Why Ads Worked
Discover the copywriting secrets hidden in classic ads | $197.00 Value
You’ve been told to study the classic ads. Maybe even copy them by hand. One of the best ways to become a better copywriter is to learn what has worked before.
But if you’re like many copywriters, you can copy ads by hand and read them a dozen times, and still not understand exactly what made them work.
Sure, you can see on the surface WHAT the copywriter did. You can see the words and language they used. You can try to capture their “flow.” You can even start to understand the ideas they were trying to get across.
But WHY? Why did they put this claim or concept here, not there? Why did they include it, rather than leaving it out? Why did they open their ad with one approach versus another?
And importantly: what made the final ad, as it was written, work so well?
Until you understand the WHY, you can end up writing ads with all the superficial flourish of the top copywriters — that still don’t connect, and don’t convert, and don’t make sales or bring you the fat revenue or royalty checks.
You must learn to copy the WHY before copying the WHAT or the words will ever move the needle.
When you’re still new to copywriting, getting this understanding of WHY will quickly give you an advantage with every piece of copy you write.
(And it doesn’t matter if you’re writing emails, landing pages, Facebook ads, whatever — online, offline, in whatever media — the core principles and strategies from a 50-year-old print ad can still be applied in the next piece of copy you write.)
If you’re looking for the missing ingredient in your copy, this just might be it.
I always think it’s silly to call a copywriter “A-list.” Doubly so when someone else says it about me. But enough people have called me A-list that I’ll let them make the claim.
Whether you call me A-list or not, I have been successful as a freelance copywriter since 2010, and in marketing since 2005. I’m regularly paid in excess of $20,000 per project, plus royalties, to write copy for clients.
And it’s because I’ve made a study of what makes certain ads work.
This goes beyond the superficial WHAT of an ad. And deep into the WHY behind it, that represents the fundamental principles and strategies of effective copywriting.
And by applying those principles and strategies in my work for clients, I’ve gotten them results, developed my reputation, and built the copywriting career I desired.
I believe when it comes down to it, this is one of the core secrets to success for any copywriter. Learn the principles and strategies of generating response through words in media. Then use those skills to help clients or to build your own business.
If you focus on learning the WHY, every piece of copy you write will be more effective, and you’ll quickly start generating breakthroughs for yourself.
The basic idea behind this program, Why Ads Work, is simple. I go through a classic ad, line-by-line, analyzing what the copywriter was doing and WHY — and reveal it for you.
I interpret it through the lens of my experience, and all the analysis and thinking I’ve done over my career in direct response.
What makes the headline work? What about the opening or lead? What about the core persuasive message? What is the big idea, and how does it fit within the three big idea types from High-Velocity Copywriting? Why did they focus on one benefit versus another? What was the deeper structure? How did they present the offer to maximize response?
Seeing examples of how these questions are answered — in classic ads known to have generated response and profits for years (sometimes decades) — is like an instant boost to your copywriting education.
Just by watching this analysis, you’ll quickly get a grasp of the core principles and strategies you need to be applying in every piece of copy you write.
You could hand-copy these classic ads dozens of times and not get the same perspective that only comes through years’ of experience writing copy to get response.
And now I’ve encapsulated this experience in my videos for you.
In every Why Ads Worked lesson, you’ll get my video analysis of the ad, as well as an annotated PDF of the ad, detailing my full analysis.
You can watch it once, or as many times as you’d like, to go deep into understanding what made the ad work so well.
And when it’s time to sit down and write, you’ll have my notes into what made an ad so successful. So you don’t have to resort to lame swiping of headline formulas (that almost never works as well as you’d like it) but CAN copy the WHY and the deep principles that are most likely to help you create a bigger winner.
Plus, this is a living series, so more lessons will be added from time-to-time, to keep delivering more valuable copywriting principles and strategies — and inspiration! — for as long as you remain a BTMSinsiders member.
And it’s all included in the Why Ads Worked training. And it’s all available to you for instant streaming access.
See for yourself. When you join BTMSinsiders, you get Why Ads Worked included with your membership.
Roy Furr
Video Lesson (34:01)
Download: PDF
Video Lesson (1:04:40)
Downloads: PDF
Video Lesson (1:04:28) [September 2020 Insiders Call Recording]
Download: PDF
A Quick Request
Video Lesson (1:04:49)
Download: PDF
Most copywriting coaches tell their students to re-write successful sales letters so they can learn lessons and tactics about high-quality copy.
In WHY ADS WORKED, Roy goes deeper with an in-depth analysis of Maxwell Sackheim’s classic 40+ year control “Do You Make These Mistakes in English?” and uses the principles he teaches in High-Velocity Copywriting to do so.
Now, not only will I re-write successful sales letters as a learning tool, but I will use Roy’s methods of analysis to extract 10X more value from them. I hope he analyzes more classic ads in the future. Because I found this lesson to be super helpful. Before you take this valuable course, make sure you complete High-Velocity Copywriting.
Roy Furr
Founder, BTMSinsiders
My Guarantee
I personally stand behind the value of BTMSinsiders, with a simple guarantee. Try us for your first month, at zero risk or obligation. If you're not totally satisfied for any reason, let us know by emailing [email protected]. You'll get a prompt and courteous full refund of your first month's fee. After your first month, cancel anytime and you won't be billed a penny more.
My business runs on a set of core values, and the first is "The Golden Rule." That means we treat others the best way we want to be treated. Whether you love or hate us or our content (or anywhere in between), we will do right by you.