Joseph Sugarman is one of the great copywriters.
He’s sold just about everything there is to sell in just about every possible medium to sell it in. In this excellent book The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America’s Top Copywriters, he lists 64 elements of copywriting that marketers can use as a checklist when creating their own copy.
These 64 elements were offered by Sugarman as generally applicable to all copywriting, but you will need to put your own twist on these, depending on what you’re selling.
Not every item will be applicable to every ad every time, but marketers need to at least consider all 64 elements and find a way to include most of them into their copy.
JOSEPH SUGARMAN’S 64 COPYWRITING ELEMENTS
Items 1 through 10 are graphic elements; items 11 through 33 are copy elements; items 34 through 64 are psychological triggers.
- Headline
- Subheadline
- Photo or drawing
- Caption
- Copy
- Paragraph headings
- Logo
- Price
- Response device
- Overall layout
- Typeface
- First sentence
- Second sentence
- Paragraph headings
- Product explanation
- New features
- Technical explanation
- Anticipate objections
- Resolve objections
- Gender
- Clarity
- Cliches
- Rhythm
- Service
- Physical facts
- Trial period
- Price comparison
- Testimonials
- Price
- Offer summary
- Avoid saying too much
- Ease of order
- Ask for the order
- Feeling of involvement or ownership
- Honesty
- Integrity
- Credibility
- Value and proof of value
- Justify the purchase
- Greed
- Establish authority
- Satisfaction conviction
- Nature of product
- Nature of prospect
- Current fads
- Timing
- Linking
- Consistency
- Harmonize
- Desire to belong
- Desire to collect
- Curiosity
- Sense of urgency
- Fear
- Instant gratification
- Exlusivity, rareness, or uniqueness
- Simplicity
- Human relationships
- Storytelling
- Mental engagement
- Guilt
- Specificity
- Familiarity
- Hope