When it comes to copywriting there are loads of different frameworks and formulas you can apply.
Whether it’s the AIDA, BAB, AIDCA, or PAS method, they all require you to speak in the language of your reader. A great way to put this into perspective is to review the advice from the greatest copywriters.
In this article, I’ll share some of the best quotes from copywriters all around the world in all different eras. They include Gary Halbert, Eugene Schwartz, and even Neville Medhora.
Copywriting quotes that will give you an “aha!” moment
“I don’t know the rules of grammar. If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language.”
David Ogilvy
“If you approach a negotiation thinking the other guy thinks like you, you are wrong. That’s not empathy, that’s a projection.”
Chris Voss
“Offer: The hook gets your customers’ attention, the story creates desire, and the last step of every message, post, email, and video is the offer.”
Russel Brunson
“On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”
David Ogilvy
“A well-known principle of human behavior says that when we ask someone to do us a favor we will be more successful if we provide a reason. People simply like to have reasons for what they do.”
Robert B. Cialdini
“To make our communications more effective, we need to shift our thinking from “What information do I need to convey?” to “What questions do I want my audience to ask?”.
Chip Heath
“The secret to being boring is say everything.”
Voltaire
“Arthur Brisbane defined good writing, are “easier to read than to skip.”
Victor O. Schwab
“Think about it. When it comes to direct marketing, the most profitable habit you can cultivate is the habit of constantly being on the lookout for groups of people (markets) who have demonstrated that they are starving (or, at least hungry) for some particular product or service.“
Gary Halbert
“You sell on emotion but you justify the purchase with logic.”
Joseph Sugarman
“Nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression you make.”
William Bernbach
“Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem & turned it into an opportunity.”
Joseph Sugarman
“The most crucial part of anything you write. Your first sentence – the hook!”.
Dickie Bush
“What reaction do I want my readers to feel at the end of this? If I can’t move them emotionally I won’t get anywhere”.
Shaan Purri
“Copywriting is one of the most important skills you can have in business and one of the most important skills you can have in life.”
Sam Parr
p.s. Sam Parr has a 10-day copywriting challenge. If you want to level up quickly you should check it out.
“In writing good advertising it is necessary to put a mood into words and to transfer that mood to the reader.”
Helen Woodward
“The more your copy sounds like a real conversation, the more engaging it will be.”
David Garfinkel
“Content writing is how you attract traffic to your website. Copywriting is how you convert that traffic into customers.”
Alexander Lewis
“Sometimes the best copy to sell a horse is ‘Horse for Sale.’”
Jay Abraham
“A copywriter should have an understanding of people, an insight into them, a sympathy toward them.”
George Gribbin
“Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.”
Leo Burnett
“Reinventing the wheel is way overrated. In fact, it’s downright stupid if you can model what’s already working.”
Jeff Walker
“Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you’re doing, but nobody else does.”
Steuart Henderson Britt
Copy is a direct conversation with the consumer.
Shirley Polykoff
“To become a successful direct response marketer, it pays to learn as much about the psychology of the mind as possible.”
Alex Mandossian
“There are two motives to action: self-interest and fear.“
Napoleon Bonaparte
“The written word is the strongest source of power in the entire universe.”
Gary Halbert
“People aren’t interested in you. They’re interested in themselves.”
Dale Carnegie
“Do something. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn’t, do something else.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Nothing sticks in your head better than a story. Stories can express the most complicated ideas in the most digestible way.”
Sam Balter
“Rmember the people you address are selfish, as we all are. They care nothing about your interests or profit. They seek service for themselves”
Claude C. Hopkins
“Poor copy cannot overcome faults or gaps in dealer distribution; it cannot even cash in on the finest dealer setups. But good copy can, and does, surmount many dealer difficulties, making them secondary, and selling in spite of them.”
Victor O. Schwab
Three popular copywriting formulas you need to know
AIDA: This stands for attention, interest, desire, and action. It’s one of the most well-known copywriting formulas and can be applied to a broad range of marketing materials.
AIDCA: AIDCA is very similar to AIDA, however, it incorporates an additional section for social proof. It stands for attention, interest, desire, conviction, and action. The conviction piece is what makes this so great. Your copy should include testimonials, reviews, or other social proof to make the reader’s decision less risky.
PAS: Problem, Agitate, and Solve is another well-known formula. The main difference in this formula is that it starts with the problem and then exacerbates how bad it is. This makes the solution a much easier decision for the reader.
BAB: Before-After-Bridge is a less popular copywriting formula but is great for email campaigns. The idea is to quickly show the difference between a problem, and a solution and how the bridge is the product you’re selling.
Closing remarks
After compiling quotes from the greatest copywriters, marketers, and psychologists there’s a clear trend. The greatest rule in copywriting is to understand who your reader is and write in their language.
Everything else is secondary to this.
This brings me to my favorite quote of all.
“A copywriter should have an understanding of people, an insight into them, a sympathy toward them.”
George Gribbin
[ Related article: How to find copywriting clients fast: A tactical guide for beginners ]
