You can hire me to go over your sales copy or website with a fine-tooth comb, and give you brutally honest feedback as to how you can drastically improve your chances for success. You can also use your time to have me:

• Review your salesletter copy
• Critique your sales video script
• Boost your sales conversion rate
• Provide split-testing tips and ideas
• Offer you actionable recommendations
• Give feedback on your business idea
• Check out your autoresponder emails
• Go through your WordPress plugins
• Provide responsive design tips
• Gain ideas on new market niches
• Give direct response suggestions
• Share WordPress tweaks and scripts
• Tap new or hidden profit centers
• Give freelancing biz know-how
• Acquire new negotiating skills
• Boost your list-building efforts
• Uncover new sales opportunities
• Improve your social media visibility
• And much more!

This $500 includes the 1- to 1.5-hour session, recording of the session, access to the recording for future reference, actionable recommendations with an action plan to follow, and, I confess, a few “surprises” you might love.

How does it work?

Step #1: Simply send $500 USD via PayPal to accounting@workaholics4hire.com or click this link to order online. Once your payment is processed, I will send you my online calendar to book your session.

Step #2: From the list of available openings, book your session. (Remember, you do not have to book a date before Valentine’s Day, but you must process your payment before then to get the special $500 off.)

Please email us your URL, and your login details if any. If it’s a documents, send it as an attachment, preferably in Word format or PDF.

Step #3: You will then receive a special desktop sharing link to see my desktop on the day of your consultation, and I will go over your copy or website together with you. All you need is a phone or microphone, a browser, and an Internet connection.

I will also record the consultation, at my expense (you can record it, too), and I’ll upload it and share it with you in a private location for your reference.

Let me help you ramp up your copy, your video, or your WordPress website for maximum selling power! Boost your conversion and ramp up your sales!

Plus, here’s what I mean by a few “surprises.”

If I need to pull back the curtains and let you take a peek inside our own businesses or websites, I will. Or if you want to see what kind of tools and resources I use, even the websites I bookmarked, you got it.

Again, this is a very limited special — only until midnight on Valentine’s Day. Seats are filling up fast, so I highly recommend you order and book your session right away!

Or you can order today and schedule it at a later time, so there’s no rush. You have six months. But if you’re in a rush, I suggest you book immediately! Either way, the special pricing ends on Valentine’s Day at midnight.

After that, it’s gone!

I look forward to working with you.

Michel Fortin

P.S.: If you sell a product for, say, $49, and your conversion rate is pretty decent at, say, 0.5%. Then what would doubling that mean to you? How about tripling it or more? Your newfound conversion rate would pay for this session in just a few sales!

So is it worth it? You do the math.

Sweetheart Consultation at Half Price! originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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The doctor didn’t sugarcoat, and we’re happy for that. But he knows how strong Sylvie is, and both Sylvie and the doctor kept reassuring me that Sylvie is NOT a statistic.

Certainly, we would have hoped for more certainty. But is there anything in life that’s 100% certain? Nothing is. But at least we got more clarity. And that’s important.

Here’s the full update. But rather than retyping Sylvie’s excellent post on Facebook, I decided to reprint it here for updating you on her condition. Take it away, Sylvie.

Just got back from the oncologist. News is not great, but it could be worse.

It has been confirmed that it is, in fact, my breast cancer that has metastasized to my lung, liver and bones. I say “it could be worse” because they could have found major tumours and it could have been far more advanced. But it hasn’t and isn’t.

There are a couple of “spots” on my liver and a couple of spots on my spine, as well as the phlegmy stuff in my lungs. So, prognosis isn’t as dire as it could be.

Our first priority is clearing up the lungs. Chemotherapy starts this week. No waiting. No delays. I’ll have at least six months of weekly chemo and regular checks to see how I’m responding to it. I’m choosing to think positively and deal with it one day at a time.

The medical term for exactly what is happening here is “lymphangitic carcinomatosis”, which is the specific way in which the breast cancer has chosen to reassert itself. It’s kinda scary, so the sooner we hit the ground running, the better.

(I don’t recommend Googling “lymphangitic carcinomatosis”. It’s terrifying.)

We should know within the first 3-5 chemo sessions, whether or not my system will respond well to the chemo. If the lungs respond well, then I stand an excellent chance.

No radiation or surgery would be possible or helpful at this time, because there are no visible tumours. There are “suspicious spots” on the liver and in my back.

So, our first goal is to get me breathing properly as soon as possible. If we cross that hurdle, then my prognosis will improve significantly.

Chemo is entirely systemic, so the same chemo for the lung issue will automatically tackle the liver and bone as well. I am so incredibly relieved that there is no evidence of any tumour activity anywhere near my brain.

I really like my brain and would like to keep using it.

However, the reality here is that I am Stage 4 (i.e., it’s metastatic breast cancer), and everything that is done for me is considered palliative from here on in.

And it will be so for the rest of my life.

Starting this week, I will have at least 6-9 months of chemo treatments, then a break for a few weeks or months, then more chemo, and then another break. And this will continue until either I show absolutely no more signs of any cancer anywhere in my body, or until I can’t take any more.

The doctor will continue to try different types of treatments and seek out opportunities for me to be in clinical trials. And we’re hoping that, because I am a seriously tough chick, I will baffle and amaze my medical team.

I love you all.

Sylvie

PS: And if any of you doubt that I’m a seriously tough chick… I forgot to mention something the doctor said yesterday.

The xrays show that I had a fractured rib recently. I had to laugh, because I remember it well. It was a couple of months ago, when the coughing fits were extreme. I felt my rib snap during an especially heavy coughing fit.

