A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters: A Resource for Writing Headlines and Building Creative Confidence

by Dan Nelken

From aspiring to expiring copywriters, this book will help you become a more efficient, more confident creative. In other words, you'll make more money. And friends. It's a little about the creative process and a lot about the craft of writing headlines, with over two hundred example ads. If you’re looking for “killer headline formulas that can’t fail,” “data-driven headline conversion hacks,” “SEO secrets (Google doesn’t want you to know),” or “can’t-miss clickbait headlines,” you can find everything you need in a search bar. If you want to learn how to come up with a crap ton of ideas and turn them into headlines that bring personality to your writing, click add to cart. Oh, and as much as the title of this book, A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters , was meant to be a little tongue-in-cheek, it takes the subject of creative self-doubt as seriously as it takes creativity. It will help you whack-a-mole self-doubting thoughts before they can even get a word in.

This is also a great resource for people who dislike copywriters. Read this book and soon you’ll be able to casually point out flaws in their work, making the fragile copywriter in your life feel even more insecure.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, How To, Canada

176 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2021

About the author

Dan Nelken is a freelance copywriter and creative director in Vancouver, Canada. His work has appeared in award shows nationally, internationally, and on his mother's fridge.

Reviews

[Karolina | kemsynai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vienu žodžiu – užuovėja.

Išsamiau:

Palengvėjo supratus, kad ne man vienai kartais noris rautis plaukus neradus tinkamo žodžio, frazės ar net idėjos. Dar didesnis palengvėjimas aplankė sužinojus, ką tokiom dienom daryt.

Rašančiojo realybė – parašyt šimtą antraščių tam, kad išsirinktum tą vienintelę. Perskaičius kabinančią frazę, panorėt iki smulkiausių kaulelių ją išnarstyt. Atsikelt anksčiau už savo kritiką, kad galėtum parašyt šį tą normalaus. Taip pat tenka pakelt užpakalį, kad prisirankiotum idėjų.

Ši Dan Nelken knyga yra daugiau nei pavyzdžių nagrinėjimas. Čia sudėta ilgametė patirtis. Tekstas struktūrizuotas, aiškus, trumpas, bet išsamus. Ir taip, knygoje pasitaikė girdėtų patarimų, bet bendrai vertinant naudingų dalykų sužinojau daugiau.

Taigi dabar turėsiu kuo pamojuot imposteriui prieš veidą. Darysiu tai įžūliai.

Žodžiu, skaitysiu ar idėjų rankiosiuos dar ne kartą.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Najbolja knjiga o kopirajtingu koja trenutno postoji. 🙌🏻

[šimon betina · Rating 4 out of 5]

useful

[Rylee Bowser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can you tell I’m in my learning era?
PS. It’s hard to work full time, study full time and be a professional reader too.

[Filip Olšovský · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey, Whipple, Squeeze minus the length and the humour. Super practical, well written and satisfying in the way it sums up the obvious.

[Raimonda | knygoms]

Manau, sutarsim, kad rašyti, kaip ir važiuoti dviračiu, išmoksti ne iš knygų, bet kasdien praktikuodamasis. 🖋️

Vis dėlto, be efektyvių technikų ir pratimų – niekaip, todėl kasmet perskaitau bent kelias knygas apie rašymą ir/ar kūrybinį procesą.

Šią vasarą į rankas pateko Dan Nelken „A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters“ – vos pusantro šimto puslapių grynuolis su aibe patarimų ir pavyzdžių.

Mano favoritas – laisvo rašymo pratimas antraščių kūrimui.
Trumpai: pasiimi rašiklį (ar klaviatiūrą) ir pradedi nuo elementariausių frazių užrašymo. Pailsi. Pabandai perfrazuoti, ieškoti kitų kampų arba, kaip sako autoriaus cituojamas Luke Sullivan – „Say it straight, then say it great.“

Po truputį prisikasi prie esmės – taiklios antraštės, kuri, rodos, buvo po nosim, bet nematei.

Matyt, nereikia sakyti, kad pratimą galima pritaikyti kur kas plačiau. 👌

Jei trumpai, visiems rašantiems – perskaityti b ū t i n a. Akylesni pastebėsit, kad nemenka bazė klasikinių reklamų kartosis iš copywriter'ių „biblijos“, „The Copy Book“, bet gi visi žinom – svarbu ne kiek kartų išgirsti, o kiek pritaikai.

