👀Peek at 10 Hall-o-Fame copywriters’ minds

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Well, I finally looked at the news to see who the new President is and I’m glad to see Joe Rogan’s running the country. Those 940 million write-in votes were a record, I bet.

Now that the U.S. has been stabilized and Jamie is pulling it up as Press Secretary, we can move forward. Today, I’ve got an extra-wide load of Monday Marketing News after I hit those ten quotes from Hall-o-Famer copywriters.

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10 Epic Quotes from Legendary Copywriters Across Different Eras

• "The most powerful element in advertising is the truth." - William Bernbach (1950s)

• "Copy is not written. It is assembled." - Eugene Schwartz (1960s)

• "Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read." - Leo Burnett (1940s)

• "Your headline is the first, and perhaps only, impression you make on a prospective reader." - David Ogilvy (1960s)

• "The mind thinks in pictures. One good illustration is worth a thousand words. But one clear picture built up in the reader's mind by your words is worth a thousand drawings." - Robert Collier (1930s)

• "A lot of money can be made by making offers to people who are at an emotional turning point in their lives." - Gary Halbert (1980s)

• "People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them throw rocks at their enemies." - Blair Warren (1990s)

• "Here's the only thing you're selling, no matter what business you're in and what you ship: you're selling your prospects a better version of themselves." - Joanna Wiebe (2000s)

• "People do not buy goods and services. They buy relationships, stories, and magic." - Seth Godin (2000s)

• "The very first thing I tell my new students on the first day of a workshop is that good writing is about telling the truth." - Anne Lamott (1990s)

Since Anne Lamott often comes to me for writing advice😎, I’ll toss my two cents in. 

(Anne isn’t a copywriter, but reading her books shows you how to tickle and surprise readers, and not fear being yourself.)

There are hundreds of tactics you can use to get better at copywriting. Good luck trying to keep up with a pile of tactics that large. 

Managing a checklist of copywriting best practices that size will keep you from doing much writing at all.

You’re better off to stick to the basics. The first principles of copywriting and persuading. 

And if you’re good at certain aspects - like storytelling, using humor, or ramping up curiosity - lean into those strengths. 

I’ve found that’s more effective than struggling to improve any weak points in my writing.

Not only is it more effective, it’s more natural to use strengths you already have.

It’s like Roy Jones Jr. said, “You wanna date the person who wants to date you real bad — NOT the person you want to date real bad.” 

In other words - don’t chase. Use what comes easy to YOU.

Jones had a ridiculous boxing style. Awkward even. But it was God-given. Had he tried to go against that, all his talent woulda been wasted and he’d been just another boxer.

Thanks you for reading Inbox Hacking. Please share it with a friend or co-worker. 

Shane McLendon - Copy Kingpin

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