Unveiling the secrets A-list copywriters use to make themselves and their clients millions. This is the Copywriters Podcast with your host, the world's greatest copywriting coach. It happens to all of us, and maybe you can remember a time when you wondered, is this really good copywriting? It seems like it's what I should write, but somehow it's not clicking. Okay, so here is why you wonder. There's a well-known saying from the Navy SEAL.
Under pressure, you don't rise to the level of your expectations, you sink to the level of your training. And of course, that goes far beyond the world of Navy SEALs. It's true in all of life. Well, one thing I don't think we've taken a good enough look at is, as copywriters, how were we trained? I don't mean how are we trained for copywriting specifically. I mean, how are we trained for writing at all?
See, how you were originally trained to write can easily override what you know you should do as a copywriter, especially when you're under pressure, which as a copywriter. You are more often than not. So we're going to take a good look at that today and see what we can do about it right after we listen to this. The copy is powerful. You're responsible for how you use what you hear in this podcast. And most of the time, common sense is all you need.
But if you make extreme claims and or if you're writing offers in highly regulated industries like health, finance and business opportunity. You may want to get a legal review after you write and before you start using your copy. My larger clients do this all the time. Now, no one comes fresh out of the womb knowing how to write.
Except maybe for this special breed of ready-to-go copywriters we don't know about yet. But for the rest of us, we are, to put it simply, trained through a series of environments and experiences in our lives. starting with school and progressing into jobs, not to mention all the things we read along the way. Everyone has their own path, but we're all exposed to the five different types of writing we're talking about today, exposed at least to some degree.
So it's important to draw distinctions so you don't let the wrong style of writing creep its way into your copy, at least not without you being aware of it and writing that way intentionally. So the five other types of writing we're going to talk about today are what we learned in school, what we wrote or saw in journalism, on blogs, and a social media post.
technical or scientific writing, the way people write in corporations in the military, which are different to be sure, but have a lot more in common with each other than they do with copywriting. And finally, and this is a nod to the insurance emu, the so-called kind of copy that the big branding agencies use. You'll see that there are important differences in each case that will help you.
Oh, the return of the emu. Yes. Had to bring him in. Haven't seen him in a little while. All right. Let's get to our first kind. Let's talk about direct response copywriting compared to how we're taught to write in school. Remember all those essays and term papers you wrote? Maybe you got good grades, maybe you didn't. But what did you learn about how to write as you were cranking them out?
so the teachers at school tried to teach you maybe to present ideas clearly and logically, but it really taught you how to motivate readers to take immediate action. Okay, suppose you write a paper for history class which begins, George Washington was the first president of the United States. Okay, that's a good start for history, but it's totally lame for selling anything. Let's put that in direct response language. Learn more about George Washington. Order your copy now.
Here's the point. You shift the reader from knowing something to doing something. And this is important. because we naturally stick to the school style. After all, old habits are hard to break, especially since you've probably spent years trying to write descriptive, straightforward prose. Or you may have even been encouraged to use all kinds of flowery adjectives and adverbs to make your writing seem... creative. But remember what the great copywriter and ad man David Ogilvie once said,
When I write an advertisement, I don't want you to tell me you find it creative. I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product. Ogilvy nailed the point. Clear and creative writing alone doesn't make a sale. Getting someone to take action is what counts. Think of it this way. School teaches you to build nice, tidy roads for your readers to follow. Direct response copywriting gets them to step on the gas and move steadily towards making a purchase.
So don't let your so-called education get in the way of graduating to higher levels of income and wealth. I think the term direct response, I'm directing you and I'm trying to evoke a response is... The key thing for me when I was like, oh, the goal isn't to persuade. The goal isn't to inform. The goal is to get a direct response out of them. Yeah, that really boils down to something.
Very important. And you can keep that in mind when we're going through these next four because, I mean, that's the essence of it. All right. So the next one is direct response copywriting compared to content writing. Right. So now you're no longer in school, at least most of our listeners and viewers. So let's talk about what you read and write online. News, blogs, sub-stack articles, social media posts, things that keep us informed and entertained.
And really, what's wrong with that? I mean, it's better to be informed than to be ignorant, I'll say. And it's better to be informed than to be bored out of your mind. So other people read this kind of writing all the time. We're used to it. It's kind of friendly and non-threatening and it's not too risky to write. And that's exactly why we tend to slip into this style when writing sales copy. But you know the saying, no risk, no reward. Yet.
