Every so often, I will cast my eye over my large collection of copywriting and direct response marketing books. I sometimes do this when I’m in search of inspiration for a new project. Other times, like this one, it’s more for the purposes of a general reminder of the copywriting lessons provided by the greats of the past.
On this occasion, my interest was captured by two books by the great John Caples…the copywriter perhaps best known for his advertisement that started with the legendary headline…
“They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano…But When I Started to Play!”
The book most associated with John Caples is “Tested Advertising Methods” but his earlier work “Making Ads Pay” is also packed with great tips and information.
What makes Caples’ advice so powerful is that it was based on years of testing with actual ads. And his methods remain relevant to copywriters and advertisers today.
Here are 9 copywriting principles that Caples emphasised…
Copy Principle #1: Use present tense, second person
When writing any advertising copy, your aim should be to write in a conversational style. Very good copy makes you think that the writer is addressing you….and ideally only you…directly. Let’s face it, we love the word “you.” When we see “you,” it means the writer is talking directly to us.
It encourages us to picture ourselves with the product. There may be times when it’s appropriate to use the third person for example, when talking about “those people” who don’t have the finer taste or understanding that “you” do, or when explaining the drawbacks of the competition.
In general, try to stick to “you,” and speak in the present tense as much as possible, not about the past or future. So, for example…
Don’t say: Buyers will experience vibrant health with a daily dose of this special juice.
Do say: You experience vibrant health with a daily dose of this special juice.
Copy Principle #2: Use subheads
Caples found that every page of mail order advertising should have three subheads. This may have been necessary when ads were dense with copy and the use of illustrations was not as sophisticated as modern artists and printing techniques allow for. Today you can get away with fewer subheads if you have a big headline, attractive illustrations and plenty of white space.
The value of subheads—in addition to making the piece more interesting to the eye and breaking up the copy into digestible bits—is that people who skim subheads can get a summary of your pitch even if they don’t read all the copy. An intriguing subhead may also get prospects to dig deeper into the copy. So use as many subheads as seem right to get your message across.
Copy Principle #3: Use a simple style of writing and simple language
Your writing should carry readers along without putting up any roadblocks to their understanding or interest. If your writing is dense, flowery, or filled with complex words and images the readers can’t relate to, you are going to discourage them from moving forward. Using short sentences helps with this as well.
Copy Principle # 4: Give free information
To get something, you have to give something. To get your readers’ attention, you have to give them something to ensure it will be worth their while to read your copy, and one thing you can give them is free information. Tell them something useful right at the beginning. You can even write that part of your letter in editorial style, rather than making it obvious that you’re trying to sell them something.
Another method is to promise at the beginning that they will find valuable information later on in the copy. For example…“Keep reading to discover the foods you should NEVER eat on an aeroplane.”
Copy Principle #5: Make your copy specific
We are so accustomed to seeing wild advertising claims, especially on the internet, that we don’t really believe them anymore. Wild claims were also made back when Caples was writing.
So to counteract that scepticism, he advised saying, “97,482 people have bought one of these appliances” rather than “Nearly 100,000 of these appliances have been sold.”
The first statement sounds like a fact. The second sounds like bluster and a more vague claim. Simply put, being more precise with exact numbers or “real data,” rather than rounding up or being general, will always make your copy more believable and hence more effective.
Copy Principle #6: Write long copy
You’ve probably heard that copy can neither be too long nor too short; just too boring. But if it’s done intelligently, longer copy does a much better job of selling than shorter copy. Put another way, you need to present your full sales argument and the right length of copy is what enables you to do that.
The usual objection we hear is that “no one will want to read long copy.” It’s true that no one will want to read long, boring copy printed in dense, small type, but if it’s well written and laid out attractively, it’s always more effective.
You can get the best of both worlds by using headlines and subheads to create a smaller, quicker-to-read piece within the longer piece. Then you can appeal to the skimmers while still providing plenty of sales talk to those who are interested and want more information.
This is especially important when sending emails or setting up webpages. These can be difficult to read if the copy isn’t broken up.
Copy Principle #7: Avoid helping your competitors
Don’t spend a lot of time talking in general terms about how great your type of product is. Talk more specifically about all the great features of your own product.
Let’s say you’re selling a home maintenance service. If you spend most of the ad, sales letter, or web copy describing how nice the homeowner’s life will be with someone else doing the maintenance, they might agree, go surfing online to see who else is offering home maintenance services in the area and end up hiring someone else!
Instead, use your copy to focus on the great features of YOUR service and how you are so much better than anyone else out there.
Copy Principle #8: Make every advertisement a complete sales talk
Put your complete sales pitch in every promotional piece. Don’t assume your prospect has ever read anything else about you or knows anything about the advantages you offer. Don’t talk about half the things that make you stand out in one piece and the other half in another promotional piece. You might only have this one opportunity to make this sale or get someone to take some other desired action. Make the most of it.
Copy Principle #9: Urge the reader to act… NOW!
This final principle is so fundamental to direct response marketing that it might seem unnecessary to have to mention it. Yet, all too often this critical element is poor or unclear. Every promotional piece should have a strong call to action…Act now!…Call today!…Order while stocks last! It should also be very clear exactly what the reader needs to do.
You’ve spent your entire piece getting your readers’ attention and explaining why they should want your product or take some other action. Tell them what you want them to do. And if you can add a sense of urgency by telling them it’s a limited-time offer, supplies are limited, or these special prices can’t last long, all the better. Without a clear call to action, the rest of the piece, as good as it may be, could be a complete waste.
These copywriting principles are as useful and relevant today as they were when Caples first used them to run hugely successful campaigns so many years ago. They continue to deliver results because human nature fundamentally remains the same. Use these principles in your own copy to increase the effectiveness of your own campaigns.