True Confessions of a Freelance Copywriter: The Undercover Letter

Yeah, okay. So, this is going to be about copywriting (for the most part) because that's what a) I am and b) my head is wrapped around right now.
It truly is an obsession.

Hope Springs Eternal or The Dreamer's Disease

Now, I call Columbus, OH my home but I've done the majority of writing outside Columbus and a very large chunk of that majority was outside the O-H. This was never my intention and it has certainly had its share of downsides (upsides, too) but it never left me downtrodden. Being the eternal optimist that I am, I believed that these opportunities in ad markets great and small would allow me to return home to C-Bus and lead me to greater things when I returned. I still believe this but keeping the faith requires heavy hustle and a Poppins-style bag of tricks.

Hustle and Show

The hustle, though time-consuming and sometimes monotonous, is automatic at this point but the bag of tricks is something else entirely. I'm a big fan of the undercover letter, or the cover letter that isn't. For newbies and oldbies, it's one of the most important gate-busting items in a creative's arsenal. Sure, it's who you know more times than not but what happens when you don't know anyone? Nothing, if you don't have an undercover letter to show. This is one I wrote awhile back that connected me with some great people and decent opportunities (and vice/versa):

I’m the idea man.
All day long, I plan and plan and plan.
I’ve got an idea for everything-
because everything is wrong.

The above hubristic claim is something I wrote down in a notebook YEARS ago.

They were intended to be lyrics to a Beatle-esque song that borrowed more from Apples in Stereo than it did from the Apple Corp. legends (in mono).

The song, the band and the concept never saw the light of day.
Alas, I wasn’t meant to be the Midwest’s less profound, but sunnier answer to Elliott Smith.
I was however meant to be in advertising and take my appreciation for great ideas to strange, new and interesting places both physical and metaphysical.

I was meant to be an advertising copywriter.

As an ad copywriter, I don the guise of the Idea Man and create great advertising.

I look forward to finding an agency that is the perfect fit.

I look forward to working at an agency that gets it right.

I’m the idea man.
All day long, I plan and plan and plan.
I’ve got an idea for everything-
because everything is wrong.

Is it trying too hard to be hip? Definitely.
Does it reek of self-importance? Absolutely.
And scream a certain brand of idealistic B.S.? Maybe.
Did it generate a favorable response? Yes!

And that's it my friend. That's all anyone could ever hope for or want.
An interesting cover letter that says something - anything - can be the difference between an interview and a generic form email.
Remember, there are various forms and levels of interesting. Just know your audience.
Interesting is good. Offensive -not so much.
It's risky business and there are no guarantees but if you wanted safe, you wouldn't be in this business.