Comments on: Famous Headline 1: They laughed when I sat down at the piano, but when I started to play!”

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:32:34 +0000

Having a background in ad design and copywriting, I found this articlea a great reminder of the do’s and don’ts of ad creation. I memorized the headline many years ago in college and it continues to remind us everytime we sit down to create the perfect ad.

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Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:51:53 +0000

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By: Bob Foster

Bob Foster — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:56:01 +0000

They laughed when I disagreed with the facsimile headline. And rightfully so. Memory doesn’t serve very well.

By: Bob Foster

Bob Foster — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:54:06 +0000

If memory serves, the actual headline was “They laughed when I sat down at the piano, but then I started to play.”

By: Vivienne Quek

Vivienne Quek — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 03:20:20 +0000

Yes. That is the rule of thumb that copywriters should consider. Even Robert Kiyosaki uses simple layman English, without trade jargon, when delivering his finance & investment related seminar, because many people aren’t financially sophisticated enough. Thanks for visiting our blog and hope to see you gain.

By: Edwina

Edwina — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 02:11:05 +0000

Mr Caples often said that you need to write using words that a 13yo could understand because that was the mental age of the average person. It’s a reminder to all of us that trying to be too clever & complicated with ad copy might make you feel good but it won’t sell anything!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:25:16 +0000

A great headline and it puts a whole story in the persons head for them to reference.

I got a book about John Caples headlines at Amazon.com to help me become a better copywriter for my sites. Just look up his name there, under books.

By: Vivienne Quek

Vivienne Quek — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 01:25:26 +0000

Hi Nabil – Firstly I didn’t write the headline and Secondly, it is best not to model exactly word by word. Your idea of “mix thing up a bit” is usually best as you would want your marketing campaign to be infused with your own personality.

By: Caspar

Caspar — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:10:45 +0000

Too bad the picture of this post isn’t working, but your story was great. I also had a few moments myself where people laughed at my ideas and then got it handed to them at the end.

Great stuff!

Kind Regards
Caspar from Tandvård Göteborg

By: Nabil @ Morning Sickness Remedies

Nabil @ Morning Sickness Remedies — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:51:56 +0000

Hey, Vivienne! How are things going?

Just thought I’d chime in and say that I fully agree with you. This is by far the best headline ever made.

As a matter of fact, I’m thinking of using it in my next marketing campaign, provided that you’re allowed to do so.

If not, then I’ll just mix things up a bit. That usually works out :D

/Nabil, from Sweden.

By: Ali Khan

Ali Khan — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 21:01:56 +0000

A fantastic article…

I spent months working on the Headline for my Accountancy brand…and they all laughed but when it started to play…they all shut up…

You’ve given given me so many laughs with this…

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:46:37 +0000

Wow! This looks like the start of a great series.