Hey guys, it’s Alex, and in this video I’m going to tell you my 5 favorite books
you should read if you're teaching yourself how to be a copywriter.
Okay so you're considering getting into this whole copywriting business...
well here is where you should start.
Now this list is not the latest and greatest, nor is it exhaustive.
There are so many incredible resources out there for those looking to
learn now to do online marketing, copywriting, branding, all of the above.
But these books that I'm about to share with you are my copywriting bibles and I have referred
to them again, and again, and again since starting my business back in 2011.
Now you might be surprised to discover that most of these books have actually very little
to do with the formulaic process of copywriting.
Most are about psychology and that is because deeply understanding what makes us, as humans
tick, or click, is absolutely fundamental to becoming a good copywriter.
So all the steps, the how-to’s the formulas and all that, you can just come right back
here to my YouTube channel because I’m going to be sharing that in future videos and let's
be honest that's way more fun than reading a book anyway.
So if you're considering starting a copywriting business or if you want to learn how to scale
your existing business though copywriting, make sure to hit subscribe for a ton of
videos coming your way.
But for today, here are the 5 books that you should read immediately.
So, the first book.
Robert Cialdini’s Influence.
Now this is actually the very first book that I read when I got into internet marketing
back in 2008 during my time working at Mindvalley.
Now this book is probably the book that I refer to more than any book out there, any
marketing book out there.
In fact he has a sequel out now called “Presuasion” rather than the Psychology of Persuasion,
and I highly recommend you get a copy of that too.
But essentially in this book Cialdini shares the 6 shortcuts that guide human behaviour.
Ok so they are, scarcity, authority, consistency, likeability, consensus or social proof, and
reciprocity.
Now I have those 6 shortcuts written out in a document and I refer to it after I write
a piece of sales copy to make sure that it includes all of these shortcuts as a checklist.
It’s absolutely killer, this book is amazing, this should be the very first book that you
get your hands on.
Now the next book that I want to recommend is called the Wizard of Ads...
Turing Words Into Magic and Dreamers Into Millionaires.
This book is written by advertising legend Roy H Williams, if you've never heard of this
guy, you will because he is truly a powerhouse in the advertising world and is the guy behind
a lot of wildly successful advertising campaigns.
I first met Roy actually while I was down at his campus outside of Austin, Texas.
It is called the Wizards Academy and if that doesn't excite you, it's like the Hogwarts
of the marketing world.
This place is absolutely incredible, he hosts private workshops for marketers and entrepreneurs,
programs that you can sign up for, so if you're lucky enough to score a seat at one of his
workshops I highly recommend you do.
He also has a podcast that is honestly such a hidden gem.
It's probably one of the most ghetto podcasts in it’s branding because it has no branding,
there's literally no album artwork it's like the grey podcast symbol.
But it’s called Wizard of Ads and every single Monday Roy releases a 5-10 minute episode
and every single one is pure gold.
If I'm writing a sales page and I’m really, you know scrounging my brain looking for a
hook, I’ll listen to 2-3 of his episodes and it just gets my creative gears turning.
So, I highly recommend you listen to that podcast...
And this book especially it’s about the 7 Universal Laws of Advertising and he really
dives deep into, again, human behaviour, what makes people click.
Get your hands on this.
Okay, now the 3rd book I want to recommend I actually don't have a hard copy of because
they are extremely rare.
I was just looking on Amazon before making this video and I think there was one hard
copy of it for sale for over $400 dollars. I was gifted a PDF version of this book, it's 239 pages...
It is Eugene Schwarts’ Breakthrough Advertising.
I’ll put it up right here so you know what it looks like.
This book is a copywriting classic and probably one of the most profitable books on copywriting
and marketing ever written.
What really stands out for me or what stood out for me in that book is the theory of product
evolution and market saturation, it's a textbook, it’s a heavy one to dive into but at the
very least go grab yourself a digital copy and skim through it and read the sections
that really stand out to you.
I saw some digital copies I think on Amazon for around $20 so you should be able to get
your hands on it fairly easily.
Now, the last two books, I’m so bummed, right before I started recording this video
I was looking for them and they’re nowhere to be found, which means I probably lent them
out to one of you marketing friends of mine.
So if you have them, give them back please!
But the 4th book is Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational.
Again, this book is one of the first books that I read back when I got into internet
marketing and copywriting.
And again it talks about the hidden forces that guide human decisions.
All psychology, brilliant, it references a ton of cool studies and statistics on why
people act the way they act, and why people buy the way they buy.
One concept that really stood out for me in that book is the concept of decoy pricing.
It has now become a staple in almost all of my sales letters or offers that I create.
So definitely get your hands on Predictably Irrational.
And lastly the 5th book I want to recommend is called Save The Cat by Blake Snyder.
Literally it is titled the last book on screenplay writing you’ll ever have to read.
My good friend Perry Belcher who's a marketing legend, amazing copywriter, recommended this
book to me and the rest of the members of my Flight Club Mastermind.
And you probably already guessed it, it’s actually not about copywriting, it is about
screenplay writing.
But I'll tell you a little secret...
A good copywriter is a great story teller.
So this lateral wisdom of screenplay writing to copywriting is insanely valuable.
Okay, so there you have it.
Those are my top 5 books that you should read immediately if you want to learn how to become
a copywriter.
If you're planning to read any of these books just throw me a like down below.
And I want to hear from you, do you have a favorite marketing or copywriting book?
Comment below, let me know what it is and if I choose your book to read next, I'll be
sure to send you a thank you in my next video.
Thank you so much for listening, I’m Alex. Ciao for now!