SAN FRANCISCO SCHOOL OF COPYWRITING
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  • BLOG
    • Learn How To Write Conversationally To Engage Your Audience
    • Top Skills for a Copywriter
    • Launch A Career In Advertising With These Top Portfolio Schools
    • UX Copywriting and Short Copy ​
    • Discover How To Write Killer Copy That Converts
    • What is Copywriting?
    • 10 Great Headlines from Classic Ads
    • Why Tone Can Make or Break Your Copy
    • How to Use Statistics, Facts and Quotes to Craft Compelling Copy
    • Great Copywriters Use Verbal Imagery to Tell a Story
    • Master the Art of Headline Writing!
    • Here’s How to Get Portfolio-Building Copywriting Gigs
    • What Volkswagen’s ’Think Small’ Teaches Copywriters
    • 5 Brands with Amazing Copywriting Teams
    • Master Hard and Soft CTAs for Superior Sales Writing
    • The Ultimate Checklist for Blog Copywriters
    • 10 Mistakes Even Experienced Copywriters Make
    • Read These 4 Books to Become a Better Copywriter
    • Sales Writing: How to Create Attention Grabbing Headlines
    • How to Create Persuasive Sales Copy
    • Proven Copywriting Methods Emotional Advertising
    • How to Write Good Copy : Preparation Techniques
    • Copywriting Secrets: 8 Powerful Ways to Add Proof and Credibility
    • Copywriting Cheat Sheet: Write Powerful Copy Quickly and Easily
    • Copywriting Insights: How to Test Ad Copy for Best Results
    • Write Effective Ad Copy: No Fail Secrets and Tips
    • What Never to Do When Writing Compelling Copy for Sales
    • How to Write Copy That Sells – Use Benefits
    • 6 Ways to Improve Your Copy Immediately
    • A Day in the Life of a Copywriter
    • Coffee, Copywriting, and Freedom
    • Copy is Everywhere
    • Direct Response Copy Sells
    • The Pros and Cons of Copywriting Part–Time
    • Three Tips to Write Copy that Converts
    • Two of the Biggest Mistakes Beginning Copywriters Make
    • Why Copywriting Makes a Great Second Career
    • Why I Love Being a Copywriter
    • Landing Pages that Work - Copy that Converts

Direct Response Copy Sells

Sales. Ooh. Scary. I know – people recoil when you use the word sales. Let’s address that concept before we deal with direct response copy.

Sales is NOT about being pushy and in your face and convincing someone to do or buy something they don’t really want, that doesn’t help them and makes you money and does nothing for them. Not at all. But – and this is a BIG BUT – I bet you associate some of those concepts with sales.


Sales is simply filling needs. I need a new refrigerator; you help me find the one that fits my needs, my budget and my aesthetics.

I need a new computer and you learn how I use a computer. Do I need it to be portable? Do I play games or do graphic work? Do I own programs that take up a lot of disk space? Do I use it just for writing or listening to music or watching videos?

Once you learn my needs, you find the machine that will become my new best friend and you show me all its’ features. Oh, it’s perfect, but weighs too much? How about this model. A little more expensive but 3 pounds lighter? Don’t like the screen size? Budget isn’t a problem you say? Well, let’s take a look at the XYZ. I have needs, you have solutions, you don’t push, you consult.


See the difference? Direct response copywriting does the same job with words. We find problems and we provide solutions. Sure, it goes deeper.

​We need to know what the problems are and then understand the symptoms of the problem. If I’m writing for a product that cures baldness, I’m not writing about not having hair, I’m writing about the pain that not having hair causes. It makes him feel less virile; he looks older, feels less attractive and powerful.


We tell him how HairGro for Men will make him feel more attractive in 30 days, will make him feel almost as if he’s 2 inches taller. He’ll be turning heads as he walks down the street. That’s digging deeper to the emotion behind the need.

Direct response ALWAYS has a purpose, a call to action, a way to buy, to order, to make the appointment. It’s the very definition of direct response. It works and it’s an in-demand skill that can build a fantastic copywriting career and an excellent income.

And, you can learn how to master the skills in our comprehensive online course: Mastering Direct Response Copywriting.
“SFSC’s Boot Camp course delivers everything their ad promises. If you want to write better copy, learn more about marketing strategy, add fire to your business skills or just look for new freelance opportunities, this is positively the class for you. I will definitely consider another course with SFSC.”
Pamela Dyson Pierre – Oakland, CA (Author/ Writer)

​“I highly recommend the Copywriting Boot Camp 6-week intensive class offered by San Francisco School of Copywriting (SFSC)."
Karen Williams Macdonald (Marketing Consultant / Freelance Writer)

Join the SFSC Community

  • Home
  • Courses
    • Copywriting 101 Online
    • Copywriting 201 Online
    • Direct Response Copywriting
    • 360 Copywriting Online
    • 360 Copywriting - Live Class
    • Comedy Writing
  • Free
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • BLOG
    • Learn How To Write Conversationally To Engage Your Audience
    • Top Skills for a Copywriter
    • Launch A Career In Advertising With These Top Portfolio Schools
    • UX Copywriting and Short Copy ​
    • Discover How To Write Killer Copy That Converts
    • What is Copywriting?
    • 10 Great Headlines from Classic Ads
    • Why Tone Can Make or Break Your Copy
    • How to Use Statistics, Facts and Quotes to Craft Compelling Copy
    • Great Copywriters Use Verbal Imagery to Tell a Story
    • Master the Art of Headline Writing!
    • Here’s How to Get Portfolio-Building Copywriting Gigs
    • What Volkswagen’s ’Think Small’ Teaches Copywriters
    • 5 Brands with Amazing Copywriting Teams
    • Master Hard and Soft CTAs for Superior Sales Writing
    • The Ultimate Checklist for Blog Copywriters
    • 10 Mistakes Even Experienced Copywriters Make
    • Read These 4 Books to Become a Better Copywriter
    • Sales Writing: How to Create Attention Grabbing Headlines
    • How to Create Persuasive Sales Copy
    • Proven Copywriting Methods Emotional Advertising
    • How to Write Good Copy : Preparation Techniques
    • Copywriting Secrets: 8 Powerful Ways to Add Proof and Credibility
    • Copywriting Cheat Sheet: Write Powerful Copy Quickly and Easily
    • Copywriting Insights: How to Test Ad Copy for Best Results
    • Write Effective Ad Copy: No Fail Secrets and Tips
    • What Never to Do When Writing Compelling Copy for Sales
    • How to Write Copy That Sells – Use Benefits
    • 6 Ways to Improve Your Copy Immediately
    • A Day in the Life of a Copywriter
    • Coffee, Copywriting, and Freedom
    • Copy is Everywhere
    • Direct Response Copy Sells
    • The Pros and Cons of Copywriting Part–Time
    • Three Tips to Write Copy that Converts
    • Two of the Biggest Mistakes Beginning Copywriters Make
    • Why Copywriting Makes a Great Second Career
    • Why I Love Being a Copywriter
    • Landing Pages that Work - Copy that Converts