For a few days, I had to cough very carefully, and other than mentioning “I think I cracked my rib”, I didn’t whine or complain about it, and within a few days, I was able to breathe my way through the pain.

So, yeah.

Here’s why I mention it.

The main reason why Stage 4 cancer patients tend not to do too well is because they have a few treatments and they give up because it is “too hard”. Basically, they can’t take the side effects and after a few chemo treatments, they decide to stop and let nature take its course.

I WON’T BE DOING THAT!

I’m tougher than this stupid cancer. If I can tolerate a cracked rib without whining like a baby, then I can take whatever the doctors throw at me, even if it hurts like hell.

So, don’t give up on me, folks, because I don’t plan on giving up anytime soon either.

Medical Update From Sylvie, in Her Own Words originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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Something was definitely wrong. Several trips to the hospital and a battery of tests — from x-rays and CT scans, to blood work and sputum tests — were to no avail. Medications were unsuccessful to treat the infection.

Finally, a lung biopsy confirmed our worst fears.

Sylvie, the love of my life, my Soul Mate, the strongest woman I know…

… Was diagnosed with lung cancer.

It’s the worst time for it, too. In fact, Sylvie was diagnosed with breast cancer just three days before I wedding. And now this happens three days before Christmas.

(Yup, Sylvie’s health seems to have an impeccable sense of timing.)

We will let you know as soon as we know more. For now, all we know is that’s it’s “Adenocarcinoma,” which explains the pneumonia-like symptoms.

After the holidays, a new series of tests are needed to pinpoint the exact source and extent of the carcinoma, and chemotherapy should follow and begin in mid-January.

(Thank goodness Sylvie didn’t get rid of her wigs and hats from the last little joyride.)

Needless to say, we’ve got our hands full for the next few months.

Thank you for your good wishes on Facebook, by email, and via this blog. As we prepare for the long road ahead of us, I want to take this time to wish you peace, love and happiness in 2013.

Before I go, here’s a message from Sylvie’s Facebook page, which seems appropriate to repost here. Take it away, my love…

Thank you so much, all of you, for your thoughts and well wishes for me and for Michel as we step into a very challenging new year. It means so much to know that there are so many people like you who genuinely care.

Please know that, just like last time, we intend to fight this battle with all possible weapons at our disposal, and won’t quit until we have kicked cancer’s butt.

As I said to a very dear friend yesterday…

“We are fully expecting me to kick cancers ass again. I would have thought it should have learned its lesson the first time, but apparently it needs to be schooled again.”

For those of you who may be wondering what you can do for us, beyond the obvious prayers and thinking nice thoughts… I am happy to provide some suggestions.

Here are some things that would be really useful for me in the coming months…

• Send cookies
• Send A fruit basket (Edible Arrangements. Yum!)
• Send A box of dark chocolates
• Send A “hurry up and get well” gift basket
• Send some fresh flowers
• Order us Maid service for a day
• Send A pair of warm, fuzzy slippers
• Send A pair of soft bootie socks
• Send Soft cotton pajamas
• Send A soft blanket (for chemo treatment days)

I’ve lost a lot of weight in the last few months, and I know I will lose a bunch more. So, don’t worry about overloading me with calories. I can afford them, for once.

Michel will have a lot on his plate in the coming months, so if you’re in Ottawa, stop by with a casserole or some soup or offer to help with some housework.

Also, if you know of anyone who is looking for an amazing copywriter or wordpress developer, tell them about Michel. The less time he has to spend looking for clients, the easier his life will be.

I know from experience that it is really hard to know what to do to help. It’s hard to know what to say to someone who is scared and dealing with something terrifying.

So, many people say something like “If there’s anything you need, just let me know”. This is nice to hear, but really hard to respond to, because it means the patient has to be creative and come up with specific requests, which feels a lot like begging.

People like me (tough, cheeky, spunky, independent types) have a very hard time asking for help. So, we never get around to asking at all. And then we feel like we’re all alone dealing with this scary thing by ourselves.

So, the above list of suggestions is not meant as a request for free gifts.

(I’m not that greedy.)

But if you want to help and don’t know how… consider this my “hint hint” post. LOL!

Now, a final thought…

To those who will inevitably suggest a variety of cures, potions and alternatives… Please read these two blog posts I wrote a while back, and it will help you understand why my response will always be… “Thank you, I’ll look into it”.

http://breastcancervictory.com/some-common-side-effects-of-telling-the-world/
http://breastcancervictory.com/letter-to-a-newly-diagnosed-cancer-patient-for-what-its-worth/

I love you all…

Sylvie

P.S.: So many people asked via Facebook and by email, so to be clear our home address is: 1707 Cara Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) K4A1M4.

No Return Policy on This Awful Gift originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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You can order the complete, 10-hour “FortinPress: Enhanced Business Strategies for WordPress” training program over at Udemy at a huge 50% discount.

But hurry, today’s the last day.

Here’s how to claim your discount…

1. STEP 1: Go to Udemy and pick the course.
2. STEP 2: Click on the “Have a Redemption Code? Redeem It” link under the “Take This Course” button and enter your coupon code: JUMPSTART.
3. STEP 3: This coupon code is valid until December 14, 12 AM (PST).
4. STEP 4: Have a question or encounter a problem? Contact Udemy Support.

Last Day to Save 50% Off This Course originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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What’s “clunky”? I’m talking about odd layouts, inconsistent typestyles, different-looking fonts, garish colors, overemphasis using formatting tricks (like underlining, highlighting, bolding, italicizing, etc), and so on.

In other words, is “junking up” copy effective?

