In the tradition of The Elements of Style, here is a concise handbook of the principles and practice of writing effective ads, brochures, and every other type of copy intended to persuade. It covers writing headlines and body copy as well as increasing readership and response, and goes on to provide copy guidelines for print ads, direct mail, brochures, catalogs, press releases, electronic messages, and more.
Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly have written a straightforward, well-organized guide to writing "copy intended to sell": ads, direct mail, brochures, catalogs, press releases, press kits, audiovisual promotions, Web-site material, and the like. Copywriting is different from any other writing, business or otherwise. Redundancy that reiterates. Superlatives! "Quotation marks." Sentence fragments. That's what sells. While Blake and Bly address each copywriting task individually, there are some rules that apply across the board: focus on the customer, not the product; use a conversational, friendly tone; use simple words and short sentences; and close with a "call to action" (involving the use of a coupon, Web-site address, toll-free number, etc.). One chapter, on "power copywriting techniques," discloses how to use ingredients such as research, adjectives, testimonials, and guarantees to make your ad stand out. And remember: "If you have to choose between being clever and obscure or simple and straightforward," say the authors, "we advise you to be the latter. You may not win any advertising awards, but at least you'll sell some merchandise." (A warning to owners of Bly's The Copywriter's Handbook: while there is much original material here, a substantial part of The Elements of Copywriting is reprinted here, slightly paraphrased.) --Jane Steinberg
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Lather, Rinse, Repeat, & Repeat, & Repeat...:
I don't normally leave book reviews, but I was forced into reading this for my journalism class and it was an utter waste of my time. If you know anything about writing and advertising - that is, if you have ever read a magazine or seen an ad on the side of a bus - you should already know the things that are written in this book. It is mostly all just common sense. And every single point made in the book was said at least 162 times over and over and over and over - and not even in a new and interesting way!... more info
A Quick Crash Course in Copywriting:
If you want a comprehensive guide to copywriting, then I would recommend that you buy Robert Bly's Copywriting Handbook. There is nothing better to teach you copywriting or reinforce what you already know about copywriting than that book. However, if you want a nice little reference to keep on your desk that will help you find information about copywriting quickly, then I would recommend this book. Unlike the other, this particular book is more about providing you tips on copywriting. It is not meant... more info
Good Basic Copywriting Text:
I read the book in 2 days and immediately found ideas that improved my current writing and editing projects. This is not a cutting edge, radically innovative book. It is a short, well organized, basic copywriting text. I'm glad I bought it.
An Excellent Copywriting Primer:
With this book, Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly have written a well-organized and concise guide to copywriting. While not nearly as comprehensive as Bly's "The Copywriter's Handbook,"(which you also get if you are buying this book), "The Elements of Copywriting" is a great introduction to copywriting for most people. It covers a number of areas of copywriting: display advertising, direct mail, brochures, catalogs, press releases, press kits, audiovisual promotions, Web-site material, and more.
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