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John Caples

John Caples Quotes

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John Caples was an American author renowned for his advertising copywriting. His career began in the 1920s, and he achieved great success in the advertising industry. Caples' works are known for their concise and persuasive language, which had a profound impact on the advertising world.

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All Headlines Ifs Copies Reader Advertisements Want Looks People Appeals Interest

Famous John Caples Quotes

“Don't underestimate the value of beginning a headline by naming the people you want to reach.”

People Want Values Underestimate Headlines

Book:Making Ads Pay: Timeless Tips for Successful Copywriting

Source: Making Ads Pay: Timeless Tips for Successful Copywriting

“To impress your offer on the mind of the reader or listener, it is necessary to put it into brief, simple language...No farfetched or obscure statement will stop them. You have got to hit them where they live in the heart or in the head. You have got to catch their eyes or ears with something simple, something direct, something they want.”

Want Mind Heart Eye Language Simple Reader Offers Direct Ears Statements Listeners Impress Obscure

Author:John Caples

“The most frequent reason for unsuccessful advertising is advertisers who are so full of their own accomplishments (the world's best seed!) that they forget to tell us why we should buy (the world's best lawn!).”

World Should Reason Forget Seeds Advertising Accomplishment Lawns Unsuccessful Advertisers

Author:John Caples

“Every single element in an advertisement - headline, subhead, photo, and copy - must be put there not because it looks good, not because it sounds good, but because testing has shown that it works best!”

Looks Sound Elements Copies Testing Headlines Advertisements

Author:John Caples

“If you use a poor headline, it does not matter how hard you labor over your copy because your copy will not be read.”

Ifs Doe Matter Hard Use Poor Labor Over You Copies Headlines

Author:John Caples

“If the headline is a good one, it is a relatively simple matter to write the copy.”

Ifs Writing Matter Simple Copies Headlines

Author:John Caples

“Readers know what the copy is going to say.”

Knows Reader Copies

Book:Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

Source: Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

“Make an offer they can't refuse.”

Author:John Caples

“The purpose of the headlines must be to convey a message to people who read headlines, then decide whether or not they will look at the copy.”

People Looks Purpose Messages Copies Headlines

Author:John Caples

“If you are going to emphasize certain words in the headline, be sure that they are the words that say something.”

Ifs Certain Headlines

Author:John Caples

“Avoid the "hard-to-grasp" headline - the headline that requires thought and is not clear at first glance.”

Firsts Hard Clear Glances Headlines

Author:John Caples

“In striving to produce an attractive headline, the copywriter should not emphasize the "quick, easy way" to such an extent that the headline becomes unbelievable.”

Way Should Easy Produce Strive Attractive Unbelievable Headlines Easy Way

Book:Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

Source: Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

“Remember that the headline and the appeals are ONE AND THE SAME. In successful ads, the appeal is almost always expressed in the headline.”

Remember Successful Appeals Ads Headlines

Author:John Caples

“Even today you can look through almost any consumer or professional publication and find headlines that possess not a single one of the necessary qualities, such as self-interest, news, or curiosity.”

Looks Self Today Interest Quality News Curiosity Consumers Self Interest Publication Headlines

Author:John Caples

“A good headline can make an advertisement good even if the picture is poor.”

Ifs Poor Headlines Advertisements

Book:Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

Source: Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

“The best headlines are those that appeal to the reader's self-interest, that is, headlines based on reader benefits. They offer readers something they want - and get from you.”

Want Self Interest Reader Offers Benefits Appeals Self Interest Headlines

Author:John Caples

“Every copywriter knows what it is to struggle with a copy for hours, for days - fixing it, polishing it, rearranging it. We have all been quilty of leaving the headline until the last and the spending half and hour on it - or perhaps only ten minutes.”

Knows Lasts Hours Half Struggle Minutes Ten Leaving Spending Copies Headlines Fixing Rearranging

Author:John Caples

“You can write a 1st paragraph that continues the same thought you expressed in your headline. If you stop a reader with a headline about house paint, you can be sure of at least one thing about that reader: He wants more info about house paint. You will not lose him as long as you continue to give him what he wants.”

Ifs Want Giving Writing Long House Loses One Thing Reader Paint Headlines Paragraph

Author:John Caples

“Remember that the reader's attention is yours for only a single instant. They will not use up their valuable time trying to figure out what you mean.”

Trying Mean Use Remember Attention Figures Reader Valuable Instant Valuable Time

Author:John Caples

“Get the big point of your advertisement into your headline. Use your headline as a hook to reach out and catch the special group of people you are trying to interest.”

People Trying Use Bigs Interest Groups Special Reach Out Hook Headlines Advertisements

Book:Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

Source: Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

“An advertisement will be a good one - that is if the headline is really a "stopper."”

Ifs Headlines Advertisements

Book:Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

Source: Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

“Do not try to make your headline so short that it fails to express your idea properly. It's more important to say what you want to say - even if it takes 20 words to do than make it short and fail to express your idea.”

Ifs Want Trying Important Ideas Failing What You Want Headlines

Author:John Caples

“Unsuccessful headlines were not written without a strong appeal, but it was the wrong appeal for that product and that audience.”

Strong Audience Written Products Appeals Headlines Unsuccessful

Author:John Caples

“For every curiosity headline that succeed in getting results, a dozen will fail.”

Results Failing Succeed Curiosity Dozen Headlines

Author:John Caples

“The advertiser's logotype at the bottom of the ad can be considered as part of the headline. After reading the headline, the reader instinctively looks down at the logotype to see the company name.”

Looks Reading Names Company Reader Bottom Ads Headlines Advertisers

Author:John Caples

“A long headline that really says something is more effective than a brief heading that says nothing.”

Long Headlines Headings

Author:John Caples

“The business of judging a headline AFTER you read the copy is wrong. It takes for granted that everybody reads the copy.”

Judging Granted Copies Headlines

Author:John Caples

“What good is all the painstaking work on copy if the headline isn't right? If the headline doesn't stop people, the copy might as well be written in Greek.”

People Ifs Wells Might Written Greek Copies Headlines

Book:Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

Source: Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

“The headlines are critically important. The majority of the public reads little else when deciding whether or not they are interested.”

Littles Important Majority Headlines

Author:John Caples

“The success of an entire advertising campaign may stand or fall on what is said in the headlines of the individual advertisements.”

May Said Fall Individual Campaigns Advertising Headlines Advertisements

Book:Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

Source: Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

“Now I spend hours on headlines - days if necessary. And when I get a good headline, I know that my task is nearly finished.”

Ifs Knows Hours Tasks Finished Headlines

Book:Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

Source: Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing Guesswork

About the Author

Born: May 1, 1900
Died: June 10, 1990
Known for: Author
Quotes: 31

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Tested Advertising Methods: How to Profit by Removing GuessworkRelated source material

Making Ads Pay: Timeless Tips for Successful CopywritingRelated source material

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