Top Ten Most Influential People To Know In The Field Of Copywriting

Copywriters can be a dime a dozen. Good copywriters are much more rare. GREAT copywriters are even rarer than that! Here are a list of 10 remarkable copywriters throughout the history of the profession.

EUGENE SCHWARTZ- Known to work only 3 hours a day, Eugene Schwartz was one of the top grossing copywriters in the 1950’s and 1960’s. His forumla of listening to the client, understanding the competition, and knowing what the word on the street was, led him to write the kind of copy that made him wealthy.

JOE COLEMAN- Known for making “word music”, his signature style incorporates humor as well as master wordcraft. His ability to write for any industry and his unreplicated style is why he is one of the most awarded and respected modern copywriters.

JOE SUGARMAN- The second Joe on this list, Mr. Sugarman’s disdain for puffery is what makes his style unique. Believing that once a viewer senses puffery the message is lost, his dedication to being factual in his copy has led to great success.

LAURENCE BLUME- Blume’s versatility while being able to tailor his voice for the audience he is trying to reach has garnered much respect. His mastery of both the business “voice” as well as the casual informal style is a credit to his skill.

JOHN CAPLES- Caples’s claim to fame is writing the headline “They Laughed When I Sat at the Piano, But When I Started to Play!” and for writing Tested Advertising Methods (1932). His focus on the “What’s In It For Me?” aspect of selling, is what is responsible for his renown in the copywriting world.

BRIAN CLARK- Founder of Copyblogger, Clark’s philosophy is that good copy comes from passion and practice. He believes that instead of selling ideas, you should build an audience and accept their feedback in order to make the best copy possible.

VICTOR O. SCHWAB- Author of the book How to Write a Good Advertisement (1942), Schwab focused on the call to action as his primary selling trait. He was one of the first to use coupons to deploy what would be called “split-testing advertising”.

DEMIAN FARNWORTH- Follows the four P’s: Promise. Picture. Proof. Push. Farnworth believes that as long as you connect the promise of the ad to every aspect of the strategy, then a winning ad will be the result.

DAVID OGILVY- Was known for selling stoves, and was so good at it that he wrote an instruction manual on how to sell them. Although his methods of appealing to housewives in the 1940’s was a bit sexist through today’s lense, his methods are still applicable today.

ROBERT COLLIER- Collier focused on the effect that the copy produces, and urged copywriters to think about the lesser emphasized aspects of copy. “All riches have their origin in mind. Wealth is in ideas – not money”- Robert Collier