Top 10 Copywriting Books

Bly has compiled an incredibly useful resource for budding, and even experienced, copywriters. Bly calls his book "a step-by-step guide to writing copy that sells." And that it is: Bly covers the writing of print ads, direct mail, brochures, catalogues, public-relations material, trade-journal articles, speeches, newsletters, commercials, and more. But equally informative is the substantial amount of space that he devotes to the copywriting business, in which he offers guidance in setting up a freelance copywriting business, getting hired by an ad agency, and hiring and working with copywriters (this section also includes a chapter on graphic design for copywriters). This is a terrific book. If you don't take my word for it, take David Ogilvy's: "I don't know a single copywriter whose work would not be improved by reading this book," he says. "And that includes me."

"This book succeeds on two levels. For beginners, it offers a clear, comprehensive guide to the business of and techniques used in advertising copywriting. And for the professionals behind the typewriter, this book is a valuable back-to-basics tool that should be given a prominent slot on the bookshelf."-Los Angeles Times

All the nuts and bolts you need to start writing like an expert copywriter. Without a doubt, The Copywriter's Handbook is the Bible of the copywriting industry -- and has been for quite some time.When I began my career as a freelance copywriter back in the '80s, I called several gurus and asked for advice. They all referred me to Bob Bly's material. When it comes to teaching the trade and explaining how to break into it, they said, he is king. And I agree.In this single guide, Bly takes you by the hand. He starts with the basics, explaining the purpose of advertising and copywriting in its many forms. He shows how to write winning headlines and body copy for ads, brochures, letters. He gives practical tips on writing for magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, commercial and non-profit groups. He includes tips for designing sales/promotional literature and offers good advice on using art. He gives numerous check lists for improving your copy. He also uses great examples from different industries to illustrate his points.The book is so rich and relevant in content I refer to it all the time. In fact, I have worned out several copies and often buy extras to give to colleagues and clients.One thing readers will appreciate about Bly and his work is his honesty. He's very objective and fair in his assessment of the copywriting business. He offers no hype. And his work is not filled with self-promotional rubbish. Instead, he comes across as a true professional, a real expert and simply a sincere man who actually cares about his readers. No wonder the book keeps getting raved reviews. It was also praised by the lengendary David Ogilvy and other great advertising giants.Another thing readers should note about Bly is that he writes from experience as well as research. Unlike many so-called experts who make their millions from seminars --with little or no experience in actually doing what they teach -- Bly is a working writer. In addition to being a prolific author (with over 50 books published), he makes his living writing winning copy for the top businesses in the country.If you want to learn and master the fundamentals of copywriting, don't waste your money on a $2,000 seminar/program given by a self-proclaimed guru. Instead, spend a few pennies and get this book. - Roscoe Barnes III

Great copy is the heart and soul of the advertising business. In this practical guide, legendary copywriter Joe Sugarman provides proven guidelines and expert advice on what it takes to write copy that will entice, motivate, and move customers to buy. For anyone who wants to break into the business, this is the ultimate companion resource for unlimited success.

Great copy is the heart and soul of the advertising business, whether it's for print, television, radio, or any other medium. In The Adweek Copywriting Handbook, legendary copywriter and ad man Joseph Sugarman provides proven guidelines and expert advice on what it takes to write copy that will entice, motivate, and move customers to buy.

Sugarman walks you step by step through the entire copywriting process-from getting prepared to researching products and markets to getting ideas down on paper and polishing them to a brilliant sheen. He explains the vital elements that make great copy and explores the emotional triggers that convince consumers to buy. Sugarman gives you all the tools and tactics you need to write the same kind of effective selling copy that has brought him fame and fortune.

For anyone who wants to break into the advertising business, or ad pros who just want to get better at what they do, this is the ultimate companion resource. Complete with real examples of high-quality copy for various media, this practical and authoritative guide will tell you everything you need to know to write great copy-and get ahead in the cutthroat world of advertising.

"Sugarman is a living legend and by-God genius at writing copy that sells. This book is his masterpiece. It reveals all of his hard-earned secrets. The writing is riveting and the wisdom is worth gold. This is the best book on copywriting in the entire history of marketing."
-Joe Vitale, author, There's a Customer Born Every Minute

"There are a lot of great copywriters, but Sugarman is the best. He knows how to build a story and close a sale."
-Richard Thalheimer, President, The Sharper Image

"[Sugarman has] a real talent for promotion and writing advertisements."
-Albert Gore, former Vice President of the United States

In order for a Web site to sell effectively, it must appeal to the unique culture, mindset, and psychology of the Web. Simply put, what works in the brick-and-mortar world does not necessarily grab Web shoppers. Companies selling products and services online need to promote their wares with engaging copy that grabs attention and compels Web site visitors to buy.