Yes, people get pissed off sometimes when they feel you're trying to sell them something. But the answer is not to stop trying to sell them something. The answer is to become more persuasive. The key thing to remember about the difference is this. Journalism, blogs and content writing usually aren't designed to spark immediate action. Instead, they focus on informing, entertaining or educating.
Take this imaginary journalistic headline. Local election results announced today. It's clear. It's informative. But from a direct response point of view, it just sits there. It tells the reader to figure out themselves and to motivate themselves if they want to know more and then search around to see if they can find it.
A direct response approach to the same set of events is get live election updates now. Click here. Journalism simply tells readers what's happening. Direct response tells readers what to do next. Imagine this content on an investment advisor's website. Here's what you need to know about investing. Good information, but no urgency. direct response copy would say to get answers to your most important questions about investing sign up here for your free consultation
The DR response goes one step further. It moves the reader from learning to doing immediately. So again, why do we so often default to journalism or blog style? It's because unless we spend all day reading sales copy, And I've had days like that. You probably have too, but most days are not like that. But if we don't spend all day reading sales copy, journalism and blog styles are all around it. In fact, they become like background music we don't even notice anymore.
But remember, when we read them, it subconsciously trains us that this is what writing looks like. And then when we abruptly shift into copywriter mode and overcompensate by proudly bragging about our wins, our gains, our sheer brilliance. That doesn't help sales very much either. So the great copywriter John Capel said, the most frequent reason for unsuccessful advertising is advertisers who are so full of their own accomplishments that they forget to tell us why we should buy.
So the next time you write copy, ask yourself honestly, am I just giving readers a pleasant description or am I showing them something valuable right now and giving them good reasons to buy it? Your sales depend on knowing the difference. I think for me, the subtle difference there is copywriting has an underlying theme of here's what you get and here's what you have to do to get it.
Yeah, I agree. But, you know, it's funny. People can go off that trail sometimes. I mean, it happens when you get in a flow state. You're not always thinking about stuff like structure and purpose and goal. steps. So you need to watch out for this when you're reviewing your copy. Let's look at something different, technical or scientific writing. So we're in this era of apps and DIY and check GPT, and technical writing is everywhere. It shows up in software manuals.
on medicine labels, and instructions for putting IKEA furniture together. Its job is simple. Just tell you exactly what to do, step by step. And unlike feature articles or TikTok scripts, technical writing isn't trying to entertain you, nor does it ask you to take immediate action or get excited about anything.
And the danger is slipping too far into this mode when we write copy. Because once your sales copy starts sounding like an instruction manual, you risk sounding boring. And that's no good. People might trust what you say, but they won't stay with you long enough to get interested in buying anything. Let's look at the delightful adventure of putting your IKEA purchase together. Instructions might say something like, align part A with part B.
Clear and accurate, but there's no motivation, no emotion. A direct response statement is more like, enjoy each assembly by your chair today. Copywriters can slip into technical writing mode because the writing feels trustworthy, factual, and clear. And that's all good, but remember, clear facts and instructions alone won't Get people. Remember that Gene Schwartz once said, copy is not written, copy is assembled. He meant effective copy isn't just giving people facts. It's about combining facts.
with feelings, urgency, and a clear reason to buy now, by assembling all those parts together in your copy. Technical writing is like a recipe book. It tells you what to do and how to do it, but it doesn't make you hungry. Direct response copywriting is more like the delicious smell of fresh baked cookies from a bakery. So remember the difference. Technical writing gives instructions. Direct response writing motivates and leans towards urgency.
Next time you sit down to write copy, ask yourself this question. Am I giving readers a clear but boring manual, or am I inviting them to act right now? I will say I do a lot of e-commerce writing. And in product descriptions is where it's real easy to slip into this technical writing. And I always have to go back and be like, hey, this is another opportunity to sell. They're going to read this before they buy.
do i want it do i want this to be a boring abc how to use the product or do i want to spice it up with some direct response copying Pages always do better, even if it's just the product page, always does better if you keep this in mind. Are you getting tired of using the hero's journey in your sales copy over and over again? My book, The Persuasion Story Code, We'll help you put together stories that convince your prospects. and resolve their objections.
