An old-school copywriting trick I really love is to use what’s called the “Bucket Brigade” or copy connectors. These are used to keep your message flowing in a smooth way and are important no matter what you are writing. These use the power of human psychology to make your reader move seamlessly from one thought

  “The right offer should be so attractive that only a lunatic would say “NO”. Quote by Claude Hopkins   All of your fancy headlines, storytelling skills, and even a GREAT product won’t mean squat if you can’t…  CLOSE THE SALE. So, how do you close the deal with as little friction and pushback as

  As a Direct Response Copywriter who provides copywriting services in a large variety of markets, it’s important for me to always keep the fundamentals of what works in the forefront of my mind. And that is why I originally started writing these rules down with the idea of creating a “cheat sheet” of proven

Can Anyone Learn To Be A Great Direct Response Copywriter? That’s a question I’m often asked. And my answer is Yes. But only if you are willing to work hard at it. Let me explain further. Copywriting is not a talent you are born with. While there are some aspects of natural talent that may

Recently I was re-watching one of my favorite movies – The Godfather – and discovered a powerful persuasion lesson I want to share with you. Yes, I’m speaking of the legendary family mafia drama by director Francis Ford Copula. It features a fantastic script, a mood-enhancing soundtrack, and stars true Hollywood powerhouses like Marlon Brando,

Do you know how to protect yourself from the dreaded Time Vampires?   What are they you ask?? Well, in this article I’ll tell you what they are and how to vanquish them from your life so you can be more productive and therefore increase your profits and overall success.  Why is this so important?  I’ll tell

Is there really a PERFECT copywriting formula? Well, I think this one is as close to it as possible. It’s also pretty darn simple. So, what is this almost perfect copywriting formula? Well, it breaks down to just 3 quick and easy-to-remember steps: Tell a Painful Story That Resonates With Your Target Prospect Explain How

Here’s a prediction to take to heart… The days of the “Lazy Entrepreneur” getting ahead of the hard-working, nose-to-the-grindstone types who make up the majority of us are soon to be OVER. Now, I’m not saying I (like everyone) don’t occasionally have to fight off the urge to be lazy. But here’s the thing. The

If you are interested in adding a potentially HUGE income stream to your business, then this article will hopefully FLOOD your mind with lots of ideas. Here’s the story… Recently I had a new potential client come to me who wanted to hire me to write sales copy for him.  Unfortunately, like far too many

People are bored.  At least most of them seem that way to me. All despite the fact there is more entertainment available to consume than in any other time in human history.  I’ll give you a couple of examples from my personal life.  Let’s take a concept so terrible it must have been forged in

Even if you’re a professional copywriter like myself sometimes it can be hard getting your daily writing tasks done with everything else you have to do.   In fact, at times it can be downright PAINFUL to get started. Often I have to use every ounce of my willpower to get things done like writing

  I’m a HUGE Star Wars fan.  Well, of the original trilogy anyways. Over the years I’ve probably seen George Lucas’s first three classics from the late 70’s and early 80’s at least one hundred times each. In fact, the 1980’s Empire Strikes Back was the first movie I actually saw live in the theater. 

So what exactly does Ice T (the musician and actor, not the drink) have to with copywriting? Well, on the surface not much. But being a master copywriter means looking at things differently and I try to find lessons in just about everything. Often something will trigger a memory that gets me thinking about what

Can you REALLY learn lessons in copywriting, marketing and entrepreneurialism from almost anything? I think so. At least I TRY to find topics from the most non-obvious sources that I can use as analogies to teach lessons to others.  One of the best sources are old TV shows.  Really any type of show, but I

Journal of a Freelance Copywriter – Entry 1 Let me tell you a quick story about a somewhat awkward situation I got myself into earlier this week. I had a potential client contact me about writing a sales page to sell a new product he is launching. (I’m gonna keep the details secret as I

I was recently asked to give a short presentation on copywriting for a group of small business owners.  Now, copywriting can be a somewhat complicated thing to explain. And I had just 20 minutes to try to convey something tangible that these entrepreneurs could use in their business. Well, I thought about this for a

A story of a freelance copywriting stud! How a high school loser landed into a freelance copywriting profession! Once upon a time, in a VERY small town in rural Rhode Island lived a kid who could have been the poster child of a high school loser. He had very little friends, barely left his house

So, what exactly are “The Other” headlines? These are the sub-headlines which create what is called a double readership path as well as the bullet points which often do the main job of “selling” in your advertising and marketing. The Importance Of A Double Readership Path A double readership path refers to the idea that