I’m sure you, like me, get your fair share of Spam. Try as I might to only use a designated “purchasing” email address for sites that require me to log in with an email address, my main email address still seems to find its way into a variety of  mailing lists. The result is that every day I’m getting a slew of email advertisements that I’m really not that interested in.

 

But then it hit me the other day: Why not use that to my advantage?

 

People always seem to be looking for fresh content for their commercial demos, not wanting to have the same ads that everyone else does, but we so often seem to get stuck trying to actually FIND that content!  Well guess what, your Spam box might just be a great resource to tap into!

 

Ok, ok, I’m not suggesting that you’d want to take that “Life Is Short — Have an Affair” ad that always seems to find its way into my Spam box (SERIOUSLY?! WHAT ON EARTH DID I BUY THAT MAKES SOMEONE THINK I’M LOOKING FOR THIS?!), so obviously you need to use discretion, but there are probably a lot of legitimate businesses or types of businesses that Spam you that you WOULD feel good about having on your demo. I know I get stuff from AARP a bunch (again, as someone in my 30s, not quite sure how I ended up on their mailing list), and mortgage companies, etc.

 

But there it is, a perfect little ad, all spelled out for you! Oftentimes the email is actually written as a small advertisement and you don’t even need to change anything; if not, there’s usually enough content there to provide you with something to work with. (Spam content + Your writing skills = Commercial spot !)

 

I should probably couch this whole post with the fact that I like to think outside the box. So maybe this idea isn’t for you. And of course, if you’re lucky enough to be booking big, national (or heck, even local or regional!) spots regularly and can fill up your demo with those, GO FOR IT! This is obviously more of an idea for folks just starting out.

 

(By the way, magazines are a great source for copy, too! Or pamphlets at the doctor’s office, local library, any store, etc.)

 

And I’m always open to hearing other ideas, if you’ve got sources for YOUR copy!