John E. Kennedy is often credited with saying, “Advertising is salesmanship in print.” If you read Reason Why Advertising, you will see he actually said, “Advertising is just Salesmanship-on-paper.” Same idea, slightly different wording. Later, on the very same page, he says, “Advertising is just Salesmanship multiplied.” Apparently, this was a commonly repeated idea during […]
Continue readingThere’s a set of three videos you ought to have this year. They are not bird-watching videos… they are Drayton Bird videos, in which he teaches you How to Write (and Persuade) Better. In case you don’t know who Drayton Bird is, let me paint a brief picture of the man:
Continue readingResearch. Research some more. Brain storm. Write headlines. Scrap headlines.
Continue readingHave you ever wondered what the hard-and-fast rules of copywriting are? Wonder no more… Introducing “The 10 Commandments of Copywriting,” which I have now scribbled on digital stone for the benefit of copywriters everywhere. While I was inclined to mimic the language and style of the Bible, I realized by doing so I would be […]
Continue readingYesterday I finished a rewrite of a financial sales letter that didn’t pull quite as well as expected. The original version was 3,143 words. The new version is 5,422 words — a 72% increase. Today I finished expanding a fundraising letter from two pages to four. At first, we thought we’d keep it to two […]
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