I was just looking around on Amazon for business books, and thought about reading Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples. It’s been a while – over ten years since I bought it, according to Amazon.
I guess I loaned it out at some point, because I can’t find it around here, so I bought another copy.
The reason I am reading it again is that I think it’s one of the best books for anybody in advertising/marketing. The book is packed with timeless advice on copywriting and advertising techniques.
You’ve probably seen the iconic John Caples ad, “They laughed when I sat down at the piano. But when I started to play!–“. It’s possibly the most famous ad, and the formula has been copied countless times over the near century since it came out.
Shortly after I read Tested Advertising Methods, I took a shot at adapting the ad concept in a postcard promotion for the second Affiliate Summit. It was a struggle selling some companies on the idea of a conference on a cruise ship, but instead of playing down that fact, the ad made it the headline.
In the end, Affiliate Summit 2004 sold out well in advance. Did the ad make a difference? I don’t know, because we weren’t tracking anything back then.
Fortunately, we’ve learned a lot since those days.
If you haven’t read Tested Advertising Methods, I’d highly recommend it. And no, you can’t borrow my copy. I’m holding on to it this time.