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Will You Add? - How To Write Better Ad-Copy
Italian pinstripe designer suits, a button-down collar, and French cuffs do not a complete outfit make. They need something more, and this something is called a tie tack. A necktie without a tie tack is like potato chips without potatoes. The tie tack improves not only the outfit's form, but also its function. Tale of the Tie Tack Simply put, a tie tack is a short pin with an embellished head. Chains or snaps connect the tack to shirts. Three types of tie tacks exist. The tie bar clips a necktie to a shirt's fold. On the other hand, the tie pin connects a necktie directly to a shirt or chain, which slides through a shirt's buttonhole. Lastly, the tie chain includes a strong bar and a chain. The bar is connected to the shirt and the necktie covers it. The chain keeps the tie secure by lying across the necktie. All tie tacks keep neckties looking even, by keeping them stay straight and still. Men first wore these fashion accessories during the 1900s. Today, professionals wear tie tacks along with neck
Spend 20% of your time writing “sequels” to those ads.
The dictionary says a “sequel” is “A literary work complete in itself but continuing the narrative of an earlier work.”
Where most of the ads that just copycatted Joe Karbo’s “Lazy Man’s Way To Riches” ad were failures, or only had limited success, over the years I have written no less than five “sequel” ads that produced significant revenue for me. (One of them is the ad for my “How To STRIKE IT RICH” book.) -- I never tried to ‘copy’ Joe’s ad, just continue his narrative to a different conclusion ... my product.
Use your swipe-file the same way. -- Read and reread those ads until you have a complete story of the similar products being sold. Set those ads aside and don’t even think about looking at them while you write your own ad. -- Don’t try to ‘copy’ the ads you’ve read ...
Write a “sequel.”
Let your ad-copy continue from where the other ads ended.
If y
Whenever you are asked to prepare an annual report or a technical paper, you want it to look as professional as it can be. The same thing is true with client presentations. And aside from making your document look professional, you would also want to protect it with covers so that I can be used for a longer time. There are many applications that can enhance the appearance of documents while protecting it better. Among them are binding machines. Binding machines, or binders, are machines used to align, punch, and enclose individual sheets of papers into document sets. With binding machines, you can make documents look more professional, keep them well protected and lengthen their usage life.1. Document ProtectionNow, all binding can enhance the appearance of documents and protect them from damages. Choosing a binding machine to use for your report or paper, however, is not as simple as just picking any binder you can find in the market. There are many types of binding machines and each type would differ in
At the end of the seminar, a panel of five “successful writers” ... including me ... was introduced, with a list of each writer’s works and their individual accomplishments given.
The first few questions from the audience were nothing more than a rehash of some of the information provided during the day. Then, a young man stood-up in the back and said ...
“All day long, you’ve been telling us how to sell our written works - but - how do youlearn how to write to begin with?”
After the other panelists finished recommending english composition classes; espousing the merits of good grammar and syntax; and advising him to “just keep writing, you’ll get better,” it was my turn.
My answer was ... as usual ... short and to the point ...
“Read!”
Then, I had to explain what I meant.
If you want to be a Science Fiction writer, read every science fiction short story and novel you can find. Immerse yourself in the type of writing you want to do. Spend 80% of your time reading and 20% of your time writing “sequels” to the stories you have read.
Today, the young man who asked the question is a highly-paid writer ... with a host of articles and books to his credit. -- Last time I spoke to him, he thanked me again for my simple advice.
With that said, I am now going to answer those of you who have persisted in asking me ...
How To Write Better Ad-Copy
Right now, you’re probably thinking, “Now he’s gonna tell us to read all the books we can find on copywriting.”
Wrong, paperback-breathe! -- The first thing I’m gonna tell you is -- after you’ve read all those copywriting books for general knowledge; like learning english composition, grammar and syntax -- throw away those books and ...
Read The Ads!
That’s right. -- If you are going to write an ad to sell your “fancy-dancy fishhooks,” gather together every ad you can find that offers fishhooks, fishing lures, fishing poles, or, even, fishing boats. -- Read them ... reread them ... and read them some more. -- Don’t even try to do any writing. Just read the ads!
