Making Ads Pay: Timeless Tips for Successful Copywriting (Dover Books on History, Political and Social Science)

John Caples was a pioneer of direct-response copywriting. In Chapter 8 he presents as series of paired ads which were tested, followed by analysis of why the winning ads outperformed. The winner often outperformed the other by a wide margin -- up to five times as many responses.Caples emphasizes the importance of headlines throughout the book. "If the headline doesn't induce reading, it doesn't matter what the copy says. Because copy that isn't read, can't sell." He suggests starting the body copy by continuing the thought from the headline. "You will never lose a reader in the first paragraph by amplifying the idea which stopped him in the first place."The author cautions that clever ads tend to underperform because they lose clarity. He observed that "so-called clever ads are sometimes published for products where it is impossible to check sales results from ads."Caples retired as Creative Director of BBDO in 1982 after 56 years in the advertising business. The world has changed a lot since he wrote this book in 1957. While his ad copy is dated, his focus on copy testing and conversion is as relevant as ever. "Styles may change in advertising, but not the basic principles."

If you are looking for solid advice on writing sales copy that turns skeptical prospects into eager buyers, then look no further. John Caples is your guy. And this book is a "must have".Why?Because it contains everything you could ever want to know about direct response advertising, including:How To Write Headlines...How To Find The Right Appeal...How To Think Up Ideas...Ten Ways to Write The First Paragraph...Six Ways to Prove It's a Bargain...And much, much more.I've always felt that marketing books are like music.The old stuff is the best stuff.Case in point:Name me a band from the 21st century that can hold a candle to The Beatles... Led Zeppelin... or The Rolling Stones? That said, the same argument applies to direct response marketing:Who can touch John Caples... Claude Hopkins... or Albert Lasker?Get this book.Read it till the spine wears out.And you'll have a "bible" that delivers nugget after proven nugget to help turn your sales copy on its head.

This book is seriously one you need to get your hands on right now!! When the most famous and successful copywriter in the history of the world writes a book about copywriting, you know you need to get it asap. Especially when the book is now out of print and if you don't get your hands on one now while you can, you may never get to own a copy in your lifeI have seen this book selling for over $2,000 on some other websites, and here you can snap up a second hand copy here for $43 bucks. What are you waiting for!!

"Making Ads Pay" is a good book. Some of the information and advice on what works is very similar to Caples's more famous books "Tested Advertising Methods". The structure however is different and the book is similar in presentation and tone to "How To Write a Good Advertisement" by Victor Schwab" and contains some career reminiscing a-la Hopkins and Ogilvy.The framing of the text is as if Caples is advising a young and unformed junior copywriter on the secrets of his own success. As such, the book is charged as a sort of career guide to individuals entering a career field that now provides fewer opportunities for the sort of learning by apprenticeship that went on in the advertising field in Caples's day. Now if you want to work at an agency you may find such a position difficult to procure. As a guide to freelance copywriters the career guidance is not very useful in today's business climate.While the book is charming and informative regarding the author's career experiences and the basic principles of direct response writing, it makes assumptions about the advertising field that are very dated. It's an enjoyable book but would not make my top 10 list of books to read on writing copy today.

This is a lesson for an industry giant. John breaks down ads that made a difference to him and ones he has done. He shows the best way to construct your marketing. This is a must read for anyone in sales and marketing, it is not a coffee table book it is more then just a lesson in advertising.My advise is don't just read the book. Write out the ads in the book by hand you will give you a far better understanding of writing ads by understanding how John Caples crafted his ads. And understanding the flow and rhythm inside the ad.

It’s amazing this book was written decades ago yet everything in it still applies today.

One of the classic copywriters reviews the fundamentals of copywriting. Great basic foundational advice for the beginner, and a fantastic review for the more experienced copywriter.

Yes, it was a great book when first published and some information is timeless, but, this book was written well over 50 years ago. some of the information is still relevant, but it was written for the mentality of the consumers of the 50's. We’re in the midst of a huge sea change when it comes to consumer behavior. New technologies have completely transformed consumer expectations and buying behavior. To me, this is great collectors book but it lacks the substance I was looking for. Other reviews, appear to me as marketing ads themselves designed to convince me to buy the book and I did. but I'm disappointed. That's my opinion.

I love John Caples and Bruce Barton. I mention Bruce as they worked together and it’s easy to see that Barton had a wonderful influence on Caples. This book is brilliant and well written. A re-read for sure.

No importa que fuera escrito en 1957 y que hayan pasado ya más de 60 años. Su valor es el mismo en 2023 que en 1957.Ya lo dijo una vez el autor a un periodista: "Los tiempos cambian, pero el ser humano es el mismo".

John Caples foi o melhor que eu já tive a oportunidade de conhecer o trabalho.

Ottimo