10 Tips on Writing From David Ogilvy

David Ogilvy’s 1982 advice on how to write Including point 4, that using jargon is the “hallmark of a pretentious ass” https://t.co/RDRRMb1KsI

Readers look first at the illustration, then at the headline, then at the copy. So put these elements in that order – illustration at the top, headline under the illustration, copy under the headline. This follows the normal order of scanning, which is from top to bottom. If you put the headline above the illustration, you are asking people to scan

... See more

Look at the news magazines which have been successful in attracting readers: Time and Newsweek in the United States, L’Express and Le Point in France, Der Spiegel in Germany, L’Espresso in Italy, Cambio 16 in Spain. They all use the same graphics: O Copy has priority over illustration. O The copy is set in serif type. O Three columns of type, 35 to

... See more

Readers look first at the illustration, then at the headline, then at the copy. So put these elements in that order – illustration at the top, headline under the illustration, copy under the headline. This follows the normal order of scanning, which is from top to bottom. If you put the headline above the illustration, you are asking people to scan

... See more