If you're a copywriter, you'll appreciate that every single one of the 25 kinds of stories in this book have been proven time and time again in profitable sales copy. But I've also used these kinds of stories to close. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. So our next section is... direct response copywriting versus corporate or military writing now if you were a navy seal and held a job in the pentagon for a few years and you're now a copywriter you will instantly understand what this section is about.
Because you certainly remember the saying from the SEALs training, under pressure, you don't rise to the level of your expectations. You sink to the level of your training. And seeing as you were trained to write memos in a very specific way as a military professional, you know that you need to find a way to override that training when you were writing copy.
But you don't need to be a former SEAL to realize this, or to have some training in your background that unchecked could interfere with the effectiveness of your copy. Fact is, corporate and military writing surrounds us every day, even if we're not in the military or we don't work in a corporation. But if we do, certainly, we see it in office memos, meeting agendas, performance reviews, and official announcements.
But everyone sees it in the letters that you get from the government, whether it's the DMV or the Department of Agriculture or some other part of the government. The writing is formal. structured, sometimes filled with jargon and often quite bloated. And the writing style has one of two main goals, either deliver important information or deliver specific instructions. Now, it doesn't always succeed at doing so, but that's its main goal.
I have no idea how to run a military unit or a department in a large corporation. so i have to assume they roughly know what they're doing or maybe these memos are just a way of justifying their existence and keeping their jobs whatever the reason people write in this way in large bureaucratic organizations, this military-industrial complex style can spell death for sales when it creeps into your copy.
because it can turn what would have been a motivating sales message into just another stiff and lifeless memo. For example, a corporate email to staff might say, personnel must submit reports by 1700 hours. It's clear, it's precise, it's professional enough, and it's dry as dust. Now, in a slightly different context, a direct response copywriter would approach the same deadline this way. Send in your order by 5 p.m. today and we'll toss in free shipping.
Both are going for a version of the same result, but notice only direct response copy offers readers an exciting reason to act immediately. Now, there's a perfectly good reason that these two types of copy are different. Corporate overlords don't have to convince you to take the action they're requesting, since if you don't, sooner or later, they can fire you. Copywriters usually can't fire prospects if they don't buy.
so they have to get the person motivated instead let's look at another example how about safety training a corporate announcement might simply say How about safety training? A corporate announcement might simply say, mandatory safety training scheduled for Tuesday. Clear enough, but kind of sounds like drudgery, doesn't it? More of a direct response copywriting approach could say, keep yourself and your family safe. Join in our safety course today.
Now, the first one simply gives you the facts. The second one clearly tells you why you should care and act immediately. Why do we naturally slip sometimes into corporate or military writing style? Because most workplaces condition us to write that way, formal, clear, precise, and sometimes bloated. And most of all, impersonal. Since in many organizations, calling attention to anything personal is seen as
unprofessional. Maybe they should take a page out of copywriter extraordinaire Joe Sugarman's book when he says, Every product has a unique personality, and it is your job to find it. In the same way, every person wants, deserves, and responds to expressions of respect and recognition. Personality is more important than most people realize. To boil this down to a simple comparison, think of corporate or military writing as a traffic cop directing cars at a busy intersection.
Direct response copy, on the other hand, makes you want to step on the gas and get out in the open road. Next time you sit down to write copy, pause and ask yourself one important question. Am I writing another clear but dull office memo, or am I giving readers a compelling reason to act immediately? Your answer can mean the difference between just communicating clearly and actually making the sale. The only thoughts that I have about this is... Sitting down, I remember my old corporate job.
sitting down and watching the computer-based learning modules and they were all written in this bland corporate informing you telling you what to do but not getting you excited about it at all And I would often fall asleep in the middle of them and then have to be woken up by the HR lady. And she was like, Nathan, you fell asleep again.
Yeah. So do you think that's me or do you think it's a training? No, you probably wouldn't want to say that. That's probably what you're thinking, right? Okay. That's a good one. Section five. direct response copywriting versus traditional advertising agency writing and again hello insurance emu okay so finally we get to the trickiest Influence of all, traditional brand advertising. We see it everywhere. TV commercials, magazine ads, and on billboards.
Think of Nike's famous Just Do It or Apple's iconic Think Different. This style of advertising focuses on building a brand. It creates a strong emotional connection and makes products feel desirable. But here's the thing. Traditional agency-style advertising usually doesn't nudge readers or viewers to take immediate action. And while it works for an Apple or for a Nike, well, how many businesses are an Apple or a Nike?
