Books on copywriting every blogger should own

A new edition of the timeless business classic featured on Mad Men—as fresh and relevant now as the day it was written.

Key ideas from the book:

1. Ogilvy approach to business is worth reading. His advice can inspire you to run your business better.
2. The role of creativity: Ogilvy argues that creativity is a crucial component of effective advertising and that it must be paired with a deep understanding of the target audience.
3. The value of simplicity: Ogilvy advocates for the use of simple, clear, and direct language in advertising to communicate a message effectively.
4. The power of headlines: Ogilvy highlights the crucial role of headlines in attracting and retaining the attention of the target audience.
5. The importance of honesty: Ogilvy stresses the importance of honesty and authenticity in advertising, as dishonesty can harm the reputation of the brand and alienate potential customers.
6. The role of personality: Ogilvy argues that incorporating a strong brand personality can help build a loyal following and differentiate a brand from its competitors.

“Breakthrough Advertising” by Eugene Schwartz will teach you how to think as a master copywriter. This is a book you will come back to time and time again.

Key ideas from the book:

1. Understanding the stages of market development: Schwartz outlines five stages of market development and argues that each stage requires a different approach to advertising.
2. The importance of specificity: Schwartz emphasizes the importance of using specific and concrete language in advertising to communicate a clear message to the target audience.
3. The role of benefits: Schwartz argues that advertising should focus on communicating the benefits of a product or service, rather than its features.
4. The importance of creating a Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Schwartz stresses the importance of developing a clear and distinct USP to differentiate a brand from its competitors.
5. The importance of copywriting: Schwartz highlights the crucial role of copywriting in creating effective advertising and provides guidance on how to write persuasive and impactful copy.

“The Ultimate Sales Letter” by Dan Kennedy is a book that provides a guide to writing persuasive sales letters. He is the one of the most successful, highly paid direct-response copywriter in the US.

Key ideas from the book:

1. Kennedy argues that the headline is the most important element of a sales letter and should immediately capture the attention of the reader.
2. The role of benefits: Kennedy stresses the importance of communicating the benefits of a product or service, rather than its features, to appeal to the needs and wants of the target audience.
3. The power of storytelling: Learn how to make sales pitches more compelling and persuasive by using storytelling to create a connection with the reader.
4. The use of persuasive techniques: Kennedy provides guidance on using persuasive techniques, such as urgency, scarcity, and social proof, to increase the effectiveness of a sales letter.

“The Adweek Copywriting Handbook” by Joseph Sugarman provides proven guidelines and expert advice on how to write copy that entices, motivates, and moves customers to buy.

Key ideas from the book:

1. Understanding the target audience: Sugarman emphasizes the importance of understanding the target audience and their needs, wants, and pain points in order to write persuasive copy.
2. The importance of a clear and concise message: Sugarman argues that advertising copy should be simple, clear, and concise, avoiding ambiguity and making the message easy to understand.
3. The use of emotional appeals: Sugarman highlights the impact of emotional appeals, such as fear, love, and excitement, in creating a connection with the reader and making the message more persuasive.
4. The importance of storytelling: Sugarman argues that storytelling can help make advertising copy more memorable and engaging, and provide context for the product or service being sold.
5. The use of specific and concrete language: Sugarman advocates for the use of specific and concrete language, including numbers and statistics, to make the message more persuasive and credible.

“How to Write a Good Advertisement” by Vic Schwab is a book that provides a guide to writing effective advertising copy. Vic is a 44-year veteran in the copywriting business, his advice will turn you from a novice into an expert copywriter.

Key ideas from the book:

1. Understanding the target audience: Schwab emphasizes the importance of understanding the target audience and their needs, wants, and pain points in order to write persuasive copy.
2. The importance of a clear headline: Schwab argues that the headline is the most important element of an advertisement and should immediately capture the attention of the reader.
3. Writing a call-to-action that’s difficult to refuse.
4. The importance of using strong visuals: Schwab highlights the impact of strong visuals, such as images and illustrations, in making an advertisement more memorable and engaging.

“The Everything Guide to Writing Copy” by Steve Slaunwhite is a step-by-step guide to writing effective copy for a variety of media including print, web, radio, trade journals, and much more. This is a great choice for beginners who haven’t read any copywriting books before.

