Great Copywriters of All Time and Their Advice

Advertisement is an art not everyone has. And those who have this unique skill are the ones who know how to sell through words. I still remember the classical copies I used to see when I was a kid. Those direct response writers knew how to touch our emotions and prompt us to do something. 

The world might have developed so greatly that we are on Netflix tonight instead of watching television. Instead of writing down, How Funny, to something, I send a laughing emoji. The way I react might have changed but what I react to is probably still the same. I still laugh at cartoons, cry at emotional moments, and feel proud after achieving something. 

This is why copywriting of great copywriters are still alive. And people like us are still there who create copies that convey. So, who do I get inspiration from? What are those great copywriters’ pieces of advice that I follow? 

Well, there is not just a single piece of advice. In this article, I have listed some of the world’s greatest copywriters of all time and the inspirational advice they left for us and the next generation. 

I write with my ears, Great copywriters:Eugene Schwartz 

Eugene Schwartz was one of the greatest copywriters and mail writers of all time. He was the highest-paid copywriter in the 1950s-60s. He worked only three hours a day and this was one of the most talked-about news about him now. 

While writing an article about copywriting, Schwartz wrote: I write with my ears 

The headline was so true that every single copywriter felt that. According to Schwartz, he didn’t write his copies just after the task was assigned. Instead, he would first listen to the product owner to know about the product, its features, how it can help the consumers, who it is built for, and who it is not. After going through all this, he would then listen to what the consumers of the product have to say about it. And lastly, he would study the product’s competitors. 

That’s it! After doing all this, the product wrote itself. Schwartz used to collect simple snippets from interviews and then arrange them in a logical order to complete his ads. 

It is still one of the best pieces of advice that we copywriters get to follow. Till now, I first gather as much information about the product as I can and then craft our copies. And guess what, it works.

Decide the effect you want to create in your reader, Great Copywriters:- Robert Collier 

Robert Collier is the name of a great copywriter of his time who just cracked the code of writing a copy that converts. 

Collier is world-famous, especially for his book, The Secret of Ages which was published in 1926. 

With his supreme copywriting skills, Collier sold tons of thousands worth of books, whether it is the H.G Wells 4 Volume or The Outline of History. In his letter book, he finally revealed what was that unrevealed strategy that helped him sell millions of dollars worth of books. 

In this letter he wrote; 

Before you put pen to paper, before you ring for your stenographer, decide in your mind what effect you want to produce on your reader — what feeling you must arouse in him.

~ Robert Collier

This was a gem of advice and I am following it to date. Why? Because it works. 

Before creating anything, we need to find out what is the purpose of creating it and how we want our audience to perceive it. Once you are clear about what emotion you have to bring to your customers, you are half done. 

Now, to get action, you’ve got to ask for it Great Copywriters:- Victor O. Schaw

If you ask a typical copywriter born around 1990 who was the best mail-order copywriter of all time, 9 out of 10 people would say the name of Victor O. Schaw. He was so great. He was surely a pioneer in split-test advertisements using coupons. 

He left a lot of memorable things for us and one of those most valuable things includes his remarkable words. 

He said;

Now, to get action, you’ve got to ask for it.

~ Victor O. Schwab

And it seems quite relevant, right? In this current digital market, where most businesses lack is on providing a clear call to action to their customers. 

If you want your copy to convert and make people click on it, you need to ask for it. Also, you need to understand that different calls to action have different appearances and values. So if you are looking to make your readers buy your product, your call to action needs to be clear as well as unique. 

The consumer isn’t a moron. She is your wife:- David Ogilvy 

Often quoted as the father of British advertising, David Ogilvy is a well-reputed name in the copywriting field. David started his career in a very unique style, by selling stoves. And in 1938, he wrote an instruction manual for selling stoves for his colleagues which probably was the turning point of his young life. 

From then, Ogilvy never looked back and just ripped the market apart with his unique selling skills and converting ideas. 

Before passing out, he left us with plenty of thoughts and lessons that are always there to help us out when I find myself stuck. 

One of the greatest quotes from David Ogilvy I remember is;

The consumer isn’t a moron. She is your wife.

~ David Ogilvy 

Well, it might sound a bit weird but a lot of copywriters do think this way. In the process of making people buy their products, some copywriters try to make them look foolish, and morons. But they are not. I would not say they are your wife. They can be anyone you should respect.

From this quote, I learned that if you want your copy to convert, make it personalized. If you are writing a copy for a crowd, remember that things get lost easily in the crowd. 

Final Thoughts 

So these were a few of the best pieces of advice I got from our greatest copywriters. If you want to become a successful copywriter and create copies that convert, follow these golden tips with determination, dedication, and faith.