Hey there, it's Shana and in this article, I'm gonna tell you my five favorite books you should read if you're teaching yourself how to be a copywriter.
Okay, so you're considering getting into this whole copywriting business. That's the only reason you're here reading this.
Well, here is where you should start now this list is not the latest and greatest nor is it exhaustive.
There are so many incredible resources out there for those looking to learn how to do online digital marketing copywriting branding.
All of the above but these books that I'm about to share with you are my copywriting Bibles and I have referred to them again and again and again since starting my business back in 2020.
Now, you might be surprised to discover that most of these books actually have very little to do with the formulaic process of copywriting, most are about psychology and that is because we deeply understand what makes us as humans.
Tick or click is absolutely fundamental to becoming a good copywriter so all the steps, the how to's, the formulas, and all that you can just come right back here to my BLOG, because I'm gonna be sharing that in future articles, and let's be honest that's way more fun than reading a book anyway.
So if you're considering starting a copywriting business or if you want to learn how to scale your existing business through copywriting make sure to read till the end as more information about copywriting is coming your way but for today here are the five books that you should read immediately.
So The First Book Is Robert Cialdini's Influence.
Now this is actually the very first book that I read when I got into internet marketing back in 2018 during my time working at Freelancing.
Now this book is probably the book that I refer to more than any book out there any marketing book out there.
In fact he has a sequel out now called pre suasion rather than the psychology of persuasion and I highly recommend you get a copy of that too.
But essentially in this book Robert Cialdini shares the six shortcuts that guide human behavior:
So they are scarcity, authority, consistency, likability, consensus or social proof, and reciprocity.
Now I have those six shortcuts written out in a document and I refer to it after I write a piece of sales copy to make sure that it includes all of these shortcuts as a checklist. Absolutely killer. You can do it too.
This book is amazing this should be the very first book that you get your hands on.
The next book that I want to recommend is called
The Wizard of Ads Turning Words Into Magic and Dreamers Into Millionaires.
This book is written by advertising legend Roy H Williams.
If you've never heard of this guy you will because he is truly a powerhouse in the advertising world and is the guy behind a lot of wildly successful advertising campaigns.
I first came to know about this book when I took one of the courses on copywriting.
He hosts private workshops for marketers and entrepreneurs programs that you can sign up for.
So if you're lucky enough to score a seat at one of his workshops I highly recommend you do.
He also has a podcast that is honestly such a hidden gem it's probably one of the most ghetto podcasts in its branding because it has no branding there is literally no album artwork, it's like the gray podcast symbol. But it's called Wizard of Ads and every single Monday Roy releases a 5 to 10-minute episode and every single one is pure gold.
If I'm writing a sales page and I'm really you know scrounging my brain looking for a hook, I'll listen to, you know 2 to 3 of his episodes and it just gets my creative gears turning.
So I highly recommend you listen to this. Put that podcast and this book especially since it's about the 7 universal laws of advertising and he really dives deep into again human behavior and what makes people click get your hands on this.
Okay, now the third book I wanted to recommend actually doesn't have a hard copy of it. because they are extremely rare I was just looking on Amazon before making this article and I think there was one hard copy of it for sale for over $400.
Luckily one of my friends gifted me a PDF version of this book, it's 239 pages.
It is Eugene Schwartz's breakthrough advertising.
We'll put it up right here so you know what it looks like.
This book is a copywriting classic and probably one of the most profitable books on copywriting and marketing ever written.
What really stands out for me or what stood out for me in that book is the theory of product evolution and market saturation.
It's a textbook, it's a heavy one to dive into but at the very least go grab yourself a digital copy and skim through it and read the sections that really stand out to you.
I saw some digital copies I think on Amazon for around $20 so you should be able to get your hands on it.
Fairly easily now he last two books.
I'm so bummed right before I started writing this article I was looking for them and they're nowhere to be found which means I probably lent them out to one of your marketing friends of mine.
So if you have them give them back, please.
But the fourth book is Dan Ariely's Predictably Irrational.
Again this book is one of the first books that I read back when I got into internet marketing and copywriting and it again talks about the hidden forces that guide human decisions.
All psychology is brilliant, it references a ton of cool studies and statistics on why people act the way they act and why people buy the way they buy.
One concept that really stood out for me in that book is the concept of decoy pricing. It has now become a staple in almost all of my sales letters or offers that I create.
So definitely get your hands on predictably irrational and lastly, the fifth book I want to recommend is called,
Save The Cat by Blake Snyder.
Literally, it is titled the last book on screenplay writing you'll ever have to read. My good friend who's a marketing legend and, amazing copywriter recommended this book to me and the rest members of my copywriting group and you probably already guessed it.
It's actually not about copyrighting, it is about screenplay writing but I'll tell you a little secret.
"A good copywriter is a great storyteller" so this lateral wisdom of screenplay writing to copywriting is insanely valuable.
Okay, so there you have it.
Those are my top five books that you should read immediately if you want to learn how to become a copywriter.
If you're planning to read any of these books just throw me a like down below and I want to hear from you.
Do you have a favorite marketing or copywriting book comment below and let me know what it is and if I choose your book to read next I'll be sure to send you a thank-you in my next blog.
Thank you so much for reading. I'm Shana. Will see you soon.
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