stephen altrogge samples
DESCRIPTION
Samples of my writing style and voiceTRANSCRIPT
STEPHEN ALTROGGE STORY ON FIRE
www.StoryOnFire.com
A lot of my clients ask for samples of my writing and for the details of my writing. I get it. Obviously you don’t want to hire someone who can’t put words together into an intelligent sentence. You want someone who can write like mad (a good mad) and who knows how to use words to connect with a reader. You want someone who can string together sentences like a boxer stringing together punches (I think that analogy works). You want someone who writes with passion and power (that sounds a little too much like a Hallmark commercial, but whatever). And you want someone who is more reliable than your grandmother’s television (they don’t make them like they used to). So that’s where I come in. My name is Stephen Altrogge, and my brand is Story On Fire. My goal is to take your words and make them freakin’ amazing. I can make my writing style blend in with your voice. If you want me to be bold and brash, I can swagger across the page like a guy who has had one too many martinis. If you want me to inhabit the business world, I can reference performance metrics, return on investment, and key performance indicators. If you want me to be friendly, yet not weird, I can adopt a smooth tone, not too warm, not too cold. My point is that I can give you whatever the heck you need. If you want actual references, I can tell you about the hightraffic websites I’ve built and the social media channels I’ve built. I can inform you of the projects I’ve done and the people I’ve helped. If I’m feeling really bold, I might even tell you about the 9 books I’ve published. But honestly, what you need to see is my writing. You need to know that I can deliver. Fast. High quality. And on freakin’ time. My goal is to deliver what you want, when you want it. I’ll meet your deadline. If you’ve got more questions, feel free to email me at [email protected] I’ve attached a few samples of my work below, just so you know that I’m actually telling the truth!
ABOUT BROCHURE FOR SACHS MEDIA
Crafting
Breakthrough Solutions
At Sachs Media Group, we’re all about breakthroughs. Bold, impactful, game-changing solutions for big, important, thorny problems. We don’t play small-ball. We love to help clients conquer their toughest challenges, achieve business goals that shift momentum in their favor, and overcome those painful problems that keep them staring at the ceiling night after night.
There are no cookie cutters in our kitchen. We approach every client challenge with the care of a craftsman. We work until we understand your business model inside and out, and we bond with your team until it feels like we’ve been together from the beginning.
We love to deliver the kinds of solutions that have our clients saying, “Yes!” That’s what we mean by a breakthrough.
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What WE’RE MADE OF
Our 30 team members have diverse expertise as top government and corporate brand strategists, political gunslingers, award-winning creatives, online media producers, digital architects, and seasoned former journalists. Here’s what makes us different:
HIGH-STAKES CHALLENGES We want to make a serious difference in your life and in the world. We’re at our best when the stakes are highest. If you’ve got a big opportunity, meaningful cause or sticky problem, we’d love to work with you. STRATEGIC DIRECTION We don’t do “Ready, fire, aim!” Our tactics are directly tied to strategy to make sure we aren’t just doing things, but doing the right things to get the outcomes you need. informed by upfront research to make sure they are on strategy and we measure outcomes continuously to make sure we are getting the results we expect. INQUISITIVE THINKING We ask questions. We dig deeper. Our in-house research team pokes and prods, constantly looking for insights that allow you to take action. Through qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, target audience research, and message testing, we identify key insights that deliver breakthroughs.
ENERGIZED STORYTELLING
Everyone’s got a story. We have the skills to tell yours in ways that captivate interest, touch hearts and deepen loyalty. Weaving together words, images, design, and video, we create and share your story in ways that engages people and compels them to action. SENSE OF URGENCY We like forward motion, and we aren’t afraid of aggressive deadlines (yeah, we’re weird like that). We believe the breakthrough is always right around the corner, waiting to be discovered, and we can’t wait to get that game-changing solution into your hands. CONNECTED (VERY) We know the right people. Movers and shakers. People of influence. People who get stuff done. When you work with us, our friends become your friends.
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Work That
MATTERS We don’t do great work to win awards. For us, it’s about doing meaningful things that matter... Constantly pursuing excellence… Making a real difference in the world or your world. It’s about delivering the perfectly crafted breakthrough solution that suddenly changes everything.
We measure success by the results we get for our clients. Results like:
● Helping the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs generate a 95% increase in services, generating a $2 billion increase in federal benefits drawn down by Florida veterans.
