The Architecture of Persuasion: How to Write Well-Constructed Sales Letters

by Michael Masterson

From the ancient Egyptians writing on papyrus to Internet advertisers today, writing powerful sales letters has been a critical skill in developing successful businesses.

In The Architecture of Persuasion, Michael Masterson helps you master this skill. And by using the extended metaphor of an Indiana Jones-type archeology professor on a quest for romance, he makes it fun.

You follow the professor as he catches the eye of the object of his affections... figures out what to say and do to get her to fall in love with him... and, step by step, lays the groundwork for the establishment of a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship.

In the process, you learn how to construct a powerful sales letter.

Genres: Business, Writing, Nonfiction

121 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Mani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great use of the courtship metaphor. I'll be reading this one until I internalize it. Masterson uses a 3P (purpose, problem, possibility) approach and emphasizes building long-term relationships that lead to a lifetime of mutually beneficial service exchange.

My favorite part of this book is the parallel emphasis of a house metaphor which is effective for visual-spatial learning style readers(points to self). The book ends with the reader building a house of persuasion shared by him/her and the now committed customer.

[Gustavo Reis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 lições que tirei desse livro:

1) Indireção: Comece falando de algo que somente indiretamente tem a ver com o seu produto. Isso é para desarmar as pessoas que já estão esperando uma venda (lembrar do exemplo de como abordar a mulher na festa).

2) Consistência entre teaser e headline: Adaptando pro mundo digital, é basicamente consistência entre a headline da Ad e a headline da Landing Page. Ver o quanto uma falta de consistência doi e dá vontade de sair que me fez cair a ficha da importância disso.

3) Existem emoções mais sutis que "Ganância e Medo" para rechear um copy com. Por exemplo, vergonha e inveja (mas nunca atacá-las diretamente! Dê espaço para as pessoas admitirem elas mesmas tais emoções).

4) Um bônus físico, à lá Return of the King, para um produto informacional, e que não precisa devolver, é potencialmente matador!

[Jamie from The Doer Co · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really only a high level overview of copywriting. I found a lot to learn from this book still, but I feel like it's best to read by someone intermediate or advanced who's using it for review. I'm not sure how helpful it would be for a beginner on it's own. I really did like the copy samples and I'm going to hand copy those :)

[Candida Stamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

clear, concise, and easy to read. there's a lot of good info in there. I already went back and referred to it when writing...before I had even finished reading it. I'm sure I will use it as a reference many more times.

[Valerie A. Sukha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books ever on copywriting!

If you want to learn copywriting on a limited budget, this book is definitely one you should have and refer to often. I only wish the physical version could be more affordable.

[David Cornish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great high level copywriting overview

It's a short read, full of useful insights on how to plan your sales argument.

Michael uses an entertaining story to teach copy principles.

[Ingvi Þór Georgsson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel ripped off

Didn't like it. The anology of writing a good sales letter and five step approach to seducing a woman was terrible.

[Daniel Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing here as Michael Masterson, Mark Morgan Ford taught me how to structure sales copy through the American Writers & Artists Inc "Accelerated Copywriting" course. Here in book form he presents the structure of a sales argument. This book partners with The Ultimate Sales Letter: Attract New Customers. Boost Your Sales by Dan S. Kennedy, which provides a 27-step process for assembling a sales letter. "Architecture of Persuasion" provides the detail for structuring the content of the letter, whereas Kennedy's book shares steps before, during, and after you write, beyond just the content.

[Sorin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before this book I held the option that sale letters are in the past, and learning about them wouldn't make sense. But...

Reading this book changed my perapective, now I acctually want to become great at writing sale letters. I would categorize them as the copywriting fundamentals that you should learn to write and to understand. If you know how to write a sales letter, you will do a great job with the most copy types that exist today.

Plus, there is a story as you read the book. There were moments when I wanted to read more to find out what happened in the story, not the copywriting advice. 🤣

[Adriana Thieme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh too short ... the book is great wanna keep reading

Great recipe for writing winner sales letter which nowadays translate to writing landing pages, website copy, advertising pieces etc. must read if you are a copywriter or are in the marketing space.

[Bryce Godfrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Copywriting fundamentals

A lot of copywriting fundamentals that make writing winning copy easier and faster.

Plus, the lessons taught in a very entertaining way help you retain the info better.

[Nudthasit Suriyasuk · Rating 1 out of 5]

What is he thinking?

I am bored by the getting her to bed analogy of this book. I was expecting more information on how to write sales letter. Disappointed.

[Renee M Hensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT BOOK!

The book was very well written and was organized in a logical manner. I was able to understand and learned more about how to write a well constructed persuasive letter. I plan to read through it again to learn more about the process.

[Натаниэль Арсенио]

i think that this book will help me to much

[Matheus Stein]

Good book