Very Good Copy: 207 Micro-Lessons on Thinking and Writing Like a Copywriter

So, to be a good copywriter—and a creative person, in general—you must take your time. You must allow yourself to decelerate to the speed your work demands.

This sentence is in the passive voice: “The car was driven by Jim.” You can tell because the subject (Jim) is at the end, which shifts the focus of the sentence to its object (the car). This sentence is in the active voice: “Jim drove the car.” You can tell because Jim, the subject, is doing the action.

Highly creative people have more diverse experiences than most people. They also think more deeply about their experiences than most people. This approach—built around diversity and thoughtfulness—breeds opportunities for connection, the foundation of creativity.

“Copywriting” is a misnomer. “Copyresearching” is more accurate.

This is called “copyworking.” Coined by copywriter Gary Halbert, copyworking is an efficient way to learn another writer’s voice and style. Try it. Select a book by any author you admire and transcribe the first page. Then the second. Then the third. Doing fine. Page a day. Keep going.

the Japanese company behind Hello Kitty. People don’t know Sanrio’s creative department invented over four hundred characters—all with unique looks and personalities and backstories—before they made Hello Kitty, which became a phenomenon.

Recapping the rules of realism: One, never let The Reader inside the mind of a character. Note how Sanpaku Eyes never reveals thoughts or feelings, only facts, actions, and dialogue. Two, don’t give too much information. Note how Sanpaku Eyes doesn’t over-describe the setting or the characters because too much information—too much specificity—fills

A small split can create a significant difference, but this is uncommon. Most of your breakthroughs will come from big splits, which position the product or offer in a patently different way. So, if you can, start with a big split—a “big difference,” as Schwartz calls it—and when you find it, use small splits to incrementally refine and improve upo

Testimonials prove. The more, the better: having two reviews is good, but displaying two hundred reviews is impossible to ignore. Testimonials make your prospects think, It worked for them; it’ll work for me.

It can’t crawl your brain, regurgitating your personal experiences and emotions. Only you can access yourself. Only you can share your life, the happenstance moments, the trials and triumphs, the details that are unique to you but understood by all, felt by all. Because we’re all the same.