What he is saying is that Direct Marketing Skills are needed to sell your services. No matter what you decide you like, you need good copywriting skills to get business or even find a job. A sad resume is a sad resume in any field.

Kimberly, just a tip...

Before taking "any" copywriting course, be sure to inquire about it here on Michel's forum first.

Are you at liberty to say the name of this course?

If yes, It would be a good idea to let us know what it is.

Alot of the folks here may already have some first-hand knowledge you may want to know.

How lovely it is to have a network of professionals to consult. I'm so in the habit of figuring out things myself through trial and error...

Here is the link to the course I wanted to take.


http://www.mediabistro.com/courses/cache/crs1364.asp

Stephen, have you (or anyone) heard of this course or the person teaching it? I'm based in Los Angeles, so if you know of any good classes I'd love to know. I'd prefer to actually physically attend a class , but I'm open to on-line courses, too.

I also saw this site for writing "Killer Copy" that looked very promising:

http://www.killercopytactics.com/

It's interesting because the ad took me in and I realized it was using the Direct Marketing format that I was initially reluctant to learn.

There seem to be so many avenues out there, so if anyone has any advice to help me with my decision, I would greatly appreciate it.

I currently own the "Copywriter's Handbook" by Robert Bly and "Copywriting" by J. Jonathan Gabay. I had read through sections of each when I first bought the books, but I'll be giving them a more thorough read. I've also just ordered "The Well-Fed Writer".

And since I'm putting it all out there...

I'm looking into taking a second job and thought of applying to an ad agency or marketing company to learn about the industry. Any advice on where's a good place to start or what types of companies are are good to apply to for someone just starting out?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Kimberly

I would stay away from the first one. Sounds like another hollywood guy like me, trying to change careers. I've never heard of him either in hollywood circles, or in copywriting circles.

A Google search seems to point to an authentic screenwriter who likes to help folks break into the field. And if you willing to risk the small price, likely you'll learn your money's worth. Plan to network at the event and it could be very helpful.

Your other sources look ON TARGET for quality information that will reward you with income. If you watch "The Apprentice" you can see how the "image" and "Brand" markets run. It's not what the folks here do.

I agree with chocho (below.)

And don't overlook the priceless:
http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/

Sky,

Unless I missed something I don't see a damn thing mentioned about this guy John Scott Lewinski that would lead me to take a DM copywriting course from him. He might know something about hollywood, but I think it would be much better for her to take a DM course from one of the guys here.

Kimberly,
I can recommend David Garfinkle's course. Simple, clear, easy to understand and to implement. Worth the $$. It's Direct Response oriented, but you can apply almost everything to every other form of copywriting. And David is a great teacher. More about David on his blog here: www.world-copywriting-institute.com/blog

Lewinski is a screenwriter, and for the direction you want to go in, it may be worth your $65. I suspect his course is more about how to tell a persuasive story, rather than copywriting, per se. Story-telling is a great skill to have and he may be worth your time. He has four books out. You might want to check them out first.

Also, since you want to go into more traditional advertising (a VERY hard nut to crack, BTW), you do want to apply for an agency job (for which you will be paid less than crap). You will need portfolio samples, so try teaming up with a graphics student who wants to go into advertising and who also needs portfolio samples.

Try to put together some strong samples for "boring" products, like insurance, or car dealerships. Everybody does samples of sexy stuff like brand name liquor or cars, and the fact is, you won't get to work on those kinds of accounts until you've done time in the trenches. You'll be working on the "bread-and-butter" accounts first. If your samples can make insurance sexy, you'll get to the good stuff much faster. Be warned: most agency advertising is crap and a waste of the client's money.

Check out this site: www.adcracker.com for some info that you will probably find helpful.

More reading suggestions: Confessions of an Advertising Man by Oglivy, Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples, Hey, Whipple - Squeeze This! by Luke Sullivan, and Why We Buy by Paco Underhill.

And stock up on Ramen noodles. It will probably be a long haul.

Thanks everyone for your advice and suggestions!

I started reading "Well-Fed Writer" over the weekend and I'm really enjoying it so far.

I've also had a chance to look at Gary Halbert and David Garfinkle's site and adcracker.com, but still need to review them all more in depth. Great stuff so far.

Little by little, I'll get there.

Cheers to you all.

Kimberly