Web Copy That Sells presents copy strategies that have been proven time and again in the e-commerce arena. Maria Veloso, perhaps the most widely acclaimed Web copywriter in the world, reveals her revolutionary approach based on five simple questions, which, when answered, make the copy practically write itself. Veloso crams all the information from her 12-hour, $997 live seminars into a comprehensive book that will help any Web copywriter:

* write sizzling and irresistible Web copy, e-mails, and marketing communications
* quickly turn lackluster sites into "perpetual money machines"
* use Neuro-Linguistic Programming and psychological tactics to compel Web surfers to buy * avoid the top three blunders that can wipe out your sales
* convert up to 50% of online prospects into paying customers and more!

I just finished reading Maria Veloso's book, 'Web Copy That Sells.' This book provides the unique skills and techniques that enable a copywriter or anyone who writes online copy to flat out sell like never before. These techniques are so powerful and dynamic it's hard to believe.

Having said that, I have to add that in my opinion, Maria's method of writing Web copy would not work for every site or product. There is not a set pattern or template that fills the bill for all sites.

For example, she proclaims that the "editorial" style of Web site copy produces the most business. This is indeed a clever tool on "some" sites. But not all. It won't work on all sites and is too awkward for some.

She also likes to use "involvement devices" on her sites. I agree that these are useful on some sites. But I noticed on one of her sites that you "involve" yourself by ticking off your desired answer only to have your e-mail client pop up. This is not good usability --- people want to know and should know when they're about to submit an e-mail. They may opt not to do that and they should know before they click the box what's going to happen.

There are a few other things of this nature that I don't buy into. But, for the most part, this is a valuable book because it offers ideas that are fresh and not readily available and that most people will find exceedingly useful.

I suggest you buy the book and take from it what will work in your own personal situation but don't take everything as "gospel".

Maria Veloso has put together a wealth of knowledge that has not been made available before as far as I know. I've read all the books on online copywriting and a few offered some valuable help and ideas. In fact, most have some good points that you can take away from your read.

But 'Web Copy That Sells' is, by far, the very best to date. I recommend this book to anyone who really wants to make their site sell or needs to understand how to write e-mail and get it through the spam filters as well as get it read. This book covers it all. Maria Veloso has done a great job and provided a valuable service.

I highly recommend this powerful book to all copywriters and anyone who needs to write copy for the Web. But, as I said, take from it what will work for you and be sure you adhere to good usability in your quest to sell.

Susanna K. Hutcheson
Creative Director, Powerwriting.com LLC

Discover the secrets of written persuasion!

"The principles of hypnosis, when applied to copywriting, add a new spin to selling. Joe Vitale has taken hypnotic words to set the perfect sales environment and then shows us how to use those words to motivate a prospect to take the action you want. This is truly a new and effective approach to copywriting, which I strongly recommend you learn. It's pure genius."
-Joseph Sugarman, author of Triggers

"I've read countless book on persuasion, but none come close to this one in showing you exactly how to put your readers into a buying trance that makes whatever you are offering them irresistible."
-David Garfinkel, author of Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich

"I am a huge fan of Vitale and his books, and Hypnotic Writing (first published more than twenty years ago), is my absolute favorite. Updated with additional text and fresh examples, especially from e-mail writing, Joe's specialty, Hypnotic Writing is the most important book on copywriting (yes, that's really what it is about) to be published in this century. Read it. It will make you a better copywriter, period."
-Bob Bly, copywriter and author of The Copywriter's Handbook

"I couldn't put this book down. It's eye opening and filled with genuinely new stuff about writing and persuading better. And it communicates it brilliantly and teaches it brilliantly-exemplifying the techniques by the writing of the book itself as you go along."
-David Deutsch, author of Think Inside the Box, www.thinkinginside.com

"Hypnotic Writing is packed with so much great information it's hard to know where to start. The insights, strategies, and tactics in the book are easy to apply yet deliver one heck of a punch. And in case there's any question how to apply them, the before-and-after case studies drive the points home like nothing else can. Hypnotic Writing is not just about hypnotic writing. It is hypnotic writing. On the count of three, you're going to love it. Just watch and see."
-Blair Warren, author of The Forbidden Keys to Persuasion

Your customers are going to give you three seconds to make the sale.