(This reminds me of a question someone once asked me during a live teleseminar: “Michel, I see so much copy with poor design and bad grammar with spelling mistakes, is it intentional or just plain bad copywriting?”)

Here’s my answer…

Maybe.

There’s this story I’ve heard of the “Five Bell Pub.” A passerby noticed that there happened to be only four bells hanging from the pub’s outdoor sign.

So he enters the tavern and asks the bartender, “Mate, don’t you know you have only four bells hanging outside?” “Ah yes, I know,” said the barkeep. “It’s been like that for ages, but I’ve been so busy that I never had the time to fix the sign.”

He then adds, “While you’re here, what kind of ale would you like?”

There are two morals to this story.

People will always feel inclined to correct others. Blame it on pompous arrogance or polite courtesy, it doesn’t matter. You can never please all the people all the time, unless you were to write a salesletter for every single individual in your market.

Being all things to all people is impossible.

And yes, some mistakes are intentional for the sake of drawing attention and particularly polarizing others. I know some copywriters who will purposely add typos to involve and engage the reader, or to draw attention to a key point.

But as someone once said, “You got to know the rules before you break them.”

That said, there is a difference between strategically placed yet occasional spelling mistakes to generate curiosity versus a lackadaisical attitude toward grammar that will only reflect on the quality of your business overall.

Personally, I’m far from perfect and I do make mistakes. Typos or otherwise. And they are not intentional. (If there were intentional mistakes, they would be relevant to the story and the audience, and not used for the sake of drawing attention.)

But there’s a difference between people who point out a simple typo versus what I call the “Grammar Gestapo” who write long dissertations in which they “hang you” for treason since your copy doesn’t meet Harvard standards.

There’s a difference between grammar and style; between being conversational or informal, and being ignorant or, worse yet, illiterate.

It all boils down to credibility (or lack thereof).

As technology evolves, people are becoming more and more sophisticated. Sure, believability, credibility, trustworthiness, proof, credentialization, and all those things are and have always been crucial and fundamental components of good copy.

When people say, “How do you write copy for an audience that has become more jaded, cynical, skeptical, cautious, blah blah blah,” I kind of laugh because I don’t think they are “more.” They have always been that way.

But it’s the increased availability of information nowadays that has caused a growth in all types of markets, marketers, and marketing tactics.

More and more consumers are becoming jaded, just as more and more people are entering new and emerging markets. By the same token, more and more marketers are becoming sneaky, crafty, creative, and insidious in trying to scam people.

Therefore, proof in copywriting is such an essential component.

While the challenge is to find better, more effective ways to prove our case, there are some basic things we can do to communicate it, even if subtly. And that includes with the message you imply as well as the one you communicate.

The image you project, the quality of your copy, and the packaging of your product (which includes the design of your salesletter or website) all imply credibility.

So here’s the point…

To the issue of “good design” versus “good response,” that’s somewhat of a non-issue because they are two completely different things. Why? Because good design will always speak volumes of the quality of the product and service you deliver.

Psychologists refer to this as the “Halo Effect.”

The cleaner, more professional the design, the greater the sense of credibility, trustworthiness, and confidence it will instill. And the greater the results, too.

People will have tendency to judge your business by the quality of your appearance. It has always been that way and it will never change. It’s human nature.

The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” exists because we have an innate, natural, and often unconscious tendency to do so — regardless of how unfair it is or how much we want to change how the world thinks.

If so, then why is clunky, shoddy, or cluttered design so prevalent?

First of all, in some cases, it does work. I believe this type of appeal was propagated by direct marketers who have increased their response by differentiating themselves in a market that has been otherwise saturated with corporate, highbrow, brand-driven, agency-influenced marketing materials.

Copywriters and marketers will profess (and even use this positive spin in their copy) that the “value is in the content, and not the packaging, the glitter, and the fluff.”

There will always be a need to be more personal, less contrived, and more creative with your copy — such as the use of cosmetics to ramp up your response.

Formatting to add emphasis, as well as handwritten notes, doodles, callouts, and images, do increase response. It also helps skimmers, and draws attention by driving the eyes into the copy. As copywriter Alex Mandossian calls them, it’s “eye gravity.”

But the rule here is use sparingly and strategically.

Online, people skim, scan, and scroll. So these grabbers stand out and add “speed bumps” to stop people from scanning and forcing them to read.

But overdo it and you will muddy your message. Too much emphasis will cause the message to blend and blur together, losing the effect you wanted to create with highlighting in the first place. Emphasize everything and you emphasize nothing.

So write to be scanned, and emphasize key elements in your copy to flag scanners. But overuse can become counterproductive and murder your response.

However, those who do overuse (and perhaps abuse) clunkiness argue with: “Fancy design doesn’t sell, only good copy does.” I totally agree, but it shouldn’t be a substitute for good design, a professional image, and a clean message.

Admittedly, some pieces of clunky copy sell really well. But people who bought from them didn’t buy from the clunky design because it was clunky. They bought because it was different. Especially in a market that’s been jaded by highfalutin corporatespeak.

Chance are, clunky, cluttered, “cartoonish” copy will communicate that the product or service is the same. It’s the opposite of the “Halo Effect.”

This is often referred to as a meta-message.

The meta-message is the message beyond the message. Just like body language and non-verbal communication can influence others when you speak, the meta-messages you imply in your copy are extremely powerful, too.

Both for good and bad reasons.

On a Dateline NBC report, they tested the sales of a fake “skin-moisturizing pill,” complete with fictitious clinical trials, scientific data, client testimonials, and fancy, glittery packaging. People bought in droves. (The whole thing was made up by Dateline’s producers. The pill was nothing more than chocolate powder.)

