6-Step Guide to High-Converting Ad Copy

Last year, I read the best book on copywriting.

I’ve never seen it mentioned in a list of best advertising books. But its author was revered by John Caples (Tested Advertising Methods) and Eugene Schwartz (Breakthrough Advertising)who make those best-of lists.

The book was Clyde Bedell's How to Write Advertising That Sells, 2nd edition.

Bedell's process is the most comprehensive I've read: it takes you from gathering information, to crafting copy, to analyzing and refining the copy to make sure it adheres to principles, and finally to analyzing the effectiveness of the ads after they run.

You could make a career in copywriting from this book alone.

But it’s out of print. And it’s dense.

(Maybe that’s why it’s never mentioned.)

It took me:

• 52 hours to read.

• 15 hours to distill it into an outline.

• 16 hours to condense it into a guide.

When I sent you my “Top 10 Most Useful Marketing Books I Read in 2024,” I gave you a link to the outline I created.

Since then, I spent another 16 hours condensing it into a guide, which I’m giving you this week.

Bedell’s book is 513 pages; I’ve cut it down by 95% to get to the main points in a 26-page, step-by-step guide.

I created it for myself, but it’s too useful not to share.

Click here to download Clyde Bedell’s Copywriting Guide.

Below, you can find the Introduction and Overview from the guide if you want to preview it before downloading.

I hope you find it as helpful as I do.

Introduction

Good advertising is a marriage of interesting style and strong selling technique. It must fulfill a seven-fold purpose: “(1) attract (2) and hold (3) the favorable attention (4) of the maximum economic number (5) of the right kind of people (prospects) (6) while a selling story is told, and (7) a desired action or reaction is induced.”

To achieve this, the copywriter must "think tomorrow's thoughts today"—anticipate what the customer is ready to think, even if they don't yet consciously know it. Great copy makes words "wave wands" in the reader's mind through imaginative, precise ideas.

Audience selection should not be solely dependent on media selection, as media with large circulations often reach numerous overlapping markets. The copy itself must appeal to the proper prospects.

Emotion is a key driver of buying behavior, as people seek to satisfy deep-seated instincts and habits. Effective copy mobilizes these motivations, understanding that people often buy based on dreams and aspirations rather than just practical needs.

Many variables affect an ad's success, including economic conditions, demand elasticity, timing, medium effectiveness, competition, and creative quality. This guide provides a systematic approach to copywriting, with each component designed to maximize effectiveness by quickly reaching the target audience with a compelling message.

Overview of the Bedell Method

1. Conduct Thorough Research

   • Understand your prospect first as a human being and then as a potential customer.

   • Know your product inside out, including benefits, selling points, pricing, and selling circumstances.

   • Identify decision-makers and influencers in the buying process.

   • Determine the factors that influence buying decisions and how to leverage them.

2. Organize Your Materials

   • List the APPEALS—the benefits a customer gets from your product.

   • Compile all significant SELLING POINTS.

   • Include any passive points.

   • Outline the APPEALS and SELLING POINTS in a logical sequence, selecting items for emphasis.

   • Develop a fresh approach with an interesting closing. And if it’s a series of ads, develop an overall philosophy and the big idea of each ad.

   • Choose the SELLING STRATAGEMS to use based on the specific ad. Remember to use as many as possible.

   • Plan to follow the TOUCHSTONES OF ADVERTISING, focusing on those most relevant to the ad.

3. Craft the Copy

   • Begin with an attention-grabbing headline that incorporates SELLING STRATAGEMS.

   • Write the body copy following the outlined materials and leveraging persuasive language.

   • Revise the headline as needed to ensure cohesion with the body copy.

4. Precheck Your Copy

   • Check the copy against the organized materials and SELLING STRATAGEMS, making revisions to strengthen it (e.g., including more SELLING STRATAGEMS).

   • Evaluate the copy using the TOUCHSTONES OF ADVERTISING, making adjustments as necessary.

5. Review and Refine

   • Scrutinize every word for its effectiveness and replace weak phrases with impactful language. Put MAGIC WORDS into the copy.

6. Assess Performance

   • Analyze the results generated by the ad.

   • Learn from both successes and shortcomings to continually improve future ads.

Click here to download the whole 26-page guide.

P.S. Need help ensuring your ads stay on-brand and drive results? Reply to this email, and I’ll set up a quick call to dive into your ad strategy to see if I can help—no strings attached.