[Oksana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Легке чтиво, щоб відволіктись, для загального розвитку.

Єдине, що створювало великий «мозіль» для мого читацького досвіду - направду ЖАХЛИВЕ видання. АртХусс вирішили зекономити навіть на відступах та колонтитулах, тонка обкладинка, А5 формат, чорно-білий друк (де купа фото і логічно пасував би кольоровий). Враження, ніби друкували вночі на принтері вдома. Ну дякую, що хоч без степлерних скоб всередині.

[Martha☀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly as the title claims, this is a self-help book.
With just a touch of backstory, Dan reveals the paralysing stress he suffered as a copywriter for big ad agencies - always feeling under pressure, under judgement and unable to commandeer his creativity towards the end goal. Once he realized that creativity can be taught and systems can be put in place to channel it, he gained the ability to wield his creative power.

Showing hundreds of strategies to organize your thinking, braindump and manage the messiness of creative writing, Dan teaches you how to come up with ideas - lots and lots of ideas. Many of these ideas will live a short life before being deleted but a couple of them will be golden best-sellers. Supported by considerable visuals of ads using each technique, you come away with a new perspective on the trickery of marketing - how to recognize it and, hopefully, how to create it.

I try to read everything Dan writes. He is smart, succinct and very funny. His LinkedIn account and his emails are opened immediately upon receipt and always enlightening with a dash of his self-deprecating humour. My fresh, new copy of this book is dog-earred and highlighted in multi colours as it is a significant crutch for my wobbly copywriting career. Hope springs eternal that I can harness my inner Dan.

[Mikkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love how short and sweet it is and how actionable it is. Lots of stuff that makes sense, lots of things you can dig into and try out immediately. Overall very inspiring. Will definitely re-read it to get more into these topics.

[Tanya Narayan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for young copywriters, and experienced but average copywriters. We all know who we are.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Proudly Canadian, uplifting, insightful and a little cheeky. Grateful for this little number!

[katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the example ads he chose were a little... outside of my taste... (read: misogynistic) but the advice was solid and adheres to my own creative process in a lot of ways.

[Rich B · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and very well-written guide to copywriting, advertising and creativity. It’s grounded enough to call out the challenges of copywriting, particularly around writing compelling headlines, but also has a positive and constructive tone. It’s full of lots of practical, pragmatic and helpful advice.

It covers broad challenges like how to deal with self-doubt, criticism, energy levels etc and manages to stay upbeat without being cheesy. Actually, a few times, it gets close to cheesiness, but he’s good at acknowledging when this is the case.

It also has a nice dry and wry humour to it, and it’s packed full of examples - though you’ll notice quite a lot from the same clients like The Economist, De Beers and ABC TV. Arguably though, this shows that if you have a good idea at the heart of your advertising plan, you can execute it in many wonderfully creative ways.

The examples lean towards the US, but there’s enough of a broader international representation that it doesn’t feel US-dominated - a good thing.

It’s written in short punchy chapters and is very clear and to the point. You get lots of creative thinking prompts from someone who clearly enjoys the work but is also realistic about the challenges.

Great read, enjoyed it a lot and got a lot out of it. Highly recommended for anyone who works in marketing or creative roles, not just for copywriters.

[Agnes Xavier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters: A Resource for Writing Headlines and Building Creative Confidence. A Book by Dan B Nelken, and what a fantastic read it has been.😄 This book in Dan Nelken's words was 'not perfect but refreshingly honest' and thus extremely helpful. It lives up to the name and more ofcourse. From the pressure of writing, to being a brutal inner critic, Dan addresses all the issues a creative undergoes in the process of Copywriting. Also, how many times do we come across a book, meant to guide us but with a sense of humour ? This book has that. And that should by all means, encourage you to read it. As a creative who has dabbled across roles in this industry, this book was an honest testimony of sorts. A testimony to inspire and share the skills that go into this craft of writing. A quote that is going to stay with me for a long time now - "You are a creative first, writer second". It was on my TBR list for a while, and I am so glad to finally have read it. Truly a game changer if you are going to read this as a fresher, and well if you are mid level experienced too. I say that because that's how beautifully the entire book is structured. It truly deserves all praise, especially for how resonating certain techniques were like '100 MPH writing', 'Microwave Headlines' and your personal experiences in the field. Creatives in my circle, give it a read. This is a book that you are going to keep coming back to. And Dan Nelken, I hope I could if not much but the least, honour your book with this review. 🙌🏻😊 Thank you for writing this book. 🙏🏻😄