● Increasing reports to Florida’s child abuse hotline by 33% and online reporting portal by 43%. ● Back-to-back record years for finalized adoptions in Florida, earning Florida millions in federal
bonus dollars. ● Increasing monthly sales leads by 293% through the first six months of a financial company’s
newly-launched B2C division. ● Increasing organic search-referred sales leads by 13% following the launch of a home insurance
carrier’s new website and brand.
Still, our trophy case rocks!
● Agency of the Year for our size by Bulldog Reporter (2011) ● Among top two firms nationwide for non-profit communications (Bulldog Reporter, 2014) ● Three-time winner of top national social/digital campaign (Bulldog Reporter, 2012-14) ● National Gracie Award (2014) ● Six Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards for video production. ● Top Public Affairs PR Firm in Southeastern U.S. (O’Dwyers, 2014) ● Top Financial PR Firm in Southeastern U.S. (O’Dwyer’s, 2014) ● Two-time winner of top PR campaign in Florida (FPRA Dick Pope All Florida Grand Golden Image
Award (2009, 2013) ● More than 100 Addy Awards for design on local, regional and national levels ● Ranked among Florida’s “Best Companies to Work For” (Florida Trend, 2014)
Public Relations | Advertising | Branding | Crisis | Research Public Affairs | Digital Marketing | Social Media | Design
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CONTACT NOW SachsMedia.com TALLAHASSEE 114 South Duval Street Tallahassee, FL 32301 (850) 222-1996 ORLANDO Two Landmark Center 225 E. Robinson Street, Suite 455 Orlando, FL 32801 (407) 219-3157 BOCA RATON 150 East Palmetto Park Road, Suite 800 Boca Raton, Florida 33432 (847) 977-9740
LANDING PAGE FOR “ADOPT-A-GRANNY” NON-PROFIT
HEADLINE OPTIONS: Who will care for these? Provide Life Changing Help To Grannies In Need For Less Than The Cost Of Your Streaming Video Service Help Us Reach 1 New Granny With Your Simple OneTime Gift SUBHEADLINE OPTIONS: Make a massive difference for only $9. With one small donation you can help us meet their most pressing need and initiate a long term relationship of hope, healing, and dignity. BODY: Hi, I’m Lizzie, U.S. assistant director of Dorcas America a global nonprofit. But more importantly, I’m also a mom and a daughter. As a mother, there’s nothing more important to me than caring for my children. And I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the loving care that I received and continue to receive from my mother. I simply can’t imagine being apart from my children or my mother. That’s why I want to let you know about a huge need that is especially close to my heart and all but unknown here in the United States. All across Eastern Europe and Africa, elderly women are in desperate need of food, clothing, firewood, coal, and medical equipment. Due to displacement, emigration, or extreme poverty, these women have no family to care for them. We’ve sat with these ladies and their stories are heartbreaking. They’ve given so much throughout their lives, yet don’t have even the most basic of their needs met. No one to help them. No one to provide for them. No one to be there for them.
They go hungry. They grow cold. Their health deteriorates. They need your help. Dorcas America has created the “AdoptAGranny” program to bring aid to these women. Through this lifegiving program, these women receive the food, vitamins, bedding, and medical care that they desperately need. For only $9, you can make it possible for one of these women to receive aid, nurture, and care from the AdoptAGranny program. For about the price of one month of your streaming video service, you can make an enormous difference in the life of a destitute woman. Women like Tirunesh Mekonen. She’s one reason I’m so grateful to be part of the AdoptAGranny program. Tirunesh was living a happy life until her husband tragically died. She had no secure income, no children, and no family members to care for her. In an effort to get food, she started selling furniture, but that wasn’t enough. She sold her clothes, her personal belongings, even her shoes. Finally she sold her house. For years she was on the streets, begging for money. She had lost her husband, her home, and even her dignity. Ten years ago, Tirunesh joined the AdoptAGranny program. Through the help and support of the program team, she now has shelter, food, and clothing. The AdoptAGranny program was able to give Tirunesh back her dignity. She now tells people that she is forever grateful for the difference the AdoptAGranny program made in her life. Your onetime gift of only $9 makes it possible for one of these women to be welcomed into the AdoptAGranny family. For only $9, we are able to meet whatever a granny’s most pressing need might be. This entry point opens up that new relationship and effectively brings one new woman into the AdoptAGranny family. Be the difference these ladies need. [CALL TO ACTION]: Yes, I want to help! IMPORTANT QUESTIONS!
● Why should I partner with the AdoptAGranny program? Similar programs for children are already well known and making a huge impact. But our program is one of the only organizations which cares for these elderly women. We are providing a critical service found nowhere else.
