Gary Halbert’s copywriting principles
From “The Boron Letters” and The Gary Halbert Letter. These are practical, battle-tested rules for writing copy that sells, distilled from one of the most successful direct-response copywriters in history.
The starving crowd
The single most important advantage in marketing is a hungry audience. Before writing a word of copy, make sure you’re selling to people who already want what you’re offering. A great offer to a starving crowd beats brilliant copy to an indifferent audience every time.
The A-pile and B-pile
People sort their mail into two piles: the A-pile (personal letters they open immediately) and the B-pile (obvious marketing they may throw away). Make your marketing feel like A-pile material — personal, direct, human. Avoid anything that signals “mass-produced marketing.”
Write to one person
Never write to “customers” or “users” or “founders.” Write to one specific person. Imagine them sitting across from you. Use “you” constantly. The reader should feel like the copy was written only for them.
Write like you talk
Read your copy aloud. If it sounds like writing, rewrite it. Good copy sounds like a smart friend explaining something over coffee. Short sentences. Plain words. Conversational rhythm. No jargon unless your audience uses that jargon themselves.
Lead with the strongest point
Your headline and opening line carry almost all the weight. If you lose the reader in the first few seconds, nothing else matters. Start with the single most compelling thing you can say. Don’t save your best material for later.
Use specifics, not generalities
“Saves time” is weak. “Generates a complete pitch deck in 4 minutes” is strong. Specific numbers, names, dates, and details create believability. Vague claims feel like marketing; specific claims feel like facts.
Tell stories
Stories bypass skepticism. A story about one founder who used the product to raise their seed round is more persuasive than a list of features. Stories create emotional engagement and make abstract benefits concrete.
One clear call to action
Every piece of copy should have exactly one thing you want the reader to do. Not two. Not three. One. Make it obvious, make it easy, and make it the logical next step from everything you just said.
Proof over promises
Claims without proof are just noise. Stack proof elements: testimonials, case studies, specific results, demonstrations, guarantees, credentials. The more skeptical the market, the more proof you need.
Motion beats meditation
Don’t overthink. Write a bad first draft fast, then improve it. A shipped imperfect piece beats a perfect piece that never launches. Speed and iteration win over perfection.
How to use this
When writing marketing copy for Spooky, run through this checklist:
- Am I targeting a hungry audience with a real problem?
- Does this feel personal and human, not corporate?
- Am I writing to one specific person?
- Does it sound natural when read aloud?
- Is my strongest point first?
- Have I used specific details instead of vague claims?
- Is there a story or concrete example?
- Is there exactly one clear call to action?
- Have I included proof?