Key ideas from the book:

1. The importance of clear and concise messaging: Slaunwhite argues that advertising copy should be simple, clear, and concise, avoiding ambiguity and making the message easy to understand.
2. The importance of storytelling: Slaunwhite argues that storytelling can help make advertising copy more memorable and engaging, and provide context for the product or service being sold.
3. The use of persuasive techniques: Slaunwhite provides guidance on using persuasive techniques, such as urgency, scarcity, and social proof, to increase the effectiveness of advertising copy.
4. How to research ideas and find information you need to write your copy from.
5. How to write headlines, leads and body copy.

“The Tall Lady With the Iceberg: The Power of Metaphor to Sell, Persuade & Explain Anything to Anyone” by Anne Miller is a book that explores the power of metaphors in communication.

Key ideas from the book:

1. The impact of metaphors: Miller argues that metaphors have a profound impact on our thinking, emotions, and behavior, and can be used effectively in advertising and other forms of communication to persuade and influence.
2. The creation of memorable messages: Miller highlights the importance of creating memorable messages that stick with the audience, and argues that metaphors can help create messages that are both memorable and impactful.
3. The use of storytelling: Miller argues that storytelling can be used to create engaging and persuasive metaphors, helping to bring a message to life and make it more memorable.
4. The power of visual metaphors: Miller stresses the impact of visual metaphors, such as images and illustrations, in making a message more vivid, memorable, and persuasive.
5. The importance of cultural relevance: Miller emphasizes the importance of cultural relevance in the creation of effective metaphors, arguing that the most impactful metaphors are those that resonate with the cultural values and experiences of the target audience.

“CA$HVERTISING” is a book written by Drew Eric Whitman, and it provides practical techniques and strategies for creating effective advertising and marketing campaigns.

Key ideas from the book:

1. Understanding consumer psychology: Whitman stresses the importance of understanding consumer psychology and behavior, and provides techniques for using this knowledge to create effective advertising campaigns.
2. The power of direct response advertising: The author emphasizes the importance of direct response advertising, which is advertising that aims to get a direct response from the target audience, such as making a purchase or taking a specific action.
3. Creating persuasive copy: Whitman provides techniques for creating persuasive copy that appeals to the emotions and desires of your target audience. He argues that the most effective advertising campaigns are those that speak directly to the needs, desires, and fears of the target audience.
4. The role of branding: Whitman argues that branding is important in advertising, but it is secondary to the goal of generating a direct response from the target audience. He provides techniques for creating effective branding that supports your direct response advertising goals.

Ogilvy on Advertising” by David Ogilvy is a classic book on advertising that provides insights and wisdom from one of the most influential figures in the industry.

Key ideas from the book:

1. The importance of research: Ogilvy stresses the importance of research in advertising, arguing that advertisers should know their target audience, their products, and the competition in order to create effective advertisements.
2. The role of the headline: Ogilvy argues that the headline is the most important part of an advertisement, and that it should be clear, concise, and attention-grabbing.
3. The use of humor: Ogilvy highlights the impact of humor in advertising, and provides guidance on using humor effectively to make advertisements more memorable and engaging.
4. The role of the offer: Ogilvy stresses the importance of a clear and compelling offer in advertising, arguing that the offer should be the driving force behind an advertisement, and should be easy to understand and act on.
5. The power of testimonials: Ogilvy highlights the impact of testimonials in advertising, and provides guidance on using testimonials effectively to build credibility and persuade the target audience.

“The Copywriter’s Handbook” by Robert Bly is a comprehensive guide to copywriting that provides insights and guidance on creating effective advertisements and marketing materials.

Key ideas from the book:

1. Bly stresses the importance of research in copywriting, arguing that advertisers should know their target audience, their products, and the competition in order to create effective advertisements.
2. The importance of clear and concise writing: Bly argues that clear and concise writing is essential in copywriting, and that advertisers should avoid using jargon, convoluted sentences, and unnecessary words.
3. The use of persuasive techniques: Bly provides an overview of various persuasive techniques that can be used in copywriting, such as emotional appeals, social proof, and urgency, and provides guidance on using these techniques effectively.
4. The role of the call-to-action: Bly argues that the call-to-action is a critical component of copywriting, and that advertisers should make it clear, concise, and compelling, and that it should be placed prominently in the advertisement.

“Everybody Writes” by Ann Handley is a comprehensive guide to writing for the digital age.