Again, you’re probably thinking, “That’s old hat. Everybody tells us to keep a swipe-file of ads offering products similar to our own, then use those ads to write our own ads.”
Wrong, again, copycat-litter-breathe! -- If you only use your swipe-file to makeup copycat ads, you will be committing ...
The Biggest Mistake Made By Beginning Ad-Copywriters!
Unfortunately, most beginning ad-copywriters take a successful ad ... offering a product similar to their own ... and simply change a few words in the headline, rewrite and rearrange the paragraphs, maybe put in an extra “bonus” of some kind, and try to use it to sell their product.
Think about it! -- That would be like copying “Moby Dick” by changing the whale to a great-white buffalo ... moving the action from the ocean to the great plains ... and making Captain Ahab a Buffalo Hunter with a missing arm. (Don’t laugh. It’s been done ... starring Charles Bronson, if memory serves.) -- No matter how well done, it would still only be an imperfect imitation.
In the business opportunity field, one of the most successful ads of all time was Joe Karbo’s “Lazy Man’s Way To Riches” ad. -- Can you imagine how many times that ad has been adapted, rearranged and enhanced to sell someone else’s opportunity information? -- Some of the adaptations may have had some success but, just a few weeks before he died, Joe Karbo himself lamented to me that none of his copycat-ads; copycatting his own ad, had ever been successful.
Do the same thing I told the young would-be writer to do to learn to write, spend 80% of your time “reading” ads offering products similar to your own. Then ...
Spend 20% of your time writing “sequels” to those ads.
The dictionary says a “sequel” is “A literary work complete in itself but continuing the narrative of an earlier work.”
Where most of the ads that just copycatted Joe Karbo’s “Lazy Man’s Way To Riches” ad were failures, or only had limited success, over the years I have written no less than five “sequel” ads that produced significant revenue for me. (One of them is the ad for my “How To STRIKE IT RICH” book.) -- I never tried to ‘copy’ Joe’s ad, just continue his narrative to a different conclusion ... my product.
Use your swipe-file the same way. -- Read and reread those ads until you have a complete story of the similar products being sold. Set those ads aside and don’t even think about looking at them while you write your own ad. -- Don’t try to ‘copy’ the ads you’ve read ...
Write a “sequel.”
Let your ad-copy continue from where the other ads ended.
If yo
Whistleblowing as we know it is not a development of the late 20th century. The council of the city-state of Venice instituted a form of whistleblowing to help fight corruption and to give citizens a more meaningful voice in their government.Employees or franchisees do come across acts of dishonesty, fraud, corruption, theft, and transactions in prohibited goods, violence, and damage to property or plain unethical behaviour. If such activity is reported, undesirable repercussions can be avoided.Illegal, Immoral or illegitimate practices ranging from under-reported sales to misappropriation or pilferage of stock or non-compliance can undermine an organisation and, in severe cases, severally erode its brand and reputation in the marketplace. SMEs are particularly vulnerable as they are less likely to be audited or to employ measures to detect and avoid such dishonest actions.In many cases, if classified information is available and whistleblowers protection guaranteed, financial losses might be lower
My answer was ... as usual ... short and to the point ...
“Read!”
Then, I had to explain what I meant.
If you want to be a Science Fiction writer, read every science fiction short story and novel you can find. Immerse yourself in the type of writing you want to do. Spend 80% of your time reading and 20% of your time writing “sequels” to the stories you have read.
Today, the young man who asked the question is a highly-paid writer ... with a host of articles and books to his credit. -- Last time I spoke to him, he thanked me again for my simple advice.
With that said, I am now going to answer those of you who have persisted in asking me ...
How To Write Better Ad-Copy
Right now, you’re probably thinking, “Now he’s gonna tell us to read all the books we can find on copywriting.”
Wrong, paperback-breathe! -- The first thing I’m gonna tell you is -- after you’ve read all those copywriting books for general knowledge; like learning english composition, grammar and syntax -- throw away those books and ...
Read The Ads!
