Why “You’re Doing It Wrong” Is Terrible Copy
Richard A recording engineer who worked with Frank Zappa and Barbra Streisand told me a story about a well-known 80s rock group. They had a big problem. Their drummer, a founding…
Copywriting
Tales from the Swipe File #1
This is the headline deck of a recent offer, selling a large bundle of Self Improvement PLR. Does the right reader immediately think, “This is talking about me”? You can…
The $40 Spy Pen Ad: How Design Sold a Secret Identity
A $4 Man From U.N.C.L.E. spy pen sounds like a joke until you remember that $4 in 1967 is roughly $40 today. That was serious mail-order money for a novelty…
How to get an education in selling
How to get an education in selling, starting tonight: Flip items repeatedly on eBay or Craigslist. Change headlines, photos, descriptions. Track which variations increase margin. (Tip: I heard of a…
Youtube Thumbnail Brain Tricks
This man’s thumbnails do something weird in my brain. He shows an open book with diagrams, sessions, arrows, colored nodes, systems. It’s specific and slightly familiar, yet vague at the…