Interesting show, but this proves that people do give more credence to a clean image — sometimes, to their detriment and scammers know this all too well.

Nevertheless, when something is overused and abused, whether it’s clunkiness or even cleanliness for that matter, it loses its impact. It loses its sense of uniqueness. And it stands out less and less, appearing just like everything else.

And that is the point. Use it, but don’t abuse it.

Be too clunky, too busy, too cluttered, and the meta-message your copy will communicate is that the product or service you’re selling is just as clunky.

It’s what I call a “UPA” (i.e., an unconscious paralleled assumption, in that they unconsciously assume there’s a parallel between one part and its whole).

In this case, the UPA is that people will associate poor design or poor copy with poor quality product or service. People will think, “If the marketing material is shoddy, then the product, customer service, or company behind it must be just as shoddy.”

People seek good design, professional appearance, quality sales materials, a sound image, great packaging, and so on. They expect it. They look for it. They crave it. And more important, they justify their purchase decisions with it.

Just as good covers help to sell more books, good (and good-looking) marketing materials do the same. Especially in the long-term with repeat and referral business.

Otherwise, your market will think: “If they can’t take care of themselves, then how in the world are they going to take care of ME?”

With scams and scammers abound, it will put more onus on the copywriter to find new and creative ways to communicate that credibility, even if it’s indirectly such as through “meta-messages.” But it starts with your design, your copy, and your image.

Don’t have a logo? Get one. Don’t have a consistent color scheme? Make it so. Don’t have time to clean up your sales materials? Find it.

Write and present great copy that’s personal yet professional, credible yet conversational, simple yet specific. It’s all part of the package.

What Copy Cosmetics Communicate originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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He is a recording professional with his own recording studio and music label. His repertoire is quite extensive, and he’s worked on or collaborated with some of the top recording artists in the world. (Some with hit songs.)

At the time, he confided in me that he was about to send an email to his list, making a one-time offer promoting his demo recording service. (Demos are incredibly important in the music business, just so you know.)

He wanted me to give him some brief feedback on his email. I thought that, with his permission, this would be a cool case study to post, here.

Taking the time to critique the entire email would have probably taken me more time than to simply rewrite it for him. (It only took me about 15 minutes.)

I’m reprinting this brief email copy makeover for you.

Here’s his message, reprinted verbatim, without any changes (keep in mind, English is not Patrick’s first language so his writing is understandably a little less polished):

Dear Singer,

If you are serious about your music you know that to have a professional demo is ESSENTIAL to be considered today in the music industry.

Most of the artists hope to get their record deal without investing in a proper recording studio.

I know that the problem for most artists is that they don’t have a huge budget to spend, and they keep struggling to get the attention they deserve.

Now’s your chance to record your professional demo, AT A FRACTION OF THE PRICE.

I’m Patrick and I’ve recorded with top worldwide producers, songwriters and artists.

I normally charge more than £[X]+VAT per demo and £[X]+VAT per records.

For the first and only time, I’M GIVING YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH ME AND RECORD 4 OF YOUR SONGS, AT ONLY £[X] and 10 OF YOUR SONGS AT ONLY £[X].

Only first 10 booking will be recorded with me, the others will be done with some of my affiliate producers.

I guarantee that the level is absolutely professional. You can easily check at [website] for my company’s information or at [website] for my personal Biography and samples of my songs.

Book now, send us an email with the name of the songs you would like to record at [website].

Here was my answer.

The opening statement is redundant because they are all serious — or should be. What they want is fame, money, fans, etc. Plus, many artists may be looking to get hired more often, not just recording deals.

Also, you need to be more “sexy.” More compelling. Give them a taste of what they get, in other words. Get them to feel your special offer, not just read it.

I’ve massaged your letter to this…

Dear Singer,

Want more fans, more money, more gigs, perhaps even that lucrative recording deal that will take the world by storm?

A professional demo is ESSENTIAL to be considered today in the music industry. Whether you’re a professional artist, a freelance entertainer or an eager one in search of that elusive recording contract, without a demo they won’t even consider you.

Why? Because if you don’t have one, they’ll think you’re not serious, or wonder why you don’t believe in yourself enough.

Your demo is not just your resume. It’s your advert. It’s your foot in the door. And it’s also the key that can unlock the door to a thousands of opportunities waiting for you RIGHT NOW.

What can a demo do?

It not only shows off your talent. It can also attract hordes of eager fans, raise recording industry eyebrows, land that once-in-a-lifetime recording deal, or get you hired by MORE clients, MORE often and for MORE money. You name it!

A professionally recorded demo is also VERY expensive. I know.

Most artists hope to get their record deal without investing in a proper recording studio, which can cost them an arm and a leg. If you’re like most artists, you don’t have a huge budget to spend, and you keep struggling to get the attention you truly deserve.

Well, stuggle no more. Now’s your chance to record your very own, professionally recorded, high quality, jaw-dropping demo …

… AT A FRACTION OF THE PRICE.

My name is Patrick, and I’ve recorded with top worldwide producers, songwriters and artists. My work has been instrumental behind some of the biggest recording successes in Europe and around the world.

But you see, I know how it is to struggle. I’ve been there. That’s why I want to give you a CHANCE. I want to make it easier for you to unlock those amazing doors of opportunity.

Here’s how:

My professional fee is normally more than £[X] (+VAT) per demo (one song only), and £[X] (+VAT) per album. (And those are mimimums, since it depends on the work involved, including producing, recording, mixing, engineering and more.

