Usually when I see a copy gig like the one which resulted in this post I would not attempt to secure the job. But in this instance the circumstances were different enough to make it seem worthwhile.
Unfortunately the job posting was withdrawn just hours after it was posted.
Even so, this was enough time for me to whip up copy for the first message for what I thought might prove to be an interesting email sequence dedicated to selling tickets to a symposium which would be held in a salt mine at a remote location.
The Salt Therapy Association (STA) planned to conduct a two-day event at a tourist spot in Poland, the nature of which meshed perfectly with the theme of their business (helping people set up their own salt therapy-related health and wellness business, the particulars of which I am not familiar with).
The Wieliczka Salt Mine has been in operation for over 700 years and this has proven to be plenty of time for the workers to come up with some amazing modifications to their underground working environment. Roughly one percent of the excavated structure is now open to the public and has proven popular enough to draw up to 10,000 visitors in a single day.
It was the opportunity of the symposium participants to visit the lower reaches of the mine in the hours outside of the talks which made writing copy for the solicitation sequence seem appealing. After I visited the web site for the mine I was convinced that I would have no trouble bringing the place to life and that the symposium could be made to seem like a no-brainer for anyone who would even be willing to consider buying plane tickets just to hear others extol for two days the wonders of a salt therapy business.
The jewel of attraction at the Wieliczka Salt Mine is the chapel of St. Kinga which is a large chamber carved out of the rock salt at a depth of roughly 100 meters. I never got around to finding out the particulars of the chapel, but from the photographs of it posted online and the gushes of awe coming from those who visited it and posted their experience in Youtube videos, the place is clearly worth a visit if you ever find yourself passing through Wieliczka.
Below you will find the initial message I worked up and sent along to be considered for the job of creating a sequence. I figured I might as well post the message here and not let the writing of it completely go to waste (even though it did only chew up a few hours of my time).
If I had secured the job I would have asked a lot more about the nature of the symposium, what the invited speakers would be talking about, the nature of the after-hours events, and what type of person the likely ticket buyer would be. But none of that seemed necessary to know about in order to drum up an initial solicitation message, the purpose of which is just to announce the upcoming event.
[FIRSTNAME], imagine what it must feel like to
descend more than 300 feet below the surface
of the Earth and then discover a capacious,
fully illuminated chapel carved not from
white marble, but rock salt.
It is a spectacular experience not soon to
be forgotten...
This coming May, as a member of the Salt
Therapy Association, you will have a rare
opportunity to take in the many wonders
of an underground "city of salt" when you
secure your ticket for the 2022 Salt Therapy
Association Symposium.
This year the symposium - which will feature
talks from some of the best and the brightest
speakers from the salt therapy industry - will
be held in the Wieliczka Salt Mine located
just a few miles outside of the city of
Krakow, Poland.
But [FIRSTNAME], due to the limited seating
capacity of the Drowzdowice IV Salt Chamber
where the presentations will be held, ONLY
100 MEMBERS will be offered the opportunity
to attend this "uniquely salty" symposium.
We fully expect that within a day or so of
you receiving this message every last one
of the 100 tickets offered for sale today
will have been snatched up!
So please, if you already recognize the
value of attending the symposium...
And you're just the tiniest bit terrified
of the prospect of missing out on this
one-of-a-kind chance to tour the marvelous
centuries-old excavated passageways and
carved chambers of the Wieliczka complex,
replete with its astonishing works of solid
salt-crystal artworks...
Then go now and secure your ticket for the
symposium, which is just USD $499 and covers
two days of talks and touring.
And please, if you discover you have been
unable to acquire a place at this year's
symposium, do not hesitate to reply to
this message to let us know of your
interest so that we can gauge the level
of desire for similar meetings in the
future.
You will find all the details about the
symposium, which will be held on the 9th
and 10th of May on our registration page,
including the opportunity to purchase
tickets:
https://www.salttherapyassociation.com/2022symposium
Note that travel and accommodations for
the event need to be purchased separately
but details for recommended accommodation
are found on our registration page.
If you have not quite made up your mind by
the time you have taken in the details on
the registration page, then be sure to stay
tuned... I will send you additional
information about the event shortly.
Cheers,
XXXXX
Organizer for the 2022 Salt Therapy Association Symposium
P.S. When visitors enter the lower reaches
of the salt mine they are often rendered
speechless when they contemplate the work
that must have gone into creating the vast
and hallowed spaces which have layed hidden
beneath the small town of Wieliczka for
centuries. Only opened to the public in
recent years, the salt mine has quickly
become one of the most popular destinations
of European travelers.
The one thing I would change about this event if it was in my power to do so would be the cost of attending.
When I checked the price of a ticket for the symposium was $499. I would consider adding more value. Host an extravagant party or two, arrange for special work groups, organize other tourist-type events, double the time the attendee spends in the town. That way it is easier to justify making time to get on an international flight to a potentially very remote destination. So perhaps an event cost of $2500, or even double that.
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