Folks often ask me:
“What’s your favorite copywriting book?” they say.
I don’t really hesitate.
“Oh, easy,” I say. “It’s The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joe Sugarman.”
It’s the first #copywriting book I ever read. I’ve read many good ones since but I always come back to the Handbook.
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Sometimes I’ll read a chapter or even just a passage. And sometimes I’ll take a weekend and go through the whole thing. (It’s a fast, fun, easy read.)
And I always find something new.
“And what’s your favorite lesson from Joe’s book?” they say.
“Oh, easy,” I say. “The sole purpose of the first sentence in an ad is to get you to read the second sentence.”
When I was a new #copywriter, this one line — 19 words — put everything in perspective for me. It simplified things.
Brass tacks: “Will this line keep The Reader going?” I’d ask myself. “Or will it make her stop?”
It felt good, thinking about #writing this way. It lessened the pressure, the burden, especially in the beginning, when copywriting — the discipline, the craft — was still too big for me to grasp.
Hope it helps you, too.
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Hey there, thanks for reading. :)If you want more “micro” content, feel free to explore 100s of articles, interviews, courses, and series — all free. Enjoy!Eddie Shleyner
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