One copywriting book I always recommend
There are so many fantastically helpful copywriting books that are must-reads.
To create any listicle in this field is an exercise in extreme subjectivity, but there’s one book that I always recommend whenever the topic of copywriting essential reads comes up.
Copywriting Made Simple - Tom Albrighton
When Tom Albrighton published this, his first of a series of books on copywriting, I had already banked quite a few years as a jobbing copywriter.
And even though it is purportedly for beginners, there is a ton of great advice that acts as the perfect refresher for anyone who’s been writing copy long enough to get stuck in their ways.
Good for old hands, yes, but absolutely essential if you are just starting out in copywriting.
It really does cover a lot of ground:
Knowing the product, the benefits, the audience and writing a brief.
Nailing your headline, structure and CTAs
Creativity, Engagement, Flow and Breaking the rules
Tone of Voice, persuasion, psychological tricks, editing and wordplay
And a whole chapter dedicated to one of the most important aspects of the copy industry, that not all books cover: How to deal with feedback… in a good way
There are examples galore and exercises to have a go yourself.
Here’s just one of the great tips I loved…
“When people read, they ‘hear’ the words in their heads, as if they were listening to someone speaking.
So if you want your copy to be convincing and persuasive, it needs to ‘sound right’ to readers, even though it may never be spoken aloud.
It usually helps to read your copy aloud, or get someone else (or a text-to-read app) to read it to you. The rhythm of your words will leap out at you straight away.”
And Tom then goes on to show you how to improve in this area with examples, as he does with every copy tool.
As I have done a lot of voiceover work, I can’t tell you how valuable this particular little gem is.
When getting ready to record a VO and taking a preliminary read, you can see immediately where the issues are going to be.
Ridiculously long sentences that will be a real mouthful.
Or sentences trying way too hard that have a serious case of thesaurus abuse about them.
It’s usually a case of too many cooks spoilt the broth, with too many stakeholder amends included, because Everyone’s a copywriter, right?
Richard Shotton wrote a recent article in Marketing Week, Making your copy more concrete will boost ad recall which starts out with the unreadability of academic papers.
Do academics use this Tom Albrighton tip of reading their texts aloud to make sure they’re understood?
Yep, didn’t think so. :)
A top copywriting book because it flows beautifully
A labour of love is a phrase bandied about all too often.
But when reading Copywriting Made Simple I really feel that every word has been lovingly crafted with the lightest of hands and deftest of touches.
The editing process must have been a mammoth task, as the effectiveness of every sentence is palpable.
Maybe for Tom, as a copywriter, this was an extremely painful experience, but it was truly worth the effort.
It just reads and flows so easily.
Some copywriting tomes I have read, have little kinks in them - sentences that you need to read twice.
Or sometimes you need to go back a paragraph and take a run up at an idea again because the words didn’t read so cleanly.
None of that here - every word works. And every word counts.
Wonderful work.
Chapeau, Mr Albrighton.
Btw, I have this on Kindle and Audiobook. The narration is a delight from Sebastian Abineri.
I did have this in paperback originally, but I lent it to someone. So, whoever’s got it, can you give it back now, please? :)
More Copywriting Books to have on your bookshelf
Ogilvy on Advertising
This copy classic was written in 1983 by David Ogilvy. It’s a ‘How to’ of advertising from a bygone age but is still ridiculously relevant today.
How to write better copy
If you could learn from someone described by Campaign as ‘the greatest direct marketing creative of his generation’ who has won more Cannes Lions than any other creative director in history, can you afford not to sit down and listen (or read)? Steve Harrison puts his copy skills out there, so lap it up.
The House at Pooh Corner
Such wordplay.
Such humour.
Such memorable storytelling.
Of course, it’s not a copywriting book, as such. But this split my head wide open when I read it in my early 20s.
Yes, I came super super late to this book, but maybe it arrived at just the right time.
The way A.A. Milne destroys seemingly every rule of English was groundbreaking for me.
Every sentence is filled with childlike wonder and wordsmithery magic.
If I could write one sentence for my work as magical as you find throughout Winnie The Pooh’s adventures, I would die a happy copywriter.
The Copywriting course with Steve Harrison, Vikki Ross and many more leading advertising thought leaders is available now
