Copywriting is a high ROI skill.
10 of the best books to master it:
The Boron Letters
by Gary C. Halbert
Lessons
• Insider tactics from the best copywriter of all time
• Write down your goals, review them daily
Also, check out the Halbert Letter archives (free):
thegaryhalbertletter.com/newsletter-arc…
Ogilvy on Advertising
by David Ogilvy
Lessons
• Acknowledge your weak points to add credibility
• There are no dull products, just dull writers
• Stylish ads ≠ sales. Never forget the goal
• 75% more people read helpful info than copy of the product alone
The Adweek Copywriting Handbook
by Joseph Sugarman
Lessons
• Keep your first sentence short, sweet, and almost incomplete.
• The purpose of the first sentence? To get you to read the second sentence.
• Create a slipper slide, use the power of curiosity
On Writing
by Stephen King
Lessons
• Amateurs wait for inspiration, Pros just start
• Kill your darlings, even when it breaks your heart
• Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door opened
• Want to be a great writer? Read and write a lot.
The War of Art
by Steven Pressfield
Lessons
• Do the work for its own sake, not for fortune or applause
• The artist cannot look to others for validation
• Resistance is a sign you're on the right path
Everybody writes
by Ann Handley
• Brevity and clarity matter more than ever
• Write to one person
• Produce an ugly draft first
• Read it out loud to test the cadence
The Entrepreneur's Guide to Getting Your Shit Together
by John Carlton
Hidden gem.
Gary Halbert regarded Carlton as the world's 2nd-best copywriter.
Lessons
• Look for the real reason people buy, not what they say
• The modern brain justifies what our lizard brain desires
$100M Offers
by @AlexHormozi
• Good persuasion = prospect feels understood
• Articulate the pain/problem. The pain is the pitch
• Prospect must perceive:
1. Increased likelihood of achievement
2. Decreased time in delay
3. Decreased effort/sacrifice
One Sentence Persuasion Course
by Blair Warren
Recommended by digital marketing legend, Russell Brunson
Lessons
• Deep dive on the ONE sentence (see graphic below)
A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters
by Dan Nelken
Lessons
• How to write killer headlines (the best I've found on the topic)
• Brainstorm benefits, attributes, insights, and truths
• Look for "Oh wow, that's so true."
Twitter is free copywriting university.
12 of the best follows to learn the craft:
@WrongsToWrite
@dickiebush
@getpaidwrite
@amandanat
@AlexHormozi
@thedankoe
@KateBour
@GrammarHippy
@david_perell
@writingtoriches
@nathanbaugh27
@DanesaGlez
Reading is not enough to become a strong writer.
You need to write, too.
A great place to start?
@thesamparr's CopyThat course
(Not affiliated, just a product I enjoyed).
The method is copywork—hand copying great writing.
Learn through osmosis:
trycopythat.com
That's a wrap! Follow me @SystemSunday for more content like this.
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