- The essence of great copy isn't in the techniques. It's deeper than that. It lives in the space between reputation and presence, in the philosophy of
Good Morning.
I don't usually talk about techniques.
Here's why:
The essence of great copy isn't in the techniques. It's deeper than that. It lives in the space between reputation and presence, in the philosophy of human psychology, in the unknowable things that make people trust one voice over another.
Techniques are just... tools, a piece of the puzzle. And tools without understanding can be dangerous, like a detective without all the evidence.
But today, I'm making an exception.
Here's what changed my mind:
Last week I was skimming through Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, beautifully written book, part philosophical manifesto, part love letter to curiosity.
(I’m not the only one who likes to read, watch and engage with endless forms of media, am I)?
Side note: It's fascinating connecting the dots of someone's life through their work. Sagan also wrote the screenplay for Contact with Jodie Foster and also inspired Samuel L. Jacksons’ monologues in Pulp Fiction(Ezekiel scene) and the Boondocks.
Same mind, different art forms, same obsession with what we don't know.
In Sagan book, there's a passage where he concedes something profound:
For all our knowledge, all our study, all our observations, calculations, and conclusions... there may be, and likely is, more to know than we have yet to discover. Things that could change everything we previously knew or were certain we thought we knew.
It hit me.
I've been holding back these techniques mostly for my private community and because really I didn't want people early on to only focus on mechanics. But Sagan's right. There's always more to discover. And maybe sharing what I've uncovered, the patterns hiding in plain sight, helps someone else see further and get to their destination faster.
So here's some of what I've reverse-engineered from the top-performing advertorials and sales pages pulling in millions, combined with forgotten psychological principles most copywriters have never heard of.
LESSER KNOWN BUT ESTABLISHED TECHNIQUES
- Joe Sugarman's 'Slip Formula' — From "The Adweek Copywriting Handbook"
How to use: Make each sentence earn the next. Short first sentence. Create a gap the mind must close.
- The 'Rule of 1' — Attributed to various direct response marketers, popularized by Jim Edwards and Russell Brunson
How to use: One reader. One big idea. One promise. One CTA. Violate this and you split attention (kills conversion).
- Gary Bencivenga's 'Fascinations' — From legendary copywriter Gary Bencivenga
How to use: [Intriguing claim] + [unexpected mechanism] + [withheld detail]. Example: "The 2-word phrase that makes editors beg to publish your work (it's not what you think)"
- Schwartz's Sophistication Stages — From Eugene Schwartz's "Breakthrough Advertising"
How to use: Stage 1 markets: make the claim. Stage 3+ markets: new mechanism. Match your approach to market awareness or sound tone-deaf.
- Collier's Enter-Then-Escalate — From Robert Collier's "The Robert Collier Letter Book"
How to use: If they don't know they have a problem, start there. If they're researching solutions, start with a mechanism. Meet them where they are.
- Chet Holmes' Buyer's Pyramid — From "The Ultimate Sales Machine"
How to use: Only 3% are buying now. Top of pyramid = education content. Middle = comparison. Bottom = conversion. Most marketers only speak to the 3%.
- Hopkins' Reason-Why Advertising — From Claude Hopkins' "Scientific Advertising"
How to use: "Because we're clearing inventory" or "because I want to prove this works" — any reason increases compliance.
- Ogilvy's 'Magic Lanterns' — From David Ogilvy's research, documented in "Ogilvy on Advertising"
How to use: Words like "suddenly," "now," "announcing," "new," "at last" have been battle-tested. Use them deliberately.
- Cialdini's Unity Principle — Robert Cialdini's 7th principle from "Pre-Suasion"
How to use: Create "us vs. them" or shared identity language. "As a fellow entrepreneur..." or "People like us don't..."
- The Zeigarnik Loop — Based on Bluma Zeigarnik's psychological research on unfinished tasks
How to use: Open a story, question, or idea... then delay the resolution. The brain must close open loops.
- Future Pacing Pattern — NLP technique (Bandler/Grinder) adapted for copywriting
How to use: "Imagine waking up tomorrow and..." or "Picture yourself three months from now..." Visualization bypasses skepticism.
- The Damaging Admission — Discussed by Dan Kennedy and other direct response copywriters
How to use: "This won't work if you're expecting overnight results" or "Not for beginners." Disqualifying some buyers makes others lean in.
- The Bucket Brigade — Old newspaper writing technique
How to use: End paragraphs with: "Here's why:" "But here's the thing:" "Look:" — phrases that force the eye to continue.
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MORE KNOWN TECHNIQUES BUT NOT OFFICIALLY ESTABLISHED:
- The Critical 3-Some (three elements that must work together) — Headline/subhead/hero image alignment
How to use: Your headline, subhead, and hero image must lock together like puzzle pieces. Misalignment creates cognitive dissonance.
- Super Hero Images (your hero image needs superpowers to stop scrollers) — The hidden pattern in high-converting hero images
How to use: Show the result or the mechanism, never generic lifestyle shots. The image must answer: "What is this about?"
- The 'Karen' Mechanism (named after the skeptical friend we all have) — Credibility vs. suspicion when explaining mechanisms
How to use: Use analogies a skeptical friend (Karen) would accept. If Karen rolls her eyes, rewrite it.
- Sam's Precision Price Timer (named after direct response legend Sam Ovens who tested price positioning relentlessly) — Strategic price positioning and timing
How to use: Lead with price if it's shockingly low or if price objection is the main barrier. Otherwise, build value first.
- The Crooked Line (named for the "crooked path" to success vs. the straight-line myth) — The "messy truth" type of proof
How to use: Show the messy truth behind your success. The failed attempts. The accidents. Perfection feels fake; struggle feels real.
- The Mechanism Gap (creates curiosity by showing the gap between what they know and what you're revealing)— Making mechanism explanations irresistibly interesting
How to use: Name your mechanism something unexpected. Create a "gap" between what they know and what you're revealing.
- The Goldilocks Click-Through Zone (not too high, not too low, but just right) — The CTR/conversion sweet spot paradox
How to use: If CTR is 40%+ but conversions are low, you're attracting wrong traffic. Tighten targeting in your ad, not your landing page.
- The Specificity Ratchet (each notch of precision increases believability) — Precise numbers vs. round numbers effect
How to use: Precise numbers trigger different neural pathways. "47 minutes" beats "under an hour." Specificity signals truth.
- The Greased Chute (readers slide down with no friction, no escape) — Frictionless page flow pattern
How to use: No dead ends. No distractions. Every section asks: "What must they believe next to take action?"
I've packaged all of these into a simple-to-read bullet format that shows you not just what these techniques are, but when and how to deploy them in your proposals, emails, sales letter and advertorials.
No theory. No fluff. Just the exact frameworks winning copywriters use. Bonus points if you can point out some of the ones I've used in this very email.
There's always more to learn and many more I haven't included for the sake of brevity. But there’s always another layer beneath the layer. These techniques aren't the destination, but the journey.
So if you have a technique I haven't mentioned, email it to me. I’ll re-release this list later in the year and update it.
If you think this list will be useful to a copywriter friend near you, forward them this email.
And if someone has forwarded this to you and you're new to my emails, consider subscribing to my email list for more. There's a link to free ebook upon sign up in the first email you'll receive to help you start building your email list, start making cash and living your ideal life.
Till next time,
Fathi