The most famous copywriters were advertising greats and direct response marketers who knew best how to sell with words. Here you’ll find their most valuable lessons that still apply in the internet age.
This article shares 5 shrewd tips from the following copywriters:
Eugene Schwartz
Joe Sugarman
John Caples
Victor O. Schwab
David Ogilvy
5 copy tips from famous copywriters
I have an irreverent streak.
Just ask my Dad.
He’ll tell you I’ve always done my own thing.
For instance, rather than study something useful like Medicine or Maths, I left home when I was 17 to study Chinese.
And then, unhappy with what my lecturers told me, I took a break to travel through China, even before I graduated.
So, don’t try to tell me what to do.
But even I have to admit …
I’ve learned a lot from the original copywriters—the famous direct response writers, most of whom passed away a long time ago.
Of course, the world has changed since they started testing direct response ads.
Instead of watching TV, we’re Netflixing tonight. Instead of writing How funny!, we use 😂. We tweet and Whatsapp and Facetime or Zoom rather than send letters and postcards.
Technology may have changed, and the words we use may have changed, but our basic human instincts have remained the same. We’re still looking for belonging, comfort, love, security, freedom from fear and pain.
That’s why the most essential copywriting advice still applies. Whether writing a sales email or direct response letter, a landing page or an ad, the basic copywriting rules have remained the same.
So, what are the most useful, most important lessons we can learn from the most famous copywriters?
Famous copywriter#1: Eugene Schwartz
Schwartz (1927 – 1995) was one of the highest paid copywriters in the 1950s and ’60s, and he famously worked only 3 hours a day. This is the title of an article by Schwartz on copywriting:
I write with my ears.
~ Eugene Schwartz
According to Schwartz, he didn’t write his ads. He simply listened to people. First, he listened to a product owner to learn as much as possible about a product—what it does, what proof exists that it works, why it’s better than the competition, and who likes it and who doesn’t. Next, he’d listen to customers to check out the owner’s story, and lastly, he’d try to find out more about competitors.
After all the listening, the copy almost wrote itself. Schwartz picked the best snippets from the interviews and arranged them in a logical order for his ads.
That process still works today.
Good copy starts with listening and with creating an inventory of arguments why people would buy.
Famous copywriter #2: Joe Sugarman
Joe Sugarman (born 1938) is the author of my favorite guide on copywriting: The Adweek Copywriting Handbook. He’s also the guy who sold a $240,000 airplane in a single mail order ad. (Amazing, eh?)
I’ve probably learned more from Sugarman’s book than from any other copywriting hero, and here’s one of my favorite quotes from him:
When people perceive general statements as puffery or typical advertising babble, those statements are at best discounted or accepted with some doubt. By contrast, statements with specific facts can generate strong credibility.
~ Joe Sugarman
My hunch is that since Sugarman wrote those words, people have become more wary of puffery and babble, so more than ever it’s important to include facts in your writing.
For instance, suggesting your service is excellent is puffery. It’s an empty statement. No one claims that their service is less than excellent.
To be more factual, tell us exactly why your service is excellent. Are customers saying that you’re better than the competition? What is it that they like about your service?
Famous copywriter #3: John Caples
John Caples (1900-1990) wrote what’s probably the world’s most famous headline: They Laughed When I Sat at the Piano, But When I Started to Play!
In his book Tested Advertising Methods (1932), Caples shares a lot of advice on writing headlines, but here, I’d like to share a more important quote about a fundamental mistake that many still make today:
The most frequent reason for unsuccessful advertising is advertisers who are so full of their own accomplishments (the world’s best seed!) that they forget to tell us why we should buy (the world’s best lawn!).
~ John Caples
As sellers, it’s easy to get enthusiastic about our product or service. After all, we’ve worked hard to up our skills so we can deliver a better service. We’ve slaved away late at night to develop a new app or a new course. So, we’d like to share our enthusiasm about how good it is.
But people don’t want to know how hard we’ve worked. They aren’t interested in our companies. They aren’t even interested in our products. They want to know what’s in it for them.
To let people understand why a product matters to them, ask yourself So what?
For instance:
- My new copywriting course includes 32 short videos—each video is under 11 minutes. So what? You can dip into the course even if have only 15 minutes. So what? Even if you’re crazy busy, you can still learn how to write better copy and learn how to sell more.
