My Story
For a number of years I’ve been working with high ticket coaches, consultants, and experts to create high ROI campaigns: including ad campaigns, salespages, webinars, email, funnels, etc.
Some of it has been as an ongoing creative consultant for a top digital ad agency specializing in high ticket coaches and experts where I get to see under the hood of different campaigns and funnels, and how to optimize them.
My method for creating high ROI campaigns has proven successful over and over and over again over decades…Here’s my story and how I developed it.
Writing some video ads at the Esperanza Resort in Cabo.
(Could definitely get used to this.)
I started out in the big Madison Avenue ad agencies (kind of a Mad Men, you might say)…actually, let’s go back even a little earlier….
Teaching
I was an adjunct lecturer in English at Queens College in NYC. Mostly it was teaching freshman composition, and the main task was helping students write with clarity. In addition to classes I taught, I was also supervisor of the school’s remedial writing workshop, where I worked with tutors helping students on an individual basis.
I learned how to teach the elusive and important skill of writing clearly. I was proud of the positive impact it had on the lives and careers of my students. But after a few years I thought about how I could take this to a bigger level ….
OK, let me be honest … I wanted to make more money and meet hot women (hey I was in my 20s, what can I say?). On to…
Bright Lights, Madison Avenue
I was one of the first people selected by Young and Rubicam, the top ad agency at the time, for a special program. Y&R had purchased Wunderman, founded by direct marketing legend Lester Wunderman, which was the largest direct response agency at the time. The intention was that having big-time direct response and branding under one roof would offer a distinct advantage to clients.
So I started at Wunderman, writing direct mail packages for MetLife,Times Mirror Magazines, Time Magazine, and Book of the Month Club, etc.
Then I was asked by the mothership,Young&Rubicam, to work for them as a copywriter. Luckily I was paired with one of the great art directors of all time, Tony C.,who taught me about Big Ideas (you only have so much time in 30 second commercials to get across one big idea – which oddly enough was great training for Youtube, Facebook and Tiktok video ads I would be writing decades later!)
That Big Idea thinking enabled me to win Clios, the Oscars of advertising, and many other broadcasting awards. I then worked as a copywriter, supervisor and eventually creative director at other top ad agencies, including BBDO, DDB/Needham, and Saatchi. All the while, refining the Big Idea method into a more encompassing marketing hooks Methodology – which I call The Hookology Method.
After about 13 years I decided to go independent as a consultant and copywriter:
- I was one of the lead copywriters on the successful launch of iShares, the product that started the modern ETF(Exchange traded Funds) industryT
- Wrote a multi-step campaign for IBM that exceeded lead generation expectations by over 400% and is a case study in a classic direct marketing textbook (see the Testimonial page)
An Offer I Couldn’t Refuse
Then I got an offer I couldn’t refuse – to be creative director of theStreet.com, the financial website founded by Jim Cramer, legendary CNBC-TV host. I was able to bring in a record number of new subscribers for Cramer’s premium newsletter as well as for the newsletters of other gurus on the site.
But after a year, freedom beckoned and I realized I was meant to be my own boss as a consultant and freelancer.
I wrote tons of sales letters and Video Sales Letters. The success of my sales letters led to a feature profile and story on me in AWAI’s publication of top copywriters.
Deep in the high ticket world
I found I really enjoyed working with entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants and creators. I used my Hookology Method to increase sales for some of the best coaches, consultants, and creators in the business.
If you’re interested in working with me, and taking advantage of all my experience and my track record, here are a couple of ways to do that.