Tom Albrighton > Quotes

“We humans are pretty bad at knowing the truth. In fact, our brains suffer from so many distortions, omissions and biases that our perceptions can be completely at odds with reality.”
― Tom Albrighton, Copywriting Made Simple: How to write powerful and persuasive copy that sells

“The simplest type of headline simply says what the product is, and what it does. The basic formula is ‘[Product] is a [description] that helps you [action].’ For example: Amazon Dash Button is a Wi-Fi-connected device that reorders your favourite product with the press of a button.”
― Tom Albrighton, Copywriting Made Simple: How to write powerful and persuasive copy that sells

“Write without fear, edit without mercy.”
― Tom Albrighton

“Tangible benefits are solid, objective facts that readers can use to choose and compare products, or make a logical argument for buying them. Sometimes you can measure them numerically, like this claim used by Dettol (Reckitt Benckiser): Kills 99.9% of germs Other benefits are more subjective and emotional. These are called intangible benefits. They offer to change the reader’s emotions by making them feel more attractive, secure, clever, fashionable and so on. The famous tagline for L’Oréal promises the intangible benefit of self-esteem: Because You’re Worth It.”
― Tom Albrighton, Copywriting Made Simple: How to write powerful and persuasive copy that sells

“Understand the person you’re writing for, inside and out. Decide what you want them to know, feel or do when they read your copy.”
― Tom Albrighton, Copywriting Made Simple: How to write powerful and persuasive copy that sells

“However you set up your business, you’ll need a way to keep track of your accounts. There are many options for this; I use an online platform called FreeAgent. One of its best features is automatic invoice chasing: once an invoice is overdue, the system sends regular reminders until it’s paid.”
― Tom Albrighton, The Freelance Introvert: Work the way you want without changing who you are

“Product: •What is the product? •Who is it for? •What does it do? •How does it work? •How do people buy and use it? Benefits: •How does the product help people? •What are its most important benefits? Reader: •Who are you writing for? •How do they live? •What do they want? •What do they feel? •What do they know about the product, or this type of product? •Are they using a similar product already? Aim: •What do you want the reader to do, think or feel as a result of reading this copy? •What situation will they be in when they read it? Format: •Where will the copy be used? (Sales letter, web page, YouTube video, etc) •How long does it need to be? (500 words, 10 pages, 30 seconds, etc) •How should it be structured? (Main title, subtitles, sidebars, pullout quotes, calls to action, etc) •What other types of content might be involved? (Images, diagrams, video, music, etc) Tone: •Should the copy be serious, light-hearted, emotional, energetic, laid-back, etc? Constraints: •Maximum or minimum length •Anything that must be included or left out •Legal issues (regulations on scientific or health claims, prohibited words, trademarks, etc) •How this copy needs to fit in with other copy that’s already been written, or that will be written in the future •Whether the copy will form part of a campaign, so that different ideas along the same lines will be needed in future (see ‘Take it further’ in chapter 9) •Which countries the copy will appear in (whether in English, or translated) •SEO issues (for example, popular search terms that should feature in headings) •Brand or tone of voice guidelines (see ‘Tone of voice guidelines’ in chapter 15) Other background information about: •The product (development history, use cases, technical specifications, distribution, retail, buying processes, buying channels, marketing strategy) •The product’s market position (price point, offers and discounts, customer perceptions, competitors) •The target market (size, history, typical customer profile, marketing personas) •The client (history, current setup, culture, people, values) •The brand (history, positioning, values) Project management points: •Timescales (dates for copy plan, drafts, feedback, final copy, approval) •Who will provide feedback, and how •Who will approve the final copy, and how •How the copy will be delivered (usually a Word document, but not always) These are only suggestions.”
― Tom Albrighton, Copywriting Made Simple: How to write powerful and persuasive copy that sells

“Before people have a reason to buy products (the second ‘why’), there’s a situation they want to change (the first ‘why’). As a copywriter, your job is to uncover the first ‘why’ and link it to the second in a convincing way.”
― Tom Albrighton, Copywriting Made Simple: How to write powerful and persuasive copy that sells

“We just concentrate on the activity which we do in each moment. When you bow, you should just bow; when you sit, you should just sit; when you eat, you should just eat. – Shunryū Suzuki[89]”
― Tom Albrighton, One for Joy: An introvert’s guide to the secret world of solitude

“what really sells is the experience of a product, rather than the product itself.”
― Tom Albrighton, Copywriting Made Simple: How to write powerful and persuasive copy that sells

“One way to turn features into benefits is to play the role of the reader and ask why different features mean benefits for you. Ask really basic questions like ‘How does this product help me?’ or ‘Why do I need it?’ It’s easy to lose touch with these fundamentals, but you can’t write good copy unless you understand them through and through.”
― Tom Albrighton, Copywriting Made Simple: How to write powerful and persuasive copy that sells

“Attention Write a headline that gets readers’ attention and makes them want to read on (chapter 6) Tell relevant readers that you’re talking to them Offer a benefit or the solution to a problem Use a creative concept (chapter 9) to generate more interest Interest Introduce the product and what it does See the reader’s situation or problem from their perspective and show how the product helps them (see ‘See it from the reader’s side’ in chapter 11) Give the reader the information they need to understand the product or what it does (see below) Tell a story – of how the product was made, or of someone who used it and benefited as a result (see ‘Tell a story’ in chapter 11) Desire Describe the benefits (chapter 3) in greater detail to make the reader want the product Evoke the experience of using the product (see ‘Make it real’ in chapter 11) Use persuasive techniques (chapter 13) to strengthen the benefits Activate social proof by bringing in testimonials, case studies, endorsements or reviews to show that other people are using and benefiting from the product (See ‘Social proof’ in chapter 13) Action Recap the main benefit(s) and/or return to the creative theme Use persuasion (chapter 13) to remove obstacles, overcome objections and convince readers that it’s OK to act – or point out the negative consequences of not acting Tell the reader what to do next with a strong, clear call to action”
― Tom Albrighton, Copywriting Made Simple: How to write powerful and persuasive copy that sells