Posts by Author
John Carlton
Posts by Author
John Carlton
The Classic Copywriting Argument
With the brouhaha of Web 2.0 going strong, she can be excused for her doubts. And the fact is, if I woke up tomorrow and realized the universe had changed in such a way that a decent sales pitch no longer required persuasion, proof, credibility, believable offers, and all the other classic ingredients… and we could now create sales with just a smidgen of copy here and there, like dabs of gray ink in the colorful wonder of an over-designed Web page… well, I’d be the first one writing short copy that day.
READ MOREWhere the Best Sales Copy Comes From
People ask me how I’m able to write such gritty, fascinating sales copy. For products and ventures that seem, to the uninitiated eye, so far removed from anything gritty or fascinating.
READ MORETaking Risks Is All Part of the Game
In business, the best opportunities don’t usually announce themselves ahead of time. There is no warning. And there is precious little time to consider your choices.
READ MORETwit World
The topic of social media came up recently in my coaching program (the Radio Rant). People are understandably baffled by the cornucopia of ways available to gossip and reach out to touch other people.
READ MOREThe Reason You Screwed Up
Several generations of Americans have now graduated from the education system believing that a good excuse is a Get Out of Jail Free card. Flunked a test? Forgot to finish your essay on time? Late for class? No problem… IF you have a great excuse.
READ MOREFinding True Wealth (in ANY Economy)
I just spent a week with family – mostly my sister’s boys and their wives and kids.
I was sitting in my sister’s living room, watching the grandnieces and grandnephew play (ages 2, 4, and 6) with rambunctious glee… and I realized that all the adults were reading books.
READ MOREWhat Makes an Entrepreneur?
A few weeks back, I visited my hometown (yeah, I grew up in Cucamonga, what’s it to ya?) to see my family. Pop still lives in the same house he bought just after WWII, and it’s hard for me not to feel like I’m 15 again when I’m there.
READ MOREHow to Survive Excessive Recession Hand Wringing
Has the looming recession got you scared yet?
The mainstream media sure hopes so. Sells more newspapers, boosts cable ratings on CNN and Fox and MSNBC, makes the populace hyper-aware (like jittery squirrels gathering nuts in a dog park), and gives advertisers a tidy little narrative to help position their products.
READ MOREWalk a Mile in a Jerk’s Shoes
Without the insights of good pop psychology, I cannot fathom how my neighbor isn’t wracked with shame every second of his miserable life. Because he truly is a Grade A a-hole. It’s not just me. Six other neighbors, on all sides, hate this guy’s guts with varying degrees of passion…
READ MOREBring Your Story Home to Your Reader
Today, if you’re up for it, I have another exercise that will help hone your writing chops to dangerous “street-wise salesmanship” levels.
READ MOREYou, the Movie
Have you ever wondered where the knack for finding stories and hooks — the main ingredients of any great copywriter’s bag of tricks — comes from?
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