A persona isn’t real, but a person is. Lean into this when doing your research. Work to understand the perspective of an individual—one prospect—and very often, their personal hopes, needs, and desires will be your most honest and accurate source of information.

“Copywriting” is a misnomer. “Copyresearching” is more accurate.

I created an email account for my son. He doesn’t use it. He’s a baby. I use it. I send him messages, notes, pictures. I tell him where we went and what we did. I talk to him about his mother. Sometimes, I give him advice, lessons learned from my own missteps, my own mistakes.

The dialogue itself should tell the whole story. Your tags should be invisible.” “How do I make them invisible?” asked Junior. “Well, first of all, you don’t always need to use one.” “Ah.” “And when you do use one, only use two verbs: said or asked. No adverbs.” “That’s it?” “That’s it.”

I get tired and go to “The Well.” It’s a digital folder with hundreds of documents, each containing an idea, a kernel, the very beginnings of an essay. The more I scroll through The Well, the less anxious I feel and the more in control I am. Want to be more in control when you write? I’ve some advice: Become excellent at recording your ideas as the

Almost every episode of Breaking Bad begins with a “cold open,” a short, standalone sequence designed to immediately captivate the audience. These openers typically use flash-forwards or flashbacks to create suspense and draw you in.

Style will only get you so far. But if you have something to say—value to add, knowledge or wisdom to impart—you can make a difference and earn an audience. Your style will come with time, effort, and commitment.

Copywriter Eugene Schwartz famously sat at his desk for 33 minutes and 33 seconds at a time. He set a timer, sat down, and followed a simple rule: don’t get up until the alarm goes off.

Life, after all, is a constant struggle between doing what we want and doing what’s expected of us.