Social Media Examiner, A Copywriting Empire- Interview With Michael Stelzner

What happened to Tiffany? What happened to Adriane? What happened to Sean? Where are they? Don’t worry, they’ll be back soon. We’ve all been traveling so much that we couldn’t find a time to get together in the studio. So we’ve batched a couple of fantastic interviews with 3 world class copywriters and marketers to replace the fun, freewheeling episodes until we can get back in the studio together again. In the next week or so we’ll release our official announcement of a second podcast. That’s right, there will be two Ray Edwards podcasts. One will be all about copywriting and marketing. The hardcore business stuff many of you crave. The other will be the fun, freewheeling conversations about life and all sorts of other entertaining things. Stay tuned for that official announcement coming very soon. Click here to download or listen to this episode now. Spiritual Foundations: Today on “Spiritual Foundations” I want to tell you the story of a good Christian woman who’s struggling to run her business. I’ll tell you about… (2:35) How a simple verse in 1st Chronicles, chapter 4 sparked a huge debate and why I think this verse is key to every Christian’s business success. There’s hard evidence in this verse that demonstrates how God actually does answer these kinds of prayers. Ray's Tip Of The Week I want to tell you about one of my favorite apps. It helps you… (4:35) Quickly and easily unclutter your electronic devices of duplicate photos and files. To top it all off, it’s very inexpensive. Check it out at … https://macpaw.com/gemini Episode Sponsor: Are you stuck in a humiliating, soul-sucking job? I’ve had the privilege of helping a small group of remarkable people transition from a job they hate to a fulfilling and financially rewarding career. For example… Dr. Douglas Pew, a composer and conductor whose music was performed at the Kennedy Center. He’s well on his way to becoming an A-list copywriter. Mike Kim, the branding expert who turned the company he worked for completely around, made it prosperous, then started his own company, a hit podcast, and now runs marketing for John Maxwell’s team. Sara Anna Powers, who left her six-figure job as an attorney and started her own freelance writing practice. She runs her own live boot camps and high-end coaching programs and is set up for her first million dollar year! There’s one thing these 3 real writers have in common. They are all graduates of my Certified Copywriter Program. If you’re reading to trade your boring 9 to 5 straightjacket job for a life you love, this could be the new beginning you've been hoping for. 3 good reasons to become a Ray Edwards Certified Copywriter. Establish your credibility. It’s hard to stand out in today’s market as a copywriter. Borrow my credibility and my reputation when you’re certified by me. I put my name under yours. Get more leads. The toughest part of this business is getting leads. We get lots and can’t handle them all. Would you like to get high quality leads from us? Multiply your income instead of growing your copywriting business incrementally. Why not grow exponentially? Don’t just add your income, multiply it. Go to RayTraining.com to learn more. Feature Presentation: Mike Stelzner is the founder of Social Media Examiner, Social Media Marketing World, the Social Media Marketing Podcast, and the Social Media Marketing Society. And he’s one of my best friends. In my conversation with Mike, you’ll discover… (7:50) What Mike studied in college and grad school that set him up perfectly as a podcaster, video presenter, and copywriter. He never planned to do what he’s doing now, but looking back, his college years set the stage perfectly for his current career. (8:25) How his definition of the word “translation” got him started as a copywriter. Without this full-time position at a hundred-million-dollar high tech company while still in college, he may never have figured out how to write great copy. (10:15) Why FedEx hired Mike to write an old-school marketing piece when they started their international transit from China. This piece of marketing was so valuable it even convinced Apple Computers to start using the new FedEx overnight service for electronics. (12:40) The literally “larger than life” client Mike and I both worked for on separate occasions. Hear the story of how these copywriting opportunities came from our mutual friend Amy Porterfield who worked for this famous motivational speaker at the time. (14:40) How Mike made the transition from being THE “white papers” copywriter in many people’s minds to starting what is now the most important social media marketing company in the world. Leaving behind a list of 20,000 subscribers was a big risk, but it paid off handsomely. (16:20) The clever “build a movement” strategy Mike used to grow an initial following of 10,000 people before ever releasing a single product for sale. And when they did start selling products 6 months later, it led them to earn over $2,000,000 in their first year. (19:30) Why now, more than ever, people need to understand how to persuade with the written word. Why social media marketing increases the need for good copywriting and how Mike uses it every day in his business. (24:25) The importance of creating free content that’s so valuable people would happily pay for it. This one strategy has made all the difference in Mike’s business and now brings in, on average, 1,000 new subscribers per day. (27:00) The single reason people trust Mike’s company and faithfully buy from them. It’s a counterintuitive strategy that most companies are too afraid to deploy. (31:15) The #1 mistake most social media marketers make when it comes to writing their copy. It’s incredibly easy to fix, but most social media marketers don’t realize how much this mistake hurts their integrity and don’t take the time to fix it. (32:35) Why “burying the lead” in Mike’s emails works wonders despite being a cardinal sin of copywriting. It’s a clever tactic that gets more of his reader’s eyes on more of his content regularly. (34:45) How to write for skimmers so they still get the important parts of the message in your emails or social posts. With just a few simple formatting tweaks, almost any piece of copy becomes easier to understand for the skimmers (which is most people). (37:05) Two free tools any copywriter can use to make great looking graphics. Including graphics in your copy is something many copywriters don’t think about, to their cost. (40:02) How to get started learning social media marketing the right way. The easy to use, weekly “tune-in-now” way to get started today. (44:45) How to play the long game in internet business and how doing so pays enormous dividends down the road. Most people think it’s too much work, but this particular long game is amazingly fruitful. (47:10) The secret equation Mike developed to create explosive growth in his business. He calls it the “elevation principle” and it’s so easy, anyone can use it at any stage of their business journey. (51:35) The “good enough” error so many marketers make. Are you making this mistake? How long are you willing to put up with that? Resources: RayTraining.com https://macpaw.com/gemini Social Media Examiner, https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/ Social Media Marketing World, https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/smmworld/ Social Media Marketing Society, https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/society/ Launch, by Michael Stelzner, http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/launch/ Subscribe to the show through Apple Podcasts and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will mention you on this show. Get The Transcript Right-Click and “Save As” to Get the PDF Transcript.