I was just about ready to call it a night and get back to the Teddy Roosevelt biography I’m reading when I visited a B2B marketing firm’s(!) website that had this navigation copy (screen shot): It reads: Home/What We Do/Why We Are Different/How We Help Grow Your Business/Who We Are/Read Our Blog/Contact Us NO! NO! […]
Eugene Schwartz’s 5th Rule of Great Marketing (Unabridged)
Eugene Schwartz was a marketer and copywriter. His sales copy and letters generated hundreds of millions in sales, and he made enough money to amass a renowned collection of modern art. Schwartz didn’t leave behind much “how-to” knowledge, but he did explain why most products are doomed WAY before they’re introduced. I’ll get to that […]
At the End of Each Month, Are You Guilty of the Mistake That Rookie Marketers Make?
Today while I was eating my lunch — a piece of egg-plant quiche and then a blueberry Chobani with Toll House chocolate chips added (shame on me!) — I was skipping around in John Carlton’s book “The Entrepreneur’s Guide To Getting Your Shit Together.” Carlton is one of the most successful copywriters of the past […]
The Best Online-Writing Advice I Ever Received
Here’s the best online-writing advice I ever received: “Be brief. Be brilliant.” The advice’s genius is that it works for all online platforms: websites, landing pages, e-newsletters, landing pages, Instagram, Twitter, etc. The advice also works for older formats: advertising, printed books, newspapers, brochures, and even billboards. Ultimately, the formula for success in every form […]
To Make Copywriting Easy, Start With a Fact Sheet
The late Gary Halbert was a copywriter who lives on in his books and in the newsletters he wrote for subscribers. Many copywriters believe he’s the greatest copywriter who ever lived. Here’s the number-one thing I’ve learned from Halbert: create a Fact Sheet before you begin writing the ad. A Fact Sheet is like prepping […]
How to Turn Your Sales Copy From a Frog Into a Prince
One of the most respected copywriters of the past 40 years, Gary Bencivenga, was part-owner of a New York advertising agency in the 1970s. When the firm opened its doors for business it took out an ad, made a bold claim, and put its money where its mouth was: Announcing an ad agency that guarantees […]
Can You Guess the 2 Most Powerful Words in Advertising?
John Caples was a legendary ad executive and copywriter. He worked for 40 years at BBDO, one of the nation’s largest ad agencies, and he was BBDO’s vice president when he retired. He died in 1990. During his first year as a copywriter, Caples wrote one of the best-known direct-mail ads of all time. Writing […]
“Your Pseudo Emotional Newsletters Suck”
Today I’m going to explain why speaking your mind in your blog is good for business. To do that, I first need to tell you about Mr. Horrell. Mr. Horrell was the basketball coach for our eighth- and ninth-grade seasons at Ridge Junior High in Mentor, Ohio. I remember two things Mr. Horrell told us: […]
David Ogilvy’s Second Commandment for Great Copywriting (and How to Use It)
David Ogilvy was widely regarded as the 20th century’s most sought-after advertising executive. Even though we’re 15 years removed from his death in 1999, his reputation and stature continue to grow. The foundation for Ogilvy’s greatness was an unwavering faith in great copywriting, with copywriting defined as “salesmanship in print.” Last week I wrote a […]
David Ogilvy’s First Commandment for Great Copywriting
David Ogilvy was widely regarded as the 20th century’s most sought-after advertising executive. Even though we’re 15 years removed from his death in 1999, his reputation and stature continue to grow. The foundation for Ogilvy’s greatness was an unwavering faith in great copywriting. For Ogilvy — and for any copywriter worth his or her invoices […]