I use the oldest words in the English language. People may think I'm an ignorant bastard who doesn't know the twenty quid words. They're wrong. I know the twenty quid words very well, but they don't work in selling copy.
The Art of Copywriting
Writing copy that sells is a specialist discipline
It demands a dedicated, knowledgeable approach to an absolutely vital task that very few people understand, let alone master.
These days, to originate effective selling copy, the writer must deal in primitive human psychology and attack the very root of human motivation.
Without exception, the best selling copy comes from the minds and pens of experienced direct marketers. So much has been written about the different approaches and cultures of traditional advertising copywriters and that of their direct marketing counterparts.
In short, there is a massive gulf between them
Traditional agency copywriters are storytellers. Direct response copywriters are salesmen…
…quite simply because they have to be…
Direct marketers are measured by the success of their work, by how well it has achieved its purpose. Or not, of course…
And, in most cases, that information is at hand reasonably quickly.
Good direct response copywriters question and review every single word in a draft. Then review it again. And again. Until it's right. One many occasions, just a one-word change can affect the performance of a campaign quite dramatically.
A well-known example of this was a headline for an automobile repair kit advertisement in the sixties. The headline was originally " How To Repair Cars".
This was changed to " How To Fix Cars" and the ad consistently pulled over 20% more business.
To the knowledgeable writer, every word is a weapon.