Scientific Advertising: 10 Timeless Lessons for Ads Copywriting

Here I intend to summarize Scientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins a well-respected person in advertising. I will add my input to elaborate on some points, but will try to stick to the original text. Occasionally, I will paraphrase the original text for clarity. Advertising has not changed much from its early days. Most of the principles that held for door-to-door sales and mail order advertising hold for Google Ads, Meta Ads, and any other digital medium. Advertising is leveraged salesmanship; costs are multiplied, so are the profits. Take these lessons to heart and today will mark the day when you became a better copywriter.

Lesson 1

"Offer a sample, a book, or a free package to induce direct replies."

People do not want to trust you. The human nature is not to trust strangers. If you want to get business, you need to trust customers. Offering a no-risk sample of your product is a good way to get customers try out your offerings. However, only and only send your free samples if the customer has shown interest by making efforts such as filling out a form or signing up for a mail list. Handing out free samples will cheapen your product.

Lesson 2

"Advertising is salesmanship. Act as if you are a door-to-door salesman. The only difference is that advertising is multiplied salesmanship. It may appeal to thousands while the salesman talks to one."

If you think of advertising as door-to-door salesmanship, that will evaporate most of your questions. For example, many argue for slogans and hype. Would slogans help a salesman sell? If not, avoid it. Others argue for large texts. Does a loud voice help the door-to-door salesman sell more? If not, avoid it. Much of our newspapers, magazines, and books are written in small 8-12 point format anyways. People will read what they care about even the font is relatively small. Some argue, 'Be very brief. People read for little." Would you say that to a salesman? Give prospects enough to take action without restricting the word count. "[Some] want ads distinctive in style or illustration…Do not men who act and dress in normal ways make a far better impression?" With countless questions, always think, "what would I do if I met the buyer in person?."

Lesson 3

"Ads are not written to entertain. They are written to give necessary information to an interested individual to buy your product."

This passage does not beg for elaboration. The brief is that you are a salesman, not a performer. Seek sales, not entertainment. Seek sales, not applause. Your readers read your ads to see how they can improve their lives for the better by your product, not for the sake of entertainment.

Lesson 4

"Try to sell your article in person, if possible. Put your customer's interests before your eyes, not yours. Don't please the seller; please the buyer."

Many advertisement copywriters make the mistake of seeking the approval of the business owner. They try to please the seller rather than the buyer. If you are the owner, do not write for the sake of your own satisfaction, but that of your ideal customer persona. Write for the customer whose eyes are caught by your headline. The purpose of a headline is to pick out people you can interest. The purpose of the ad is to appeal to the interested people and give them enough information to make a decision.

Lesson 5

"Don't think of people in the mass. That gives a blurred view. Think of a typical individual who is likely to want what you sell."

It is always a great idea to know your customers as if they are your best friends. Knowing customer persona helps you appeal to your customers and add value to their lives. It is impossible to be everything for everybody. Pick out your customer persona, and centre your efforts to appeal to that type of person.

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Lesson 6

"Your product may have multiple desired qualities. You should learn which quality most of your prospects seek and put that into the focus. A bar of soap may be advertised in multiple ways. It can have a refreshing Odor and soften the skin. The latter may appeal to a greater deal of people."

How do you know which quality to promote? Use multiple versions of the ad. Almost no one gets it right the first time. Trial and error can give you enough information to improve your decisions. The ad campaign will either be succesful, or it will bring back its costs by giving you valuable data.

Lesson 7

"'Lowest price in existence'. Superlatives of that sort are usually damaging. They suggest looseness of expression, a tendency to exaggerate a careless truth."

Be specific. Consider the following claims: "Our tungsten lamp gives more light than a carbon one." AND "Our tungsten gives three and 1/3 times the light of a carbon one" The latter will be taken into heart because it is specific. People will know you have done the research. Which safety razor ad will get better results? "Quick Shaves" OR "78-Second Shaves"?

Lesson 8

"Show beauty, not homeliness; health, not sickness. Don't show the wrinkles you purpose to remove, but the face as it will appear. Talk of coming conditions, not the conditions that exist. Picture what others wish to be, not what they may be now."

People are already aware of the troubles. Speak of the condition after the remedy, not the condition of the trouble. "The most successful toothpaste advertisements never feature tooth troubles in the headlines but the fact that it will beautify your teeth."

Lesson 9

"Don't use pictures to decorate. Use pictures to sell."

Space is expensive in advertisement and pictures are very expensive as they take a great deal of your space. Use expressive pictures and avoid using decorative pictures.

Lesson 10

"To sell shaving soap to the peasant of Russia, one would first need to change their beard habits."

The costs are excessive to change people's habits. Educating people takes an enormous amount of resources. Rather than educating people and trying to convince them of a benefit or a fact, spend your advertisement dollars on another claim. Focus on a claim that is either background knowledge (e.g. pain is bad -> pain killers) or something for which governments or firms do the education (e.g. the globe is warming -> electric vehicles) or something that is catching on by words of mouth or social media (e.g. sugar is detrimental -> sugar free beverages such as Bubly sparkling water).

In the end, you must go to the court of the last resort – buyers of your product to measure how well your ads are performing. Some copy that you scorn might appeal to a lot of people and another you worship may prove to be worthless. Run multiple advertisements in segmented groups. Averages mostly hold. "Let the thousands decide what the millions will do." as Claude C. Hopkins put it. This blog post does not substitute the book. I recommend reading the book for more in-depth explanations and insights.