Ready to rumble.
 

Great article today from Ankesh:

https://geniusbiographies.com/michae...-that-kaching/

Just last week I was posting about VOCALICS aka Paralanguage, and it is easier to link to wiki to explain:

https://bit.ly/3ob7cLQ

In his article Ankesh gives us some of the lingo of vocalics, like PROSODY, the way you say something (or read it).

I've long considered myself a cow pasture poet, and would rather be known for that before being called a marketer, or worse, a salesperson/copywriter.

But I have spent a lifetime studying language all from a PRACTICAL how do I use this information...

how does this help me
how does this make my writing better
-more persuasive - more entertaining- more engaging.

Because engagement should be every writer's goal, otherwise don't waste time writing.

I'll write more on this later this week, if there is any interest, and in the meantime read Ankesh's article (heck while there, read a bunch of them)...

and then we will

GET READY TO RUUUUUUMMMMMMMBBBBBBLLLLLEE

EH?

Gordon

Re: Ready to rumble.
 

Hi Gordon,

This post reminded me a book from Eugene Schwartz: "The Brilliance Breakthrough: How to Talk and Write So That People Will Never Forget You".

I have the book but didn't read it completely or explored enough.

MikePT

Was this intended to be an ironic giggle?
 

Well, at least your remembered the book and author.

I can tell you that Brilliant secret in a single paragraph, no need for a book...

Write and talk about them; how THEY win, succeed, improve, etc.

Guarantee they will remember you, if you do.

Gordon

Re: Ready to rumble.
 

"Well, at least your remembered the book and author. " Ahah.

Gordon, do you have any opinion about Breakthrough Advertising book?

It seems to me BA is like 10 advanced copywriting courses condensed on one single book.

I have it.

MikePT

It is a great book, however
 

It is far too advanced for beginners and most would be copywriters. The problem is latching on to one of his ideas, and thinking THAT is going to be the fix for some pretty crappy copy.

I think if anyone reads this, they should have a copy of his 127 best ads to look at while reading so you can see more than just the examples in the book. He was my personal favorite copywriter and I bought a lot from him.

But this book, too much for too many and creates great mental confusion.

That is my opinion.

Gordon

P.S. My fav buy: the DEUTRO-LEARNING Auto-Proctor learning machine. Before the book, they sold this new "machine". It remains the best course I ever bought.

Per Schwartz' ad, I gave Harry Lorayne an evening and I came out a mental wizard. All I needed was a wand.

Re: Ready to rumble.
 

I see.

There are any other books as advanced as BA you would recommend on copywriting?

Thanks.

A rant about copywriting.
 

First, MikePT, this isn't about you, so don't take it personally. Your question gives me a chance to rant about.

I'll answer your question with saying I don't know what you mean by advanced, I really don't know what that means to you.

If Breakthrough is advanced, one reason is because Schwartz did not dummy down his book, his intelligence shows through. Maybe Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins or ADWEEK by Joe Sugarman, or maybe John Caples TESTING ADVERTISING METHODS...

But, again, not knowing what advanced means, there could be many others.

I've read every book on Copywriting there is, except for two (those being ones I don't know about)...my opinion is a beginner or unseasoned copy writer should pick out TWO books and stick with those until they have something that worked, that is, they TESTED and SOLD via their copy.

Which two doesn't matter, I would have my students (if I had any) get only two, CASH COPY by Jeffrey Lant and Vic Schwab's HOW TO WRITE A GOOD ADVERTISEMENT.

But any two will do. Why? Because having worked in this field for 40 years, what I've witnessed is CONFUSION by the beginner, trying to follow formulas, getting all the elements in place...in other words they follow the blueprints, or have everything in the copy they THINK they should have, and it doesn't work.

So, here is where I start my RANT.

As a BIZ-OP, a writer can make some decent money learning some skills, and maybe even following one of the many FORMULA/Elements of copy, which are easy to find with a simple google search.

A craftsman can elevate to a high income level.

But most of the books, the good ones, the revered ones by the revered WRITERS have one critical element left out of them.

And this ONE element, they didn't know. Not Halbert, Not Schwartz, not Mel Martin, none of them knew they left this out of their books.

