The headline is the 'ticket on the meat.' Use it to flag down readers who are prospects for the kind of product you are advertising.
David OgilvyRead
Do not address your readers as though they were gathered together in a stadium. When people read your copy, they are alone. Pretend you are writing to each of them a letter on behalf of your client.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Write as if addressing each reader individually, rather than a large audience.
David Ogilvy emphasizes the importance of personal connection in writing. He advises writers to consider that each reader experiences their content in solitude, advocating for a tone and style that feels personal and direct, akin to writing a letter rather than addressing a crowd.
Themes
WritingCommunicationAudiencePersonalCopywriting
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop, a facilitator might say, 'Remember, when you write, you're writing to a single person, just like David Ogilvy advised.'
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All quotes →Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.
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Experience has taught me that advertisers get the best results when they pay their agency a flat fee. It is unrealistic to expect your agency to be impartial when its vested interest lies wholly in the direction of increasing your commissionable advertising.
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