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Fabled ad exec, John Hegarty, said it well:
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“A brand is the most valuable piece of real estate in the world: a corner of someone’s mind.”
But occupying that corner is very difficult. Our minds are such busy, cluttered places, after all.
Enter: Luke Sullivan.
“I propose the only antidote to clutter is draconian simplicity,” writes Sullivan.
He co-wrote the classic advertising book, Hey Whipple, Squeeze This.
“Draconian simplicity,” writes Sullivan, “involves stripping your brand’s value proposition down to the bone and then again to the marrow, carving away until you get down to Brand = Adjective. Make your brand stand for one thing. Pair it with an adjective.”
Brand = Adjective
As a marketer, you want your brand to LIVE in your prospect’s brain. You want permanent residence! But that can only happen if you boil down what you stand for…
Stand for one thing, one word, one adjective (preferably).
More will only add to The Clutter.
Sullivan gives a great example in his book:
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“When it’s finally finished, [your client] will have a campaign they could run for years and out-pull virtually anything else they’ve ever run unless they were very lucky beforehand.”
This is a very powerful, very versatile persuasion technique. You can use it in your sales letters, your emails, your social posts, your website copy — just about any asset designed to sell.
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Dialogue is a powerful copywriting tool (unless you’re making this common mistake).
People forget their lives almost as quickly as they live them. So how can copywriters create ads that produce lasting memories? Find out.
Clear copy is understood faster and remembered longer than unclear copy. Master copywriter, Eugene Schwartz, recommends doing this one thing to make your writing as clear as humanly possible.
One of the best, most original direct-response copywriters of the 20th century constantly used cliches. Learn why you should, too.
You might be making this completely common, completely stifling mistake…
Reading (and transcribing) this beautiful book will help you write copy that feels like a letter from a friend (as it should).
The best copywriters in the world possess these 3 qualities. Do you?
Buying something can be a vulnerable, scary experience. And the more expensive the purchase, the more vulnerable your prospect may feel. Vulnerability is bad for business. Here’s how to avoid it:
An ad’s hook should create curiosity and wonder, interest! The hook’s only goal is to keep people reading.
Here’s how to find a compelling hook every time you write an ad (based on one of the most powerful examples in copywriting history).
This truism helped conceptualize one of the most iconic campaigns ever produced…
Good copy creates a visualization in the reader’s mind…
One of the most compelling angles in advertising is:
An article about using Mother Nature to manufacture tension, create desire, and compel action.
Dialogue is an efficient character-development tool.
And that makes it an efficient, valuable copywriting tool…
The goal of conversion copywriting is to compel action. There are plenty of ways to do this… but the most persuasive tactic by far is:
Copywriting is the single most important skill in business.
That’s why I write about it almost daily on LinkedIn.
And the advice in this article is based on a few of my most popular copywriting posts…
If you want to publish articles on a consistent basis, remember:
In copywriting, word choice boils down to strong words and weak words. The difference?
If your ad doesn’t immediately capture attention, it’s dead in the water. Goodnight.
You know you don’t know what you’re doing if…
“Red Bull?” said the man, perplexed. “I wouldn’t drink it again if you paid me to.”
As copywriters we want to lure our reader in. We want them to forget they’re reading copy—with the only thought in their mind being “tell me more.”
“Even though we’re a partnership,” said co-creator, Matt Stone, “the way the stories in South Park are expressed is completely through Trey. Trey’s the chef.”
Ever struggle to start writing your copy? I did. Then I learned this simple, time-tested copywriting formula — and it forever changed the way I work:
Do you want people to notice your work? And read your articles? And watch your videos? And subscribe to your blog or channel? Do you want people to remember your work?
Do you want them to remember you?
When you have a limited amount of time or space to tell a story, unwavering accuracy can actually make a true story less believable and relatable, less real.
“Jeeps, they’re tough,” he writes. “Porches, they’re fast. Volvos, they’re… what? If you said, ‘safe,’ you’ve given the same answer I’ve received from every person I’ve ever asked. Ever.”
This means Volvo has universally branded itself as the “safe” car. The car you want your kids to drive.
Volvo = Safe.
“And here’s the interesting bit,” writes Sullivan. “In the past couple of years, Volvo hasn’t even made it into the top 10 list of safest cars on the market.”
It's a remarkable achievement — forever pairing your product with a single word. A word that instantly tells your brand’s story and value. Such is the power of simplicity.
Now you might be thinking...
“But our brand can’t be whittled down to only ONE word.”
