Explore the strategic connections between ancient military techniques and modern copywriting. Discover how understanding consumer behavior can transform marketing efforts. Learn about seven key strategies from The Art of War that can sharpen your messaging. Engage readers with compelling tactics while navigating their emotional readiness to buy. Plus, delve into effective calls to action and the importance of storytelling in closing sales. This timeless wisdom applies to any competitive field, especially in the art of persuasion.
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insights INSIGHT
Guide Readers Toward An Inevitable Yes
Strong copy maneuvers readers step-by-step so the final yes feels inevitable.
Use a surprising hook that generates curiosity and leads readers without revealing the ending.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Rotate Tactics To Avoid Audience Fatigue
Vary headlines, openings, tone, and core angle to avoid predictability and keep attention.
Test different approaches and retire tactics before they go stale, then rotate them later.
insights INSIGHT
Match Messaging To The Market Terrain
The audience's external environment shapes how your message lands and performs.
Monitor analytics and feedback to spot opportunities and avoid ambushes from market shifts.
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Three weeks ago, we had a very special Old Masters Series show:
The Art of War, Copywriting Edition.
But we only covered half the book, so that made the previous episode
Part 1.
Today we cover the rest of the book, Chapters 7 through 13.
And that makes today Part 2.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Art of War was written by Sun Tzu (SOOON-tzeh) about 2500 years ago, as a treatise on military strategy.
The Art of War reaches far beyond military warfare, however. Business overachievers like Elon Musk and Mark Benioff, founder of salesforce, are among many who have praised this book.
That’s because the principles in this book are universal and very powerful in any situation where you’re in a struggle–and getting people to buy from the written word certainly counts as a struggle.
Today you'll see exactly how Sun Tzu's principles, when applied to copy, can help you sharpen your copy, position your offers better, and persuade prospects more naturally.
I’ve gotta tell you, I was surprised when I was preparing this how easily his principles can be applied to copy.
Now, there’s a reason The Art of War has lasted for more than two thousand years.
It’s not just because people like reading about swords and spears.
It’s because the way Sun Tzu thought about winning applies anywhere there’s competition — whether it’s two armies on a field, two companies in a market… or you, sitting at a keyboard, trying to out-sell the other guy.
When you’re writing copy, you’re not just “putting words together.” You’re maneuvering. Positioning. Adapting. Watching for the right moment to strike.
If you’ve ever had a great piece of copy flop… or a headline you loved get ignored… or a competitor suddenly steal your customers…
…you’ve felt the same frustration a general feels when the plan falls apart halfway through the battle.
Sun Tzu didn’t leave that to chance. He studied how to win before the fight began — and how to keep control until the very last move.
Today, we’re going to tap into the last seven chapters of his book.
These are the chapters about keeping your opponent guessing… matching your tactics to the exact ground you’re on… knowing when to press hard and when to pull back… and gathering the kind of intelligence that lets you win before the other side knows what happened.
Download.
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