- The course also includes 31 activities to test your newly acquired knowledge and help you fine-tune your copy X-ray skills. So what? You learn how to evaluate and improve any copy (including your own). So what? You become a more confident and better copywriter. So what? You can sell more.
People buy on emotions, and justify their purchasing decisions with facts. So, good copy balances features with benefits. The features explain specific facts about your product, and the benefits point out how you make your customer’s life a little better—that’s how you connect emotionally.
Famous copywriter #4: Victor O. Schwab
Victor Schwab (1898 – 1980) was a pioneer in split-testing advertising using coupons, and he was called “the greatest mail-order copywriter of all time” by Advertising Age.
His book How to Write a Good Advertisement (1942) still appears on most copywriters’ bookshelves, and here’s one tip that’s still useful today:
Now, to get action, you’ve got to ask for it.
~ Victor O. Schwab
It feels kind of obvious, doesn’t it?
Still, many web pages and emails peter out because there’s no clear call to action at the end.
If you want people to click a link in an email to read your latest blog post, have a clear and concise call to action.
And if you want people to click your Buy button, make it stand out and don’t bury it among various other calls to action. If you clearly tell people what to do next, it’s more likely they’ll follow your advice.
Famous copywriter #5: David Ogilvy
David Ogilvy (1911 – 1990) is often quoted as the father of British advertising. He started his career selling cooking stoves, and in 1938, he wrote an instruction manual for selling stoves for his colleagues.
That instruction manual is still a useful guide on the principles of selling, but it’s utterly sexist. If one thing has changed since the heyday of the copywriters mentioned in this blog post, then it’s that we don’t assume anymore that a copywriter is a man and that women are at home cooking.
So, I’d like to rewrite one of Ogilvy’s most famous quotes. The original is:
The consumer isn’t a moron. She is your wife.
~ David Ogilvy
I agree that the consumer isn’t a moron. But the consumer needn’t be your wife. The consumer can be your husband, your partner, or your best friend.
What’s important is to write for one person, for a person you respect. Too often copy fails because it’s written for a crowd and it sounds robotic, or, even worse, the copy sounds condescending—as if your reader is a moron because they haven’t purchased your course yet.
Please treat your readers with respect
Show them you understand their wishes, dreams, and worries.
Tell them how you can help them improve their lives.
Be honest, and give readers the right information to make up their minds, and nudge them to press the Buy button.
Your honesty will be rewarded.
That was illuminating, thank you! Of all the famous names mentioned, I feel that the last one, the sexist David Ogilvy, has grasped the key to long-term relationships with a client, and that is respect. With today’s tendency for creating a brand ecosystem, this is the case. I mean well-known brands that care about their image and tone of voice, is social media especially.
Yes, I agree. Respect for your (potential) clients is the first rule of good copywriting and content writing.
I’ve been writing for 30 years and these tips are still super helpful for me. I met Ogilvy back in the 80s and he was kind of a pompous arse. But he made a lot of money. So there’s that.
I’m not surprised you thought he was a pompous arse. I get a similar impression of him from his books, too.
Thank you for sharing this articles. I loved them…
I’m new in the copywriting industry and I’ve got no idea on where to start, but I will find my way…
Hi Anilka,
You may like this article on learning copywriting: https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/learn-copywriting/
Also, my snackable course is a good starting point: https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/free-writing-course/
Who are your best three, Henneke?
I don’t know. My number one favorite is Joe Sugarman.
Thank you for sharing these quotes from those legendary copywriters…
Start learning copywriting, makes me feel good!
Wish somebody will be my mentor on this…
Thanks for sharing,
I’m glad you enjoyed this, Audie!
I Like It!
Can you point me out about something that’s waiting for me: As a non-native, I perfectly understood your sentences, however sometimes, it happens though to me – to get the sense of native copywriters’ sentence.
In contrast, your is the style, much easier – better – Incomplexable vocabulary.
So, how can I study to adopt that kind of sentence accent.
Should I read out something there?
Or you’re gonna suggest me any of the book.
P.S. I’m a beginner to copywriting
If you like a writer’s style, it’s useful to read them a lot and pay attention to their word choice and sentence structure so you can emulate their writing. To avoid sounding too much like them, try to find at least three writers to study.
Great Tips.
Henneke, how about your tip?
If I ask you to give one tip on copywriting in one sentence, what it will be?
