Category Archives for Lessons

Why Paying Closer Attention to Your Ad Copy Improves Sales

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 […]

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Drayton Bird: How to Become a Better Copywriter & Marketer

There’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:

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The Stages of My Agonizing Writing Process in 106 Words

Research. Research some more. Brain storm. Write headlines. Scrap headlines.

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The 10 Commandments of Copywriting

Have 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 […]

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Sales Letter Surgery

Yesterday 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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