Copywriting is an essential skill for business owners to have. While you may not become a master copywriter (you have a business to run), learning some of the major key points to effective copywriting is an important skill for anyone in business.
We have compiled some of the best resources for learning the ins and outs of copywriting, from some of the best copywriters ever. If your business does any sort of marketing (you should be), then learning this skill is extremely important.
Here are the books we recommend:
Brief Description: The Web has developed its own set of rules and attitudes for writing hard-hitting marketing copy. Robert Bly's The Online Copywriter's Handbook is the first practical and authoritative guide to what exactly those rules are and how they differ from writing for print audiences. From novices just taking their first copywriting steps to veterans looking to add impact and results to their online efforts, it covers everything from general fundamentals of writing effective copy to specific Web copywriting tips and traps.
Why We Recommend It: While many principles may carry over, online advertising is a different beast than print advertising, and Bly outlines these differences, and shows you that fancy graphics and the coolest technology isn't what keeps people at your website... it's the sales copy. It features many examples, stories from other businesses, and more so that you can actively apply the concepts you're learning to your own business.
Read more about "The Online Copywriter's Handbook" by Robert W. Bly
Brief Description: Chip and Dan Heath reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick and explain ways to make ideas stickier, such as applying the human scale principle, using the Velcro Theory of Memory, and creating curiosity gaps. Along the way, we discover that sticky messages of all kinds—from the infamous “kidney theft ring” hoax to a coach’s lessons on sportsmanship to a vision for a new product at Sony—draw their power from the same six traits.
Why We Recommend It: The concept of sticky ideas is important for business owners to grasp. It gives you a framework and a formula to work through for your next big idea. Is it an okay idea, or is it something you can flesh out to create an attractive, sticky idea that will help to move your business forward? By fleshing out ideas, you know how to then better convey, in your copywriting, why people need to use your product or service.
Read more about "Made to Stick" by Chip Heath
Brief Description: A candid and indispensable primer on all aspects of advertising from the man Time has called "the most sought after wizard in the business." Told with brutal candor and prodigal generosity, David Ogilvy reveals: How to get a job in advertising, how to choose an agency for your product, the secrets behind advertising that works, how to write successful copy—and get people to read it, eighteen miracles of research, what advertising can do for charities, and much, much more.
Why We Recommend It: He's one of the masters in advertising... PERIOD. This is great for the person who is new to advertising, to be able to get a feel for the different types of markets, the pros and cons of each, and some awesome visual examples of great advertising and what makes it great.
Read more about "Ogilvy on Advertising" by David Ogilvy
Brief Description: 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.
Why We Recommend It: This book is dense, but it is packed with a ton of great information. This book focuses on the nuts and bolts of writing great copy. Each part of a successful ad is broken down, in an easy-to-read fashion, that will take your existing sales copy to the next level.
Read more about "The Adweek Copywriting Handbook" by Joseph Sugarman
Brief Description: This is a book for everyone who writes or approves copy: copywriters, account executives, creative directors, freelance writers, advertising managers... even entrepreneurs and brand managers. It reveals dozens of copywriting techniques that can help you write ads, commercials, and direct mail that are clear, persuasive, and get more attention―and sell more products.
Why We Recommend It: Yes, another book from Robert W. Bly... his content and examples, and the way he breaks those down to make them accessible so that you can implement them, is second-to-none. You can tell that he's seen a lot of advertisements and sales copy, and he knows what makes certain copy successful and other copy fail. He imparts this knowledge onto you so that you too can create amazing ad copy.
Read more about "The Copywriter's Handbook" by Robert W. Bly
Many of these awesome books are available as audiobooks too!
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