How To Write A Good Advertisement

This book might well have carried the subtitle Or 44 Years in the Copy Department instead of its present one. Even a copywriter, whose breed is not noteworthy for arithmetical prowess, could not escape arriving at the conclusion that the number of years from 1917 to 1961 totals forty-four. And, Heaven help me!, for that seeming aeon of time the major interest of the author has been advertising copy— good, bad, and indifferent. That a large measure of this past experience has been associated with a particularly demanding kind of advertising copy may, as will be explained, be an advantageous circumstance for the reader of this book, regardless of what type of copywriting job confronts him. For the subject of the book is not the writing of mail-order copy. Its sole purpose is to lend a hand to any copywriter (or student of copy-writing) whose ambition is to create advertisements which are more resultful, no matter what the product is or how and where it is sold. As to why the author’s background of experience may represent an advantageous circumstance for such copywriters, I will leave to an infinitely more capable pen than mine—that of no less an authority than Claude G. Hopkins, one of the greatest copywriters of “general” advertising who ever lived: “Mail-order advertising is difficult. But it is educational. It keeps one on his mettle. It fixes one’s viewpoint on cost and result. The advertising-writer learns more from mail-order advertising than from any other.” Therefore, if you are looking for guidance specifically concerned with the writing of mail-order advertising, this is not your book. On the other hand, if in the writing of any type of advertising you want more of your copy to achieve the selling effectiveness imperative for any mail-order man who wants to continue eating heartily, this book may prove helpful to you. At any rate, you are the person for whom it was written. Much of its information will probably recall to your mind the aphorism, “We need not so much to be instructed as to be reminded.” And that’s all to the good. Finally, and appertaining to the passages which are reminiscent in nature, the author has tried to avoid any necessity for later having to admit, like Mark Twain, that “When I was very young I could remember anything, whether it happened or not. But now I am older and I can only remember the latter.” Victor O. Schwab

A veteran copywriter offers advice on how to spark ideas and then capture them in copy, how to write headlines that attract attention, how to make ads believable and motivate readers to act, and how to learn from failure as well as success. Readers will discover principles, procedures, and practical suggestions for every medium and style of advertising.

Communicate with potential customers—and persuade them to buy: “The best copywriting teacher I know.” —Michael Hyatt, New York Times–bestselling author of Your Best Year Ever This book is for everyone who needs to write copy that sells—including copywriters, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. Writing copy that sells without seeming “salesy” can be tough, but is an essential skill. How to Write Copy That Sells offers tips for crafting powerful, effective headlines and bullet points, reveals the secrets of product launch copy, and supplies specific copywriting techniques for: email marketing websites social media direct mail traditional media ads, and more “Ray invites you into his inner sanctum where he opens his real-life copywriting toolkit . . . Get this book!” —Judith Sherven, PhD, and Jim Sniechowski, PhD, bestselling authors of The Heart of Marketing

How the Brain Goes Through Decision-Making: Do you often wonder what your customer is thinking? Don't leave the thought process to chance and let that customer walk away. Your customers don't want to walk away. They want to buy from you. So how does the brain make decisions? And what causes it to get confused? The Brain Audit shows you how the customer takes decisions. And what you need to put in place, so that the customer feels happy to buy products or services from you. The Brain Audit isn't about persuasion or any mind tricks. Instead it shows you the information that your customers need in order to make a decision. It shows you how to present that information, and thereby enable the customer to intelligently go through a purchase sequence. The Brain Audit is designed to do the following: brain_audit_benefits 1) Enable you to spot every one of the 'seven bags' that are required to make a decision 2) Present those bags to the customer in the right sequence. 3) Enable you to get the customer to buy without needing to use pressure tactics.

Rarely has a book about advertising created such a commotion as this brilliant account of the principles of successful advertising. Published in 1961, Reality in Advertising was listed for weeks on the general best-seller lists, and is today acknowledged to be advertising's greatest classic. It has been translated into twelve languages and has been published in twenty-one separate editions in fifteen countries. Leading business executives, and the advertising cognoscenti, hail it as "the best book for professionals that has ever come out of Madison Avenue." Rosser Reeves says: "The book attempts to formulate certain theories of advertising, many quite new, and all based on 30 years of intensive research." These theories, whose value has been proved in the marketplace, all revolve around the central concept that success in selling a product is the key criterion of advertising. Get Your Copy Now

