The snake in the copywriting garden

Someone tried to steal my friend's client last week.

And I'm not talking about fair competition here.

This was some next-level snake behavior that would make a cobra blush.

Here's what happened...

My friend just landed his first client. 

(You know that feeling - like you want to high-five every stranger you see and tell them 'I'M A REAL COPYWRITER NOW!')

Excited, he shared his win in our copywriting Discord community.

Enter "Slitherin' Steve" (not his real name, but you'll see why it fits).

Steve slides into my friend's DMs faster than a guy seeing his crush’s status changed to ‘single’.

"How'd you land them?" 

"What was your approach?" 

"Can you share your outreach template?"

My friend, being the good guy he is and remembering his own beginner struggles, 

Shared everything.

His outreach methods…

His pitch strategy…

His client details…

Big mistake.

Two days later, his client forwards him a message…

Turns out, our friend Steve reached out to them claiming to be my friend's "mentor" and that he could write copy "10 times better."

(Plot twist: Steve couldn't even write a grammatically correct pitch email)

The client, who apparently has more sense than Steve has ethics, saw right through it.

Bad grammar…

Desperate tactics…

More red flags than a color guard convention…

Steve got blocked faster than an ex on Instagram.

Then banned from our Discord faster than you can say "snake oil salesman."

But here's the thing...

This isn't just about Steve.

It's about what he represents…

The get-rich-quick mindset. 

The shortcut seekers. 

The "fake it till you take it" crowd.

They're why some clients are skeptical. 

Why some communities are closed off. 

Why trust is harder to build.

But there's good news…

Snakes eventually bite themselves.

Real success in copywriting? 

It comes from skill, not schemes. 

From value, not culturing. 

From building bridges, not burning them.

To calculated karma, 

- Callan