Do you know what to say in those three seconds?

The marketing methods of the past are losing effectiveness as consumers are getting smarter and smarter and have less and less time. What is needed is a new way of doing business-a method that is simultaneously socially responsible and far more effective than "old" marketing. This new way is The Irresistible Offer.

"The Irresistible Offer is the missing link in many marketing books."
-Joe Sugarman, Chairman, BluBlocker Corporation

"The Irresistible Offer reveals secret after proven secret guaranteed to pump fresh power into your sales process."
-John Du Cane, CEO, Dragon Door Publications, Inc.

"As the world's fastest reader (Guinness Book certified) I've read just about every business and marketing book in existence. The Irresistible Offer by Mark Joyner is, by far, the easiest and most powerful. If you want to make a profitable business (any business small or large), The Irresistible Offer should be your starting point."
-Howard Berg, "The World's Fastest Reader"

"I've read every book on marketing printed in the last 150 years. This is the first breakthrough in over fifty years."
-Dr. Joe Vitale, author of The Attractor Factor

"If I had to choose one modern marketing genius to learn from, it would be Mark Joyner. The Irresistible Offer belongs in the hands of everyone wanting to wildly succeed in business."
-Randy Gilbert, a.k.a. "Dr. Proactive" host of The Inside Success Show

I normally steer clear of claims like the one made in the subtitle of this book. I mean, really, is it even possible to sell a product or service in 3 seconds or less? It's not only possible. It's *necessary*. And that's the point of The Irresistible Offer.

Think of the last few times you were persuaded to do something. Didn't you know almost immediately that you were interested? How about the last few times you *weren't* persuaded? Didn't something inside tell you right away these offers weren't for you? Most likely, these decisions were made almost immediately. As in, three seconds or less. And given the ever-increasing barrage of messages we encounter every day, it's only getting worse.

Contrary to popular opinion, the answer to getting heard isn't to "sling more and hope some of it sticks." The answer is to make your offer so tight, so powerful, so irresistible that it cannot be ignored. And that's what this book is all about.

Using numerous examples such as Fed Ex, Columbia House Records and Domino's Pizza, Mark Joyner not only explains exactly how to craft your own Irresistible Offer, but how to build upon it, and more important, how to get legions of loyal customers to spread it for you. In fact, Chapter 11 on Word of Mouth is one of the best overviews of viral marketing I've ever read. Couple these ideas with an offer designed from the ground up to penetrate minds and you've got a tool you better hold onto with both hands.

But I think my favorite thing about the book is that it is, itself, an excellent example of an Irresistible Offer. I won't spoil it for you here, but after you read the book, take another look at the dust jacket, the first few pages and even the very last page of the book. And investigate a little into how the book is being marketed. You'll see how it uses the very techniques it teaches. Very, very smart.

Thanks to this book I'm reworking several of my own campaigns because I'm convinced there will soon be only two types of offers - those that are irresistible and those that are obsolete. Which category will yours fall in?
- Blair Warren

Dramatically increase your ability to sell by learning how to control the mind of your prospect using 30 psychological triggers to motivate, influence and persuade.

A "psychological "trigger" has three separate but related (and absolutely essential) functions: It can help to position an idea or object properly, it can suggest appropriate strategies to enhance the appeal of that idea or object, and finally it can help to make the sale. The subtitle of this book is essentially correct. Sugarman explains 30 sales tools which can control the mind of a prospect through effective (and principled) use of motivation, influence and persuasion. Each reader must determine for herself or himself which of the "triggers" are most relevant and thus will be most helpful.

Sugarman is a master wordsmith who has achieved great success in direct marketing. You have no doubt seen various JS&A ads. He designed them and wrote the copy himself. Interestingly, the same "triggers" he uses in those ads can also be used in personal sales situations. Were I designing or revising a sales training program, I would include the 30 "triggers" in the curriculum.

In Appendix B, Sugarman offers "Recommended Reading" to which I presume to add Jacques Werth's High Probability Selling and Neil Rackham's SPIN Selling. Sugarman would be the first to point out that there is no one single best book on sales. I suggest you check out the reviews (provided by Amazon.com) of all of his recommendations (and mine), then make your selections and proceed accordingly. I really appreciate Appendix D in which Sugarman provides a concise and precise description of each "trigger" followed on the same page by a worksheet, one for each ":trigger."

