Very Good Copy: 207 Micro-Lessons on Thinking and Writing Like a Copywriter

Making The Reader feel something is central to good copywriting, which is why it helps to be sentimental as a writer, sensitive to life’s nuances, moved by tenderness and sadness and nostalgia. It helps to recognize traces of emotion—of pain and pleasure, gain and loss—in the mundane moments, the ordinary moments, the moments people take for grante

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.

When you say something first, you own it. “Preemptive claims” create an association with your brand, especially if you’re selling a commodity. This is a timeless tactic.

This sentence is in the passive voice: “The car was driven by Jim.” You can tell because the subject (Jim) is at the end, which shifts the focus of the sentence to its object (the car). This sentence is in the active voice: “Jim drove the car.” You can tell because Jim, the subject, is doing the action.

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.

I recommend reading more accessible authors: Kurt Vonnegut and Charles Bukowski and Ernest Hemingway, Joyce Carol Oates and Sandra Cisneros and Sally Rooney. These authors write clear, concise, simple sentences. These authors write like copywriters.

“The preparation for becoming a great copywriter is a lifestyle,” said direct marketer Joe Sugarman. “It’s a hunger for knowledge, a curiosity and desire to participate in life that is broad-based and passionate.”

when you speak from your personal experience, you open the door for others to understand you and relate to you. It’s why in this book I often use my own life—my family, my experiences, the joys, the sad moments—to frame and explain concepts about copywriting and creativity.

He used a seven-step formula to outline his copy. This formula is now called “Bob Stone’s Gem.” It’s simple: Benefit: begin with your strongest benefit. Expansion: expand on your strongest benefit. Positive: explain what the prospect will get. Proof: prove the value with past experience. Negative: explain the consequences of inaction. Summary: sum