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Let’s pretend you want to promote your business on the radio.
First, you have to write the ad.
Then record the copy.
Then you have to buy radio time. But you can’t buy only one spot. No radio station would sell you a single spot. You would need to buy a bundle, at least five or six spots at a time.
Why? Because by locking you into several spots, the radio station is maximizing your ad's potential response: The more an ad is heard, the more effective it will be.
In 1885, a businessman named Thomas Smith wrote a book ...
He called it Successful Advertising. In one part, Smith breaks down the impact of repeated exposure to an ad:
The first time people look at any given ad, they don’t even see it.
2nd: they don’t notice it.
3rd: they are aware that it is there.
4th: they have a fleeting sense that they’ve seen it somewhere before.
5th: they actually read the ad.
They start to wonder if they're
missing out.
6th: they thumb their nose at it.
7th: they start to get a little irritated with it.
8th: they start to think, “Here’s that confounded ad again!”
9th: they start to wonder if they’re missing out on something.
10th: they ask their friends and neighbors if they've tried it.
11th: they wonder how the company is paying for all these ads.
12th: they start to think that it must be a good product.
13th: they start to feel the product has value.
14th: they start to remember wanting a product exactly like this for a long time.
15th: they start to yearn for it because they can’t afford to buy it.
16th: they accept the fact that they will buy it sometime in the future.
17th: they make a note to buy the product.
18th: they curse their poverty for not allowing them to buy this terrific product.
19th: they count their money very carefully.
20th: they buy what it is being offered.
How did he come up with this series of ultra-specific reactions?
He probably made it up. After all, it was 1885. But he was onto something.
For example, how many times have you seen an ad for FanDuel, the fantasy gaming website, since football season started?
They’re everywhere: Commercials, online banners, billboards. The onslaught is relentless.
But it works.
FanDuel quadrupled its revenue in the nine months since the campaign began.
Repetition is a powerful marketing tactic that drives results.
As Thomas Smith expressed, even when you have a valuable, benefits-rich message, it takes pressure and time to turn prospects into customers.
Pressure and time.
Pressure and time.
LEARN TO PERSUADE
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WRITE BETTER.
MARKET BETTER.
SELL MORE.
Because copywriters conjure emotion for a living.
The buildings in Jaipur, India are built of vibrant red brick. The entire place glows like Mars.
Writers share their work.
Perfectionists hoard it.
"I'm sorry about all this," I said.
"Thanks," he said. "But I deserve it. Things could've been different."
Here's a learning tactic.
It's what I do when I want to internalize a book — or an article, for that matter. You can do it, too.
When Big Lurch woke up, he was alone in a prison cell, confused and covered in blood.
As a content marketer, your most valuable asset is not your content.
Pressure and time. Pressure and time. Pressure and time.
Words are commodities. Anybody can fill space on a page.
Simplicity can be impactful.
Thank you, grandma.
Every time you're blocked ...
What's the purpose of your first line of copy?
They never have ...
Ideas, like love, can escape you. Don't let them.
Passion drives success.
Kevin Kelly, Co-founder and Editor of Wired magazine, on God and meaning of life.
Three billion people have access to the Internet, but only a third of those people speak English.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
And it isn't even about copywriting ...
There are two types of bullet points: Those that break up text, making information easier to digest. And those that sell.
Swearing can be a powerful gesture. It could also be meaningless ...
Three simple rules that'll make your copy bolder, clearer, and more persuasive.
You should know, I'm not sexy. Sorry.
The one question that will help you write devastatingly creative and effective ads.
Whatever it is, nobody is going to buy it without ...
Creativity is like a muscle: It grows and develops with exercise, practice.
You’ll know you’re good.
You’ll know you’re good because a few clues will give it away…
Microcopy is concise, clear, small-print text that helps or encourages readers to complete an “action” on your website or app.
It’s how the great copywriter, Gene Schwartz, thought about the discipline…
If you aspire to write good copy, watch and read these things religiously.
Make it ugly.
Let me explain…
The longer you focus, the more focused you will become.
Focus long enough and you’ll tap into something called Deep Work…
There’s a marketing tenant every good copywriter respects…
Knowing that, here are the words and phrases every copywriter should use…
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As a teenager, I sold magazine subscriptions door-to-door. At first it was hard and I was unsuccessful.
Then I picked up a trick that skyrocketed my conversion rate…
This strategy is scientifically proven to help writers — and anyone else — spur their creativity.
“I can do that,” said The Copywriter. “But first let me ask you a question.”
“And how many of us have persistence enough in following out our ideas of what is obvious?”
If your goal is to write tighter copy — copy that says more in fewer words — try this 15-minute exercise.
Sometimes that feeling — that mood — is already there, all around, omnipotent and omnipresent.
Joyce was a magisterial novelist, but he would’ve made a miserable copywriter.
Smart writing is clear and concise. It’s easy for the eyes and mind to follow. It’s accessible and unpretentious, easy to consume and hard to create.
Smart writing is readable. Effortlessly readable.
Be a copywriter, not a coward.
If you can back up your claim, write the copy. If you can’t, be a professional and do the right thing.
Don’t write headlines that are flat, invisible, like white paper on a white desk. Write compelling headlines that stand out. Headlines that contain emotion, image, logic, and promise.
Here’s how to do that.
A visceral response is a physical reaction to a non-physical experience, an emotion.
If you feel it, don’t dismiss it. Let it wash over you.
You’ll be a more empathetic person for it — and a better marketer, too.
“We’re talking about him having an accident,” said the man, whispering. “Just walk up to him, put your hand on his back, and give him one big push!”
Don't sell chips. Sell a worldview.
It boils down to a simple three-step process ...
“I was The Onion’s editor at the time so, mainly, I was just punching up or rewriting other people’s work,” said Scott. “And so when I sat down to write the pilot, I was like, ‘Shit! I have writer’s block! I got nothing!’”
CHICAGO—Saying he was ‘more than happy’ to jump on the call, Scott Dikkers, The Onion’s longest-serving editor-in-chief, graciously gave time out of his day to talk to a copywriter about how to overcome writer’s block.
As a copywriter, it’s tempting to get lost in the majesty of your creativity, your ideas.
Looking inward for ideas will burn you out.
Want more ideas than you could ever use?
Confident copy says, “Go ahead, you’re making the right decision.”
Great copy starts with efficient questions.
“You have to be more concise,” he said. “You write like a water hose. You need to be a nail gun."