| Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly have written a straightforward, well-organized guide to writing "copy intended to sell": ads, direct mail, brochures, catalogs, press releases, press kits, audiovisual promotions, Web-site material, and the like. Copywriting is different from any other writing, business or otherwise. Redundancy that reiterates. Superlatives! "Quotation marks." Sentence fragments. That's what sells. While Blake and Bly address each copywriting task individually, there are some rules that apply across the board: focus on the customer, not the product; use a conversational, friendly tone; use simple words and short sentences; and close with a "call to action" (involving the use of a coupon, Web-site address, toll-free number, etc.). One chapter, on "power copywriting techniques," discloses how to use ingredients such as research, adjectives, testimonials, and guarantees to make your ad stand out. And remember: "If you have to choose between being clever and obscure or simple and straightforward," say the authors, "we advise you to be the latter. You may not win any advertising awards, but at least you'll sell some merchandise." (A warning to owners of Bly's The Copywriter's Handbook: while there is much original material here, a substantial part of The Elements of Copywriting is reprinted here, slightly paraphrased.) --Jane Steinberg |
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 A must read book, pull in a prospect (reader) and sell. |
| Review Date: January 17, 1998 |
| Reviewer: , |
| This book covers the fundamentals of persuasive writing. If you want to write a piece, that draws the reader in. If you want to increase your sales, and discover a lot of techniques, to convince,sell, and write that perfect article.. This book is for you. It will hone your writing to a scalpel - sharp edge. Very pragmatic, and full of excelent ideas. |
A Quick Crash Course in Copywriting
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| Review Date: April 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Jinger Jarrett, Alpharetta, GA |
If you want a comprehensive guide to copywriting, then I would recommend that you buy Robert Bly's Copywriting Handbook. There is nothing better to teach you copywriting or reinforce what you already know about copywriting than that book.
However, if you want a nice little reference to keep on your desk that will help you find information about copywriting quickly, then I would recommend this book. Unlike the other, this particular book is more about providing you tips on copywriting. It is not meant to be an exhaustive reference on copywriting.
This book is also written by Robert Bly, but unlike his comprehensive copywriting guide, this book is more of a quick reference.
The beauty of copywriting is that most of the main principles that worked yesterday will work today. The principles outlined in this book are timeless and always effective. That's what makes it such a valuable desk reference.
However, if you want information on writing copy for the internet, I would recommend you look elsewhere. The information here is dated, and it goes back to when the internet was young and not as graphical as it is today. Still, this is a nice book to have on your desk when you want to know something quickly about copywriting or you need inspiration.
There's still a lot of valuable information in this book though, so you definitely want to read it. The truth is, even now the internet is still deeply influenced by direct response copywriting, so you still want to learn these principles.
The bottom line is that this book is a good crash course in copywriting. |
GREAT BOOK
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| Review Date: March 25, 1999 |
| Reviewer: Melissa Clark, |
| This book is great! Everything is compiled in one place so there is hardly a need for another book to learn the concepts of marketing writing! Great for beginners! |
Nice Overview of Copywriting Areas
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| Review Date: October 24, 2001 |
| Reviewer: Christian Uhl, |
| The Elements of Copywriting nicely explains how to write copy that sells in the most important areas/fields such as direct mail, press releases, product catalogues etc. As a junior copywriter at an advertising agency I can recommend this book to junior copywriters or persons that are thinking of becomming copywriters. For seniors this book will probably be too general in its content. How ever the first part of the book can be used for inspiration on where to put your emphasis in your copy. And because of that it might be helpful even for seniors. The greatest thing about The Elements of Copywriting is how the content is organized. You can read it from cover to cover or use it as a reference. I'll keep this book on my desk - it might come in handy when I'm low on ideas.. |
An Excellent Copywriting Primer
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| Review Date: January 7, 2004 |
| Reviewer: James Sadler, Plano, TX United States |
| With this book, Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly have written a well-organized and concise guide to copywriting. While not nearly as comprehensive as Bly's "The Copywriter's Handbook,"(which you also get if you are buying this book), "The Elements of Copywriting" is a great introduction to copywriting for most people. It covers a number of areas of copywriting: display advertising, direct mail, brochures, catalogs, press releases, press kits, audiovisual promotions, Web-site material, and more. It quickly and deftly outlines the differences between copywriting and other writing, e.g., it's perfectly acceptable to use "And" to begin sentences in advertising copy. Blake and Bly address each type of copywriting task mentioned above individually, as well as providing more broad-based rules for copywriting: use a conversational, friendly tone; use simple words and short sentences;focus on the customer, not the product; and close with a "call to action." This is a very concise guide to copywriting that is an excellent starting point for those wanting to learn the craft. |
Wonderful content, great reference source.
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| Review Date: March 16, 2002 |
| Reviewer: Justin Hitt, Norfolk, VA (USA) |
| Gary Blake and Robert Bly do a great job of bringing the core of copywriting. I find this book more a reference than something I am going to read cover to cover. Great coverage of Direct Mail and writing for the web, all around very useful book in helping my customers become more profitable - plus improve my own sales and marketing materials. Only caveat, the paragraphs could use a bit more space between them and some other font for headlines would make it easier to read. Outside of that the content is superb! |
Good Basic Copywriting Text
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| Review Date: August 11, 2005 |
| Reviewer: R. Carlson, San Diego North County |
| I read the book in 2 days and immediately found ideas that improved my current writing and editing projects. This is not a cutting edge, radically innovative book. It is a short, well organized, basic copywriting text. I'm glad I bought it. |
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