I don’t like rules. Usually I spend more time deliberately breaking them than following them. (Just ask my wife.) But there are some copywriting rules that must be observed. Like the most important one: “Write a great headline”. You MUST do that (or at least try your hardest).
I’m sure you can think of a few more than fall into the must-do category, but I bet there’s one in particular that doesn’t come to mind. And in my opinion, it’s the second-most important copywriting rule of all…
Always make your first sentence short.
Sure we hear a lot about writing succinctly. And even about limiting yourself to one idea per sentence. But the former is almost a motherhood statement, and the latter is ‘negotiable’ (depends on the medium). I never really hear people saying, “CUT THAT FIRST SENTENCE, DAMMIT!” And I should…
