The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells, 3rd Edition Paperback – April 4, 2006

Total Rip-OffThat’s exactly what I thought after finishing The Copywriter’s Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2005) by Robert W. Bly.When comparing the crazy amount of value imbedded within these pages, to the small price tag I spent on it, I felt as though I had totally and completely ripped Mr. Bly off.The cost to value ratio is so unbalanced, you’d be a fool not to immediately buy and devour this book.The Copywriter’s Handbook will literally help you leapfrog the competition by accessing a treasure trove of Bly’s experiences through his many years of writing successful ads.Seriously, this is one of the most practical and tactical books on copywriting that I have ever read.In The Copywriter’s Handbook you will learn:• 38 headline examples• The 4 - “U’s” of great copy• 15 ways to open a sales letter• The 10 - point criteria of ads that sell• 11 ways to make your writing more readable• 22 reasons why people might buy your product• The 7 questions you must ask about your audienceWhether you’re a novice to writing copy, a veteran of the craft, a small business owner looking to increase profits, or a solopreneur looking to start a side-hustle with the written word, you will find answers to your most relevant and pressing questions.Additionally, Mr. Bly writes and speaks in a totally approachable and personal manner.He’s wisdom gently rolls off the pages just like you would expect coming from a passionate master and caring mentor.I’m buying and studying more of Bob’s books (several of which he personally recommended for my specific situation) to grow my business.5 Stars all day.Joshua Lee Henry, M.A. & MBA Essentials, SalesforceFounder & CEO, Activate Advertising Agency, L.L.CActivateMyAdvertising.com

If you want to improve your writing skills for print or the web, this is the book that you need to own. This book is all steak with the fat trimmed off, powerful tips and techniques with absolutely no fluff.While some of the techniques included in the book aren't unique to copywriting guides, Bly offers his own effective spin on them. In the first 60 pages alone, you're treated to a goldmine of tips on writing effective headlines and crafting easy-to-read copy. Bly tackles copywriting methods for direct mail, catalogs, brochures, websites, and even press releases. Unlike most books on copy, Bly provides great advice on writing for TV commercials and radio spots.As a Search Engine Optimization guru, I found Bly's take on writing web copy to be extremely refreshing, even if it wasn't new information to me personally. I loved that this was probably the only copywriting book that actually stresses finding the balance between writing copy that sells, and copy that is search engine friendly. Most web design books don't discuss copywriting, and most copywriting authors have no knowledge of writing for search engines. Bly certainly did his homework.This is an excellent guide for writing copy, especially if you're writing for websites. This book is probably the best investment that you will ever make.

I was very skeptical buying this book at first, considering there are many like it on Amazon that are authored by what I call "rip-off" authors who recycle common information into book form and have a legion of their buddies write good reviews (which they reciprocate for their rip-off buddies).I was pleasantly surprised, however, with this book. The author present very straightforward, no-nonsense, and practical advice on writing good copy. I'm no copywriter/expert, and so the information for a beginner here is certainly very valuable, helpful, and easy to follow and apply. I didn't buy this book with the intention of becoming a copywriter, only to avoid the massive fees some of them charge, and help my business grow. And, I can safely say, that applying these techniques did help my business grow, not exponentially, but better than nothing. I look forward to reading other, more in-depth, specialized, and advanced technique books by this author.

As someone who has done a good bit of commercial writing, but is just now venturing into the "freelance" aspect of the business, I found this book indispensable. Robert Bly is widely recognized as a giant in the business and THE COPYWRITER'S HANDBOOK is a good indicator as to why. Readers will enjoy his straightforward approach to writing copy that sells.I suppose an aspiring copywriter could make it in the business without this book, but why would you want to try? This is nearly 400 pages of advice from Bly's years of experience. The book is well written, well organized, and loaded with helpful information.Just a few of the key things I learned here were such things as rating headlines using the 4 U's, the effective use of bullets in your copy, include headlines in sales brochures where there is often nothing more than a logo, and even the most effective fonts to use. The structure of the book contains valuable information on many aspects of copywriting. Certainly not all-inclusive, but covering a lot of ground and answering a lot of questions along the way.The appendix section guides the reader to further study and other valuable resources. I highly recommend this book.