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

“There are your people! There are your headlines!” Blockbusters and magazines use clear, simple language—small words and terse sentences—to appeal to a huge, diverse audience. As a copywriter, you must watch these films and read these publications, even if they don’t inherently interest you.

“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.”

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.

Copywriter Eugene Schwartz famously sat at his desk for 33 minutes and 33 seconds at a time. He set a timer, sat down, and followed a simple rule: don’t get up until the alarm goes off.

I get tired and go to “The Well.” It’s a digital folder with hundreds of documents, each containing an idea, a kernel, the very beginnings of an essay. The more I scroll through The Well, the less anxious I feel and the more in control I am. Want to be more in control when you write? I’ve some advice: Become excellent at recording your ideas as the

Brand positioning boils down to one thing: Differentiation. And one way to be different is by aligning with a unique set of values. AND1 did this, aligning with the values of streetball: attitude and creativity. Nike, meanwhile, aligned with elitism and rigidity.

“Any time I’m telling myself, ‘But I’m making so much money,’ that’s a warning sign that I’m doing the wrong thing,” he said. “Ah,” Ferriss agreed. “Money can always be regenerated,” said Novak. “Time and reputation cannot.”

“The best headlines appeal to people’s self-interest,” he said, “or give news.” In other words, promising The Reader something helpful or something new is the most efficient way to get their attention, which, ultimately, is the goal of every headline. 9 “self-interest” words: ✔ sale ✔ save ✔ easy ✔ quick ✔ results ✔ proven ✔ how to ✔ guarantee

according to Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman, is how we should be thinking if we want clear, coherent thoughts. And what’s good copy if not clear and coherent? To write well, try writing slow. And to write slow, create bottlenecks between your thoughts and the words you put on the page, especially when writing a first draft: