How to write words that sell

7 profitable lessons on the craft of selling with the written word from David Ogilvy

aka the "Original Mad Man"

aka the "Father of advertising"

[THREAD]

P.S: He bought 👇chateau with the money he made from writing ads
1. "Don't beat about the bush - go straight to the point"

Your goal with any piece of copy is to SELL.

A product.
A service.
An idea.

Whatever.

If you don't believe in what you sell, then don't bother writing about it.

Go big or go home.
2. Research > Writing

"Advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals."

Before advertising, Ogilvy worked for George Gallup, founder of Gallop Poll where he learned the power of knowing your target audience.

👇👇
3 Things you need to know before you start writing:
- Who you're writing to
- How that person thinks and feels
- What problem that person is facing

Address these 3 points in your writing and you'll sell more than most writers
3. Assume your reader is uneducated

Unless you have a particular reason to sound pretentious, write your copy in the normal language that your reader uses in everyday conversation.

Ogilvy once used the word "obsolete" in a headline only to learn that...
43% of housewives had no idea what it meant.

As a rule of thumb, your writing should be at the 5th grade reading level or below.

If you need help with this, use the Hemingway app.
4. Headline is 80% of the work

"Five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy"

I've had incidents where I've tripled my conversions just from changing one or two words in the headline.

The most important tip is to appeal to the reader's self-interest.
5. Avoid using negatives in the headline and copy

The subconscious brain cannot comprehend negatives.

For example, if you write "our coffee contains no poison"

readers will go away remembering "our coffee contains poison"
6. Give them reasons to buy

"The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be."

You've grabbed their attention with the headline.
You've got them salivating with your copy.

Now it's time to appeal to their logical brain and give them clear reasons to buy.
7. Respect your copy

Many business owners do not take their copy seriously.

Ogilvy treated each of his advertising campaigns as if they were his children.

This mindset allowed him to create some of the biggest brands in American history including Dove and Rolls Royce.
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