My name is Paolo Cabrelli.
Fifteen years ago I replied to a job advert for a junior copywriting position at a publishing business in London.
I didn’t realise it at the time, but that advert changed my life. Just as this one might change yours.
Long story short: I got the job. It turned out to be with the UK branch of a global publishing business called Agora Inc. If you’ve never heard of Agora, we’re effectively the biggest direct response marketing business in the world. We publish hundreds of titles and have offices all over the world. And pretty much every penny we make comes from the skill and craft of our team of in house copywriters.
That’s why Agora is known as the best place in the world to learn, master and – sometimes – make a fortune from direct response copywriting.
I’m proof of that. I started as a junior writer. I’m now the publisher of Agora’s British business, Southbank Investment Research.
At a conservative estimate, I’ve been involved (either as a writer or publisher) in more than £30m worth of sales.
So what does any of this have to do with you?
Well, I’m setting out to grow my copy team. I’m looking for ambitious copywriters to join our business full time.
If you have experience copywriting – great.
If you don’t – that doesn’t matter at all. Lots of our top writers had no prior copywriting experience at all.
But what you DO need is a burning desire to learn, to improve and to succeed as a copywriter.
And that’s where our 2022 Copy Camp comes in. For one week starting on 23rd May of this year, I’m inviting a handful of hungry, talented writers to join us for a week of copy training.
This is your chance to learn the secrets of ‘Agora style’ copywriting – and to show us that you have what it takes to join our team.
In other words: we’re going to dedicate the entire week to teaching you how to write direct response copy capable of generating tens of millions of pounds of sales for Southbank and extremely lucrative royalties for yourself.
If that sounds too good to be true, know this: this is the third time we’ve done this.
We did it in 2017… and hired 7 writers.
We did it again in 2019… and hired another 5.
(Many of those writers are still with us. You’ll get to meet them for yourself if you join this year’s copy camp.)
The training itself is free of charge. But I’m not giving away my time out of charity. My goal is to find the very best copywriting talent out there and then HIRE THOSE WRITERS to join my in house team.
One week free training might sound a bit overkill. Trust me, it’s not. It’s the single best way of me seeing if you have what it takes to be a world class copywriter. No interview, CV or writing test can come close to us working with you.
At the very least, you’ll walk away with a better understanding of how to sell and how a multi-billion dollar publishing/copywriting business works. It will make you a better writer. I promise you that.
To run this training, I’ve hired two of Britain’s leading direct response copywriters and former Agora publishers, Nick O’Connor and Glenn Fisher.
Between them, Nick and Glenn have generated tens of millions of pounds in sales. They’ve seen it all. And they’ve helped countless up and coming copywriters learn the art of direct response copywriting.
If you’re still reading I’m going to guess (hope) you’re thinking, “How do I get a place on this?!” The answer to that is easy.
First, here’s what not to do. **DO NOT SEND ME YOUR CV** I don’t want to read it. It’ll go in the bin and your application will be rejected. I used all caps, bold and underline to make that point. So no excuses.
The reason for that stipulation is: I don’t care about your background, where you went to school or what relevant experience you have. I only care whether you can write, and write well.
So, write to me. Send me 1,000 words (maximum) explaining why I should offer you a place at our training. That’s it.
If I like what I see, I’ll get in touch. And we’ll take things from there.
Bear in mind if you really impress me, I’ll cover your expenses to get you on my course, so don’t let distance from London put you off, I’m looking for the best.
Send your application to copy@agora.co.uk. Don’t rush it. Get it right. I expect to receive hundreds of applications. I’ll likely invite 15 people on the training itself. So – get my attention and convince me to offer you a place.
Oh, final point. I said this earlier, but I’ll say it again.
Some of the best writers I’ve hired had NO prior experience. They just wrote me a letter and I liked it. Talent is more important than experience. So show me how talented you are.
Best,
Paolo Cabrelli
P.S. I told you I’d share a few messages from previous attendees. You’ll find them below. I’ve also thrown in a few notes from my management team, to give you a sense of how we value copywriters at our business.
WARNING. This copy camp could change your life.
Six years ago, I spent about a year trying to work out how to write direct response copy.
I took courses, read books, and did all the things you were meant to do. A load of online gurus told me they were ‘crushing it, bro!’ but didn’t actually give me any helpful advice.
Then, I saw a LinkedIn ad promoting the first ever UK Agora “Copy Camp”. Two weeks of full-time training in London, where I did not live at the time.
All I had to do to apply was write something that would grab the attention of someone called Nick O’Connor.
