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Reviews of the Best Copywriting Books

The full title of this book by Dan Kennedy is

The Ultimate Sales Letter: Boost your sales with powerful sales letters, based on Madison Avenue techniques“.

In my review posted at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a Five Stars rating. This means I think it is Excellent.

Here is my book review.

My copy shows plenty of signs of use and that’s probably the strongest recommendation I can give.

When I look at my copy of this book, it shows all the signs of use – the spine cracked, various sections underlined in different colours, others asterisked and there are comments in the margin.

This is a book I go back to when I am preparing to write a sales letter because it is a) very good and b) very well organised. [continue reading…]

in 4 – Lead Generation, Best Business Books, Copywriting

Obvious Adams by Robert R Updegraff

The full title of this book by Robert R Updegraff is

Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Businessman“.

In my review posted to Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Fours Stars level. This means I think it is Good.

Here is my book review.

How to achieve success by doing the obvious

This was written in 1916 by and told the story of Oliver B. Adams and his career in advertising.
[continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins

In my review of

Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins

posted on Amazon.co.uk, I rate this classic book at the Four Stars level. This means I consider it to be Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

A direct marketing classic but heavy going in places. More for professionals than business owners.

Can a book first published eighty years ago teach you anything about advertising in the Internet age? It can if the book is “Scientific Advertising” by Claude Hopkins.

Claude Hopkins was a pioneer in advertising and copywriting but his impact today is probably seen most through his influence on the modern direct response marketing experts like Jay Abraham.. I have heard him say that he must have read this book over sixty times and that he gets something new from the book every time that he reads it. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

The Copywriter’s Handbook by Robert W Bly

The full title of this book by Bob Bly is

The Copywriter’s Handbook: A Step-by-step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells“.

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

A good guide for someone who wants to be a freelance copywriter

This is considered to be a modern classic. Advertising legend David Ogilvy wrote “I don’t know a single copywriter whose work would not be improved by reading this book. And that includes me.”

I bought it after a recommendation from a client who was a copywriter and because of the rave reviews on Amazon.com. The back cover says that it is for anyone who writes or approves copy including entrepreneurs. I see it more for beginners and aspiring freelance copywriters. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

The Irresistible Offer by Mark Joyner

The full title of this book by Mark Joyner is

The Irresistible Offer: How to Sell Your Product or Service in 3 Seconds or Less“.

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

A great way to simplify a complex idea but it’s expensive for what’s there

The premise is simple…

Your customers are going to give you a few seconds to make the sale. What are you going to say? [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

How to Create Irresistible Offers by Robert W Bly

The full title of this book by Bob Bly is

How to Create Irresistible Offers: The Easiest Way on Earth to make Your Marketing Generate More Leads, Orders, and Sales“.

In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it a rating of Four Stars. This means that it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

The world needs more focus on transactional offers and this is a good start

Legendary copywriter Gary Halbert said “Your offer is by far the most important element in the entire sales message”.

It doesn’t make much sense then that the offer gets little attention in many of the copywriting guides which focus more on creating great headlines and writing bullet points to make the reader intensely curious. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

In my review of

Emotional Copywriting Revealed by Timothy S Van Milligan

on Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Four Stars level. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

A revealing look at emotions and how they can be used in copywriting

You’ve probably heard the maxim that people buy emotionally and then justify the purchase logically.

If you watch your own purchase decisions, you’ll see that there’s a lot of truth in it (although the thinking fast and slow issues also apply) so the issue becomes, how do you use emotion in your marketing to help encourage potential customers to buy? This book goes some of the way to answering that question. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

How to Write Seductive Web Copy by Henneke Duistermaat

The full title of this book by Henneke Duistermaat is

How to Write Seductive Web Copy: An Easy Guide to Picking Up More Customers“.

In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Four Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

Short guide to help busy business owners to improve their websites

his is a well written, short book that covers the basics of copywriting for websites by an author based in Manchester, UK.

There are six chapters:

1 How are you writing for?
2 Benefits and problems.
3 Your value proposition.
4 How to write persuasive website content.
5 How to edit your text.
6 How to optimize your web copy for search engines. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

The full title of this book by Jamie Sylvian is

Newspaper & Magazine Advertising That Works: A Simple 10 Step Guide to Creating Adverts that Get the Phone Ringing“.

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Four Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

For business owners who want more customers

This is a very short, straightforward guide to help owners of small businesses to make better use of advertising in newspapers and magazines. Marketing advisors and copywriters who are knowledgeable in direct response advertising won’t gain much, if anything, from it. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

The Brain Audit By Sean D’Souza – 5 Stars

The Brain Audit : Why Customers Buy
(And Why They Don’t) by Sean D’Souza

Book Review rating – 5 Stars

The Brain Audit by Sean D’Souza is an excellent book about creating a compelling sales message that appeals to your buyers brains without resorting to sleazy tactics.

The Red Bags Metaphor

At the beginning of the book, Sean sets up his copywriting system with a powerful metaphor.

Imagine going to the airport with seven bags and checking them in. You get on the flight and land. After passport control you make your way to the luggage carousel or conveyor belt.

Sean’s question is…

“When do you walk away?” [continue reading…]

in 3 – Your Strategic Positioning, 4 – Lead Generation, Best Business Books