That’s right. -- If you are going to write an ad to sell your “fancy-dancy fishhooks,” gather together every ad you can find that offers fishhooks, fishing lures, fishing poles, or, even, fishing boats. -- Read them ... reread them ... and read them some more. -- Don’t even try to do any writing. Just read the ads!
Again, you’re probably thinking, “That’s old hat. Everybody tells us to keep a swipe-file of ads offering products similar to our own, then use those ads to write our own ads.”
Wrong, again, copycat-litter-breathe! -- If you only use your swipe-file to makeup copycat ads, you will be committing ...
The Biggest Mistake Made By Beginning Ad-Copywriters!
Unfortunately, most beginning ad-copywriters take a successful ad ... offering a product similar to their own ... and simply change a few words in the headline, rewrite and rearrange the paragraphs, maybe put in an extra “bonus” of some kind, and try to use it to sell their product.
Think about it! -- That would be like copying “Moby Dick” by changing the whale to a great-white buffalo ... moving the action from the ocean to the great plains ... and making Captain Ahab a Buffalo Hunter with a missing arm. (Don’t laugh. It’s been done ... starring Charles Bronson, if memory serves.) -- No matter how well done, it would still only be an imperfect imitation.
In the business opportunity field, one of the most successful ads of all time was Joe Karbo’s “Lazy Man’s Way To Riches” ad. -- Can you imagine how many times that ad has been adapted, rearranged and enhanced to sell someone else’s opportunity information? -- Some of the adaptations may have had some success but, just a few weeks before he died, Joe Karbo himself lamented to me that none of his copycat-ads; copycatting his own ad, had ever been successful.
Do the same thing I told the young would-be writer to do to learn to write, spend 80% of your time “reading” ads offering products similar to your own. Then ...
Spend 20% of your time writing “sequels” to those ads.
The dictionary says a “sequel” is “A literary work complete in itself but continuing the narrative of an earlier work.”
Where most of the ads that just copycatted Joe Karbo’s “Lazy Man’s Way To Riches” ad were failures, or only had limited success, over the years I have written no less than five “sequel” ads that produced significant revenue for me. (One of them is the ad for my “How To STRIKE IT RICH” book.) -- I never tried to ‘copy’ Joe’s ad, just continue his narrative to a different conclusion ... my product.
Use your swipe-file the same way. -- Read and reread those ads until you have a complete story of the similar products being sold. Set those ads aside and don’t even think about looking at them while you write your own ad. -- Don’t try to ‘copy’ the ads you’ve read ...
Write a “sequel.”
Let your ad-copy continue from where the other ads ended.
If y
Think ‘shared office space’.No, this doesn't mean you have to actually share office space with another company. It is simply a generic name for a type of office space that doesn’t require a long-term lease.Shared office space is available in almost any city in the world. Why should you consider it when you need either temporary or permanent expansion room? Here are just a few reasons. There is never a long-term complicated lease involved. You sign a simple rental agreement in the morning and can move into the office space that afternoon.Almost all shared office space is centrally located within the heart of a city.You don't have to hassle moving furniture, getting telephones hooked up or even buying business machines. Everything you need, including staff, can be provided.Shared office space is almost always located in a prestigious building so your image doesn't have to suffer, in fact in may improve.. Here's a special suggestion
Read The Ads!
That’s right. -- If you are going to write an ad to sell your “fancy-dancy fishhooks,” gather together every ad you can find that offers fishhooks, fishing lures, fishing poles, or, even, fishing boats. -- Read them ... reread them ... and read them some more. -- Don’t even try to do any writing. Just read the ads!
Again, you’re probably thinking, “That’s old hat. Everybody tells us to keep a swipe-file of ads offering products similar to our own, then use those ads to write our own ads.”
Wrong, again, copycat-litter-breathe! -- If you only use your swipe-file to makeup copycat ads, you will be committing ...
The Biggest Mistake Made By Beginning Ad-Copywriters!
Unfortunately, most beginning ad-copywriters take a successful ad ... offering a product similar to their own ... and simply change a few words in the headline, rewrite and rearrange the paragraphs, maybe put in an extra “bonus” of some kind, and try to use it to sell their product.