● Will I get billed every month? No, this is a onetime gift of only $9.
● How is my donation used? Your generous donation will be to provide things like food,
clothing, firewood, medical supplies, vitamins, bedding, and other lifegiving supplies.
● Will my donation directly support the women in need? Yes. We at Dorcas Relief and Development know the impact that even a few dollars have in the life of one of these women. That’s why we ensure that 90% of all donations go directly to resources for the women in the AdoptAGranny project. In 2014, we supported over 5,000 grannies in 10 different countries, and we hope to increase this number to 6,000 in the upcoming year.
In order for us to serve another 1,000 grannies by the end of this year, it’s crucial for us to raise $150,000. That amount will enable us to build facilities for the grannies, deliver support to new grannies, and continue supporting all the women currently in the program. This is a monumental task, but your gift will make it possible for us to achieve it! Think of the difference only $9 will make in the life of a woman! She’ll wake up and start a fire with the wood you’ve provided. She’ll eat a lunch you made possible. She’ll sleep with blankets purchased with your gift. It’s amazing what $9 can accomplish. [CALL TO ACTION]: Make a difference today! To get started, simply take two two minutes and enter your credit card or PayPal information in the form below. Please join me in bringing joy and life changing support to more women like Sipos Ana, from Romania. She is partially paralyzed and dependent on the AdoptAGranny program for support. Together, we can bless thousands of women in the same way we blessed Tirunesh and Sipos.
BLOG POST FOR SAAS STARTUP
(Based on YouTube video by CEO)
You’re neck deep into negotiations with a potential prospect, and at the 11th hour they bring up the fact they’ve also been talking with a competitor of yours. The competitor has offered them a crazy low price. The potential client wants to know: Can you beat that price? They’re trying to suck you into a price war. A bidding battle. A fight to the bottom. A dogeatdog battle royale. What should you do in a situation like that? Get the hell out.
Best price or best value? When a potential client tries to drag you into a price war with a competitor, you can fight and scratch and claw your way to the bottom, all in an effort to provide the lowest possible price to the client. You can cut, undercut, and cut some more. You can keep trying to meet your clients’ lowball proposal. You can wrestle around in the mud, trying to price yourself lower than your competitors. If you’re trying to be like WalMart and be the cheapest one out there, more power to you. If your success comes by beating people in the margins, go for it. But I don’t want to do business like that. I don’t like mud wrestling. We’re in the value business. We’re a premium solution in a premium market. We provide a topnotch solution for topnotch clients. Are you in the value business or the price business? Your goal is not to become so affordable that everyone and their mother can get some value out of you. You’re goal is to create such an avalanche of value that customers are more than happy to pay a fair price for your services. lf a client backs out because of price, let that serve as a kick in the pants to push you toward becoming an even more valuable service.
Become obsessed with delivering a huge amount of value.
How low can you go? So what should you do if a potential client tries to sucker you into a price war? I was recently in a situation like this myself. A potential client informed me that he had been in talks with a competitor, and that the competitor had offered him a really good price. Then he dropped the question: Would I beat that price? You know what I told him? I told him that if the only difference between us and the competitor was price, then I actually wanted him to go with the competitor. Hell, I would even HELP him get a lower price from the competitor. I would quote him a lower price which he could then take to the competitor to get an even lower price. I would be his low ball leverage. I would be on his team. Why would I say something like that? Because we’re in the value business, NOT the price business. Because I know that the minute I get into a price war, I lose! If he wanted the cheapest solution, he could take his business somewhere else. If he felt the only thing separating us from the competitor was price, then I didn’t want him as a customer. I only wanted him as a customer if he wanted high value, a great partnership, and a shitton of sales success. Plus (and this is huge), if I’m willing to actually help him get a lower price from the competitor, it puts us on the same team. Suddenly, instead of being his price war opponent, I’m in his corner. He knows that I care about him and want to give him the best solution. And, it makes it much easier for him to come back to me in six months when it turns out that saving a little money each month isn’t the solution after all. If a potential client tries to pull you into a price war, force him against the ropes. Ask him whether or not he likes your product more than the competitors'. Push hard on value versus price. You’re not WalMart, offering the lowest prices on the block. You’re not a street vendor selling knockoff products on the cheap. You offer premium value to people who want success.
