Copywriting Book Reviews From 5 Stars Down to 1 Star

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 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…]

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…]

The full title of the book by Joe Vitale is

Hypnotic Writing: How to Seduce and Persuade Customers with Only Your Words

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 2 Stars.

Here is my review.

I was very disappointed but I still bought Hypnotic Writing 2.0

I was intrigued by the book title and the author has created a great brand using the word hypnotic. Who doesn’t want their marketing and copywriting to put prospective customers in a buying trance?

When I read the book I was very disappointed. It is written with a knowing style. “I’m going to make you do something…see I told you I was going to make you.” [continue reading…]

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…]

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…]

The full title of the book by R. Michaels is

Copywriting Headlines 2015 – Cosmopolitan Sex Headlines: Turn Your Advertisement Into A Cash Producing Machine

In my review posted at Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 3 Stars.

Here is my review.

Interesting but could have been much better

The headline in an advertisement is often described as “the ad for the ad”.

It’s designed to interest you enough to want to know more so that you keep reading. By mixing a combination of news, benefits and curiosity, it’s tough to learn how to write great headlines. [continue reading…]

The full title of the book by Mike Swedenberg is

Copywriting and the Unique Selling Proposition: Take Your Advertising To The Next Level

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 3 Stars.

Here is my review.

The emphasis is on copywriting

I bought this book because of its prominent use of the USP concept in its title. I should have realised that its focus is more on copywriting.

Whilst there are better general books on copywriting, this is worth reading if you write copy although the format as a kindle e-book isn’t as good as it should be. It’s less relevant if you want to know how to differentiate your business and there are better books that help you to look at the process.

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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…]