Eugene Schwartz is a legendary direct-response advertiser. If you do anything with marketing, advertising, copywriting, etc., you are probably using one of his strategies or tactics.
One of his books - Breakthrough Advertising - that one that you’ve seen for hundreds of dollars and passed it up. That was a mistake. If you buy his book for $1000 (if you can even find it) and can’t make your money back then you didn’t try hard enough. The content is dense but it is GOLD.
Anyway, here are some of his quotes -
Be more accurate and more knowledgeable than anyone you come up against. The person who is the best prepared and most knowledgeable makes the most money
Copy is not written, it is assembled. Assemble words, images, desires and build
Know when you are working and when you are creating
Words in advertising are like windows at a store. You must be able to look right through them at the product. Copy should never call attention to itself. You want people to see the visceral, visual image that the words are portraying
The brain makes connections while at play (not work)
The goal of the headline is to get you to read the line under it (etc.) Get people in the habit of reading a line, then another, etc.
You are always writing to a single person who shares a problem or desire with a huge mass of other people
The most powerful word in marketing is “you”
Read/Watch the things that your audience consumes to help you relate to them and speak to them
Watch movies that make $100 million plus and get a feel for the rhythm. Know popular songs for the same reason
People live by hidden desires. Sometimes shameful desires
Seriously, look him up and learn from him. Unless you don’t want to make more money.