This is a common objection because brands are, of course, so much more than a single word. Of course they are. Brands are usually a combination of many things (including several benefits). Not just 1 thing.
Sullivan argues that, while those benefits are obviously important and valid, their place is slightly further down your marketing funnel (e.g., a few clicks into your website).
“All those other benefits will serve to shore up the aggregate value proposition of a brand, once customers try it,” writes Sullivan. “But what they’re going to remember, the way they’re going to label it in their mental filing system, is with a word.
“Find that word.”
LEARN TO PERSUADE
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WRITE BETTER.
MARKET BETTER.
SELL MORE.
Now more than ever, as copywriters, as marketers, as people, it’s important for us to feel Sonder, to let it wash over us.
A timeless lesson from master copywriter, Eugene Schwartz.
Productivity advice from famous creatives, real and fictional, including Don Draper and Austin Kleon.
An important reminder about copywriting, storytelling, and The Reader’s imagination…
I’ll answer the question. But first, a story about 2 kings…
Ready? Here’s what you do in 3 steps:
Use it. If you’re stuck, if you’re empty, if you need to write but words escape you, use it.
If you have a blog — and even if you don’t — you know it’s work.
Consider these rules before crafting your next guarantee. Let them inform your decision making.
Probably the most valuable advice I can give any copywriter:
Something to keep in mind next time you’re creating any type of promotion: an article, a landing page, an email — anything.
I smirked when I heard the question. I thought the answer was obvious. I was wrong.
Voice is not some woo-woo concept. It’s not an ethereal message from the gods about baring your soul to gather the masses. It’s a science. Here’s how it works…
It's a remarkable achievement — forever pairing your product with a single word. A word that instantly tells your brand’s story and value.
Here is perhaps the best example of Brand = Adjective in the history of advertising:
“How’d it go?” said my sister.
“Ohh I fucked it up,” I said.
“Do you ever feel like no matter how much work you do, you can or should be doing more?” I said.
Do you ever feel this way? Anxious about your ability? Many people do.
I do.
The cure?
When I work this way, I find that each project nourishes the others. And if I hit my stride, I can go into a creative/connective frenzy. I become full of ideas, lightning in a bottle.
These copywriting mantras gave me an “aha moment” when I first learned of them. I remember thinking, “shit I should try writing like THAT.”
ONLY GOD CAN CREATE SOMETHING FROM NOTHING.
At the end of the day, copywriters are really just making informed guesses about what will compel an audience.
Nothing more.
“Trying hard enough” means you’re making progress toward your goal.
And your goal as a direct response copywriter should always be to…
Rule #8 is my favorite.
In a direct response ad, the purpose of design is to…
What if you could FORCE yourself to see the world through a more empathetic lens, one that will help you create better, more compelling work?
You can.
Season 3, Episode 10: “Fly”
No spoilers here. Just a valuable copywriting tactic you can (and should) start using immediately…
“OK...” said Schwartz.
What came next is a quote I have taped to my screen (so that the sentiment is always top of mind):
Someone asked me an enormous question the other day…
“What’s it like being in love?” he said.
Because it’s probably unnecessary.
People don’t want to feel in control.
People NEED to feel in control.
In no particular order, these are 13 books, blogs, movies, and shows that have shaped my ethos as a copywriter.
Just look at this brilliant campaign. It’s a perfect example…
Quality copywriting ideas are the product of quantity.
Kill your darlings.
A copywriting lesson from Robert De Niro.
This short article cites 4 tactics that will make your copy simpler and 5 tactics that’ll make it more memorable.
This advice will help you find a modicum of certainty when making creative writing decisions.
And that’s very valuable.
What you’re about to learn saves me hundreds of hours a year.
Don’t make these two big mistakes in your next sales email.
And if you do, don’t expect a reply.
If you want to immediately connect with your readers, follow this advice from legendary copywriter, Gary Halbert…
If you want to learn how to write great ads, then part of your daily routine should be to…
There’s a proven 3-step process you can follow to learn this incalculably valuable skill…
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.
The buildings in Jaipur, India are built of vibrant red brick. The entire place glows like Mars.
"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.
“You have to be more concise,” he said. “You write like a water hose. You need to be a nail gun."
Three billion people have access to the Internet, but only a third of those people speak English.
There are two types of bullet points: Those that break up text, making information easier to digest. And those that sell.
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Judge not lest ye be judged.
It’s an unwritten rule of copywriting if you will. Rule Zero: