The Adweek Copywriting Handbook

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.

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JOSEPH SUGARMAN, author of the bestselling Success Forces, is known throughout the advertising world as a copywriting legend and role model. His ads have moved millions of customers to reach for their wallets, and his JS&A Catalog was once America's largest single direct mail catalog of space-age products. He has given copywriting seminars throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

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A fun and authoritative guide to writing masterful copy 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

Inhalt
Foreword: The Sugarman Legacy Ray Schultz xv

Acknowledgments xix

Introduction: The Origin of This Book 1

Section One: Understanding the Process

Preview 9

1. General Knowledge 11

2. Specific Knowledge 15

3. Practice, Practice, Practice 23

4. The Purpose of All the Graphic Elements of an Ad 27

5. The First Sentence 31

6. Creating the Perfect Buying Environment 35

7. Resonating with the Reader 39

8. The Slippery Slide 45

9. Assumed Constraints 55

10. Seeds of Curiosity 59

11. Copy as Emotion 65

12. Selling the Concept, Not the Product 71

13. The Incubation Process 77

14. How Much Copy Should You Write? 81

15. The Art of Personal Communication 87

16. The Copy Sequence 93

17. The Editing Process 101

Section Two: Understanding What Works

Preview 111

18. Powerful Copy Elements Explained 113

19. The Psychological Triggers 131

20. Selling a Cure, Not Prevention 193

21. Rating Your Writing Level 199

22. Seven Steps to Writing Great Copy 203

Section Three: Proving the PointsAd Examples

Preview 209

23. The Lazy Man's Way to Riches 211

24. A Fluke of Nature 219

25. Lingerie for Men 227

26. The More You Learn 233

27. A More Stimulating Way 237

28. Magic Baloney 239

29. Pet Plane 243

30. Mail Order Mansion 247

31. Hungarian Conspiracy 251

32. Vision Breakthrough 255

33. Gold Space Chains 259

34. Consumers Hero 263

35. Nautilus Spelling Sale 267

A Note: The Power of Your Pen 271

Section Four: Utilizing Your Copywriting Skills

Preview 275

36. Writing for Different Media 277

Epilogue Some Final Thoughts 313

Appendix A Assumed Constraints, Continued 317

Appendix B Seeds of Curiosity, Continued 319

Appendix C Summary of Axioms and Major Points 321

Appendix D Recommended Reading 325

Index 327

About the Author 337