Goodyear

Learn copywriting by reading Hopkins' 'My Life in Advertising'

Clemens's go-to advice for aspiring copywriters: read Claude Hopkins' autobiography 'My Life in Advertising' (not his copywriting book) first, because it tells the stories behind brands like Pepsodent, Goodyear, and Hoover, and if you don't enjoy those stories, copywriting isn't for you.

“Yeah, I always tell people to read a book called My Life in Advertising, which was written by Claude Hopkins. He's one of the greatest copywriters in the 1920s. Yeah, the psychology back then is the same as today. And I tell them to read My Life in Advertising, which is his biography, not his copywriting book, because it talks about how he built all these great brands that are around today, like Hoover vacuum and Goodyear tire and Pepsodent toothpaste.”

Steal thisRead 'My Life in Advertising' and 'Scientific Advertising' (both free online) to learn copywriting.