This book is both entertaining and informative to read. It is also refreshing to learn that Trigger #30 is Honesty, "one of the most powerful of all the psychological triggers." Sugarman insists (and I believe him) that he wants absolutely nothing to do with anyone or anything that is fraudulent, cheesy, shoddy or deceptive. How old fashioned! Sugarman really does believe that the best strategy to achieve and then sustain business success is to have impeccable character, a product or service of quality, and a sincere desire to serve. Also, mastery of various "triggers...but only if they are ethical.
- Robert Morris

Great copy looks so easy -- so simple, so effortless, so "ordinary." There are those who can take the process of writing it and make that process look complicated. And then there's Joe Sugarman.

This is one of the two books I recommend for further study in my home-study "Money-Making Copywriting Course." Why? Because Joe cuts through all of the needless and cumbersome detail so many teachers of copywriting instill in their lessons. He makes the information accessible and entertaining to learn. And he's a super-successful real-world practioner, as well as a very skilled and effective teacher.

A novice might think that because this book does not refer to Internet marketing or the latest trends in print and direct mail advertising, it is out of date. That is a well-intentioned but misguided criticism. Of course very few people know how to market effectively (and close sales) on the Internet. Since I have done this successfully (I've created Web sites that made lots of money, by themselves) and since I spent a year as the editor of a newsletter tracking who was successful marketing online and who wasn't (almost everyone wasn't), I can say with some authority that there are very few people who can market effectively online.

But know this about Joe Sugarman. If he ever chose to do online marketing, he would make a fortune -- just as he has done before in other ventures. Why? Because there are certain principles of human nature, and of selling with the written word, that have not yet changed. And he is a world-class expert in conveying those principles to novices and experts alike.

The technological and situational landscape may make it look like we live in a very different world, but trust me -- as someone who got a 2% response with direct mail at the height of the anthrax scare in the fall of 2001 -- the world we live in now is pretty much the same as the world we have always lived in.

At least as it pertains to writing effective advertising copy.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. You'll learn tons, and -- best of all -- you'll be able to make some very good money with what you learned.
- David Garfinkel "Author, Advertising Headlines That Make you Rich

This gem of a book offers the most comprehensive (and immediately useable) information on "how to make your website profitable" in the fewest amount of pages that I have yet seen.

As a bonus, it is priced a fraction of most of the available information on this subject. I've paid hundreds of dollars for information that was not nearly as useable as this. (OK I admit I'm a marketing information junkie)

I have purchased dozens of products (printed and ebooks) within the last year alone on this subject. Most of the others talk about search engine tricks, pop-ups, hard sell copy, and basically manipulating your site visitor into doing what you want.

Manipulation may work a little in the short run, but is self defeating in the long run.

This book is much smarter than that. It is in a whole different league.

This book teaches what is really important to long term profits. That is, engaging your visitors and making sure your site is offering them exactly what THEY want.

It shows you how to write extremely effective copy. It also tells you how to discover exactly what your customers are asking you to provide them by watching your stats and web logs.

The basic premise of this book is that without a high conversion ratio, there is no point in buying more traffic. It is much more cost effective to use the techniques contained in this book to increase your conversions than to chase traffic. That comes later. They make a valid point that most folks are doing this backwards.

This book is about way more than just copywriting, by the way. It does an excellent job of enlightening you to many useability factors that may be hurting your sales.

I can't imagine anyone who manages a website and uses even a small percentage of the wisdom contained within not getting a hundred times their investment back.

In conclusion, just buy it and read it. You can not go wrong with this book.
- E. Osworth, Author and Consultant

Arguably the best book ever on what is increasingly becoming the science of persuasion. Whether you're a mere consumer or someone weaving the web of persuasion to urge others to buy or vote for your product, this is an essential book for understanding the psychological foundations of marketing. Recommended.

I read Cialdini's book about five years ago and have been hooked ever since. It is simply a superb book about influence.

Cialdini believes that influence is a science. This idea attracted me. As a rhetorician, I have always thought of persuasion as more of an art. Cialdini, however, makes a first-rate case for the science point of view. But maybe most importantly, he makes his case in a well-written, intelligent, and entertaining manner. Not only is this an important book to read, it is a fun book to read too.

He introduces you to six principles of ethical persuasion: reciprocity, scarcity, liking, authority, social proof, and commitment/consistency. A chapter is devoted to each and you quickly see why Cialdini looks at influence as a science. Each principle is backed by social scientific testing and restesting. Each chapter is also filled with interesting examples that help you see how each principle can be applied. By the end of the book, I had little doubt that these are six important dimensions of human interaction.