For the first and only time (and for a very limited time), I’m making a unique and tantalizing offer for aspiring artists — no matter what your music genre or recording style is, whether it’s jazz or new age, or country music or hard rock.

Get your very own 4-song demo for only £[X]!

That’s right. You get not one, not two, but four songs professionally recorded and mixed, for just one-quarter of my normal, professional fee! That’s 75% off the regular price.

(In fact, if you want more, I can even do 10 songs for ONLY £[X]. That’s less than half the normal album rate!)

Is there a catch? Yes, unfortunately, there is.

This very special pricing is EXTREMELY limited. I can only allow 10 eager artists to work closely with me, because that’s all the time I have to personally invest.

This means that only the first 10 bookings will be accepted. The rest will be done with some of my affiliate producers. These openings are going to go fast! So you better hurry and book yours today.

I personally guarantee that your demo is professionally done, under my strict and close guidance, and with the same level of professionalism and quality I give some of my high-level clients.

Now’s your chance to blow people away with a powerful demo!

You can easily check at [website] for my company’s information or at [website]for my personal biography, along with actual samples of my songs.

Book now, send an email with the name of the songs you would like to record at [website] before it’s too late.

I look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,
Patrick
[website]

(By the way, since Patrick is based in London and his audience are primarily in the UK. I used the word “advert” above, because that’s how “ads” are called in the UK.)

As for the subject line, he asked me if “One-time offer to record your demo” was good. I said “no.” Too bland. Too boring. And also, too direct. (You’re basically telling them the email is an offer, which says “don’t open me!”)

The subject line is only to get them to start reading. Period. Instead, say:

• “Are You a Struggling Artist Without a Demo?”
• “Let Me Turn Your Voice Into Gold… ” Or…
• “Yes, Your Very Own Professional Music Demo!”

OK, time for a shameless self-plug:

If you want a “makeover” like this one, where I go through your sales copy and dissect it, word by word, and even rewrite it (just like that email, above), you might want to check out my copywriting and critique consulting services.

Making Music With This Email Mini-Makeover originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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We now have a dedicated server with them, but like most people, when we started it was a basic plan. (The plan I started with was the “Webmaster Plan.”)

Here’s a cool holiday gift from Pair…

We were lucky to secure a number of redeemable vouchers for free hosting until 2013. No setup fee and no hosting payment until 2013. If you’re interested, please contact me via this website or send an email to support@licoricegroup.com.

We only have about nine (9) left. So when they’re gone, they’re gone.

Free Redeemable Vouchers From Our Host originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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The dilemma?

Charge too little, and you risk losing credibility in the eyes of your customers and potential clients. Plus, the quality of your work, even if it is top quality and worth 100 times what they paid for it, will be seen as having diminished perceived value.

Worst still, you may begin to resent the project, the client, even your profession.

In short, charging too little belittles you, your work, and your clients.

On the other hand, charge too much, and you run the risk of being seen as too pricey and losing the potential client. You may lose out on opportunities to work with clients who could open doors and provide you and your business with an abundance of work.

The solution?

Olympic Factor Pricing

Olympic athletes have the opportunity to win one of three awards: bronze for third place, silver for second place, and the coveted gold medal for first place.

That’s how your pricing should work, too.

When a customer requests a quote, don’t just offer them one quote. First, breakdown your quote into multiple components, and price each component. Even though some are included in the final quote, this helps to do three things:

1. It increases perceived value;
2. If an element is thrown in or free and accompanied by a dollar value, it makes that item and the overall quote look more appetizing;
3. And best of all, it reduces haggling and halts the grinding away process, because, if they try to negotiate, you simply remove elements you would have offered and reduce the quote accordingly (i.e., the more they haggle, the less appetizing the package becomes).

But don’t stop there. You present them with a comprehensive package that includes three levels of pricing. Each level will have a different level of offering, either based on the quantity of elements provided in the breakdown, or on their quality.

Here’s an example (change it to fit your skillsets and services):

The Gold Level

This level includes all the bells and whistles. Call it your “premium package,” if you will. You offer everything they’re asking for and more.

If they want a salesletter written from scratch, you write it but also provide them with the optin copy, order form copy, and confirmation page copy. You can also provide design elements, layout suggestions, and formatting, too.

You might also offer two free revisions (worth “X” dollars) before the final draft. You might even include a rush surcharge (i.e., to meet a guaranteed turnaround).

(Again, make sure to denominate all the elements and add estimated values to each one. The object is to make the client understand these add-ons are extras, have intrinsic value on their own, and are included in the Gold level only.)

This Gold Level pricing also includes the highest quoted fee of your three offers.

The Silver Level

This level includes basically what the customer has asked for and generally fits into your “standard copywriting package.” You also charge a bit less than the Gold level pricing but still more than the bronze level quote.

For example, it can be writing the salesletter copy (and only the salesletter), with some formatting and basic design suggestions. You might offer one free revision only but no guaranteed turnaround. In other words, there is no rush.

And just as with the Gold, you denominate each element in this package.

The Bronze Level

This is your barebones and least expensive offer. Perhaps it’s writing just the main copy and that’s it. Perhaps it’s rewriting existing copy. Or perhaps it’s critiquing it and giving the client a list of actionable suggestions to improve it.

No bells. No whistles. No extras.

It’s your rock-bottom, barebone, lowest price offer. However, don’t underquote. There is a possibility that your client will choose this level and you don’t want to be in a situation where you’re resenting the work and the client.

Why Three Levels Of Pricing?

When you educate your client on the value of your work, you give them something to compare to. Something concrete. Something they can chew on.

Instead of just having a dollar amount, she now has a concept of what that value is worth. Because she’s not comparing your price against another copywriter’s price. She’s comparing one of your services against another.

