Copywriting Secrets

by Jim Edwards 

How Everyone Can Use The Power Of Words To Get More Clicks, Sales and Profits

Copywriting Secrets by Jim Edwards is a straightforward guide on how to write copy that sells.

Edwards breaks down copywriting techniques into simple steps. He focuses on practical tips to improve click rates, increase sales, and boost profits. His approach is easy to understand, even for beginners.

I liked how the book offers actionable advice, with plenty of real-life examples. Edwards shares proven formulas for writing headlines, emails, and ads.

The tips are practical and can be applied to any business, no matter the industry.

However, I found some sections repetitive. The book sometimes overemphasizes points that could be condensed. Also, it leans heavily on direct-response marketing, which may not suit every business model.

Overall, Copywriting Secrets is a helpful resource for anyone looking to improve their copywriting skills. It's clear, concise, and packed with useful insights.

I am  writing this post to share the wisdom, learnings, and quotes from the book.

Secrets Learned from Copywriting Secrets

Secret #1 What Is Copywriting?

Sales copywriting is anything intended to persuade the right reader , viewer , or listener to take a specific action.

The bottom line is sales copy is anything you put in front of people to get them to click stuff , fill out forms and spend money .

Secret #2 One Man’s Journey With Sales Copy

Nobody is born knowing how to write sales copy.

Learning to write great copy can change your life.

Secret #3 Without A Strong Why, People Don’t Buy.

There are ten reasons people buy.

• Save money
• Save time
• Avoid effort
• Escape mental or physical pain
•  Get more comfort
• Achieve greater cleanliness or hygiene
• to attain better health
• Gain praise
• Feel more loved
• Increase their popularity or social status

Secret #4 Nobody Cares About You In Your Sales Copy

People don’t want to hear about you.

They want to hear about themselves.

They want to be the hero of your sales message.

Not you.

They want to picture themselves getting the results, not you.

They want the whole transaction to be about them, not about you.

Secret #5 The Most Valuable Skill You’ll Ever Learn

You need to create great copy because being good at sales copy helps you with content creation — speeches , webinars , Facebook Live , everything you’re going to do . The ability to create copy spills over into all these areas and helps you sell more .

Secret #6 The #1 Single Most Important Piece of Sales Copy Ever!

Headline - The purpose of a headline is simple : to get people to stop what they’re doing and to start reading ( or watching ) whatever it is you put in front of them .

Here are some headline templates you can use immediately.

• How To Get ________
• How To ________ In As Little As ________
• How To ________ In As Little As ________ . . . even if you ________!
• How Every ________ Can ________
• 5 Quick And Easy Ways To ________
• 3 Fast Ways To Get ________ And Avoid ________
• 5 Quick And Easy Ways To Get ________ . . . Even If ________!
• Which Of These ________ Mistakes Will You Make?
• ________ Mistakes All ________ Need To Avoid!
• ________ Mistakes Every ________ Needs To Avoid!
• WARNING: Here’s What Every ________ Needs To Know About ________
• WARNING: Don’t Even Think About Trying To ________ Until You Read This
• Here’s The Perfect Solution If You Want ________
• Here’s The Perfect Solution If You Want ________ (even if ________)
• My Proven ________ Method To ________

Secret #7 It’s NEVER “One Size Fits All”

Acknowledge the different audiences who can use your product or service . Identify those audiences and commit to putting the right messages in front of them .

Secret #8 Meet F.R.E.D. (Your Ideal Customer)

Fears, Results, Expectations, and Desires (F.R.E.D.).

Know your audience better than they know themselves.

Secret #9 The Ultimate Bullet Formula

Feature + Benefit + Meaning Feature = what it is Benefit = what it does Meaning = what it means to the buyer / reader / prospect Formula : It ________ so you can _______ which means _______ .

Secret #10 What REALLY Sells People (It’s NOT What You Think)

When dealing with people , remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic , but creatures of emotion .

Secret #11 Why Good Enough Makes You (and keeps you) Poor!

When something is good enough, it will never be great.

Secret #12 Don’t Reinvent The Wheel—Great Copy Leaves Clues

Never write sales copy without doing research. Research gives you the words and the intel you need to write better copy.

Secret #13 It’s All About Them—Never About You

Write or create your sales copy so it speaks directly to your ideal prospect. Write to a single person; don’t write to a group. Write to someone you know who represents the perfect person in your target audience

Secret #14 What To Do If You Don’t Have Any Testimonials Yet.

Proof comes in many forms, including celebrity endorsements, statistics, and quotes that support your sales message. Give your product away to people in exchange for an honest testimonial.

