The Copywriter's Handbook Quotes

“We are not in the business of being original. We are in the business of reusing things that work.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“Direct marketing . . . is the only form of accountable advertising.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“the words in your copy should be “like the windows in a storefront. The reader should be able to see right through them and see the product.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“Clever advertising can convince people to try a bad product once. But it can’t convince them to buy a product they’ve already tried and didn’t like.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“Grade your performance as a copywriter on sales generated by your copy, not on originality.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“Experienced copywriters turn those features into customer benefits: reasons why the reader should buy the product.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“Avoid pompous words and fancy phrases.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“Copywriters are salespeople whose job is to convince people to buy products.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“People use big words to impress others, but they rarely do. More often, big words annoy and distract the reader from what the writer is trying to say.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“Of course, I have never agreed that creativity is the great contribution of the advertising agency, and a look through the pages of the business magazines should dramatize my contention that much advertising suffers from overzealous creativity—aiming for high readership scores rather than for the accomplishment of a specified communications task. Or, worse, creativity for self-satisfaction. —Howard Sawyer, Vice President, Marsteller, Inc.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“In their pamphlet “Why Don’t Those Salespeople Sell,” Learning Dynamics Incorporated, a sales training firm, cites poor ability to present benefits as one of ten reasons why salespeople fail to make the sale.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“The object of advertising is to sell goods,”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“To sell, your copy must get attention . . . hook the reader’s interest . . . create a desire for the product . . . prove the product’s superiority . . . and ask for action.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“the surest way to arouse and hold the attention of the reader is by being specific, definite, and concrete. The greatest writers—Homer, Dante, Shakespeare—are effective largely because they deal in particulars and report the details that matter.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“Instead of creating aesthetically pleasing prose, you have to dig into a product or service, uncover the reasons why consumers would want to buy the product, and present those sales arguments in copy that is read, understood, and reacted to—copy that makes the arguments so convincingly the customer can’t help but want to buy the product being advertised.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“Bureau, consumers are exposed to more than twice as many ads today as fifteen years ago, but pay attention to only 20 percent more.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“Short sentences are easier to read than long sentences. All professional writers—newspaper reporters, publicists, magazine writers, copywriters—are taught to write in crisp, short, snappy sentences.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“The effective ad tells an interesting, important story about the product. And, like a novel or short story, the copy must be logically organized, with a beginning, a middle, and an end.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

“26. Stress your guarantee. “Develop Software Applications Up to 6 Times Faster or Your Money Back.” 27. State the price. “Link 8 PCs to Your Mainframe—Only $2,395.” 28. Set up a seeming contradiction. “Profit from ‘Insider Trading’—100% Legal!” 29. Offer an exclusive the reader can’t get elsewhere. “Earn 500+% Gains with Little-Known ‘Trader’s Secret Weapon.’” 30. Address the reader’s concern. “Why Most Small Businesses Fail—and What You Can Do About It.” 31. “As Crazy as It Sounds…” “Crazy as It Sounds, Shares of This Tiny R&D Company, Selling for $2 Today, Could Be Worth as Much as $100 in the Not-Too-Distant Future.”
― Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells