Something a little different this week… Rather than sharing some insight with you here in this article, we’re going to delve inside my brand new book – The Art of the Click – and quarry some insight from there. You see, my publisher has set up a cool little thing were you can access and read a […]
Questions in copy can be dangerous… Do you agree? No. And there you go: my question is answered. Just like that, it’s all over. Sorry to waste your time. I’ll speak to you another day. … … … Wait. What happened there? Well, I asked a question. You had an answer. The transaction ended. Hell, […]
I think it was Kurt Vonnegut who said it… “If you can’t explain your story to a fourteen-year-old in one sentence, you’ve got a problem with your story.” Something like that. Possibly. And hell, if he didn’t say it, he should have. It sounds like something he’d say. Anyway, it’s a useful little thought. Indeed, […]
David Ogilvy or David Lynch? I ask. “As a copywriter,” Gareth replies, “I’ve got to go with Ogilvy. He’s the main man on Main Street. The don. I did enjoy Twin Peaks as a kid, though.” Charles Bukowski or Charles Saatchi? I continue. “Tough one that. Saatchi has done loads in copywriting and in art, but I’m […]
I have a confession. Each night, around nine o’clock, my fiancée and I sit down and turn on the television. What we watch might shock you. You see, typically, we don’t watch a lot of television. I’m usually reading. At the moment I’m being very cultured reading Walter Isaacson’s obscenely heavy biography of Leonardo Da […]
“Er…it’s actually fruit infusion for me.” What? I’d just asked fellow copywriter, André Spiteri, if he prefers putting the milk in before the tea bag or after the water. I live a pretty controversial life myself by putting the milk in first… And in Earl Grey no less, an already-too-weak-tea in most people’s eyes. But […]
*Sigh* A list of books? Really? I know the feeling. Almost every time you see one it’s the usual suspects. Ogilvy on Advertising. Influence by Ciladini. A bit of Hemingway to prove you’re cultured. Don’t get me wrong. All those books and authors are great and you should read them. But there is absolutely no need for me to outline my thoughts on them. Instead, […]
It’s alive. Well, almost. It’s definitely on Amazon. Look, you can click here and see it. And I’m definitely excited. Look, I’m doing a big thumbs up and everything. Yes. Shout it from the hills. My first proper book on direct-response copywriting is finally available to pre-order and I can begin to tell you all about it. If you’ve […]
“A recent study of the advertising now running in our leading magazines shows that less than 20% of the campaigns have a U.S.P.” A U.S.P is a unique selling proposition. It’s something that sets a product or service apart from the competition. But you knew that. And you probably know — deep down — the […]
A long copy sales letter can run to around 10,000 words… Writing so much copy takes a while. So, it figures you’re going to have moments deep into the writing process when fresh inspiration comes. I had this recently with a letter I’ve been working on for a financial newsletter in the US. The idea […]