[Raminta Rusinaitė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Norėtum, kad kiekvienas tavo įrašas sulauktų 30% daugiau peržiūrų?👀

Pradėk nuo stiprios antraštės.👣

Dan Nelken "A self-help guide for Copywriters" - tai antraščių ir reklamų kūrimo vadovas ir įkvėpėjas!🌪

Great headlines aren't great sentences - they're great ideas expressed in words.

Keli patikę patarimai 👇

1. Pirminė idėja. 30 min rašyk tai, kas šauna į galvą pasirinkta tema.
2. Idėjos gilinimas. The benefit of the benefit. Pagilink pirmines įdėjas. Pvz., vaikų namelis smagu, tačiau iš tiesų perkamas laikas, leidžiantis pailsėti nuo jų.
3. Išgryninti negatyvius produkto bruožus, nes tuomet jis tampa "arčiau žmogaus".
4. Panaudok gerai pažįstamas antraštes užrašydamas kitaip! Pvz., žinome posakį "You had me at hello", TicTac sukūrė reklamą "You lost me ar hello" apeliuodami į blogą burnos kvapą.
5. Autoriaus fill few buckets metodas. Labai patiko. Jo pvz., su dezodorantu. Pirmiausia išrašomos esminės funkcijos. Tarkime "You won't stink", tada gilinama ši idėja -> "You can go from gym to a bar" (antraštė From sweaty to ready).
6. 100% atsiduok kūrybai. Jokių skambučių, medijų. Tik kūrybinis procesas.

Tikrai rekomenduoju tiems, kurie dirba su tekstų rašymu! Labai pasitarnaus naujienlaiškių, straipsnių ar medijų įrašų antraščių generavimui!

Thumbs up!👍

#copywriting
#books #knyga #tekstokurimas

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Become a better copywriter by absorbing this guide

This guide took me by surprise. I was expecting a 'mere' copywriting manual with examples of effective ad copy to inspire my craft. While there are plenty of real-life ad copy examples here to help get your creative juices flowing, this is the only book I have read that directly acknowledges how painful it is to generate compelling copy on a regular schedule. The process is a mystery to us, which breeds insecurity for the harried professional who must generate ideas on demand. The author, Dan Nelken, generously presents several repeatable techniques to encourage inspiration. This makes his guide indispensable. No longer will I stare listlessly at a blank page in the hope that genius will visit. I now have a process to gather the ingredients and set the table to increase the likelihood of creativity accepting my invitation to come and dine with me for a while.

[Alma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read, rich with actionable ideas, advice, and concepts. I have spent my entire career as a journalist. Two years ago I left for a communications position where I do all types of writing (many new to me) with much of it for marketing, branding of campaigns, etc. Fortunately, I've done pretty well and get good feedback. I've been told I have a knack for headlines and taglines, but no one has said the same about my creative process. I always wanted some guidance to see if I can make my creative process less torturous. I don't give myself much grace, so Dan's book gave me such a good starting structure for my process. I feel comforted to know the winning idea doesn't always come to you in a divine apparition, but can come from the mind-dump pile with the help of some elbow grease. This is a great book. I learned a lot and am grateful for Dan's focused approach and concise writing.

[Cicero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you Copy?

I don’t write. It's not for fun anymore, but my work doesn’t have anyone else to market and advertise it. Yet this creatively enlightening book helped keep the lights on at my job.

Despite my cringe-worthy diet for writing fan fiction, I learned plenty about the thought process of a copywriter through this book. Dan’s brilliant in briefly introducing that world through the screen of an insane, and creative writer. I like how he starts with addressing the issue that creators go through. Suggesting to learn your process or try his out. His writing style is entertaining without being too overbearing, which kept me turning pages and admiring the examples as much as he was.