Writing down what you did, step by step, sharing your thought process as you wrote it...

as many of the greats have done...

they just don't realize their own ECCENTRIC genius which appears when they write and we majority just don't have IT.

We can study 127 ad from Schwartz. Read his book, listen to him. But when he sat down to write, and sure, they all had a SOLID FOUNDATION of understanding people and what they wanted them to do, they knew the INTENT of their writing...

But secret helpers from their eccentric genius minds came to their aid. So, maybe they changed a word, a phrase, BEFORE they tested it and it was so unconscious, so deep from within, that we could spend our 10,000 hours writing their copy by hand and still not produce anything that good.

Not to say we can't make some money.

LOTS of money from copywriting doesn't require we do it, we can hire others to do it.

But NO one has to be a great or even good copywriter to make a lot of money selling stuff, I think most would be and wannabee copywriters would do better studying psychology and persuasion, and not wasting so much time on trying to learn the advanced secrets of copy.

KNOW people, understand people, and most 10 year olds can write copy good enough to sell something and make money.

Those who choose to dive in, and spend years and years will probably never reach those rarified heights, because to a person, they would deny they were genius, or that their particular genius came to the surface as they wrote, and so they were unaware of how special they are/were, and in their books, they assume they could teach the numbers and when someone painted them as instructed, they TOO got a Rembrandt, but most got Crayon stick figures posted on the fridge.

Gordon

Re: A rant about copywriting.
 

Excellent advice.

One thing I've (nearly) always done with copy is read it out loud.

Wherever you stumble, it's not quite right and needs adjusting.

Re: Ready to rumble.
 

Thanks Gordon.

Interestingly, what I read about Jeffrey Lant I liked.

I've been putting off reading some of his stuff because Gary Halbert demoted Jeffrey Lant in his newsletter.

And about the great Drayton Bird, do you have any opinions?

Drayton Bird worked for David Ogilvy, and he's a gentleman. Drayton responded gently and thoughtfully to me a few emails I sent him. For me it's the stereotype of the English gentleman.

His copy is full of charm.

By the way, interestingly, this Amazon reviewer that reviews several classic copywriting books, reminds me you Gordon. Seems as like you, he is too a copywriting encyclopedia, even rated Jeffrey Lant's Copy Cash 5 stars:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/am..._gw_tr?ie=UTF8

MikePT

Although I love Gary Halbert...
 

Who was Gary to demote anyone?

I love his work, he's top 5 on everyone's list, probably.

Take his MUST read 9 books, and one of those was 7 Steps to Freedom II by Ben Suarez, and I have more feedback on that book than anyone in the world...and it is NOT A MUST READ for copywriters, in fact, may be very boring and repetitive for anyone who's read the other books on the list.

Lant rubbed a lot of people the wrong way (as I do too). The big world of copy writers and remote direct marketers was not a burning man love fest, there were no campfires and they all sang kumbaya.

Drayton is great, one of the best, maybe THE best still alive old Masters of the game, I love his "suffer no fools" policy, while still being Gentlemanly as you say.

I discount what one guy says about the other. Trash talk. Smack. Ego maybe, but if there was fraud, or illegal activity which can be documented or affirmed, that is a different thing.

I know (in fact, have audio) of some of that Smack Down talk, and as salacious and entertaining as it might be, it is totally useless in finding out what anyone of the good teachers can give us.

The ART part of Copywriting mirrors the fine and performing art world, one can appreciate the art, without liking the artist.

So, who gets demoted, who gets elevated, is the dual sided sword of a Critic, and as someone who accepts praise the same as criticism, with a THANK YOU and nothing else I ignore other people's opinions and reviews of things.

Praise is a cool misty rain on a hot, humid Summer day, and Criticism is an Ice Storm on a freezing Winter day, but like the duck, I tread water and let both roll off my back.

But, many of us are scared of what other people think of us...it is human nature, maybe I'm not human...

...every once in awhile I glance sideways in the mirror, and I swear I see my eyes blink like those of a lizard.

Too many drugs? Or??

Gordon

P.S. I like Drayton's teaching style, I think he gives a lot of great advice, if one will actually follow it.