EP13: Masterclass On Essential Dialogue

Dialogue isn't just writing out what someone said. Nope, too important to be trusted to stark transcriptions, especially when money's at stake in a sales message.

Every writer has trouble with dialogue, at first. It requires some real epiphanies to start writing like Elmore Leonard or Stephen King or even an advice columnist.

Yet it's so very crucial to setting up scenes that move the action forward quickly and decisively. All the top copywriters worked through their initial trouble with dialogue, and now use it to bring their stories to life, while pushing for the sale as smoothly as having a casual conversation.

Lots more, too: John recalls the early days of infomercials (where dialogue was the entire ad), why the format works and how the pro's settled on that format after years of trying everything else. He even goes over the "origin story" of that entire wing of marketing, which led the way to online video sales pages and a whole sub-genre of advertising.

Finally, the guys dive into what it takes – mentally and physically – to create near-perfect final drafts of sales letters, ads, video scripts and sales pages online. And precisely how long they spend editing drafts (you'll be shocked)... plus how they could determine when they had a winner (and when they realized they had to toss the manuscript and start over).

The entire episode has them rolling up their sleeves and getting down and dirty with the logistics and crunch-time editing that separates the pro's from the wannabe's.

You'll also learn how to "murder your darlings", along with multiple hilarious and fascinating rants on what it means to be a top copywriter in this competitive game.

Dive in. You can raise yourself a level in the ranks just by listening...