It was a big decision. But in the end, I thought, “what the hell?”.
So, I wrote something about the psychology of murderers that Nick called “weird, but good weird”.
He invited me – and 19 others – along to the camp. I heard later than 300 people applied.
For the next two weeks, Nick shared everything he knew about writing copy. Real tricks of the trade. Secrets I’d never seen written down anywhere else.
I learned more about writing good copy in that two weeks than I did in the whole previous year of reading books and taking courses.
I still use what he taught now, half a decade later.
And not only did I learn an insane amount for nothing: I got offered a job at the end of it. Trainee copywriter.
I was going to get paid to learn copy directly from Agora’s finest, full-time. Talk about golden opportunities.
In the following 3 weeks, I uprooted my whole life to come to London, and five years later, I’m still here.
I’ve gone from knowing NOTHING about copy to becoming a multi-million-selling copywriter at the top financial publisher in the world.
And it’s all down to the single decision I made to attend that first copy camp.
There are no guarantees. Learning this stuff is not easy. The harder you work, the better you do.
Hell, it took me about 3 years to even vaguely feel like I knew how any of this works.
But the facts don’t lie:
Attending Agora’s copy camp was the best decision I have ever made. It genuinely changed my life.
Who knows, maybe it’ll do the same for you?
Shaun Edwards, Copywriter
Before joining Agora I was a stereotypical copywriting nut.
I’d read all the books. Taken all the courses. And copied out ‘The Greats’’ sales letters by hand.
But attending the first iteration of the Agora copy training in 2017 was a game changer.
I felt like I’d been given the ‘keys’ to persuasion I’d always been looking for.
Just two weeks training from these guys advanced my persuasive writing ability – and my copywriting career – more so than several years studying the principles of direct response.
And that was just the beginning.
Since becoming a ‘full time’ Agora copywriter I’ve been fortunate enough to receive what I consider to be the best copywriting education in the world... bar none.
I sit one meter away from one of the most successful working copywriters in the world today. Someone who has generated millions of pounds over the course of the last decade.
He is constantly critiquing my work. And I am constantly improving. It’s a position very few copywriters in the world can say they have the privilege of possessing.
This job isn’t for everyone though. To succeed, a borderline unhealthy obsession with your craft is required.
This is not a 9-5 job. It’s a lifestyle. You’re constantly reading, researching, and writing. In and out of the office.
If you’re not up for that, then frankly, I don’t think you’ll succeed here.
You need to have thick skin too. The feedback on your copy and your ideas can be brutal. As a writer, you pour your heart and soul into your work. And it can be hard to accept someone telling you what you’ve just put so much time and effort into is ‘wrong’.
But if you have a natural curiosity as to how people tick…
Have the willingness to work like a dog…
And have the ability to take criticism on board and act on it…
Then this could be a dream job for you.
Rich Hess, Copywriter
People thought I was mad.
At 56, I was going to jack in a well-paid career job to become a trainee copywriter.
I was going to halve my salary, add in an expensive London commute (although Covid did reduce that!)… all for a one-year contract that could have ended at any point during those first 12 months.
And it’s not as though I was new to writing.
I’d worked for Channel 4’s teletext service, edited at ITN, freelanced for the Sunday Sport and been Head of Copy at the world’s largest direct to consumer wine merchant.
Yet it has proved to be the best decision I have ever made.
After my first year, I was starting to make more money than my old salary… I learnt more about copy in those 12 months than in 20 years of mainstream journalistic and commercial writing… and I’m doing things now I’d never dreamed I would have been doing if I’d stayed festering where I was.
All because I’d been lucky enough to ‘persuade my way’ onto a copywriting bootcamp run by Southbank Investment Research, the London office of Agora… the Asgard of direct response.
It’s not easy. (It took me three attempts over a decade to ‘break in’).
Not everyone taken on after bootcamp does survive…
But the rewards are so much more than just the commission cheques.
And if you’re serious about copy, it’s quite simply the best job there is.
Richard Bull, Copywriter
I loathe to admit it, but my success as a publisher and editor largely comes down to the talent in the copy ranks. After all, the copy team are the ones that really grow the business. They’re the ones that first grab the attention of our readers and set the tone in how the readers engage with our services.
But it’s no easy job. They need to work with stuffy editors like me, turning our sometimes dry editorial into emotional, actionable sales copy that grabs peoples’ attention. Marketeers and compliance also have high demands of their time and effort.
