Working in advertising is terrifying.

Every day you need a new idea – and, as the saying goes, there is nothing new under the sun.

This became starkly apparent when my copy failed recently. Twice.

Here’s what happened.

For around a year or so, I’ve been working on an ongoing e-marketing campaign. Each week, I talk to the same people with (invariably) the same objective: to get them to pay money for the product I asked them to pay money for the week before. You’re probably familiar with the situation.

How the hell do you keep them interested? They know your email is coming. They know what opening it might lead them to do. How the hell do you convince them, time and time again, to do it?

You need new ideas, and they need to be good. And for two consecutive weeks, mine weren’t.

Naturally, my client asked me to explain. I had no answers. But there was a ridiculously simple solution.

The solution I stumbled on was tucked away in a book – which is always a source of new ideas.

The book in question was Lester Wunderman’s Being Direct. Mid-way through, Wunderman explains that he found buyers of art were interested in the stories behind their art – because they enjoyed relaying the stories to friends.

Perhaps the same thing would work for my audience?

It did, and I managed to survive another week. Next week, a new idea will be called for. Have you ever faced a similar problem? If so, you have two options:

You can either find yourself a new idea (perhaps in a book like Wunderman’s).

Or you can deprive a freelance copywriter of some sleep – by asking them to find one for you.

You can do the latter here.