When I started selling online courses back in 2009 I was invited by Brad Costanzo to join his private marketing group – and I noticed something fascinating about the most successful business owners.
The 7-figure small business owners who had the exact type of business I dreamed of (simple newsletters selling digital courses and affiliate products) all recommended an old book published in the 60’s, and they swore by it as the best book on copywriting ever written.
Threads would pop up all the time discussing the book and these particular business owners would say, "It changed their life" or that it "Added hundreds of thousands in sales" etc.
Naturally, I went searching for the book but all I could find were used copies on Amazon, and they were all selling for over $1k. Even to this day, 15 years later, copies on Amazon go for over $400.
Many of you have already guessed it I’m sure. I’m talking about Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz.
Truth be told, a lot of the structure of how to write a sales letter taught in CopyHour comes directly from Breakthrough Advertising.
Schwartz introduced several new concepts and thought processes for writing direct response copy that are more relevant today than they were back when he first wrote the book.
Reading the book is like going to the origins of modern direct response marketing – and getting a PhD education in how and why it all works. (And I really mean PhD – the book is DENSE and not for beginners. I still need to go slllooooww reading through it to really grasp everything, but when I do… holy crap.)
Now I’m not here to give a pitch on Breakthrough Advertising. I’m convinced every serious copywriter needs a copy on their shelf, but that’s not the point.
The point is that one of the first (and most important) concepts Schwartz talks about is The Lead. (Not to be confused with the term "lead" used for a potential customer who reads your ad. Confusing, I know.)
The Lead is the start of the sales message – the first few hundred words that you write, including the headline, subheadline, and opening paragraph of copy.
The Lead is something every copywriter and business owner should understand and this week I’ll try my best to demystify it and help you write them for yourself.
Knowing what to include in a Lead, and how to structure it, will help you write the 3 pieces of copy you likely need most (and write them FAST):
- Landing pages (to collect emails)
- The emails you’ll send
-
The sales pages for your products.
Any copywriter will tell you about the Blank Page and how difficult it is to just start writing. But when you know how to write a Lead, "writer’s block" almost fades to the background.
We’ll dive in fully tomorrow, starting with a close look at exactly what a Lead is (with visuals).
Talk to you then!
– Derek
P.S. While my goal this week isn’t to sell you on Breakthrough Advertising, I have to really be clear: this is one of the only books I recommend all copywriters have on their book shelves. It’s advanced as hell (maybe the only "advanced" copy book in existence) and will fly over the heads of beginners – but I guarantee if it’s on your shelf, it will change your life (and your business) at some point.
I remember grabbing a copy way before I was ready for it… and years later, after having some copy experience, opening to a random page and having my mind blown because I could actually use and understand the tactics Schwartz talked about.
My friend and legend Brian Kurtz is now the publisher of Breakthrough Advertising (he got the rights from Eugene Schwartz’ estate) – and he sells brand new copies for $125 (plus a little extra for the Mastery Package which I recommend).
So if you don’t have this on your shelf yet, and want to level up your copy… get this now. I don’t know how long they’ll have the rights to publish it again and this is way better than buying ancient copies on Amazon for $400+.