Key ideas from the book:

1. The importance of writing: Handley argues that in the digital age, writing is more important than ever, as it is the primary way in which businesses communicate with their audience.
2. The role of storytelling: Handley highlights the impact of storytelling in digital writing, and provides guidance on using storytelling effectively to engage the target audience and build emotional connections.
3. The importance of clarity and simplicity: Handley argues that clear and simple writing is essential in digital writing, and that businesses should avoid using jargon, convoluted sentences, and unnecessary words.
4. The use of tone and voice: Handley provides guidance on developing a unique tone and voice in digital writing, and argues that this is crucial in building a strong brand identity.
5. The importance of structure: Handley stresses the importance of structure in digital writing, and provides guidance on how to create effective headlines, subheads, and paragraphs.
6. The role of editing: Handley argues that editing is a critical component of digital writing, and provides guidance on how to self-edit and work with an editor to improve writing.

Content Marketing For Traffic And Sales” by Daniel Daines-Hutt is a guide to content marketing that provides strategies for generating traffic and sales.

Key ideas from the book:

1. The importance of content marketing: Daines-Hutt argues that content marketing is essential for businesses to build a loyal audience, generate leads, and drive sales.
2. The role of storytelling: Daines-Hutt highlights the impact of storytelling in content marketing, and provides guidance on using storytelling effectively to engage the target audience and build emotional connections.
3. The use of SEO: Daines-Hutt provides guidance on how to optimize content for search engines, and argues that this is crucial for driving traffic and visibility.
4. The importance of distribution: Daines-Hutt argues that content marketing is not just about creating great content, but also about getting it in front of the right audience, and provides guidance on how to distribute content effectively.
5. The role of metrics: Daines-Hutt stresses the importance of measuring the success of content marketing efforts, and provides guidance on how to track metrics such as traffic, engagement, and conversions.
6. The importance of consistency: Daines-Hutt argues that consistency is key in content marketing, and provides guidance on how to create a content calendar and stick to a publishing schedule.

“Copy Logic!” is a book by Mike Palmer and Michael Masterson that provides a comprehensive guide to copywriting and creating effective marketing messages.

Key ideas from the book:

1. Understanding the customer: Palmer and Masterson stress the importance of understanding the target audience in order to create messages that resonate and motivate them to take action.
2. The power of language: The authors argue that language is a powerful tool for influencing the thoughts and emotions of others, and provide guidance on how to choose the right words to engage and persuade the target audience.
3. The structure of effective copy: Palmer and Masterson provide a framework for writing effective copy, including an introduction, body, and conclusion. They also provide guidance on how to craft headlines and subheadlines that grab the reader’s attention.
4. The importance of proof: Palmer and Masterson stress the importance of using evidence to support claims, and provide guidance on how to use testimonials, case studies, statistics, and other forms of proof to build credibility and persuade the reader.

“They Ask, You Answer” is a book by Marcus Sheridan that provides a comprehensive guide to content marketing and building a strong online presence for a business.

Key ideas from the book:

1. Content as a competitive advantage: Sheridan argues that creating valuable content that addresses the questions and needs of customers can give a business a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining customers.
2. Understanding customer questions: Sheridan stresses the importance of understanding the questions and needs of customers in order to create content that is relevant and valuable to them.
3. Focusing on high-value content: The author argues that businesses should focus on creating high-value content that is specific, actionable, and solves the problems of customers, rather than general or vague information that does not provide value.
4. Building a content pillar: Sheridan provides a framework for building a content pillar, which is a comprehensive, authoritative resource that addresses the questions and needs of customers in a specific area of expertise.

“On Writing Well” is a classic guide to writing non-fiction, written by William Zinsser. The book provides practical advice and techniques for writing clear, concise, and effective non-fiction writing.

Key ideas from the book:

1. Clarity: Zinsser stresses the importance of clarity in writing and provides techniques for writing clear and concise sentences that communicate your ideas effectively.
2. Simplicity: The author argues that the best writing is simple, direct, and easy to understand. He encourages writers to avoid clutter, complexity, and unnecessary words.
3. The power of specificity: Zinsser emphasizes the importance of being specific in writing, using concrete details and examples to make your writing come alive.
4. Writing with a voice: The author encourages writers to find their own voice, a unique perspective that reflects their own personality and style.
5. The importance of revision: Zinsser stresses the importance of revision in writing and provides techniques for revising your writing to make it more clear, concise, and effective.
6. Choosing the right words: The author provides guidance on choosing the right words for your writing, using active verbs, precise nouns, and concrete adjectives to create vivid and memorable writing.