Secret #15 3 Sales Formulas That Never Fail

Problem / Agitate / Solve . You can use it for anything and it works especially well with cold traffic .

If you want 3X benefit , then do this . This is a positive message bent .This second formula is that simple and usually works well with hot and warm traffic .

The Before / After / Bridge .

This formula can work with all traffic temperatures !

More Secrets about Copywriting

Secret #16 It’s All Ice Cream, But What Flavor Should I Choose?

In the end, you have to test long vs. short vs. video to find the best option.

Secret #17 How To Write An Amazing Sales Letter—FAST

13 step process - 

1. Headline
2. Shocking Statement
3. Define the Problem
4. Agitate
5.  Solve
6. Use Bullets to arouse curiosity
7. Tell People about you - credibility statement
8. Proof
9. Sum Up the offer and state the price
10.  Bonuses and Pot Sweeteners
11.  Guarantee
12.  Call Them To Action
13. Postscript (P.S.)

Secret #18 How To Write Killer Email Teasers—FAST

A great email teaser breaks down like this : Great subject line Salutation Shocking statement Two , three , or four bullets or 2 - 4 sentences to build curiosity Specific call to action for what you want them to do Close with a personal note

Secret #19 The Hardest Draft You’ll Ever Write

Get the first draft done as fast as you can.

Secret #20 Make ‘Em More Thirsty

The Three M’s of Content

• M stands for dispelling a myth .
• M stands for misconception .
• M stands for mistakes .

There are four different types of stories you tell people .

• The first way is to give something valuable for free that naturally leads to an additional purchase . 
• The second way is to tell them what to do , why they should do it , and then sell them how.
• The third way is to teach all the steps leading up to what you want them to purchase .
• The fourth way to make them “ thirsty ” with content is to teach them the manual or hard way to do something .

Secret #21 Love Me; Hate Me. There’s No Money In The Middle

Have a strong opinion . Stick with your opinion . Don’t be afraid to change if the world proves you need to change . Be a consistent character for the people who pay attention to you.

Secret #22 “Oh Damn—I Got To Have That!”

The formula for creating a profitable promise . 

They are 1 ) the hurdle , 2 ) the prize , 3 ) the timing , and 4 ) the eliminator .

Secret #23 Put Lipstick On The Pig

#1 thing to test is your headline (assuming you have one) to see how that affects conversion. Make sure your offer is very clear and they know what they’re getting. Try selling dollars to dimes to see if you can improve the performance of your copy.

Secret #24 Should I Join The Dark Side?

Use negatives to get in sync with people and the conversations going on in their heads.
You can always attack the behavior, the idea, or practice, but never, ever name names.

Secret #25 “Stealth” Closes—The Secret To Selling Without Selling

By the way , did you know that you can _____ with _____ ? Yep , it’s true . Go here for more information . 

By the way , did you know _____ will help you _____ ? Yep , it’s true . Go here for a quick demo .

By the way , did you know we still have _____ available ? Yep , it’s true . Go here to find out more .

By the way , did you know _____ is on sale for _____ ? Yep , it’s true . Go here to find out how you can grab one for 75 % off .

Secret #26 The Hired Gun

You have to sit down and identify your market , what are the benefits , what are the payoffs , what is your audience’s motivation , what is the emotional impact , what is their reason to buy , how to get them, to buy now , and what the limited time bonus is. 

Secret #27 The Magic Desk

Better copy comes from higher levels of empathy with your customers and prospects.

Secret #28 The One And Only Purpose of An Online Ad

The only purpose of an online ad is to get the right people to click and the wrong people to keep on scrolling. 

If you don’t know where to start when writing an ad , ask a question .

• Are you tired of _____? 
• Would you like to _____?
• Have you ever wanted to _____?
• The majority of the time, you have to test a LOT of ads to find the few that work.

Secret #29 You Can’t Catch Fish Without A Hook

A hook is basically a one - sentence story you can use to grab attention and create intense curiosity at the same time . Hooks are as much art as they are science . You can use formulas to combine different elements to create effective hooks .

Secret #30 Create Your Own Swipe File

A swipe file is a collection of advertisements , postcards , direct mail , catalogs , posters , flyers and anything that has to do with selling somebody something.

A swipe file can contain anything you see that grabs your attention and works.

Secret #31 Polish Your Sales Copy

If you’re selling information , training , or coaching , people judge your level of professionalism by your grammar , spelling , punctuation , and formatting .

Becoming good at selling means getting good at making money.