How to find your ad’s hook (according to the most ripped-off copywriter alive)

“How the hell did you think of this?” said John Carlton.

John claims he’s the most ripped-off copywriter alive — and I believe him. 

He’s certainly one of the most accomplished direct-response copywriters of the past half-century.

“How did I think of the Triple Coil Swing?” said Milt Wallace. 

About 30 years ago, Milt, a golf pro at a country club, invented something he called the Triple Coil Swing, or TCS.  

The TCS technique helps golfers hit the ball consistently longer and straighter. Milt created a series of instructional videos teaching the technique. Then he commissioned John to write a direct-mail letter to sell the series. 

“Who wants to hear that old story?” said Milt. 

“Just me,” said John. “For now.”

“Well…” said Milt.

“About 15 years ago, I saw a one-legged man rip one of the longest, straightest drives I’d ever seen: 320 yards dead-center down the fairway.”

“Really?” said John, more excited than surprised. He smelled a hook.

“Yeh,” said Milt. “And he looked good doing it!”

“But what’s the connection to the TCS technique?” said John. 

“Physics!” said Milt. “Because the guy was forced to balance on one leg, he was able to ‘supercharge’ his swing by letting the naturally-coiled tension of his movements ‘cock’ — and then explode.”

“And the physics work just as well for a two-legged golfer…” said John.

“Yes, exactly,” said Milt. “Physics are physics.”

An ad’s hook should create interest. 

As in AIDA, the classic copywriting formula: 

1. Attention! 

2. INTEREST! 

3. Desire! 

4. Action!

So when John heard the story about the one-legged golfer, he knew he had found the ad’s hook, the ad’s story. A story that would create curiosity and wonder. A story that would keep people reading. 

And out of that hook was born this beautifully efficient, now-famous headline: 

Years later, at a copywriting seminar, John told the TCS story, leaving the audience with a profound piece of insight. It was about finding your ad’s hook.

He said:

“You’re not gonna find your story in the company line.”

“If you go to your own brochure to find a hook, you’re not gonna find it. 

You’re gonna find it by talking to the secretaries. You’re gonna find it from the feet-in-the-street guys, the salespeople. You’re gonna find it from the guy who invented the product in the first place, the guy who put it together. 

Or, if you’re your own boss, writing for yourself, you may have to go outside of yourself to find it. Ask your wife what people are saying behind your back about the product. You may be sitting on great stories that you don’t even realize.”

- John Carlton

John called this hook-searching process “sales detective” work.

Because the best, most compelling stories are hiding from you. 

And it’s your job to ask the right questions, recognize a good hook when you see it, and then actually craft an ad around it.

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