I highly recommend this book to all professionals. It does not matter if you are a manager, sales person, pastor, or non-profit volunteer. The ideas in this book, once applied, will make it easier for you to accomplish your goals. In a video featuring the author, Professor Cialdini even goes so far as to promise that these principles can help you influence the most resistant of all audiences--your children.

With a claim like that, who wouldn't be intrigued?

My advice is to read this sooner rather than later. You will be quite glad you did.
- M. A Netzley

The human mind is a wonderful thing, capable of the most wonderful thought processes and ideas. Yet the brain is on automatic pilot for most situations. That allows the conscious mind to really focus. The drawback is that some people will use our conscious inattention to sneak one by us, like a fastball pitch to a hitter looking for a change-up.

Influence, the book, is very useful in this regard, because it uses interesting examples to help us be aware of our own tendency to let automatic pilot thinking take over.

Since I first read this book many years ago, I have been watching to see if the circumstances I see support or invalidate Professor Cialdini's points. By a margin of about 9 to 1, Cialdini wins.

Given that we are easily manipulated by our desire to be and to appear to be consistent with our past actions and statements, swayed by what the crowd is doing, and various other mechanisms, the only way we can be armed against unscrupulous marketing is to be as aware of these factors are the marketers are.

At the same time, I appreciated how the book explores the ethics of when and how much to apply these principles. Without this discussion, the book would come off like Machiavelli's, The Prince, for marketing organizations. That would have been a shame. By dealing with the ethics, Professor Cialdini creates the opportunity to educate us intellectually and morally. Well done!

I have read literally dozens of books about marketing and selling, and I find this one to be the most helpful in thinking about how influence actually works. Even if you will never work in marketing, you will benefit from reading this book in order to better focus your purchases and actions where they fit your needs rather than someone else's.
- Donald Mitchell

Influence: Science and Practice is an examination of the psychology of compliance (i.e. uncovering which factors cause a person to say "yes" to another's request).

Written in a narrative style combined with scholarly research, Cialdini combines evidence from experimental work with the techniques and strategies he gathered while working as a salesperson, fundraiser, advertiser, and in other positions inside organizations that commonly use compliance tactics to get us to say "yes." Widely used in classes, as well as sold to people operating successfully in the business world, the eagerly awaited revision of Influence reminds the reader of the power of persuasion.

Cialdini organizes compliance techniques into six categories based on psychological principles that direct human behavior: reciprocation, consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity.

Right away, buyers should know that Cialdini has produced a less-expensive version of this book. "Influence: Science and Practice" is designed as a textbook for classroom instruction. So, it has things like chapter summaries and questions that can be assigned as homework. However, the other book "Influence: the psychology of persuasion," is designed for a more general audience. The content is basically the same, but it omits the classroom-oriented layout. It's also cheaper. If you are a student who is buying textbooks online, this is probably what you (or rather, your professors) want. If not, get the other one.

Both books focus on persuasive tactics. This is not a theoretical work trying to lay out a strategy of communication, like "Getting to Yes." This is a toolkit, designed to give the reader a selection of tools for specific circumstances. That is not to say that Cialdini lacks an understanding of more strategic thinking, just that it isn't the focus here.

The underlying theory is that people tend to be hardwired to respond to certain stimuli in predictable ways. The book tells you what those stimuli are, that is, how to push people's buttons. And it does a very good job, which is why Cialdini has demand for two versions of the same book.

I'm not going to list all of the tactics because the table of contents does that and, because they're detailed, they're difficult to understand without reading the book. But, they all have some basis in science and their effectiveness is empirically demonstrable, so you can trust that they work. The best part of this book, for me, was becoming more conscious of how others, including politicians, advertisers, and bosses, try to manipulate me. Cialdini deserves respect just for opening people's eyes, but he goes a step further by explaining ways to deal with the constant manipulation that is inherent in human communication.

The only problems I see are that the textbook version (this one) has a better index in the editions I compared, so it makes a better reference tool and that the book is written from an American cultural perspective. That's fine, as most of his audience is American, but, and this is my M.A. in Int'l Relations talking, I wonder how well some of these tactics would be received by people from other cultural backgrounds. In particular, notions of authority (which constitute a chapter) vary widely. Just a heads up. This is still a "must read" for people who want to know how to persuade or protect themselves against others persuasion.
- J. Hoelscher