John Caples

[SARubin]

In 1925 John Caples began his career as a copywriter. From there he went on to become one of the greatest legends in the advertising business.

He was the author of one of the truly great copywriting books "Tested Advertising Methods"

And he's also know for creating the famous ad “They laughed when I sat down at the piano, but When I Started to Play” (a headline that's probably been swiped more than any other in history).

The tidbits of wisdom in this thread come from a couple of his books, most notably his book "50 Things I’ve Learned in 50 Years"...

[SARubin]

Sometimes a minor change in a headline can make a difference in pulling power. A mail order ad for a book on automobile repair had this headline:
How to repair cars

The pulling power of this ad was increased 20% by changing the headline to read:
How to fix cars

[SARubin]

In writing headlines, the copywriter should try to break the boredom barrier. "How I became a star salesman" was the headline of a successful ad for a course in salesmanship.

The pulling power of the ad was increased by changing the headline to "How a fool stunt made me a star salesman."

[SARubin]

Write your copy to the sixth grade level. Simple language is not resented by educated people. And simple language is the only kind that most people understand. When you read over your copy, say to yourself: “Will this be understood by my barber or by the mechanic who fixes my car?”

[SARubin]

Show them proof.
There are two forces at work in the minds of your prospect. (1) Skepticism, and (2) The desire to believe. You can do your readers a favor by giving them evidence that what you say is true.

[SARubin]

Ads that involve the reader are effective. For example, the best pulling ad for a book of etiquette showed a picture of a man walking between two women. Headline: “What’s wrong in this picture?”

A successful ad for a course in Interior Design had this headline: “Can you spot these 7 common decorating sins?”

[SARubin]

In writing copy, don’t merely tell your prospect the benefits he will get by buying your product or service. You should also tell him what he will lose if he doesn’t buy.

[SARubin]

Put your best foot forward in your copy. A copywriter asked my opinion of an ad he had written. He said: “I saved the best benefit till the end and used it as a punch line in the last paragraph.” I said: “Put your best benefit in the first paragraph. Otherwise the reader may never get to your last paragraph.”

[SARubin]

If you want to drive home a point, you should say it three times.
For example, suppose you are making a free offer. At the beginning of your copy, say “It’s free.” In the middle of your copy, say “It costs nothing.” At the end, say “Send no money.”

[SARubin]

People who buy once are your best prospects for buying again. I used to write ads for a publisher who sold little booklets by mail for 25¢ each. The people who bought the booklets were good prospects for the publisher’s $5 books. And a number of the folks who bought the $5 books were later induced to buy the publisher’s $25 library. The same principle applies in fund raising. People who give once are the best prospects for giving again.

[SARubin]

The copywriter’s job does not begin at 9 a.m. Nor does it end at 5 p.m. His job is with him all the time. Some of his best ideas come to him while he is shaving in the morning, while he is riding on a bus, or at lunchtime, or while he is walking along the street, or sometimes in the middle of the night. He should have paper and pencil handy at all times. He should write down ideas the minute they occur. Otherwise some of his most precious thoughts will be lost.

[SARubin]

There are four important qualities that a good headline may possess. They are:

• Self-interest
• News
• Curiosity
• Quick, easy way

Self interest is by far the most important, because no one will give your ad the time of day if they don't immediately know what it will do for them.

Another important point is believability. In striving to produce an attractive headline you should not emphasize the "quick, easy way" to such an extent that the headline becomes unbelievable.

[londonprince]

So much gem, thanks alot.