HOW TO WRITE GREAT COPY: ANALYSING THE BEST BUSINESS WRITING OF THE LAST 60+ YEARS

Morning!

Sat in Costa. Laptop out. Flight leaves in 2 hours.

Yep, I am writing in yet another airport… this time Manchester, on the way to Paris before heading back to Porto.

I have no idea how anyone lives the digital nomad lifestyle - travelling SUCKS.

Anyway, here’s what you’ll learn today:

• The greatest copywriting of the last 60+ years

• What made it so great.

• How you can emulate it for your business

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION

BREAKING DOWN THE STRATEGY

The most valuable skill you can have in business is copywriting.

Don’t get me wrong:

• Sales

• Operations

• Communication

All priceless skills, but being a great copywriter can make you great at all 3 of those things.

For sales, you can write great VSLs, pitches, and emails.

For operations, you can write great company memos, SOPs, and incentive structures.

For communication, well 99% of business communication is written.

Whether you like it or not, all roads eventually lead back to the written word in business. So it ain’t a bad skill to be good at it.

But today, I’m not going to spend my time rhyming off great copywriting tips (I wrote an article on that HERE). Instead, I will simply show you what great copy looks like.

Not through witty ads that went viral, but through structured pieces that had a massive impact on a company or industry.

From Apple memos → an infamous welcome email.

Here are 4 pieces of great copywriting (+ how you can learn to write like this too) ↓

1) The Letter That Made Gary Halbert a Millionaire

Gary Halbert is hailed as “The Highest Paid Copywriter Ever” and he’s a personal favourite of mine too. 

(If you still haven’t read ‘The Boron Letters’ - they’re free, go do it.)

Some quick context on Gary:

• His speciality was direct mail

• Dominated the game for 30+ years. 

• Made millions with very simple campaigns.

For me, it’s easily the most impressive career of any copywriter. To take someone from not knowing who you are, to sending you a cheque in the post is crazy. In fact, it sounds impossible - but Gary did it. 

This letter in particular was what made Halbert his first $1 million. So let’s break down why it worked. 

Reason 1: It’s Personal, Not Just Personalised

Read that first line again, “Did you know that your family name was recorded with a coat-of-arms…”

It’s direct, it addresses the reader, then it gives a curiosity-driving question. 

This is what I like to call a “Foot in the door”.

It’s this line that determines whether Halbert’s letter may get scrapped or read and the way this line is written becomes a wedge that keeps the door open and keeps the reader reading. 

Reason 2: Adds A Story

Halbert follows this up by getting straight into a story. Foot in the door, then boom! Hit them with a story so they keep reading on.

But this isn’t just any story, it’s a story that includes a few key things:

• It gives a reason: All campaigns need a “Why”. Why are you reaching out to tell me about a coat of arms? Answer: Because they’d been researching their friend’s name.

• It adds scarcity: “We had a few extra copies made” 

• It describes the product perfectly: If you look at the middle of the story you’ll notice that it is virtually just a product description.  

And this is why I shout about storytelling so much. 

Wrapped up in a simple story about an old couple researching for a friend’s name is a sales pitch. No one can see it, not even the reader - and that’s why it sells. 

Reason 3: He Lies

Just like when the big bad wolf dresses up as grandma in Little Red Riding Hood, Halbert dresses up as a caring woman reaching out a helping hand. 

Definitely not a tip you got taught in English class, but the fact Halbert writes this from “Nancy Halbert” is a key reason why it was successful - the messenger matters. 

He wanted the letter to come across as:

• Caring

• Helpful 

• A favour

And clearly, he felt a female messenger portrayed that best (which the results would agree with).

Granted, I wouldn’t recommend impersonating someone, but it is something to think about when creating marketing content. Who is best suited to deliver this message?  

Okay, I think I’ve bigged up Halbert enough. Here are some quick-fire points which also make this piece so great

- Gives the value prop: “It makes a great gift for relatives.”

- Acts like a charity: “All we are asking for is to cover expenses.”

- Adds urgency: “Please let us know right away as supply is slim.”

- Clear CTA: “Send correct about in cash for the number of reports you want.”

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the most morally sound sales letter ever - but boy it is good!

Halbert knows conversion copy and this is a prime example. 

2) The Hustle’s Welcome Email

Welcome emails are inherently boring. 

They say “Thanks for signing up” before droning on about what’s coming next or how great their newsletter is. So how do you stand out?

You do the exact opposite. 

That’s exactly what Sam Parr did with The Hustle’s original welcome email. 

But at the same time, he also nailed some classic storytelling principles:

Principle 1: Up The Stakes

Stories run on stakes, the higher they are the more interesting the story is. And while in jest, Sam does an awesome job of upping the stakes right at the start of this email.

• “We don’t take what just happened lightly”

• “That’s a very big deal to us”.

These small little exaggerations make a very simple (and boring) email, seem like an important one. 

While also making you curious…

“What is going on?” 
“Why is this email so important?”
“Have I messed up with something?”

The only way to find out? Keep reading. 

Principle 2: Introduce Characters

The reason most corporate marketing fails is because there aren’t any characters. Characters make stories, and when you introduce those characters, your marketing comes to life - Sam does that beautifully here:

“Greg, our head of marketing, ran outside”
“Kara, our director of content, took a shot”

Don’t get me wrong, I have no idea if these people really existed. But at the same time, it doesn’t really matter if they did or didn’t. It’s the fact they’re mentioned that makes The Hustle more than just a company. 

