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I’m Reading Tested Advertising Methods, Again

February 7, 2014 by Shawn Collins

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.

bought-tested-advertising-methods-2003

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.

they-laughed-when-i-sat-down-at-the-piano

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.

Affiliate Summit 2004 promo

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.

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