A copywriter made Sherwin Cody famous

Sherwin Cody was in the right place at the right time, but if it weren’t for a copywriter, he may never have made it big.

 Cody worked for the Chicago Tribune around the turn of the 20th century, at the same time the University of Chicago was initiating correspondence education. Cody’s assignment was to write a home study English course.

Writing like you speak (in sales and ads)

You’ve heard of the 4 U’s (urgent, unique, ultra-specific and useful) and the 4 P’s (promise, picture, proof, push)? Well, Cody established his course on business writing based on 4 C’s: clarity, correctness, courtesy and colloquial style. The course became the Sherwin Cody 100% Self-correcting Course in English Language, which Cody patented and franchised. As a business writer, Cody advocated “writing like you speak” and emphasized practical applications such as sales, advertising and letter writing.

Copywriting genius explodes response

It was copywriter Maxwell Sackheim, however, who turned the course into a runaway winner. His classic ad with the famous headline, “Do You Make These Mistakes in English?” ran virtually unchanged for 42 years straight. They tested alternate ads over the years, but Sackheim’s always came out on top (in one test it outpulled “How to Speak and Write Masterly English” 3-to-1.) Eventually over 150,000 students took the course.

Advertise the right way (use a strong copywriter)

As Mark Twain once said, “Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.” 

Master this craft of copywriting (or hire a strong copywriter, like yours truly), and you wield incredible power to make small things large.

What part of your business could use some enlarging?