Copywriting 101– Old Masters Series

Published by: David Garfinkel on 03-16-2026

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The big secret of success, whether it’s in investing… in professional sports… or in copywriting, is one in the same: A focus on, and a mastery of, the fundamentals.

The legendary basketball player Michael Jordan put it this way: “Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”

We’ve never done a show that just focused on copywriting fundamentals, so what better time than now?

And one of the best sources of an expert list of the fundamentals is John Caples, in his book Tested Advertising Methods. There was nothing fancy or intellectual about what Caples said or did, and yet he was one of the greatest direct response copywriters of all time.

So our Old Masters Series turns to the late John Caples for source material. Based on his book, we’ve put together a list of fundamentals that everyone should remember and practice. It’s easy to forget or get distracted by the latest shiny object, but ultimately, to win, you always have to go back to the fundamentals.

That’s what we’re going to do today.

RESOURCE:
Tested Advertising Methods, 5th Edition
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0130957011


Keywords: John Caples copywriting fundamentals

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