Think about it! -- That would be like copying “Moby Dick” by changing the whale to a great-white buffalo ... moving the action from the ocean to the great plains ... and making Captain Ahab a Buffalo Hunter with a missing arm. (Don’t laugh. It’s been done ... starring Charles Bronson, if memory serves.) -- No matter how well done, it would still only be an imperfect imitation.
In the business opportunity field, one of the most successful ads of all time was Joe Karbo’s “Lazy Man’s Way To Riches” ad. -- Can you imagine how many times that ad has been adapted, rearranged and enhanced to sell someone else’s opportunity information? -- Some of the adaptations may have had some success but, just a few weeks before he died, Joe Karbo himself lamented to me that none of his copycat-ads; copycatting his own ad, had ever been successful.
Do the same thing I told the young would-be writer to do to learn to write, spend 80% of your time “reading” ads offering products similar to your own. Then ...
Spend 20% of your time writing “sequels” to those ads.
The dictionary says a “sequel” is “A literary work complete in itself but continuing the narrative of an earlier work.”
Where most of the ads that just copycatted Joe Karbo’s “Lazy Man’s Way To Riches” ad were failures, or only had limited success, over the years I have written no less than five “sequel” ads that produced significant revenue for me. (One of them is the ad for my “How To STRIKE IT RICH” book.) -- I never tried to ‘copy’ Joe’s ad, just continue his narrative to a different conclusion ... my product.
Use your swipe-file the same way. -- Read and reread those ads until you have a complete story of the similar products being sold. Set those ads aside and don’t even think about looking at them while you write your own ad. -- Don’t try to ‘copy’ the ads you’ve read ...
Write a “sequel.”
Let your ad-copy continue from where the other ads ended.
If y
T. Harv Eker, author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, states that the journey to success is full of twists, turns, ups, downs, stops and reverses. You have to "zig zag" your way to success.He is right. Once you understand this fact, you will begin to understand that your own journey to success will be full of adventure and different roads. Roads that you may not have chosen to venture down, but roads that will ultimately lead to your success nonetheless.We are only kidding ourselves if we really believe that everything will be smooth sailing and will go exactly the way we want it to.Understanding that life presents us with sudden concerns and problems will allow us to be prepared to deal with the unexpected. We won't have unrealistic expectations that will stop us in our tracks.We understand that as we travel the journey to success, we will have to evaluate, correct, re-align, straighten, and review continuously.Releasing ourselves from the misguided belief of an 'easy road' gives
Think about it! -- That would be like copying “Moby Dick” by changing the whale to a great-white buffalo ... moving the action from the ocean to the great plains ... and making Captain Ahab a Buffalo Hunter with a missing arm. (Don’t laugh. It’s been done ... starring Charles Bronson, if memory serves.) -- No matter how well done, it would still only be an imperfect imitation.
In the business opportunity field, one of the most successful ads of all time was Joe Karbo’s “Lazy Man’s Way To Riches” ad. -- Can you imagine how many times that ad has been adapted, rearranged and enhanced to sell someone else’s opportunity information? -- Some of the adaptations may have had some success but, just a few weeks before he died, Joe Karbo himself lamented to me that none of his copycat-ads; copycatting his own ad, had ever been successful.
Do the same thing I told the young would-be writer to do to learn to write, spend 80% of your time “reading” ads offering products similar to your own. Then ...
Spend 20% of your time writing “sequels” to those ads.
The dictionary says a “sequel” is “A literary work complete in itself but continuing the narrative of an earlier work.”
Where most of the ads that just copycatted Joe Karbo’s “Lazy Man’s Way To Riches” ad were failures, or only had limited success, over the years I have written no less than five “sequel” ads that produced significant revenue for me. (One of them is the ad for my “How To STRIKE IT RICH” book.) -- I never tried to ‘copy’ Joe’s ad, just continue his narrative to a different conclusion ... my product.
Use your swipe-file the same way. -- Read and reread those ads until you have a complete story of the similar products being sold. Set those ads aside and don’t even think about looking at them while you write your own ad. -- Don’t try to ‘copy’ the ads you’ve read ...
Write a “sequel.”