You are your own competition, in other words.

In reality, you are creating not only higher perceived value but also higher intrinsic value. In other words, you’re boosting the perceived value not only of your services but also of the Gold package itself.

A good example is the price of gasoline.

If you tell me to choose which gas to put into my car with the following options (and since I’m Canadian, I’m using metric examples, here):

Premium Gas: $1.10 a liter
Better Gas: $1.03 a liter
Regular: $0.99 a liter

The only logical choice is to choose the cheapest solution because price is my only metric. However, you describe that the pricier gas has higher octane and maybe even some performance additives. I might choose that one instead.

For example, if you tell me I have the choice of:

Premium Gas: $1.10 a liter

Has 94 octane (which means it burns better and more efficiently), cleans the engine as it burns, contains less pollutants, includes gasline antifreeze for the winter months, and perhaps includes a discount on car wash with 25 liters purchased.

Better Gas: $1.03 a liter

Has 89 octane, less pollutants, comes with free coffee at coffee bar with a minimum of 15 liters purchased.

Regular: $0.99 a liter

Has 85 octane. It is also the one (being the lowest price, of course) posted on placards and gas station signs.

This way, I know why the higher one has more value (not just higher price), and why the cheaper one is, well, cheap. You’ve given me more information to appreciate the value, as well as more information to compare each other with.

The same holds true for your copywriting services. Or any service, for that matter.

The Price-Quality Continuum

The Olympic factor gives your customers not only a choice but also a basis for comparison, and it increases the perceived value of your offer overall. Your Gold offer has the highest perceived value, and your Bronze offer, the lowest.

Which offer will your client choose?

When I used to teach marketing at a local college, I taught my students about a concept called the price-quality continuum. Meaning, people will either choose a product based on where it is in this continuum.

Whether it’s the low-end of the continuum (i.e., lowest price), the high-end (i.e., the highest quality), or somewhere in between, people buy according to what they feel is aligned with their values, desires, and goals.

With only one option, you serve only one type of customer at the expense of the other, and open yourself up to hagglers and even abusers. But offer more than one, and you have the ability to cater to a wider spectrum of buying behaviors.

Doing so, you’ll likely find that the majority will go for the Silver (middle) option. These folks want the best of both worlds: good quality at a reasonable price.

However, many will choose the Gold level because a lot of people will want the best there is. Those are the quality seekers on the price-quality continuum.

Yet some people will, without a doubt, go for the cheapest solution. They are the deal seekers. But if they do, they do so with the full knowledge that they are getting less.

And that’s the key!

The real beauty of the Olympic factor pricing strategy is that it also stops the grinding away process after your service has been rendered.

Your customers won’t complain (most won’t, anyway) because, buttressed with the higher one when they made the choice, they know that, if they didn’t get more, they should have chosen the higher one to begin with.

It puts the onus and the responsibility of the decision — and the end result — firmly in their hands. Not yours.

Hitting One Bird With Two Stones. Or Three.

By incorporating this Olympic Factor Pricing strategy into your business, you’ll find a number of clients choose your Silver level package and be quite happy with it because you’ve educated them on the value of your work.

You will sell more of the Silver package, which is your standard offer anyway, because they don’t need to shop around. You’ve done that for them.

Plus, you’ll be able to demand and justify higher fees, and your clients will be more content with their decision and the price they paid for your work.

The Key To Getting The Fees You Deserve originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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If writing fresh, hot, magnetic content (either as a guest blogger or content marketer) gives you nightmares, then I invite you to attend a free “Hallowe’en” webinar on:

Tuesday, October 30th, at 3:00 PM (Eastern)

Why? Because you see, the key to making it online is, without question, writing. But not just any writing. Writing that drives massive traffic, sucks readers in, and converts skeptics into addicts needs to be the right kind. In other words, writing:

• About the right stuff,
• For the right people,
• In the right places,
• And in the right way.

Would you like to know how to write right? And do it all quickly and effectively?

Then let me introduce you to Danny Iny.

Danny is probably one of the most prolific writers out there.

In less than a year, he grew a no-name blog into one of the leading blogs in the industry, and even co-authored a book with some of the biggest names in the audience-building world, like Guy Kawasaki, Brian Clark, Mitch Joel, and many others.

In that short timeframe, he’s also authored two books, 40+ blog posts on his own “Firepole Marketing” blog, 80+ posts as a guest blogger on major blogs like Probogger, Copyblogger, FreelanceSwitch, etc, and a whole lot more.

Today, he is known as the “Freddy Krueger” of the blogging world — fitting for Hallowe’en, eh? — because Danny is so hauntingly prolific. As people often tell him:

“Wherever I go, you’re there!”

Danny will share with you how to write as easily, effectively, and prolifically as he does — as in “high-quality, 1,000+ word blog posts in less than an hour.”

The special treat is that Danny is going to be putting on a special live training event for you, and he’s going to do it for free. All you have to do is sign up and show up: Tuesday, October 30th at 3:00 PM Eastern — sharp!

Click here to register for the webinar →

By the way, Danny wants to make the training as value-packed as it possibly can be, so if you have any specific questions about blogging, writing, content marketing, or anything else, I’ll send them over.

Just comment below with your question. Cool?

So go ahead and sign up for the free webinar, lest it haunt you for missing out!

The Frightening Truth About Writing Like a Madman originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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Insane? Maybe.

But let me explain why I’m doing it.

First, we’re packaging the course recordings after the series is over for another learning platform, so I’m basically “getting paid” for content creation. Plus, being accountable to live attendees kicks me into gear to get it done.

