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John Caples: The Father of Tested Advertising
A few years ago, I picked up an old copy of Making Ads Pay, by John Caples.
It was written back in 1957, but the advice he gives is just as relevant today as it was back then.
Caples was a legend who really knew how to persuade his audience.
Most people don't know how he got so good at writing ads.
Caples was taught by Ev Grady, who gave him his first job.
"These are the successful ads...and these are the failures," Grady said.
"Try to figure out what the successful ads have got that the failures haven't got."
And that's exactly what Caples did.
Soon, he started to see patterns showing up over and over again in the winners and the losers.
After years of doing this kind of analysis, he created a list of 7 things that kept showing up in the most profitable ads.
These principles are great for writing ads. But they're also great to use whenever you want someone to take action.
Why?
Because they're based on human nature.
They're just as useful for affiliate marketers trying to determine which products to promote as they are for bloggers trying to write a new post.
Keep that in mind.
Here's what Caples spotted over and over again...
John Caples' 7 Principles for Successful Ads
1. Does your ad attract the RIGHT AUDIENCE?
"Do not inflate your readership or your listening audience by attracting curiosity seekers at the expense of losing customers."
2. Does your ad HOLD the audience?
You can hold the reader by continuing the same thought that was stated in the headline (the headline got their attention).
3. Does your copy CREATE DESIRE?
"Do you drive home the chief advantages of your product by stating these advantages several times in different words?"
4. Do you prove it is a BARGAIN?
Have you clearly demonstrated the price is right or given a reason why you chose this price?
5. Do you establish CONFIDENCE?
After you've created desire and proved the price is right, they are thinking, "Is this legit?" Your job is to prove you can and will deliver.
6. Do you make it EASY TO ACT?
Tell prospects exactly what they need to do next. Make sure it's easy.
7. Do you give your prospects a reason to ACT AT ONCE?
"Your prospect wants to act. He knows what the next step is. There is one last hurdle: inertia. Include a reason to act NOW."
Caples also gave this challenge:
"I have been trying to follow Grady's advice ever since. It is good advice. Test your ads. Then study the successes. Find out what the successes have got that the failures haven't got. Put into your new ads the qualities that will make them successful."
That's great advice...
So simple and practical.
Tested Advertising Methods: John Caples' Classic Copywriting Book
The most famous copywriting book that John Caples wrote is called Tested Advertising Methods.
The book covers headline writing, ad testing, layout principles, and proven formulas for creating persuasive advertisements. The 4th edition, published in 1974, is considered the definitive version.
David Ogilvy wrote the foreword in the 4th edition, and closed it by saying, "This is, without doubt, the most useful book about advertising that I have ever read."
It's considered a classic and still used today by colleges and universities.
You really should read it.
But...
A word of warning.
If you head over to Amazon, you'll notice quite a few 1-star reviews for this book. It's a bit hard to believe that this copywriting classic would ever receive a 1-star review from anyone serious about learning copywriting.
Look a little closer...
For example, a reviewer by the name of W. Seals had this comment about the Amazon copy of this classic that be purchased:
"Buyer Beware -- If you're seeking the wisdom of John Caples, steer clear of the 5th edition of this book "Completely Updated" with revisions by Fred Hahn. One read through and I knew this is why classic books should not be tampered with. Yes, when you read a classic, some examples may be dated, but the principles are timeless (and if you use your brain, you can appropriate the dated stuff to make it relevant to today). As another one-star reviewer noted, Hahn's "updates" more than once go against Caples' advice about tested advertising methods. I'll be looking for an earlier (4th) edition of this book and buying other titles by John Caples -- "How to Make Your Advertising Pay" and "Making Ads Pay: Timeless Tips for Successful Copywriting."
And here is what CopywritingGuy said:
"How To Use The Bathroom...The above headline was seriously touted by the 5th edition of this book as an example of a *good* headline. No, I am not kidding. It's on page 59. John Caples himself would have said it was a crappy headline (no pun intended) because there's no news, it doesn't offer you anything you'd want, and it doesn't arouse your curiosity. The 5th edition of this book is ruined by all the garbage added by whoever "revised" it. The other reviewer who said to get the 4th edition is absolutely right..."
And reviewer C.G. Bradshaw agrees:
"The 5th edition is a waste of time. Wish I had never been conned into buying it. The 4th edition is a must read."
Now, some good news.
Anyone can get a free (and legal) copy of the Tested Advertising Methods (4th edition) from the Internet Library right here.
You will need to setup a free account and login, and then you can borrow for 1 hour, as many times as needed. (In other words, you can borrow Tested Advertising Methods as many times as you want, over and over, until you have read the entire book.
This is the original copywriting book from 1974, and I like how it has been scanned in, and isn't some digital representation of the original.
