The Copywriter’s Copywriter – Drayton Bird
Copywriting Copywriting training writing tipsUpon close inspection you’ll see he’s not a bird at all…..
No. Drayton Bird is in fact a copywriter– he grew up in a pub near Liverpool, went to Manchester Uni and has spent his life in marketing – very, very successfully.
These days………… he lives up a mountain – shrouded in mist, …………..in Bristol.
If you’ve ever seen Kill Bill 2 you’ll be familiar with the character Pai Mei.
Pai Mei is THE MAN. The martial arts gooroo. He of the five point palm exploding heart technique.
Pai Mei taught the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad everything they needed to know about killing people with their bare hands. And what he doesn’t know about killing people with their bare hands isn’t worth knowing.
To many professional sales copywriters Drayton Bird is Pai Mei.
He wrote the brilliant ‘How to Write Sales Letters That Sell‘.
David Ogilvy once said that Drayton Bird, “knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world.”
Ogilvy was so impressed with Bird that he bought his company.
And next Thurs……………… I shall be rising before dawn – climbing the 1888 stone steps all the way up the mist shrouded mountain.
And I shall sit at his feet.
And I shall study.
I’ll also be paying him a not inconsiderable amount of money for the privilege.
And it is a privilege.
Why is it a privilege?
Because Bird’s skills are rare.
Skills that will benefit me and my clients to a value many times more than I shall be handing over to Drayton Bird at the top of that mist shrouded mountain in Bristol.
Skills that separate the great from the good copywriters.
And…….. I like becoming a better and better at what I do.
It’s good to have your efforts recognised – I like seeing my name in the top 10 UK SEO Copywriters – I like being offered interesting well paid projects. Helping people build their businesses feels mighty good.
And why am I telling you this?
Because it’s important that people know that being a pro copywriter doesn’t just happen. At least not one worth trusting your business copy to. It’s life-long learning – it’s the effort you put into being great that makes you great – it’s the distance you go and the commitment you make – the study, the reading, the training you take – the trips up mist shrouded mountains in Bristol
It’s all these things combined that deliver the real benefits.
So really what I’m getting at is……………. is…………….. that when it comes to death defying websites,
Brochures of distinction.
Sales letters that will make the competition spit blood.
Emails, shemails. alphanails – in fact any form of marketing communication – new website – new marketing – you can be sure that I’ll not only get the job done, I’ll get it done fantastically well.
Oh and that business at the beginning about ‘upon close inspection…’?
Well you just can’t be too careful these days.
Martin,
I read his book many years ago as he was recommended so highly
I still have the book, but wonder how his advice has changed with digital coming, some things principles will be the same
Will have a read again
Rob