But why not charge more for the live sessions? After all, attendees get to ask questions when the recordings don’t offer that luxury.

The market we’re going after with the recorded classes has a specific price point “sweet spot,” so along with the ability to ask questions and the bonus critique, the low price rewards live webinar attendees for taking quick action before everyone else.

Not a good enough reason? Here’s a better one, then…

Let’s just say that, since today is my 45th birthday (October 14th), you can consider this as my birthday gift to you. But you better hurry, though. This offer is only if you signup for the live webinars. The free bonus critique will not be offered after that.

See you Tuesday?

How Webinars Kick Content Creation Into Gear originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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And they’re not what you think!

In other words, writing compelling copy that sells like crazy is not about perfect spelling, punctuation, or grammar. It’s not even about headlines, prices, or bullets!

These three elements drive any piece of copy you write, from salesletters to social media ads. Master these three elements and your copy will convert significantly more.

If you want to learn more, you can join my new webinar series that start next week.

But you better hurry…

Webinars may start next week, but only live attendees get the bonus critique on any piece of copy they choose. This is my first copywriting course in a long time, and possibly the last for another while. (And it’s the lowest price I’ve ever offered one, too.)

So hurry and register right now to get my top copywriting shortcut tips and formulas. Classes start next week and the bonus critique is limited.

I’m telling you, you would be crazy to pass up on this. At least watch the free video…

Three Elements to Master in Copywriting originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

The post Three Elements to Master in Copywriting appeared first on The Michel Fortin Blog.

I’m just about ready to launch my long-awaited webinar series teaching you my personal, tested, and sough-after copywriting know-how.

As promised, I wanted to offer an in-depth series of webinars that go into greater detail and teach you my copywriting tips, shortcuts, and popular formulas.

I want to answer questions like:

• “How to write starting with a blank page?”
• “How long (or short) should salesletters be?”
• “What do I need to know about my market before writing copy?”
• “What elements are included in long-form salesletters?”
• “What elements are included in the new ‘Web 2.0′ sales pages?”
• “What makes a good headline? Offer? Guarantee? Etc.”
• “What do I need to know about my market before writing copy?”
• “What about video and writing copy for multimedia?”
• “What elements should I split-test (first)?”

And much more. But I need your help…

Oh yes, I do plan on covering my controversial “death of the salesletter” report and give you many examples, the issue of buyer behavior versus salesletter consumption, my tripod of power (i.e., pull, prove, and push), and more.

Now here’s the deal…

I plan on doing this in webinar-style format. That is, I want to deliver the course over a series of 3-4 webinars of about an hour each. Very much like FortinPress.

The difference is, since I covered a lot of this information on my blog and in previous courses, I don’t want to charge a hefty price. I want to keep it low.

But there’s also something else I want to “throw in” at no charge (and only for people who sign up for the live webinar).

I do plan on converting the course into a packaged multimedia course on Udemy and other platforms, as we did with FortinPress for example.

The price will be the same for both the live webinars and the packaged course.

However, for the people who are joining for the live webinar series and watch me as I deliver the content for the first time, I want to offer this exciting bonus…

… A quick critique from me!

Yup, I normally charge a minimum of $3,000 for a full-on critique, and $500 an hour for a quick review session.

But for everyone who signs up for this webinar series, at the end I will devote a few minutes to review any sales piece of their choice. I will only spend a few minutes so attendees are urged to have me review one particular element above all else.

Want me to review your headline? Your offer? Perhaps your storyline? How about your conversion rate? Or your price point? Or maybe you want me to read your bullets and provide some direction?

It doesn’t matter. It’s up to you.

The price? At this time, the tentative price is a very low $97.

Yup, under a hundred bucks.

The plan is to sell and deliver the course at Fortinize.com. Why “Fortinize”? That term came from a copywriting client long ago — and it caught on with other clients — who wanted me to rewrite his salesletter. He said, “I want you to Fortinize it.”

So if you want to Fortinize your sales copy, this is the course you don’t want to miss. Be sure to sign up to this blog’s notification list to get an email when I officially launch.

But here’s where I need your help.

I’m building the course right now (actually, the slides are done but I want to cover everything potential attendees want me to cover), I have a question for you…

Is there a question or a topic you want covered? Something other than what I mentioned above — or something other than the formulas and shortcuts I already covered — that you want me to cover/answer/discuss/teach?

Let me know in the comments below. Or add your comments to any of the social status updates (on Facebook or Twitter or Google+) about this post.

Interested? Let me know.

P.S.: Oh, I plan on launching this on or around (either before or after) my birthday, which is October 14th. Yup, it’s my birthday and I’m the one giving out the gifts, so to speak. See you then!

Fortinize is Coming and I Need Your Help originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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I “pull back the curtains” and reveal how I optimize my websites using powerful tricks, tools, tweaks, and more.

People absolutely raved about the course!

But here’s something new you might be interested in…

Recently, we decided to dip our toes into new “digital” waters and try out a multimedia training platform called Udemy. If you haven’t heard of Udemy, this rapidly growing online training environment is like a blend of Clickbank and Amazon.

Udemy offers video training courses on a variety of topics, from technical how-to to personal development. The main difference is that it offers them in smaller, bite-sized chunks with different teaching tools to maximize your learning.

So we’re currently offering FortinPress, which is the exact same program offered at FortinPress.com, but delivered through this awesome multimedia platform.

And right now, you can give it a try at a massive discount.

Why a discount?

First of all, the only difference from the original course is, we had to edit it and break it down in order to fit Udemy’s requirements. The result? Over 147 brief lectures along with support materials. Yup, nearly 150 short video modules of a few minutes each!