If there was a formula to what makes a good copywriter, then please write in and let me know. As far as I can work out, no copywriters are alike, coming from a variety of professional backgrounds and holding different interests. Actually, that’s not quite true. They do share one thing in common: any successful copywriter must be an ideas machine, fizzing with the next big idea that will make compelling sales copy that makes you stop, think and buy.
James Allen, Associate Publisher
I’ve worked with many copywriters during my 16+ years at Agora. Some have been truly great…many are good...and others....let’s just say they didn’t leave an impression. In my experience, a great copywriter is more than being inquisitive about the world. Such a quality is standard if you work at an Agora business.
The outstanding copywriter wants to know everything. They are quick thinkers that relish finding innovative ideas. They challenge the mainstream. They respect and want to learn from the expert behind the product they are selling. They are unrelenting in their pursuit of success. It is no coincidence that some of the best copywriters have gone on to start their own businesses within Agora.
Heading up the compliance dept. means I can’t not mention that Southbank is authorised and regulated by the FCA. This can be a challenge. In fact, it’s arguably the biggest challenge after finding a good copy angle. A successful copywriter is able to recognise that regulation doesn’t mean dumbing down their ideas or working in a restricted way. Instead, they can create engaging copy that works within the regulations. We are not interested in finding ways to trick people into buying our products. Our aim is to publish quality work that helps readers build on their financial knowledge and take ownership of their wealth. We want to help demystify the markets, and give readers alternative ideas and opinions from those they find in the mainstream.
To do this we work with experts that make up a world-class editorial team. Convincing people why they need to take notice of them is an art. One that few can master. And it’s respected – I certainly couldn’t do it! If we can’t reach out to new readers with our ideas, our business doesn’t grow. Simple as that. I see copywriters trying every good idea they have. Yet, they are able to move on and learn quickly from the ones that don’t work. When they hit on an idea that resonates with people, they will use all the resources available to them to build on it. They’re not idle. They don’t stop to bask in their success. Hitting on an idea that works is just the beginning…
Becoming an Agora copywriter is an opportunity to learn from the best. But leave your ego at the door. You will need to dig deep, grow a thick skin and learn to collaborate with the whole team to be a true success.
Samantha Ricketts, Head of Compliance
My story is a bit different…
I’ve been at Southbank for just over a year, before that I spent 15 years working with animals.
It was through running my own pet care business that I discovered copywriting.
I spent a lot of time consuming free information and reading posts in Facebook groups. But I still didn’t didn’t really understand copywriting.
Then one day I came across a course on financial copywriting created by a former Agora Copy Chief. And I was hooked.
Fast forward to last March…
I wrote the Southbank team a letter about why they should give me a shot as a copywriter - and luckily for me, they liked it.
I immediately packed up the pet business and became a full-time financial copywriter.
Over the last year I’ve had the pleasure of working with a team of the friendliest and most committed people I’ve ever met.
Including some world-class copywriters who I can just email for help any time.
I get feedback on my copy every day, often several times a day.
And my copy skills have grown exponentially.
If you want to kickstart your copywriting career and take it to new heights…
Then write that letter.
Thale McLernon, Copywriter
I joined Southbank over 18 months ago during the height of the pandemic as a total newbie without any real grounding or experience in writing sales copy. Here’s how I did it…
The first time I became aware of Southbank was through an advert just like this one. It was for the copy training event that took place in 2019 – the last one that the company had before the pandemic and lockdown restrictions. I’d been doing lots of reading and research about this exciting and intriguing world of copywriting and had learned all about Agora, but this was the first I’d learned of a UK branch. I knew I had to get involved somehow… But there was no copy training event in 2020!
Luckily for me, Southbank were taking on board trainee copywriters which I found out about after seeing an advert on LinkedIn. That meant I had to do things the old-fashioned way to try and persuade them to hire me… How? Through the art of good copy, of course!
See, I had given myself a head start and read everything I could about sales letter copy. Once I had a rough idea of how they worked and what to write, I sat down a wrote one myself. Simple as that. But, wait, what was I selling them...? Myself, of course. After all, if you really are a skilled writer, then it’s you who is valuable to the company, not the other way round. Why else would we go through the trouble to write all this? Southbank needs good writers in order to thrive. As my boss says, ‘Copy is the lifeblood of our business’.
I was persuasive enough in my letter to get Southbank’s attention and ultimately got the job. Now, after 18 months at Southbank, I have learned so much and really feel that I am being given the best education and opportunities to become a great copywriter. Like mastering any skill, it takes a lot of time and practice to get there, but I am thrilled to be on the journey. I’d urge anyone thinking about it to take the plunge – you’re unlikely to regret it…
Simon Dickson, Copywriter