#430 How to Write Ads That Sell
This episode explores Claude Hopkins' advertising principles from his two seminal books, 'My Life in Advertising' and 'Scientific Advertising.' The host emphasizes Hopkins' core belief that exceptional work results from exceptional hours, treating work as play, and understanding human psychology to create effective advertising rooted in service rather than selfish appeals.
Summary
The host discusses Claude Hopkins, arguably the greatest copywriter in history, who built his success through extreme dedication—working 16+ hours daily for decades. Hopkins' philosophy centered on several interconnected principles: First, that success comes from exceptional effort rather than exceptional ability, exemplified by his willingness to outwork competitors by doing two to three times the work. Second, that work must be treated as play and approached with enthusiasm—a lesson he learned from a railroad section foreman who built his home and cultivated a garden during evening hours, demonstrating that attitude determines whether labor feels like drudgery or enjoyment.
Hopkins' core advertising philosophy revolves around service-based appeals rather than selfish ones. He argued that advertising is simply 'salesmanship in print' and that the best ads never ask people to buy directly. Instead, they offer information, help, and benefits to the customer. This principle manifests in his famous Schlitz beer campaign, where he didn't claim superiority (since all breweries used similar processes) but instead told the previously untold story of their purity processes—filtering, deep wells, six-month aging—transforming a fifth-place product to compete with market leaders.
Hopkins emphasized treating advertising as if addressing a single individual standing before you, not masses. He rejected his employer's practice of sending generic catalogs to all inquiries, instead creating specialized materials for specific products and including names of local satisfied customers. He stressed that every advertising decision should pass the test: 'Would this help a salesman sell the goods in person?'
On headlines, Hopkins stated they are the most critical element, spending more time on headlines than body copy, often discarding dozens before selecting the right one. He demonstrated that changing headlines alone could multiply returns by 5-10 times. His principles included being specific with actual numbers rather than platitudes, understanding psychological triggers like curiosity and tribal belonging, and recognizing that price often influences perception of value.
Hopkins also warned against manufacturers writing their own advertising because they're too close to their product, and advised staying close to customers and the money. He advocated for product demonstrations and earned samples (where customers must make effort) rather than promiscuous sampling. Finally, he stressed that research—reading volumes of material to find one key insight—precedes great advertising, with genius being 'the art of taking pains.'
About this episode
Claude Hopkins was the greatest copywriter of all time. His ideas were so valuable that when he wrote them down in a book the founder of his advertising firm locked the manuscript in a safe for 20 years. When the book was finally published it sold over 8 million copies. David Ogilvy said that nobody should work in advertising until they had read the book seven times. This episode is what I learned by reading Claude Hopkins' autobiography My Life In Advertising and his legendary book Scientific Advertising. Made possible by: Ramp: https://ramp.com Applovin: https://www.applovin.com Vanta: https://vanta.com/founders Some of my favorite quotes: 0:00 — "Any man who by a lifetime of excessive application learns more about anything than others owes a statement to his successors." 5:12 — "The man who works twice as long as his fellows is bound to go twice as far, especially in advertising." 5:30 — "If I have gone higher than others in advertising or done more, the fact is not due to exceptional ability but to exceptional hours." 6:48 — "To poverty I owe the fact that I never went to college. I spent those four years in the school of experience instead of the school of theory." 9:08 — "Which is work and which is play? If a thing is useful, they call it work. If it's useless, they call it play. But one is hard as the other. All the difference I see lies in the attitude of the mind." 9:32 — "I came to love work as other men love golf. I love it still. The love of work can be cultivated just like the love of play." 9:58 — "We do best what we like best." 13:05 — "A good product is its own best salesman. It is uphill work to sell goods without samples." 15:00 — "We must never judge humanity by ourselves. The things we want, the things we like may appeal to a small minority." 15:23 — "We must submit all things in advertising to the court of public opinion." 17:48 — "Some of the greatest successes I have ever known in advertising were ignorant men. One wrote copy which would induce a farmer to mortgage his barn to respond, but every sentence had to be edited for grammar." 20:23 — "John Powers created a new concept of advertising. He told the truth, but told it in a rugged and fascinating way." 25:47 — "Study salesmen, canvassers, and fakers if you want to know how to sell goods. No argument in the world can ever compare with one dramatic demonstration." 26:35 — "The average salesman seeks favors. He seeks profit for himself. His plea is, 'Buy my goods.' He makes a selfish appeal to selfish people, and of course, he meets resistance. I was selling service." 28:45 — "We must treat people in advertising as we treat them in person." 31:23 — "Others have never told this story. It will startle everyone in print. I gave purity a meaning." (On Schlitz Beer jumping from 5th to 1st.) 32:03 — "Tell the pains that you take to excel. The maker is too close to his product. He sees in his methods only the ordinary." 34:08 — "The greatest two faults in advertising lie in boasts and in selfishness. People will listen if you talk service to them. They will turn their backs when you seek to impress an advantage for yourself." 41:23 — "People will do anything to cure a trouble, but little to prevent it. Prevention offers slight appeal to humanity in general. They want to be told of rewards." 1:01:30 — "Genius is the art of taking pains. The advertising man who spares the midnight oil will never get very far. This is no lazy man's field."
Key Insights
- Hopkins claims that success in advertising comes from exceptional hours and effort rather than exceptional ability, arguing he likely worked twice as long as anyone else in the field.
- Hopkins argues that a railroad section foreman taught him that work versus play is purely a matter of attitude—the same activity can be drudgery or game depending on mindset and whether one approaches it with enthusiasm.
- Hopkins contends that good product demonstrations and letting people try products without payment is the best salesmanship because 'a good product is its own best salesman.'
- Hopkins asserts that advertising must be rooted in service to the customer rather than selfish appeals, claiming that appeals based on customer benefit vastly outperform direct 'buy my brand' messaging.
- Hopkins argues that manufacturers should never write their own advertising because they are too close to their product and fail to appreciate the customer's perspective and desires.
- Hopkins claims that changing a headline alone can multiply advertising returns by 5-10 times, making headlines the single most important element of any ad.
- Hopkins contends that people must be treated as individuals in advertising, not as masses, and that ads should be written as if speaking to one person who has already expressed interest.
- Hopkins argues that specific claims with actual numbers ('78-second shave,' '3% profit margin') have far more persuasive power than generic platitudes like 'best in the world' or 'lowest prices.'
- Hopkins claims that promiscuous sampling (giving products unsolicited) loses respect, whereas requiring people to make an effort to receive samples increases perceived value and reciprocal desire to purchase.
- Hopkins argues that the best way to win new customers is the method that won previous customers, and that successful ads should not be changed frequently despite advertisers becoming bored with repetition.
- Hopkins contends that genius in advertising is 'the art of taking pains,' requiring weeks of research through volumes of material to find the single key insight that becomes the foundation of a successful campaign.
- Hopkins argues that prevention-based appeals (like dental health) are far less effective than appeal-based messaging (like beauty and attractiveness), demonstrating this principle made him millions with Pepsodent toothpaste.
Topics
Transcript
This book is not written as a personal history, but as a business story. I've tried to confine myself to matters of instructive interest. The chief object behind every episode is to offer helpful suggestions to those who will follow me, and to save them some of the midnight groping which I did. Any man who by a lifetime of excessive application learns more about anything than others owes a statement to his successors. The results of research should be recorded. Every pioneer should blaze his trail. That is all that I've tried to do. My only claim is that I have probably worked twice as long as anybody else in this field. I have lived for many years in…
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