This is new for us and we want to gauge this new enhanced platform.

But also, we’re really proud of this training and we know that once you give it a try, you’re going to love it, too! In fact, we’re so confident, we want to give you a “nudge.”

For a limited time, we want to offer you a special introductory price where you can take over 50% off the cost of this powerful WordPress training.

You save a whopping $152!

But you better hurry. This deal ends on next Monday, Labor Day, 2012.

Here’s how to get FortinPress at a 50% discount. All you need to do is create your Udemy account (or use Facebook to login), and join FortinPress using this voucher.

But remember, it’s valid only until September 3rd, 2012. So you have a few days left!

By the way, if you ever wanted to promote FortinPress, here’s your chance. Udemy also has a generous, built-in affiliate program, and you can make a commission for promoting us! (We’re just waiting on final approval from Udemy.)

Again, this is our way of saying thanks in appreciation for being a loyal subscriber and follower. We appreciate you so much! But don’t forget that this voucher expires September 3rd, 2012. Here’s the special discount-coded link prepared for you.

See you on Udemy!

Labor Day Sale With Half Off Our Latest Course! originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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Why? Because we’ve recently discovered a multimedia-based learning platform that independent trainers can upload their classes to, sell with, and even promote through using this site’s generous affiliate program.

(It feels weird saying we “discovered” it, because they’ve been around for a while. We knew about it before, but we didn’t realize their extraordinary potential until recently.)

I will later reveal who they are. But for now let me say they’re like a blend of “Clickbank” and “Amazon” but in the online, classroom-style training world.

If you teach, have, or want to create a training program or a video course, or if you want to monetize a tutorial series, an audio podcast, membership site content, you name it, this resource is excellent.

What blew us away is this…

• They are massmarket-driven (but can be niche-specific).
• They get tons of targeted traffic as their reach is deep.
• And, they have a built-in affiliate management program.

In short, they manage all your sales, your affiliates, and their payouts for a very low percentage. Best of all, if your course sells well and has good ratings…

… They’ll even promote for you!

Granted, it’s definitely not a “set it up and walk away” platform. They are pretty clear that they only promote those who promote themselves first.

But what we’re looking for is to break out of our niche and develop a long term strategy where we can reach some brand new eyeballs over the long stretch with multiple products and a full-on backend marketing system in place.

Why are we doing this?

Well, here’s where we’re kicking ourselves:

One course we found (one we could have done easily since we taught something similar to our Success Chef students during our live Wednesday night webinar classes) has close to 5,400 active members. They sell it at $199 a head.

Do the math.

See?

Ouch indeed.

So, we’re creating courses for this new platform to test it and see. We’re pretty confident this is going to work extremely well. We’re also tying it with a whole backend marketing machine, from capturing and nurturing leads, to developing repeat sales.

We’re starting with an existing course we already sell online at the moment. But after that, we’re going to create a brand-new course on the fly.

And we’re literally doing it live on Success Chef!

If you’re an active Success Chef student, you can watch us each week as we create, upload, brand, write, publish, manage, and promote courses through this fantastic platform. If you’re not a Success Chef member yet, now is the time to join.

Bottom line, if you’ve been thinking about creating an existing stream of near-passive income with your existing content or a way to repurpose it, or if you’re passionate about a topic but struggle monetizing it…

… Then this might be ideal for you!

So join us now and watch us each week as we share this exciting discovery and monetize the heck out of it.

(Pssst! Remember that I promised I’d reveal what the platform is? Well, here’s a hint. Go watch this interview now. Really do. ‘Til the end. One of founders behind this platform shares a ton of nuggets. It’s very impressive!)

We’re Changing Gears Because… originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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Plus, it was raining hard. My poor wife had to stick garbage bags with duct tape to cover the broken rear window, which now rested in millions of pieces on our car seat, while she attempted the three-hour drive back.

As you can imagine, it was disheartening.

But this event may have in fact inspired us.

For example, my wife is using my old laptop to restore her backups. It’s the one I use to record our webinar classes, such as FortinPress.com, OutsourcingBlueprints.com, and SuccessChef.com. (Check out the new SuccessChef home page!)

We were thinking about how we can work around it for upcoming webinars, which led to a discussion about new ones we want to do in the future. This, coupled with student and subscriber feedback who have been asking, generated an idea.

Let me ask you this. What if…

What if I offered a new webinar series on, say, five classes entirely focused on my own brand of copywriting? Not just any copywriting, but specifically deconstructing my famous five classic copywriting formulas. Would you be interested?

Better still, I can provide some real-world examples of those formulas in action, perhaps apply them live while writing or critiquing copy, and even spend some time in Q&A sessions at the end — just like I did with FortinPress.

Here’s my initial thought…

1. OATH – The most important formula. The most important part of sales copy isn’t the headline. It isn’t the product, the price, or the proof. It’s the market!
2. QUEST – The flow of sales copy. Yes, AIDA is about getting attention, interest, desire, and then action. But how do apply that to sales copy and where?
3. UPWORDS – The power of painting pictures. Words that appeal to and invigorate the most senses are proven to induce the highest response.
4. FAB – The real benefits behind the features. Features and benefits are not enough. Otherwise, they are just fluff. You must understand ultimate benefits.
5. FORCEPS – The various forms of proof. People are skeptical, so telling the truth isn’t enough. You need the “ring of truth.” And you need to back it up.

I figure a price like $197 for all five classes. Each class will be an hour and half, and at the end of each one I will open it up for questions and answers.

What say you?

Your feedback is always welcome.

Laptop Thief Helps Create Webinar Series originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.

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