According to copywriting legend Eugene Schwartz, a headline’s main job isn’t to sell; it’s to gain the readers attention and compel them to read the ad.  And this is sound advice, but the Internet also requires one other thing in today’s web 2.0 copy world… Step 1. Scent: Web copy add...

I knew I had to buy a copy as soon as I saw it on the magazine stand: the issue of Time Magazine with Presidential temperament as the front cover story.  They even had four presidential faces on the cover, which, before examining them, made me think of previous explanations of temperament using the...

Salesmanship is about transferring confidence, and you can’t inspire confidence without first establishing your credibility. So when it comes to Landing Page copy, credibility is truly Job #1. Here are five must-haves for building that credibility where it often counts the most: 1. Scent They’re...

Pearce responded to our "Ask the Experts" post, looking for a definition of "web copy." If you look up its definition, copy refers to any "written matter intended to be reproduced in printed form" (e.g., “The text of a news story, advertisement, television commercial,...

"Best Value" can be a useful label, but it's a lousy claim if you can't back it up. "Best value" makes a bold promise. It says to your website's visitors, “I’ll prove to you that my product/service/whatever is worth far more than the asking price." If you&...

Now, here’s a claim that does for persuasive copy what Jonestown did for grape Kool-Aid: “We’re #1 in our industry.� Not only will this particular (unsubstantiated) claim poison your copy, but the copywriter’s desire to use it stems from the same psychological principle that’s said to ha...