Conversion copy should not call attention to itself. It should call attention to the prospect, to her problems. Or to the product, to the pleasure it produces or the pain it prevents. But not to itself. Keep your windows clean. Be clear, not clever (especially when you’re writing direct- response copy).

“The preparation for becoming a great copywriter is a lifestyle,” said direct marketer Joe Sugarman. “It’s a hunger for knowledge, a curiosity and desire to participate in life that is broad-based and passionate.”

“Yeah, but moments are relatable,” she says, “powerful.” I didn’t know it then, but I do now. Now, I work in copywriting, and moments are everything. Zoom in on the moment, and it will speak for itself.

Seth Godin said, “Crafting a story that tricks people into making short-term decisions they regret in the long run is the worst kind of marketing sin.” Ads make promises. Promises bring people hope. Don’t mess with a person’s hope.

“If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting,” she explains, “and it will probably be universal. So you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it,” she writes. “If

“Write to please just one person,” said Kurt Vonnegut. He was a novelist. But copywriters say this, too: “Never write for anyone; always write for someone.”

When you’re stuck, stop making creative decisions. Instead, start taking creative direction. Construct a model or paint by numbers or build a LEGO set. Do anything you must follow instructions to complete. You’ll find it’s a rejuvenating form of creative rest.

put pressure on yourself to seek out and experience various places and people and perspectives that are new to you, interesting to you, compelling to you. Then, ask yourself: “How can I connect this place or person or point of view to my product in a compelling way?” If

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.