Copywriting.org Interviews Robert Allen

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Q1. Where are you from?

Idaho

Q2. How did you discover copywriting?

I got really freaking lucky, that’s how. Back in 2015, I’d just graduated college with a degree in “Financial Institutions Management.” If you’re thinking, “Financia-Mana-wha Rob?” you’re not the only one ????‍???? But basically, it’s a fancy way of saying I knew everything there was to know about banking. Deposits. Reserves. Interest rates. Yada yada. I won’t bore you with all the details. But I will not be modest: I was really freaking good at it. In fact, I managed to land a job at one of the top investment banking firms in the world … … Only to quickly find out I hated that job. Like. so. so. much. It wasn’t just the grueling hours or the tedious work … It was that I could see the people 10 years ahead of me… the deep eyebags of sadness and tiredness under their eyes that they could never shake… the complete inability to do anything but talk about work. And I knew I wanted out. In fact, on my very first day at lunch, I texted my girlfriend and said, “I can’t work here.” Which — to my credit —- turned out to be 100% true. I lasted 18 days before I quit cold turkey. No two week notice. Nothing. Just a very vague idea that I was about to become a “copywriter” — a word I’d only known for 2 hours when I decided to resign from that job at the bank. Because you see, days earlier a financial guru who’s content I absolutely LOVED — Ramit Sethi — had hosted a business idea competition for readers of his newsletter. The way it worked was simple: Send him a pitch for a business idea and the winner would win a $1k cash prize and a big feature in his newsletter. I knew business. I knew finance. I knew Ramit’s style. So I thought I stood a pretty good chance of winning. Well, the competition rolled around and they got ready to announce the winner and … (Wait for it) I LOST. Yeah, real bad. (Actually I would later find out that my idea was considered absolutely atrociously dumb) BUT… The team liked the way I wrote the pitch. They said it was some of the best copy they’d seen and decided to offer me a job to come aboard as a “copywriter.” Mind you – I have no idea what “copywriting” is when I get this offer. I was a banker! I literally have to google it ???? But I decided to take the leap, join the team and throw myself headfirst into this world of writing, conversions, and copy… And I’ve never been more happy to leave the stiff suits and spreadsheets behind ????

Q3. What forms of copy do you write?

Email has always been my bread and butter skill, but my real passion is writing the assets that drive massive sales volume. Things like webinars, VSLs, and long form blogs — if you need um, I’m your dude.

Q4. What are your favorite niches to write in?

Health and supplement ecommerce! I’ve written so much copy and sold so much in this niche that there’s a 99.99999% chance that if you’ve ever purchased a supplement online, you’ve bought from an email I wrote or a brand I wrote for. ???? Seriously, though.

Q5. What is the #1 lesson you've learned as a copywriter?

Copy is actually the least important part of the marketing puzzle. What’s far more important is choosing great audiences of people and coming up with offers that make them want to drop cash fast. As one of my mentors used to say, “If you want to spot a rookie writer, give them an assignment and watch what they do next. If they immediately start writing, you know you have a rookie on your hands.” I bring that up because a lot of people get obsessed with copy itself. But copy can’t save a bad offer and definitely won’t turn around an audience that’s not willing and able to buy. On the other hand, if you find the right people and make them a truly compelling offer, a simple 8 word email can create a flood of buyers. (I know because I’ve done it!)

Q6. Who is your favorite copywriter & why?

I’ve always loved Alex Becker’s content. The guy crushed it in courses for years, then stops completely and starts a software company, sells it for over $100m in just a few years flat. Who does that?! He’s just a genius thinker, builder and writer. Gotta love him!

Q7. Do you have any recent wins to share?

In my 2nd year as a writer, I got to help build an information product from scratch. And that was HUGE for me in terms of growth. Because it made me do TONs of research. Call hundreds of customers on the phone. Test pricing. Test positioning. It took MONTHS of grueling work. LOTS of patience. And lots of deep inner work on myself to become the kind of writer who could find a unique angle, clearly articulate it and then put all the pieces together for launch. But in the end, it all paid off. That product ended up selling $1m in the first week it was live and over $6.2m in the months to follow. It was a huge confidence booster in my career. Years later, I’ve gone on to be a part of much bigger launches and even make over $1m with my copy for my own stuff. But that first product to gross over $1m was the taste of success I needed to radically shift my identity and belief in what I could do as a writer.

Q8. What would you say to a prospective client who wants to hire you?

I’m not taking clients at the moment. But feel free to jump on my free email list at kingsofconversion.com for a fun time.

Q9. What is a good email address for prospective clients to contact you?

allenrb365@gmail.com

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