Amazon has 1,000+ books on copywriting.
But 93% are a complete waste of your time.
These 13 books will give you an edge over other copywriters:
1/ The Forbidden Keys to Persuasion - Blair Warren
A deep dive into the psychology of persuasion.
This book talks about some controversial ideas, like how in a way, we're all manipulators.
If you're not open-minded, my advice is to skip this one.
2/ Made to Stick - Chip and Dan Heath
Why do some ideas go viral while others die?
This is the main question this book tries to answer.
And since in copy coming up with a "Big Idea" is critical...
This book will give you the tools to do that.
3/ The Anatomy of Story - John Truby
The best copywriters are storytellers.
But the best storytellers are in Hollywood.
If you want to learn storytelling from the source, this is the book you must read.
4/ Breakthrough Advertising - Eugene Schwartz
Ok, time for a classic.
This one is not an easy read for beginners.
But if you only understand the "5 stages of awareness" concept...
You'll be already ahead of 97% of the copywriters out there.
5/ Great Leads - Mark Ford
Once you understand the "5 stages of awareness" concept...
This book will show you how to make the most out of it with the 6 types of leads.
The headline and the lead are the 80/20 of copy.
That's why this book is a must-read.
6/ The Emotion Thesaurus - Becca Puglisi, Angela Ackerman
This is a book you can consult at any time when you need to craft emotion in your writing.
It will teach you how to transform boring sentences like "I was feeling ashamed" into "I couldn't look my wife in the eyes."
7/ The Normal Personality - Steven Reiss
Steven's book reveals the 16 basic desires of human beings.
And there's nothing more powerful than tapping into your customers' desires.
8/ The Architecture of Persuasion - Mark Ford
If you can write killer sales pages, you can write any other type of copy.
This book lays down the structure of high-converting sales pages.
Mark is a partner at Agora, the highest-earning copywriting company in history.
9/ How to Write a Good Advertising - Victor Schwab
I'm a huge advocate for learning the fundamentals.
This is my favorite book on the key principles of copy.
And a masterclass in how to write great headlines.
10/ Automatic Clients - Alen Sultanic and Robert Neckelius
Alen is a genius marketer and copywriter.
In this book, he explains from A to Z how to build a profitable funnel.
If you want to use your copy skills to scale online businesses, this book is for you.
11/ Flip the Script - Oren Klaff
"Getting people to think your idea is their idea."
People are sick of being marketed and sold to.
This book shows you a new way to approach persuasion.
Instead of pushing your idea, you guide your buyers to discover it on their own.
12/ Building a Second Brain - Tiago Forte
Copywriters are idea machines.
We're all the time:
- Capturing great ideas
- Associating one idea with another.
- Transforming ideas into selling arguments.
This book will give you the systems to do that.
13/ Decoded - Phil Barden
"The science behind why we buy."
Do I need to say anything else?
Understanding people's buying behavior is a copy superpower.
Now get reading!
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