I will say this, in defense of the 5th edition. On many pages, comparing the two versions, you will find the text almost identical. That's part of what makes the 5th edition feel so odd. The examples given are actually word for word from the 4th edition, so they are very dated, but the sample ads shown are from the 1980's. There's this very obvious disconnect in the time frame, and I wonder if that is some of the issue that readers are noticing.
There is also a copy of Tested Advertising Methods, 5th edition on the Internet Library, if you'd like to compare some of the pages for yourself. You can borrow a free copy here.
Take some time to go through this classic copywriting book by John Caples, and I know you'll be rewarded with new ideas and insights to improve your conversion rates and boost your sales.
John Caples' Most Famous Headlines
John Caples wrote some of the most legendary headlines in advertising history. His most famous headline was for the U.S. School of Music:
"They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano - But When I Started to Play!"
This headline became one of the most successful ads in history because it told a story, created curiosity, and promised a transformation. Caples discovered through testing that headlines using these elements consistently outperformed generic product descriptions.
Other successful John Caples headlines include:
- "Do You Make These Mistakes in English?"
- "How I Improved My Memory in One Evening"
- "Thousands Have This Priceless Gift - But Never Discover It!"
What made these headlines work? Caples tested them relentlessly. In Tested Advertising Methods, he proved that specific, benefit-driven headlines dramatically outperform clever or vague ones. His headline formulas remain the foundation of modern copywriting.
Tested Advertising Methods Summary: Key Takeaways
If you're looking for a quick summary of John Caples' Tested Advertising Methods, here are the core principles from the 4th edition:
-
Test everything - Never rely on opinions or gut feelings about what will work
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Headlines are critical - 80% of readers only read the headline
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Specifics sell better than generalities - "Lose 10 pounds in 30 days" beats "Lose weight fast"
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Long copy outsells short copy - When you have something valuable to say
-
Appeal to self-interest - Show readers what's in it for them
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Use simple words - Write like you talk to ensure clarity
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Study successful ads - Learn from what actually works in the marketplace
Caples famously tested ads that sold 19.5 times better than others - proving that small changes in copy can create massive differences in results.
John Caples was a world class copywriter, but he was also a human behavior scientist.
He firmly believed that you needed to test everything you did, and not try to guess at which version of the copy would outsell the other.
For example, on page 11 of Tested Advertising Methods (4th edition), he gives this advice:
"In planning an advertising campaign, the first step should be to clear the decks of all opinions, all theories, all conjectures, all prejudices.
The next step should be to find a scientific method of testing the real strength of the different advertisements and the various advertising media, such as publications, broadcasting, direct mail advertising, etc.
This preliminary research takes time. All right. The time is well spent. To get started on the right foot -- to find the right appeal and the right place to advertise -- is so important that other considerations are insignificant by comparison.
I have seen one mail order advertisement actually sell, not twice as much, not three times as much, but 19 1/2 times as much goods as another. Both advertisements occupied the same space. Both were run in the same publication. Both had photographic illustrations. Both had carefully written copy. The difference was the one used the right appeal and the other used the wrong appeal."
As you can see John Caples was a firm believer in scientific testing of copy and advertising and ignoring what your gut said about any particular advertisement.
What David Ogilvy Learned from John Caples
In the 4th edition of Tested Advertising Methods, David Ogilvy gives the forward and says that John Caples taught him most of what he knows about writing advertisements and copy.
Here were the 7 key things about copywriting that David Ogilvy said he learned from John Caples through his book, Tested Advertising Methods:
- The key to success (maximum sales per dollar) lies in perpetual testing of all the variables.
- What you say is more important than how you say it.
- The headline is the most important element in most advertisements.
- The most effective headlines appeal to the reader's self-interest or give news.
- Long headlines that say something are more effective than short headlines that say nothing.
- Specifics are more believable than generalities.
- Long copy sells more than short copy.
Now, those 7 things were written for the 4th edition, that was printed in August 1975.
And if John Caples was around today, he'd still be advocating that you test your copy, even if you believe you have applied yourself and stuck firmly to these 7 key copywriting principles.
Always be testing.
And another thing...
Caples also preached the importance of using simple, short words.
On page 132, he had this to say:
"The reason we use short words to talk with is that they mean exactly the same thing to talker and hearer. When we drag in a lot of jointed words, we forget before the sentence is finished just what it was we were trying to say; and the other fellow never does find out. For the same reason, we use short words to think with.
Now, in advertising, it is vital that the reader shall grasp, in a split second, whatever it is that you want him to know."
That was good advice back in 1974, and it's still good advice that John Caples would advise 50 years later...
Last Updated: 10/21/2025 05:03 EST
4 Comments
Foreword.
Thank you for a smashing post.
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