Category Archives: EMOTIONALS

A simple, 3-step formula for writing adverts that work

I want to take some time to write up a presentation I’ve given a couple of times on writing adverts. Though my thoughts on this were targeted towards writing adverts specifically for email (i.e. to be used in email newsletters like this one), the theory can be used for most advert varieties. So, whether you’re […]

Did this hard-working piece of copy really kill JFK?

In Oliver Stone’s 1991 film, JFK, Joe Pesci plays Dave Ferrie, an American pilot alleged to have been involved in Kennedy’s unfortunate assassination. Dave Ferrie: Was his crime plotting to kill JFK or simply those ridiculous eyebrows?” The first thing you notice about Ferrie are his eyebrows. They’re ridiculous. A quick search on Google images and you […]

Two-tier research: Write for your reader, not for yourself

Before I was born, I didn’t exist, which made it a lot harder to walk the dog. Sorry. A terrible attempt at a Groucho Marx-inspired joke that has nothing to do with what I want to write about today. Or does it? Stand back… Tenuous link approaching… You see, opening with my crap joke there […]

Don’t be afraid to make your copy magical

There you are in the grandly decorated lounge of Agora owner Bill Bonner’s 18-century chateau… Gathered with you are what you’ve been told are some of the best copywriters in the world… You’re excited. In fact, you’re only just starting to figure out what this copywriting lark is all about, so to spend time with real experts […]

Show your copy to people who don’t write copy

Copywriters can be precious people… I should know. I am one. And sure, tell me my copy doesn’t work or that I could do something better and once upon a time I would have sulked for a week. Yup, I used to be like that. But these days, I’ve calmed down. I’d like to think […]

I’m not sure your email is working…

Official figures vary… But somewhere between 55% and 75% of all email is now read on mobile. One report predicts by end of 2018… 80% of people will read their email on a mobile device. That’s huge. And as a copywriter, it’s something you must be aware of. Indeed, sat at a little wooden table […]

Delayed objections and when to overcome them

I’m on the bus back to my London flat in Dalston reading the first draft of a new sales letter a copywriter has just sent me to review. In the time it takes me to get from Leicester Square to the Balls Pond Road, I’ve read it. It flows well, really well. I’m excited to see how […]

You can’t sell with logic

I was really impressed with a chap I’ve been working with this week. We’ve been trying to figure out a way to sell his product and have tried numerous angles that just don’t seem to work. So, we jumped on the phone and talked it out. There were a lot of dead ends, unfinished thoughts […]

The C.I.A. secret for identifying good ideas

Before you write any piece of copy, you need to figure out if the idea you’re writing about is any good. If your idea sucks ass, your copy will suck ass. Worse: A bad idea will make it even harder to write the suck-ass copy, which is just dumb. Why spend extra time writing bad […]

Let Your Reader’s Imagination Run Free

Your reader is often better at creating stories for themselves than you are at creating stories for them. Ugh… There’s a chewy sentence! Hardly the most engaging, right? So, thanks if did you chew through it and got to this one. Indeed, despite that sentence being a total mouthful, I do think it’s the most […]