People buy people and you need to show your people if you want customers to buy in. 

Principle 3: Make It Sing

Gary Provost has this beautiful piece on line length and rhythm. I show it to every new member of our team.

Now, go take another look at The Hustle’s welcome email. The style is almost identical.

Short sentences like “Wait, shoot… I’m getting off topic” demand attention and reset the flow. While other paragraphs build with each word and gain momentum as they go.

It’s easy to write a funny email. It’s impossible to write a funny email that reads as good as this one. 

3) Apple’s Memo

I recently chatted with Dom McGregor - co-founder of Social Chain - and asked him: What’s the number one thing we should be focusing on? 

His answer: Your people. 

He said, “You’re in the people business. Your agency will live and die by how well you can recruit and train.” 

Ever since I’ve been pondering 1 simple question: “How can I set a winning culture within the agency?”

I think I found the answer when I saw this memo Apple used to send to its new employees. 

Here’s why it’s a magical piece of copywriting: 

Reason 1: Conflict 

Right from the first line, it draws a segregation between working for Apple and working on anything else. 

“There’s work and there’s your life’s work.”

It’s not, “Welcome to Apple”.
It’s, “You are now on our side, it is us Vs them.”

It’s powerful. In fact, it made me want to run through a wall and I didn’t even get sent the memo. 

Reason 2: Rhythm 

This is closer to poetry than a memo. As you read it each sentence flows beautifully and it all goes back to that Gary Provost piece.

It’s a tough thing to explain, rhythm in a piece. But just know, this piece has it. 

4) Jason Fried’s Once Landing Page

If Ogilvy wrote this piece it would be in every marketing textbook you could find. Unfortunately, Ogilvy didn’t write it, but I am glad I found it.

This was the landing page that Jason Fried launched “Once” with. The fact he launched a landing page as a 1-page memo alone made me a fan, but it was what he wrote that got me obsessed. 

Here’s what makes it so great:

Reason 1: Start With The Problem

“Something happened to business software.”

Straight in the deep end. No set-up. No faffing. There’s a problem here, and it’s time we address it. This line is the foundation of everything that comes next. 

Not because it’s the first line, but because it sets the tone of what is about to be discussed. This isn’t a sales page, it’s a problem-solving page. 

Reason 2: Contrast

Juxtaposition is a copywriter’s best friend and Jason uses it magically right at the start of this piece. 

He paints the picture of what software USED to be like, then instantly contrasts it with what it is like TODAY. 

No one else realised the changes with software. But Jason adds impact to the chance by contrasting it with years ago.

He introduces the problem, then emphasises its importance. 

Copywriting 101. 

Reason 3: Creates An Enemy

“For two decades, the SaaS model benefited landlords handsomely.”

God, that’s a good line.

Mostly because of one word in it “Landlords” - it does 3 things:

A) It describes people who own SaaS products perfectly.

B) It emphasises the problem - you pay a “landlord” to rent their software.

C) It creates an enemy.

And that enemy piece is what I love most. “Landlord” has such a negative feeling to it (mostly because no one truly likes their landlord - no one likes anyone who takes their money). Which is what Jason needs. 

If he wants people to get behind his idea, he needs to get them against someone else. 

That someone is the “Landlord”.

I was planning on calling it there and signing off, but there are a few honourable mentions I simply can’t leave out:

1/ Bezos’ 1997 Letter To Shareholders - An incredible piece with one of my favourite lines of all time “This is Day 1 for the internet”.

2/ Google’s 2004 Founder Letter - How do you sell the world on the idea of Google? You get them to read this letter. 

I also wanted to include Warren Buffet’s shareholder letters, but honestly, there were too many great ones to choose from. Maybe I’ll do a whole other piece on them.

Anyway, I added all the work referenced HERE in a Google Drive folder.

 🌱 THE GREENHOUSE

Things I’ve saved this week that are worth seeing:

• Marketing campaigns that changed the world. (See here)

• Storytelling lessons from Steve Jobs. (See here)

• My favourite line from Morgan Housel. (See here)

TL;DR

All the lessons from today ↓

From Gary Halbert:

1/ Be personal, don’t just personalise.
2/ Add a story
3/ The messenger matters

From The Hustle:

1/ Up the stakes
2/ Introduce characters
3/ Make it sing

From Apple:

1/ Add conflict
2/ Use rhythm
3/ Add repetition

From Jason Fried:

1/ Start with the problem
2/ Use contrast
3/ Create an enemy

Now at this point, you might be wondering, “Where was the marketing in this?”

And truthfully, there was barely any mention of marketing. But..

• If you read those pieces

• If you study how they write

• If you absorb those lessons

I promise you’ll be a better marketer than you are today. 

Hopefully, this breakdown helped you do that. 

Right, I’ve got to get off this Plane and enjoy Paris!

Until next Sunday.

— Niall

P.S. I just realised that I went way over on my word count and this is double the size of my usual breakdowns. Shit. Oh well, hopefully it had double the value.

WAIT… BEFORE YOU GO

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THAT’S ALL!

This has been a breakdown of how to write great copy. I hope you have learned something and can implement a similar strategy in your business!

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