Choosing one tip is so hard! I’d probably go for: Demonstrate (and prove!) how you help people escape a rainy situation and how you lead them to a sunny situation.
To explain: The transformation (from rain to sunshine) you help people achieve is key in persuasive copy. First you have to understand what kind of transformation people are looking for (how they want to improve their lives and what problems they want to solve). Secondly, you have to offer a product or service that actually delivers (part of) that transformation. Thirdly, show (and prove!) this transformation in your copy.
Famous copywriter #2: Joe Sugarman I like the most. Thanks for adding him in your list.
He’s my favorite, too! 🙂
Your “So what” tip is one of my all time favorites. So simple (like I love) 😉 and so effective! Hope you and your loved ones are safe and sound, Henneke!
Thank you so much for your compliment. When I’m working on sales copy, I keep asking myself So what?. It works 😉
I hope you and yours are safe and well, too, Cathy. Thank you for stopping by ?
I’ve heard of and read things by most of the legends on the list. Great article, thanks for sharing
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Liz!
Thanks for this very useful compilation of tips, loved the format with the person and their quotes. Had to laugh at the one by David Ogilvy, certainly times are changing, for the best 🙂
Cheers from the confinement of my house.
The first half of the Ogilvy quote is excellent, the second half needs some fine-tuning, eh? 😉
Sending you a virtual hug ?
Hope you’re keeping safe and healthy.
Yeah, some updating would be necessary. Makes me wonder, what other things of our culture would become intolerable.
Sending lots of virtual hugs Henneke, tough times for everyone but we will grow stronger ❤️
Yes, we will grow stronger and kinder ?
Simply marvellous, Henneke. I’ve heard most of these quotes and all of their writers. But what you’ve condensed for us is brilliant!
I’m sure you can come up with a succinct quote which is yours alone. Btw, liked your thoughts on WIIFM and the ‘so what?’ points relevant to features and benefits.
Thank you so much, Paul. I’m glad you enjoyed it—even though you knew most already!
PS One of the most popular highlights in my book How to Write Seductive Web Copy is: “People don’t like to be addressed as a crowd. They prefer to read something that addresses them personally, directly.” It’s not a bad one? 😉
I’m glad you don’t make videos.
Today there are too many “gurus” who say: “free download my 3 videos to learn how to ….”
I hate watching videos. I prefer to read.
Many people force us to watch a 60 minute video to tell us something that if they wrote it would take 10 minutes.
As I read, I emphasize, I highlight, I take notes. All difficult things to do by watching a video.
Henneke, I bought your book. I wouldn’t have bought it if it had been a video.
I can read in English, but I don’t understand it if someone speaks it.
Thanks for your valuable information.
This is another reason why I add proper transcripts to my videos—a lot of people in my audience are non-native speakers.
I also like your point about highlighting and taking notes while reading—so much more difficult when watching a video as you have to press the pause button all the time.
Thank you so much for adding your experience to the conversation. I appreciate it.
I hope you’re staying safe. ?
Thank you very much Henneke ❤️ Here in Brescia is very hard. We are in the trenches.
My heart goes out to you ❤️
Henneke, good post and I learned I follow the Eugene Schwartz model and never knew it.
I make websites for small businesses. I like to interview the owner (when they can get the time) to talk about their business – what they do, how they do it, why they do it, what made them get into the business, who they do it for, how they want to be different – to write the content used in the website.
That way I get copy with a take no one else will have on some other site. Once the owner relaxes, they really start to open up and start talking and I am furiously taking notes.
The copy may not exactly write itself, but with some editing and the addition of some keywords, I like to think I give both the reader looking for a solution to a problem and the quality evaluators at Google a take or an angle they have not read before.
That seems to work to urge the reader to the call-to-action step, whatever that happens to be.
Thanks again for a good summation of some of the best copywriting ideas out there.
It sounds like you follow a great process. In my opinion, interviewing business owners is an underrated skill for copywriters.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m sure it’s useful for others, too.
Some really good quotes here, Henneke! Thanks so much for sharing all the research that went into this!
As a women’s counselor who speaks to Christian women about marriage, I often speak as Ogilvy did. There are a lot of women who need to be told, “He’s no moron; he’s your husband!” Because they have not considered that fact. And it can not only come as a shock to some women, but also can clear the air and invite a completely different dialog in some cases.