Let your ad-copy continue from where the other ads ended.
If y
Management is relationships; sales is relationships; service is relationships; office politics is relationships. Salaries and bonuses; vacations and office assignments; training and education --- all relationships.Shopping is business; handling the checkbook and credit cards are business; life insurance is business; health is business; who’s doing what and when is business. We say, “let’s get down to business.’ That’s relationship.I have not seen the separation. Is “the separation of Church and State” about relationship or about business? They are peculiar synonyms Here's some more -- It's clear you have to master both to master either.What’s marketing? Hey – if you want to ‘win’ the heart of another, try marketing. Marketing wants to create relationships that persist. Buying flowers for your wife is marketing.There is no more important business than relationships and business is crucial to successful relationships.The most common goal for people in business is to spend more q
Spend 20% of your time writing “sequels” to those ads.
The dictionary says a “sequel” is “A literary work complete in itself but continuing the narrative of an earlier work.”
Where most of the ads that just copycatted Joe Karbo’s “Lazy Man’s Way To Riches” ad were failures, or only had limited success, over the years I have written no less than five “sequel” ads that produced significant revenue for me. (One of them is the ad for my “How To STRIKE IT RICH” book.) -- I never tried to ‘copy’ Joe’s ad, just continue his narrative to a different conclusion ... my product.
Use your swipe-file the same way. -- Read and reread those ads until you have a complete story of the similar products being sold. Set those ads aside and don’t even think about looking at them while you write your own ad. -- Don’t try to ‘copy’ the ads you’ve read ...
Write a “sequel.”
Let your ad-copy continue from where the other ads ended.
If you aren’t happy with your first results, do it all over again ... read the ads again ... set them aside again ... write your “sequel” again. -- Keep looking for more and more ads offering similar products to add to your story line ... immerse yourself in those kinds of ads ... to the point of drowning in ad copy. Then, lay those ads aside and write your “sequel” ads.
As your “sequels” get better and better, your income will get bigger and bigger.
Now, I’m gonna tell you ...
The Greatest Unwritten Secret to Successful Ad-Copywriting!
Although I have read literally thousands of books, booklets, reports and articles about ad-copywriting, I don’t recall ever reading the "secret" I am about to tell you.
When you write your “sequel” ads ...
Use The Words In Your Ad To Attract The Kind Of Customers You Want To Keep
The best way to explain what I mean is by illustration. -- Here are two different headlines for an “opportunity” ad ...
Earn $10,000 Per Month
Get $10,000 Per Month
It may appear, at first reading, that both headlines offer the same type of opportunity - but - read them closely.
The first headline begins with the word “Earn.” -- To the reader, that means some “job” or “work” must be performed in order to “earn” the $10,000 promised.
Compare that to the second headline which starts with the word “Get.” -- That leads the reader to believe that little, if any, “work” is involved in “getting” the $10,000.
Believe it or don’t ... the readers don’t even realize that they are making that subtle distinction. Their reaction to the headline is ingrained in their “subconscious.”
Using the word “Earn” you will attract the kind of customers who don’t have a subconscious aversion to work. -- Using the word “Get” you will attract more people who are looking for something for nothing ... by “getting” their share of the “free lunch” that might just exist.
Which brings me to an observation about ...
Ad-Copywriting Books
Over the past 30 years, I have watched an ever-increasing proliferation of books about ad-copywriting. Unfortunately, all too many of those books are just compiled from older, well-written books on the subject - but - with one BIG difference.
The compilers of those books believe that, in order to “sell” something, you have to “trick” the buyer into buying. So, they take legitimate advertising techniques and read into them an implied deception. In effect, the assorted fools who compile books corrupting viable advertising principals lend credence to the journalistic attitude that advertising, by its very nature, is evil.
Although I am adamantly opposed to book burning ... any book about ad-writing that espouses any use of misleading words, deceptive phrasing, fictitious or nebulous testimonials, meaningless hype, or the egregious use of meritless guarantees belongs in your backyard incinerator, not in your business library.
If you have to “trick” your customers into buying from you, neither you nor your product deserve anything other than my contempt.
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