The Online Copywriter's Handbook : Everything You Need to Know to Write Electronic Copy That Sells

I am a small business owner who has been writing his own ads for the past dozen years or so. Simply put, if your ad is not effective, you are throwing away money -- quite literally. Mr Bly's book made me realize that I had been throwing away a lot of money, unfortunately.I highly recommend this book. If you write your own ads, you may think (like I used to) that writing copy is "no big deal". Maybe it isn't, but there are still rules that need to be followed for maximum effectiveness, and Mr Bly does an excellent job of explaining them.If I had to suggest improvements to this book, it would be 1. a new and updated edition, and 2. the use of some graphics. Mr Bly goes to some length to explain textually the layout of an ad, which is silly when a picture or graphic is worth a thousand words (pun intended).But my real gripe is this: the printing is of such poor quality that I found myself washing my hands after every reading session. No kidding, it's worse than some newspaper print. This may sound a like a superficial gripe to some, but what good is great copy if the customer is left with a yucky feeling?

I can always count on Bob Bly to cut through the mumbo-jumbo of marketing communications fluff, and provide good, solid advice on how we can get our messages across successfully. He did it in "Business-to-Business Direct Marketing." And now he does it for this wonderful new medium, the Internet. Bob never forgets that the objective of marketing communications is to move customers and prospects to action. He explains how to write Internet copy that sells. Covering all the Internet media--websites, email, banner ads, newsletters--Bly gives us detailed tips and techniques on how to craft and adapt our messages to be maximally effective. And, naturally, he delivers his message with absolute clarity. Bravo to Bob Bly.

Bly's Online Copywriter's Handbook is a comprehensive guide for anyone who aspires to write the copy on their own website. He covers the fundamentals of effective online writing and goes on to share how you can adapt your existing print materials to the web. He details exactly what you need on your home page and shares effective techniques to drive traffic to your site. I particularly enjoyed his chapter on how to build a healthy e-zine. This 320 page book answers every conceivable question you'll have as you write and maintain the information on your website. This book is first rate.

Hands down, veteran copywriter Bob Bly has written the best book I've found on how to write persuasive copy for the Web and the Internet. The sub-title "Everything You Need to Know to Write Electronic Copy That Sells" is not just a promotional blurb penned by his publisher - it's an accurate description. Step by step, he covers the fundamentals of persuasive online copy, how to adapt print copy for the Web, how to illustrate Web copy with visuals, what makes an effective home page and how to structure the content of a site. Subsequent chapters focus on writing email promotional messages, email text ads and banner ads (yes, the good ones have words in them). A whole chapter is devoted to e-newsletters or e-zines: from designing and promoting one to what to write about.The table of contents is detailed and well organized so you can jump around and read the sections out of order. I'm keeping this book within arm's reach!

Bob Bly has done it again. He has made his case about the importance of copy (i.e. content)--but in the total scheme of the online universe. While many online marketers depend on flashy graphics or the latest "bleeding edge" technology to attract customers, Bly rightfully asks "What does your site have to keep them there?" He argues that it is selling copy that keeps the reader at your site instead of wondering elsewhere. And he backs up his arguments in a solid manner.Bly covers the basics of persuasive online copy but more importantly, he analyzes the differences between print copy and online copy. Knowing these differences will enable one to effectively craft copy for the online world without making some of the usual mistakes that web site content providers make. Like all of his titles, the book is lucid, filled with examples and anecdotes, and of course, contains information on how to adapt your hard-working copy to the online environment. If you're a marketer, copywriter, or just someone who's interested in the subject, this is the book to buy.Highly recommended.