Just realizing the person you need to communicate with will probably listen if you stop emoting and communicate, already, can be the key.
Which is exactly what you have said above. That we all become truly excited about our own perception–seller and buyer alike–and we sellers forget the listener perceives, too. When we modify our “sell” it fits their “buy” precisely; no more square peg for a round hole!
I love how you’ve explained that. This is so true: “When we modify our “sell” it fits their “buy” precisely; no more square peg for a round hole!” Why do we get stuck in our own world so often?
Sending you a virtual hug. ?
Absolutely bang on, Henneke.
It takes me back twenty years when I was unto personality training for direct marketers. Zig Ziglar would often repeat. “Find out every detail. Give the customer the best that they need. When you strive to give them the best product to make them happy,success is yours.”
Old adage,still holds good.
Thank you, Henneke.
Excellent post. ?
Yes, so true! Too often sales copy is lacking because it doesn’t give enough detail.
Thank you for stopping by, Nicolas. Stay safe. ?
Today, I’ve got two questions for you all, and Henneke in particular.
1. Lately there is a communis opinio in marketing land that says: “tell the story” and “start with why”.
The idea is that consumers are interested in the makers, the company, the product.
Does this idea in a way contradict Caples’ position, that Henneke elaborates on with “But people don’t want to know how hard we’ve worked. They aren’t interested in our companies. They aren’t even interested in our products. They want to know what’s in it for them.”
2. Henneke refers to her copywriting course having 32 short videos. She sells this with the idea that busy people don’t need to spend much time and still can learn something.
My question: especially in copywriting, how can a video teach me things faster than a written text can?
Follow-up question: why is this very blog in written format, and not video?
Looking forward to new insights.
To me, “Start with the why” means that I know why I’m doing what I’m doing, what my values are, and how I want to help people. This underpins all the work I do but this doesn’t mean I always start with sharing my story. My story gets woven into my writing but how I want to help people is always the priority. The objective of a blog post is to answer a question, help solve a problem or achieve a goal. But as I’m writing as one human being for one human being, it’s natural that my story gets shared, too. After all, we also want to connect from human being to human being. But for a sales page, telling our own story isn’t usually the focus—the hero in our sales story is the (potential) customer.
On videos: I can’t quickly find the source but I’ve read that about half of the people like videos and half of the people prefer to read. I prefer reading, and I’ve always thought that I write for people who love reading but I actually got feedback from people who wanted more video in my courses, so I’m trying to have both options in my course: the transcripts are illustrated (and lightly edited) so they’re a worthy alternative to watching the videos.
I don’t think video teaches quicker (reading is always quicker) but I do think that we often learn best when we consume information more than once. What I’ve seen in my courses is that many people watch a video, then the next day read the transcript and make some notes, then start implementing the advice using the activities.
This blog is in written format because it takes me a lot of time to create videos (they’re all illustrated), and there are still a lot of people who prefer reading.
I’m in my early forties and just now trying to leap into copywriting (or any kind of writing). I so appreciate the clarity with which you write. Your tips and emails are fast becoming my favorites. Thank you for generously sharing so much value.
Thank you so much, Sara. I also jumped into writing in my early forties, and I’m so glad I did.
Henneke, I’ve marked my calendar for March 26 and am excited to take your new copywriting course. Long overdue hi from Canada 🙂
And a wave and virtual hug back to you, Gay ?. Good to know you’re in 🙂
This blog alone is capable of teaching all about copywriting. Wonderfully covered and quoted all most important aspects.
Good Job!
Thank you, Abhishek!
Wonderful reminder. Loved the story about you. I can see that. Spunk. Irreverence. Compassion. Love. Your blog posts are always a gift in my inbox. Thanks Henneke! ❤️
Thank you so much, Lee. Sending a virtual hug to you ?
PS Spunk means something completely different in British English. Kind of weird.
Awesome post, Henneke.
Sending love and compassion (back to you) in these strange times!
Best regards,
Waqar
Sending a virtual hug to you, Waqar. ?
Thank you for stopping by.
Brilliant as always! Thank you for your tips.
Thank you, Marwa. Happy copywriting!
You have presented the points well. The content is clear enough for a lay man like myself. Thanks Henneke for sharing your knowledge with me. You are so helpful.
Charles
I’m glad you found this helpful, Charles. Happy copywriting!