[Magí Arbós · Rating 5 out of 5]

So as a P.R. student, pretty close but not so closely related to copywriting, this was a great book. First it helped me realize how much creative energy I need to do my class assignments and my work. I was reading this when I got the idea my boss is going for. I’m very glad that happened.
The first 2/3 of the book, are maybe more technical and useful for a starter like me, the last third is comforting. I did not realize how much of the creative inner voice is related to my usual inner voice and even though it’s not hurting so much my writing, I’ll surely use some of the tips to live better.
Quick to read and highly interesting.

[mostly meri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This morning, as light filtered through my window, I found myself lost in Dan Nelken’s revelatory little book. Strange how the right words find you when you need them most.
Nelken understands that behind every headline struggles a human heart, uncertain and afraid. “Can you be better? Yep. Are you good enough today? Hell yep,” he reminds us, offering practical buckets to collect our scattered thoughts.
Between practical techniques and over 200 examples lies something rare: permission to rest, to doubt, to be imperfect.
There is grace in these pages. And truth: “There is no such thing as too long. Only too boring.”

[André Spiteri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Nelken delivers an absolute belter.

This book is easy to read and laugh-out-loud funny. But, more importantly, it's incredibly useful. Part cheat sheet, part swipe file, and part practical guide, it's packed with tips and tricks you can use when you have a tough brief to crack or simply want to be inspired or try something different.

I already had a few of Dan's LinkedIn posts bookmarked to refer to when I'm stuck. I can see this book becoming a reference I'll turn to time and time again as I work.

Whether you're a practising copywriter or simply want to write better copy, this is a must-have.

[Savitha Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s everything you already know but didn’t realize that you knew in a book form hahaha!

Really really good book with a lot of super valuable insights and some amazing ad campaign examples (they just don’t do them like that anymore!)

Read it if you’re in advertising or a copywriter or actually a writer of any type, it still holds tonnes of value!

4/5 stars- I took one away just coz I read another writing book this year and it was slightly better. Although it’s an unfair comparison because that was written by a fiction writer - On Writing by Stephen King

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for all creatives that shows us there is method to our madness (even if we can't see it ourselves).

A book of tips, analysis, celebration and relatable experiences for all things creative - with a copywriting focus.

An absolute delight to read! I will be taking this with me into my professional work and to life from this moment on!

Great work Dan! (Subscribe to his newsletter for more Nelken wit most Mondays at nelkencreative.com)

[Julie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Nelkin writes as if he’s part of your own doubts, successes, and journeys soon to be taken. I’m an account manager at an agency, in charge of structure and bullet points. He not only helped explain the buckets, processes, pitfalls, and ways out of creative blocks. Dan also helped me understand the struggle our team goes through to come up with ideas day after day. Next time I’m invited to a creative brainstorm, I’ll use this book as a guide. Thank you Dan!

[amélie lafleur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre à lire et relire. Je crois que je vais le garder en tout temps sur ma table de travail et y retourner pour les moments où je ne sais plus comment avancer au travail, pour les moments où ma créativité est au point mort et aussi pour les moments où je doute de moi-même. C’est un livre vraiment inspirant et réconfortant professionnellement.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and well written. Loved the examples given, but in being limited just to headlines with a focus on visual advertising, some key points I was hoping for guidance on weren't addressed, mainly leveraging headlines and crossheads in longer form copy or sales pages.

Overall a quick, eye-opening read!

[Leon-Paul Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really refreshingly honest book. It's nice to see the inner critic of creatives reframed and tackled like this (so we feel empowered enough not to run from them so much, but said with the knowledge that we still will sometimes).

I love that the book also functions as a swipe file of sorts---another thing I can keep on hand to leaf through :)

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

POV from a graphic designer

Very easy to read, appreciate the humor and examples. I was able to read this in a day, it’s all very quick- to the point “styles” of headline copy. I will be rereading and taking notes. I feel like I can start some copy within my own work with the tips he has given, which in turn makes me feel better/ confident.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, applicable, and inspiring. 4 stars because I wanted it to last longer. I’m not an advertising copywriter and this book is very specific to writing ad headlines. However I still learned a lot that I can apply in my own work.

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an answer sheet for copywriters

It felt like that in an examination centre, this guy is passing over his answer sheet secretly to me. And giving me confidence that "Go ahead buddy, you can copy it" (pun intended)
Thanks Dan, you and your tips are a gem.