One of the smartest things you can do if you want your copy to convert better is to intensely study winning direct response ads from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Why?
Because ads from that era were simply more unique, and more original than what you see today.
And for good reason…
Guys like Eugene Schwartz, Gary Halbert and Gary Bencivenga didn’t have a copywriting course to learn from…
Or templates to follow…
They had to figure everything out on their own.
And as a result of not having formulas or templates to use…
They came up with some of the most UNIQUE big ideas, mechanisms and headlines you’ll ever see.
For example…
Here’s a weight loss ad that Eugene Schwartz wrote nearly 50 years ago…
What stands out to me about this one is how unique the mechanism is.
She’s slimming her waistline by “blowing out the candles on an imaginary cake”.
How many times have you seen that in an ad?
Probably never.
It’s completely unique, and original.
So it stands out (and compels you to keep reading).
Let’s look at another old-school ad.
This one is from the great Gary Halbert.
The big idea behind this that your money is being “murdered” is brilliant.
Why?
Because this was written in 1974 when inflation was sky high…
So if you had your money in the stock market, or in savings bonds, it was getting “murdered”.
Each day your money was worth less and less.
And Gary brilliantly came up with this unique big idea that captured that feeling.
Unlike most copywriters today, he didn’t bore them to death with the details of inflation.
He grabbed their attention by talking about murder.
To me, that’s unique.
And it’s why I believe that if you want your copy to convert at a higher clip…
You should intensely study the winning ads like these from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Cause you’ll find UNIQUE headlines, big ideas and mechanisms that you won’t see in modern copy.
And in my experience when you study these old-school ads, it will significantly improve your own copy.
You’ll start to come up with better big ideas…
Your mechanisms will be more original…
And your headlines much more unique…
So I highly recommend studying the legendary ads from this “golden era” of direct response.
Now in terms of finding these ads, there’s a few ways to do this.
You can find some of the ads on Swiped.co…
You can also search Google and find random ads on copywriting blogs…
But the easiest way to find these ads is something I’m going to tell you about tomorrow.
It’s a complete done-for-you collection…
And it contains the best-performing ads and sales letters from guys like Halbert, Bencivenga, Dan Kennedy, Ted Nicholas, Bill Jayme, Jim Rutz, Gene Schwartz, Ben Suarez, Clayton Makepeace and more…
So it’s the best of the best.
And with the source I’m gonna share, you’ll be able to rifle through the most unique, and best-performing ads from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
So if that piques your interest…
Be sure to tune in to the email I send you tomorrow morning.
You won’t want to miss it.
Talk soon,
– Justin
If you want to hear more from Justin, he has a private email list for top marketers, copywriters and business owners. To apply to be on the email list simply click the button below that says “apply now”.
