Copywriting.org Interviews Solomon (Jonah) De Leon
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Q1. Where are you from?
Singapore
Q2. How did you discover copywriting?
I was a 19-year-old data science student with no business experience, knowledge, or capital. Still, I started my first business—ODYSEE—a street-fashion brand. After pulling 12-hour days for months, I ended up losing all pocket money, savings, and part-time job cash that I had invested into the business. Unsurprisingly, it was a short-lived venture. But determined to relaunch the brand, I came to the conclusion that the one vital skill I needed was marketing. Not long after, I met my first mentor. The mentor who “bamboozled” me. He was a direct-response marketer and ran his own agency. I asked to work for him for free, and in exchange, he has to teach me everything he knew. That’s where I was introduced to copywriting. He coached me through the fundamentals of copy and marketing. He put me through different courses (the first one being ARM by Andre Chaperon—a fantastic course), and not long after, I was writing all kinds of copy for the agency. I say he was the mentor who “bamboozled” me because he knew that all that learning was to relaunch the brand. But he didn’t warn me that I would’ve ended up so intrigued by this craft of “mass influence and persuasion through media” (that’s my definition of copywriting). So much so, that I would go deep into this rabbit hole if the marketing/copywriting world—foregoing my initial plan Well… I might restart my streetwear brand one day. But for now, I just want to get better at this skill and pick up as much as I can toward the path of mastery.
Q3. What forms of copy do you write?
Though I’ve written advertorials, landing pages, ebooks, blogs, VSLs, etc. My main focus now is email copy (“daily emails” and story-selling autoresponders)
Q4. What are your favorite niches to write in?
B2B, Biz Opp, Men’s Dating and Personal Development
Q5. What is the #1 lesson you've learned as a copywriter?
I can’t remember the exact specifics, but I think it was Gary Bencivenga who told the story of a successful fisherman. When asked what makes him so successful, he said, “everyone else thinks like a fisherman, but I think like a fish” Likewise, I believe the best copywriters have the ability to think from the perspective of their market.
Q6. Who is your favorite copywriter & why?
I know you said favorite but I can’t choose so here are five that influenced me greatly: – Ben Settle — his ability to pull unrelated topics/stories and weave them into his sales emails. I’m also a huge believer in his “daily email” strategy and infotainment approach. That man is quite a genius. – Ian Stanley — I find his emails really simple yet extremely effective. Obviously one of the go-to guys for email marketing. – Andre Chaperon — his course is the first copywriting course I took (love it!) + his value-giving approach to marketing is something that I deeply resonate with – Daniel Throssell — opt-in to his list and you’ll know why! – Kenneth Yu — one of my copywriting mentors who has an interesting and effective process for writing promos and creating offers
Q7. Do you have any recent wins to share?
Most of my clients have an NDA, but recently I was able to revive a dead list for a client (they were only sending about 1 email every 5 months?) But in less than a month, they were able to get a couple of new high-ticket clients from the emails we sent.
Q8. What would you say to a prospective client who wants to hire you?
No scammers, no crap products/services, and no quick-cash offer owners, please. Only serious businesses who are looking to build a business for the long haul, who have a mission to bring a positive impact to their market, and of course, want to make a lot of money doing so If that’s you, let’s talk.
Q9. What is a good email address for prospective clients to contact you?
solomon@suasionsociety.biz