Last August the New York Times announced that e-books were not selling. A reporter wrote, "The main advantage of electronic books appears to be that they gather no dust. Almost no one is buying. Publishers and online bookstores say only the very few best-selling electronic editions have sold more than a thousand copies, and most sell far fewer."
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I devoured over two hundred books on advertising and marketing before I sorted out the six fundamental principles of effective advertising. Then I read one more book and found all six truths were already discovered!
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I'm a bookaholic. I write them, read them, buy them, review them, promote them, collect them, and cherish them. You ought to see my office. It's lined with books. And no doubt I'll add more books to my vast collection. What can I say? I'm addicted to books.
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How would you like to get 30,000 phone calls from prospects eager to buy from you?
When I wrote and self-published Hypnotic Writing, my manual on copywriting, (which I later incorporated into my book, CyberWriting: How to Promote Your Product or Service Online (without being flamed)) I bought the mailing list of all the writing magazines in the country. I sent a one page news release to each. One day I opened up one of the national magazines and there was a half page article about my book! It was my entire news release! Had I paid for the advertising, it would have cost me a few hundred if not thousands of dollars. As it were, the exposure cost me about thirty cents.
More on "Inside Secrets to Writing News Releases!" by Joe "Mr. Fire!" Vitale
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I don't know Joe Sugarman. Never met him. Never spoke to him. Never bought a pair of his famous BluBlocker sunglasses. Never seen him in any of his successful infomercials, or on the home shopping channel, in one of his marketing seminars or anywhere else. I've never seen his JS&A mail-order catalog gadgets or any of his unusual hard-sell full-page ads. But after reading his three new books, I'll never forget him. Partly because I now think Sugarman is a genius. And partly because I'm now mad at him.
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NOTE: This article was written around 1996…
Tacoma Guitars makes a miniature acoustic guitar called a Papoose, and a larger model called a Chief. I've been seeing their ads in Acoustic Guitar magazine for maybe a year. Their most recent ad caught my attention in the strongest way: It shows a large, striking photo of their Chief, with a few words of copy suggesting that their new guitar is a breakthrough in design in the same way Da Vinci's inventions were breakthroughs in his time.
More on "Three Lessons from the Tacoma Chief!" by Joe Vitale
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Bruce Barton was a celebrity in the 1920s. He was a bestselling author, confidant to presidents, master copywriter, philanthropist, congressman, and co-founder of the largest advertising agency in the world, BBDO. He helped five men become US Presidents. He wrote a fund raising letter that got a 100% response. The only book ever written on Barton and his ideas is The Seven Lost Secrets of Success. I recently discovered Barton's six points for writing ads, which he probably delivered in a speech in the early 1930s. Here they are, as Bruce Barton himself delivered them:
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In 1902 Charles Austin Bates, one of my mentors and one of advertising's founding fathers, wrote that good advertising "…is simply telling a plain story. It consists merely of giving information to possible buyers."
More on "Press Releases That SELL!" From an article by Joe "Mister Fire!" Vitale
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Bruce Barton, cofounder of the legendary BBDO ad agency, wrote letters that got staggering results. He wrote a letter for Berea College that brought in an amazing 100% response! (You can read the entire letter in The Seven Lost Secrets Of Success.)
More on How to Write a Million Dollar Sales Letter! From an article by Joe "Mister Fire!" Vitale
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On a sunny, warm day in August, 1996 I kneeled over the grave of P.T. Barnum and had one of the most remarkable experiences of my life.
I had begun researching the famous showman in order to write my forthcoming new book, There's a Customer Born Every Minute (to be released in October, 1997). I had visited the Barnum Museum, the Historical Library in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and met with Barnum scholars, biographers, and collectors of his writings. I wanted to visit Barnum's grave and pay my respects. Little did I know that the incredible, magical experience would change my life forever…
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