Closing the deal
In the end, I actually ended up closing the deal. I helped the client understand that value, not low price, provided the best ROI. The lesson? Be obsessed with delivering high value. Fight the urge to lower your prices to the lowest common denominator. How do you win a price war? By not getting into a price war in the first place! When a potential client starts playing price war ping pong, take yourself out of the game. If the client is dead set on the lowest price, point him to the competitor, even offering to help him get the best price. But make sure he understands why you’re the top value and the specific impact your value will have on his business. If he goes with the competitor, he isn't the kind of customer you want anyway.
INFINITUS INBOUND COURSE AFTER HOURS SALES
LETTER
HEADLINE: KEEP YOUR MOMENTUM GOING STRONG! Congratulations! You completed the Infinitus Inbound course, and your business is positioned to make some serious BANK! But HOW are you going to keep your MOMENTUM going? HOW are you going to keep your inbound marketing processes SHARP? How are you going to ENSURE that you keep growing in your marketing knowledge and skill?
I want to offer you the chance to be part of the INFINITUS INBOUND
AFTER HOURS group.
[CALL TO ACTION]: Yes, I want access to this EXCLUSIVE group! The Infinitus Inbound After Hours group is SPECIFICALLY designed for entrepreneurs who have already completed the inbound course and who REALLY want to keep their business momentum ROLLING. For only $197 per month, you get access to our STARTER package, which includes:
● TWO 90 minute group Q&A sessions with me every month. ● ONE advanced learning session with me and a business EXPERT every month. ● ACCESS to our secret HIGHLEVEL Facebook group where you can trade questions
and advice with passionate entrepreneurs like yourself. For only $729 per month, you get access to our EXPERT package, which includes:
● TWO 90 minute group Q&A sessions with me every month. ● ONE advanced learning session with me and a business EXPERT every month. ● ACCESS to our secret HIGHLEVEL Facebook group, where you can trade questions
and advice with passionate entrepreneurs like yourself. PLUS…
● 1ON1 email support from the business experts at Infinitus, allowing you to submit
questions DIRECTLY to us. ● 45 MINUTES of direct LIVE support from Infinitus every month, in which we talk you
through SPECIFIC ways to sharpen YOUR inbound marketing strategies.
As more classes graduate, our prices will increase. GET IN NOW as an early graduate.
[CALL TO ACTION]: I want to keep my momentum going! The Infinitus Inbound course has positioned your business for success. Let’s work together to keep your momentum rolling, the leads coming in, and the revenue expanding. Let’s work together to keep your marketing strategy razor sharp. Let’s work together to take your business even further. [CALL TO ACTION]: Yes, I want my to take my business to the next LEVEL!
AFFILIATE POST FOR SITEPOINT
If you’ve built a website with Wordpress, you know how incredibly frustrating it can be to get the look right. Unless you’re a professional web designer, the thought of getting under the hood of the CSS (cascading style sheets) can send shivers down your spine and send you to the medicine cabinet for a pint of Pepto Bismol. It’s SO confusing. All the color and pixel and layout specifications jumbled together into a cascading mess. All you want to do is make a small color change. Maybe if you change this number… CRAP! Now your entire website is in black and white with Comic Sans font, like an old Disney World advertisement. And you can’t quite figure out how to get back to the original layout. Your only option now is to hire a professional to fix what you royally screwed up. That sound you hear is your fist POUNDING your computer in frustration. Wouldn’t it be FANTASTIC if there were a simple, hasslefree way to adjust the CSS layout of your website? Wouldn’t it be AMAZING if you didn’t have to shell out loads of cash every time you wanted to give your website a makeover? Wouldn’t it make things so much SIMPLER if you could change the look and feel of your website with a few clicks of the mouse?
Meet CSS Hero. CSS Hero is a premium Wordpress plugin which allows you to quickly and easily adjust the layout of your Wordpress theme.
With just a few clicks of the mouse, you can adjust the font, color, margins, padding, layout, and even special effects of your website. And with the simple “Undo / Redo” option, you can easily correct any mistakes. No more SCREAMING at your computer while your child watches on in horror. No more SHELLING out buckets of cash for an expensive professional named “Theo” to work on your site. No more SCREWING up your website design. CSS Hero is the allinone web design plugin your sanity and wallet have been begging for. And the goodness just keeps on coming. CSS Hero is offering a 50% discount on ALL their plans. For ONLY $59 per year, you can get the “Personal Plan”, which allows you to work on up to 5 different sites at one time. To get this stellar offer, simply use the discount code: SitePoint50 Don’t let Wordpress design drive you bonkers and deplete your wallet. Get on board the CSS Hero train.