The Copywriter's Handbook

field. But John Naisbitt, author of Megatrends, estimates that 6,000 to 7,000 scientific articles are written daily; the total amount of technical information in the world doubles every five and a half years. This increased amount of information makes it difficult for any single piece of information to be noticed. According to Dr. Leo Bogart of the

Your headline can perform four different tasks: 1. Get attention. 2. Select the audience. 3. Deliver a complete message. 4. Draw the reader into the body copy.

advertising is most effective when it is easy to understand. In other words, you sell more merchandise when you write clear copy.

“Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. And then, tell them what you told them.”

When you write a headline, get attention by picking out an important customer benefit and presenting it in a clear, bold, dramatic fashion. Avoid headlines and concepts that are cute, clever, and titillating but irrelevant. They may generate some hoopla, but they do not sell.

“A copywriter is a salesperson behind a typewriter.