The idea that a great branding statement plants a seed of interest is okay, but then there's the hope that it will grow into a purchase later. The problem is later may never come because when you depend too much on branding, not enough people buy enough stuff soon enough. Depending on whose statistics you want to rely on, between 45% and 95% of businesses don't last five years.
The main reason is they run out of cash. And they run out of cash because they're not making enough profit. They're not making enough profit because they're not making enough sales. So if you're building a brand and hoping people will buy eventually, well, I'm here to tell you you're not doing it right. Doing brand advertising rather than direct response advertising could be a big part of the problem.
Once you're a big business like Nike and Apple, you have elaborate dealer networks and sales forces in place to do a lot of your selling for you. The two-month-old startup doesn't have those. They need their advertising to work harder. And yet, and yet, because it's so common and memorable, and it seems so cool, the branding approach can easily slip into your sales copy. BMW's famous slogan, experience the ultimate driving machine. But maybe it could be all the bad guys.
Driving BMWs in the movies, the cool bad guys. All the rich people you see driving Beamers, maybe that's why you want more your identity, not just the slogan. Remember what John E. Kendi and then later Claude Hopkins said. Advertising is salesmanship in print. Next time you're writing copy, ask yourself, am I creating a catchy slogan that people might remember? Or am I asking readers to do something specific right now?
your answer will determine whether you're just getting noticed or truly getting results. I think you mentioned Nike and Apple Those companies tend to have a war chest for their advertising campaigns. And a lot of times they have, we have to spend this much money on advertising.
whether it does well or not we've got the money allocated we've been told we have to spend it and i think that that is why They can get away with some of the stuff, the branding, advertising that you were talking about, but all the other 98% of the businesses out there. i just it just doesn't make sense for us to try and mimic what apple and nike and bmw do yeah also have you ever seen anyone use a computer in a movie
Have you ever noticed that it's almost always an Apple? Oh, yeah. So they're advertising product promotion or product placement. They're not even paying for it. Oh, okay. I don't know how that worked out, but somehow they get free product placement in movies. Yes. My point is there's like 360 degrees of influence, influencers. promotion, suggestion, identification. There's a lot more going on than most people realize that helps them sell.
Oh, and if you've been to a mall lately, did they have an Apple store? The mall near my house does. Oh, that's interesting. Well, if you're a two-month-old startup, you don't have one. So there you go. All right. Or maybe you do. I don't know, but probably not. All right. Let's recap it. So.
School-style prose clearly informs readers but doesn't motivate immediate action. Remember, your goal isn't to describe things. It's to prompt your readers to act now. You can include descriptions, but that's not enough. Journalism, blogs, and content writing focus on entertaining or informing readers without directly driving immediate responses. Don't just guide your reader through facts. Clearly show them exactly what to do next.
technical and scientific writing, deliver clear, factual instructions, but lack urgency. Don't simply explain. Combine facts with emotional appeal to inspire immediate action. Corporate or military writing provides structured formal information but rarely persuades readers to quickly take action. Drop the formalities. Clearly invite your readers. in and give them a reason to act immediately.
And traditional ad agency writing builds emotional connections in brands, but often delays immediate response. Remember Johnny Kennedy's words, advertising is salesmanship in print. Get your copy. Keep your copy action-oriented, clearly instructing your readers exactly how and when to respond. I think that there's a time and a place Even inside your copy to apply some of these other writing styles, but I think the
Main thing to remember is if we're writing copy, we always are trying to increase desire, motivate action and tell them what to do next. And so even when it makes sense to add some technical or even when it makes sense to. Do something more of like journalism or blog style or content writing. Still mix in those direct response principles and it'll work better for you. Yeah, for sure. I think a question you have to keep in mind is who's the driver and who's the passenger.
You need to be the driver. Pick up a passenger called technical description for a few blocks. and then let them off at their next stop. You could pick up a passenger called journalistic content or blog content or user-generated content, but you need to be in the driver's seat. That's the key.
David, thank you so much for putting this one together. If you enjoyed this, head on over to copywriterspodcast.com. Check out all the other episodes we've got for you there. And until next time, we will catch you later. Catch you later. Hey, did you enjoy today's show? Want to help get it into the ears of more listeners? Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast app. This is the Copy and Funnels Podcast Network.