About me

Hi, my name is René

I’ve been making a living from writing for more than 25 years, sales copy, newsletters, websites, books, and teaching others to do it themselves.

Today, I help self-employed people and small business owners write the copy that brings in customers. People who are good at what they do, but who also have to be the marketing department, the sales team and the copywriter, usually after hours. Often using AI as a tool. Always with the customer in mind.

Because it’s still the words that sell. Not the tool.

Three books, one question

I’ve written three books: one on PR in 2014, Build Your Audience in 2020 and Build Your Own Profitable Newsletter in 2026. The topics vary, but the question is the same every time: How do you win customers through what you write and own yourself – without a big marketing budget, and without relying on adverts, algorithms or other people’s platforms?

I’ve been working on that question since long before anyone was talking about AI. And it’s still what all my work is about.

When ChatGPT came along, I honestly thought my profession was about to disappear

Suddenly, anyone could get an AI to write a blog post or a sales page in a matter of seconds. I could have chosen to fight the development. Instead, I became curious. I started testing the tools every single day – not to find clever tricks, but to find out what they could actually do for small businesses with real tasks and no time to waste.

What I discovered surprised me. AI writes quickly. But it doesn’t know what your customers are grappling with, what makes them trust you, or when to ask for the sale. Only you know that. The craft is the same as it has always been. AI simply makes it faster, provided you already know how to do it.

So today, I pass on both: how to write so that people buy. And how to use ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot to do it without spending all your evenings on it.

I’m self-employed too

I run my own small business, and I sell my courses and books through my two newsletters. No adverts, no networking events, no sales team. So when I tell you what works, it’s because I’ve tried it in my own business first, including what didn’t work.

That’s what I want to teach you: not the theory, but what actually brings in customers.

Two newsletters, two purposes

3 Minutes – Every Tuesday. The most important AI shortcuts, new tools and practical ideas you can put into action straight away. Stripped right down to the bare essentials.

The Sharp Pen – Every Friday. Practical advice on newsletters, sales copy and the art of winning over customers. With and without AI.

Why am I doing this?

Because I believe there are enough customers to go round for anyone who has something to say and dares to say it. And because I believe that marketing can be genuine rather than manipulative, that you can sell by being trustworthy, not by shouting the loudest.

My aim isn’t to turn you into a copywriter or an AI expert. You already have a business to run. My aim is to give you the tools that make a real difference to your bottom line – in the time you actually have. If you want the words that turn your readers into customers, I hope you’ll join me.

Any questions?

Feel free to get in touch if you’re unsure about anything. Fill in the form below, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

I look forward to hearing from you.
Let’s work out how to make your copy sell.

Kind regards,
René Hjetting
Your friend with the sharp pen 🖊️