The "secrets" of my success...

1. Starting at Ogilvy and getting a first-class introduction to "Madison Avenue" ad agency advertising (it's where I learned to balance great creativity with great salesmanship)

2. Working on direct response for super-savvy clients like Boardroom/Bottom Line, Rodale, Agora, Procter & Gamble, and so many others — and constantly seeing the results of my efforts

3. Teaming up with great writers and seeing how they work, getting their critiques, and picking their brains — including Jim Rutz, Jim Punkre, Dan Rosenthal, and John Carlton

4. Competing against great writers, which forced me to constantly up my game

5. Working on many different types of projects, from traditional radio and TV commercials and print ads to direct mail, infomercials, VSLs, online ads, and online sales pages (not to mention a few jingles)

6. Working on an incredibly wide variety of products and services — from toilet cleaner and laundry detergent to industrial o-rings to $20,000 high-end seminars

7. Getting exposure to hundreds of different markets and niches, where I learned the best practices of each

8. Having been at this for awhile

“It’s not TV, it’s HBO.”
“The Uncola.”
Starbucks, “The Third Place.”

Three of the most effective lines in marketing history. What do they all have in common?

They don't argue that the product is better or that it will improve your life.

Instead, each one puts the product into t’s set theory, which is just a fancy name for how we group things and name the groups.

It's something you've been doing since you were a baby, sorting mommy from not mommy, yummy from yucky, friendly from scary.

But when we do it on purpose, it sharpens how we define our audience, frame our offers, and handle objections. (In fact, every objection is really an attempt by the prospect to exclude themself from the set you want them in.)

I wrote an article about how to use it to sharpen your thinking and your writing.

Don’t worry, I made it interesting.

Link in the first comment.

Here's that link to the article on how set theory can empower your thinking and your writing: ddeutsch.substack.com/p/how-set-theo…

Here's that link to the article on how set theory can empower your thinking and your writing: ddeutsch.substack.com/p/how-set-theo…

One thing I’ll say about politics: It dredges up some of the best unprompted, unfiltered consumer research you’ll ever get.

Make note of what your prospects fear, resent, and deep down desire.

The key to good copywriting is to think of the prospect as a friend you want to help, rather than a prospect you want to sell.

One of the things that means is that you don't order the prospect around like a drill sergeant, with phrases such as "Click here now" or "Don't delay."

Instead, give the prospect the opportunity to take action.

Make your copy more like a wedding invitation than a jury summons.

I'll show you how to do it in my latest article, linked in the first comment below...

Here's that article on giving prospects opportunities instead of orders:

substack.com/@ddeutsch/note…

I'm about to release a free 5-day email course on how to improve any piece of sales copy.

If you're up for the challenge, I'm releasing it here first.

Link in the first comment to get started immediately.

Feedback welcome.

Here's the link to the free 5-day copy transformation challenge: SpeakingOfWriting.com/5day.

We're told to be ourselves when we write.

But which self?

Turns out, we're more than one.

And writing from a different persona can be an absolute game-changer.

An article I just published goes deep on why and how. (Link in first comment.)

Here's the link to the article...
ddeutsch.substack.com/p/the-godfathe…

The playwright and humorist George S. Kaufman wrote the script for one of the Marx Brothers' Broadway shows — not that the freewheeling Marx Brothers felt bound by it.

"Don't look now," mumbled a frustrated Kaufman to a friend backstage during one rehearsal, "but I think I just heard one of my original lines."

An entrepreneur I recently started coaching knows how he feels.

There was precious little left of his copy after we finished cutting and rebuilding.

It made me realize that, at least at first, most of what I teach about copywriting isn't techniques. I simply emphasize three things until they become second nature:

1. One action, one compelling reason — Be crystal clear on the one action you want the prospect to take and the single biggest, most relevant benefit of their doing so.

2. Prove your case beyond a shadow of a doubt — Make your argument so clear and airtight that your prospect could make the case to a friend or spouse.

3. Stop putting prospects to sleep — Swap out the boring parts for interesting stories, surprising facts, or warnings of change that will directly affect them.

Want to see how you and your copy would hold up to my tough-love coaching? Comment below or DM me and let's talk.

I've been thinking about how, in marketing, as in life, it all comes down to getting a response — whether that's a "yes," a "wow," a like or follow, an inquiry or purchase.

Unfortunately, with more and more people and companies clamoring for one, getting a response is harder a few decades in the trenches of direct response, and put the essence of what I've learned about getting people to take action (including the five key elements of response) into my latest article.

Link in first comment...

Here's the link to the article: ddeutsch.substack.com/p/the-elements…

Invariably, my best copy ideas come away from the computer, talking to people.

That's because there is no such thing as “copywriting.” There is only persuasion.

You know, that thing you do to convince others to do something.

So don’t “write copy.” Instead, imagine how you would convince friends or loved ones to say “yes” to whatever you’re offering, and put that on the page.

Better yet, go out and see if you can get people interested in what you’re offering. See where their eyes light up, their interest fades, their resistance flares.

The bots cannot do this.

Human vs AI copy. Enough debating.

I dug into the actual tests and data.

Turns out there is a clear winner. It surprised me—might surprise you, too.

Link to the full article in the first comment.

Full breakdown + framework on Substack: open.substack.com/pub/ddeutsch/p…

If you need a reminder of how powerful words can be, grab a copy of The Language of the Soul by Mark Nepo.

From the back blurb: “Nepo explores the deep, often forgotten roots of 228 words from thirty-one languages and traditions, revealing their original, undiluted power to awaken, connect, and heal.”

Just a few minutes with it a day leaves me ready to take on the challenges of both world and page.

I once had lunch with a speechwriter for the governor of a large state.

He was fascinated with copywriting; I with speechwriting.

Turned out, we both simply persuaded with words. I to get people to buy; he to get people to vote, contribute, or agree.

One big difference: in had to keep in mind its effect on voters, legislators, state and national party leaders, donors, and members of the governor's own administration.

Although I've never written a speech for anyone else, I've studied it for years and own around a dozen books about it (including one highly technical tome that's considered the "bible" of speechwriting).

And I've found that there's one thing speechwriters do that every writer should know. Check it out in the first comment.

Here's that link to the article on the one thing speechwriters do that every writers should know: ddeutsch.substack.com/p/the-speechwr…

What makes some writing so irresistibly interesting?

Sociologist Murray Davis spent years studying this. And what he found was, fittingly, quite interesting.

People are drawn to ideas that refute what they believe.

One catch is, it must challenge something they care about. But not a belief they're welded to.

It's why headlines such as "How to build wealth by saving less" work so well. We believe you must save more to build wealth. But it looks like there's a way to get rich by actually saving LESS.

I'm interested!

If you'd like to know more, I just posted an article that breaks down exactly how to use this technique. (Link in the first comment below.)

Here's that full article on how to make your writing irresistably interesting: bit.ly/4vXuqFs