How to Make Your Advertising Make Money by John Caples In this remarkable reference, John Caples, a man who has won countless awards and made millions of dollars for some of the largest companies in the United States, draws upon more than 50 years of experience to show you how to write advertising copy that sells anything and everything... write headlines that command instant attention...save thousands of dollars in expenses each year...and much more. Containing hundreds of true stories, checklists, and guidelines, this sourcebook is for every copywriter, creative director, and business executive who wants to learn how to write copy that sells-from the master who most say did it better than anyone. You'll get: 1. Secrets of Successful Advertising 2. Twelve Ways to Find Advertising Ideas 3. Three Famous Case Histories 4. How to Get Ideas from Brainstorming 5. 303 Words and Phrases that Sell 6. How to Write Sentences that Sell 7. Sales Appeals that Last Forever 8. How to Write Headlines that Make Money 9. How to Use Stories to Sell Products 10. Tips on Copywriting 11. How Editorial Style Ads Can Bring Increased Sales 12. How to Write Sales Letters that Make Money 13. How Direct Response Can Help Advertisers Make Money 14. Ways to Improve Your Copy 15. How to Write Radio Commercials that Get Action 16. How to Apply Mail Order Know-How in Writing TV Commercials 17. Summing Up My Success Secrets I Have Learned in 50 Years Meet the Author John Caples was Vice President of BBDO, Inc. when he retired after 40 years of service with the nation's third largest advertising agency. The creator of such classic ads as "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano" and "They Grinned When the Waiter Spoke to Me in French," and a member of the Copywriters's Halls of Fame, Mr. Caples built a nationwide reputation for his research and scientific methods of testing advertising effectiveness.

The time has come when advertising has in some hands reached the status of a science. It is based on fixed principles and is reasonably exact. The causes and effects have been analyzed until they are well understood. The correct methods of procedure have been proved and established. We know what is most effective, and we act on basic laws. Advertising, once a gamble, has thus become, under able direction, one of the safest business ventures. Certainly, no other enterprise with comparable possibilities need involve so little risk. Therefore, this book deals, not with theories and opinions, but with well-proved principles and facts. It is written as a text book for students and a safe guide for advertisers. Every statement has been weighed. The book is confined to established fundamentals. If we enter any realms of uncertainty we shall carefully denote them. The present status of advertising is due to many reasons. Much national advertising has long been handled by large organizations known as advertising agencies. Some of these agencies, in their hundreds of campaigns, have tested and compared the thousands of plans and ideas. The results have been watched and recorded, so no lessons have been lost. Such agencies employ a high grade of talent. None but able and experienced men can meet the requirements in national advertising. Working in cooperation, learning from each other and from each new undertaking, some of these men develop into masters. Individuals may come and go, but they leave their records and ideas behind them. These become a part of the organization's equipment, and a guide to all who follow. Thus, in the course of decades, such agencies become storehouses of advertising experiences, proved principles, and methods. The larger agencies also come into intimate contact with experts in every department of business. Their clients are usually dominating concerns. So they see the results of countless methods and polices. They become a clearing house for everything pertaining to merchandising. Nearly every selling question which arises in business is accurately answered by many experiences. Under these conditions, where they long exist, advertising and merchandising become exact sciences. Every course is charted. The compass of accurate knowledge directs the shortest, safest, cheapest course to any destination. We learn the principles and prove them by repeated tests. This is done through keyed advertising, by traced returns, largely by the use of coupons. We compare one way with many others, backward and forward, and record the results. When one method invariably proves best, that method becomes a fixed principle.

GET 44 YEARS OF ADVERTISING WRITING EXPERIENCE IN THE TIME IT TAKES TO READ THIS BOOK! You can learn to write compelling advertisements that will make people notice them, read them, and act upon them. In fact, you can learn to write such powerful advertisements that people actually go out and demand the product advertised and no other. How can you do this? By using the same elements that have made top copywriters like Victor O. Schwab excel at their craft. How to Write a Good Advertisement is a short course in writing powerful, hard-hitting copy that can help you make your products and services irresistible to potential customers. This remarkable book has turned many novice mail order entrepreneurs into expert copywriters and many experienced copywriters into masters of their trade. Whether you are new to the craft or have been writing copy for years, your knowledge and practice of advertising fundamentals will determine the extent of your success. How to Write a Good Advertisement presents these fundamentals from the perspective of a 44-year veteran in the copywriting business. Following these proven techniques and tips, anyone can write professional advertisements that create a memorable image, pull in mailboxes full of orders, or attract new customers to their service. LEARN HOW TO: Grab reader attention immediately Write compelling copy that holds attention Write a call to action that’s difficult to refuse Design winning layouts Increase the number of orders Convert more inquiries to orders GET ANSWERS TO IMPORTANT TECHNICAL QUESTIONS: Effective advertisement length...use of color...smart media placement...and much more.