The
e Ga
ary H
Halb
bert
Billlion D
Dollar
Cop
pywrriting Courrse
Lessons
s:
Lesson 1: The Los
st Secret off The US Go
overnemntt
We startt with a true
e Gary Halbe
ert classic. The
T main th
heme throug ghout is thatt “the
governm
ment owes you this” and d that it is re
elatively eassy to get...
Lesson 2: ...Lose Up
U To 20 Pounds
P In Two
T Weeks
s
Halbert enters
e with both guns a blazing, hiitting upon sseveral psycchological trriggers. Firs
st,
with a prroduct like this
t you don
n’t want to merely
m make e a general statement such as “easily
lose the pounds,” Yo ou need a very “specific
c benefit” th
hat draws thhe reader inn and compe els
them to read on...
Lesson 3: Better Sex
S Withou
ut Feeling Guilty!
G
Sex is an
n extremely sensitive subject to ap pproach fromm a marketiing perspecttive. Knowinng
this Gary
y decided too take a veryy contrarian
n approach. He felt thatt by coming right out of the
starting gate with a provocative e headline, then
t steppin
ng back andd personalizzing the subjject
matter, adding
a in so
ome crazy gonzo copy and a guiding them down n a long stra
ange trip he
e
could winn the prospeect over...
Lesson 4: How a New
N Discov
very from Asia
A Seems
s to Burn o
off Body Fa
at for Almo
ost
Everybo
ody Who Trries It!
One of thhe greatest psychologiccal triggers is celebrity endorsements. Let’s fa ace it, when a
celebrity
y speaks outt about a product people take noticce and are h highly influe
enced by whhat
they sayy, in fact peo
ople take ac
ction. Watchh as Gary wo orks his magic by using g an
endorsem ment by a celebrity aboout a diet prroduct to ma ake sales go
o off the chaarts...
Lesson 5: The Amazing Secr
ret of A Marketing Ge
enius Who Is Afraid to Fly
BRILLIANNT! Jay Abra aham is verry selective in the clientts he works with so in o
order to cre
eate
an ad that will get Jay the exac
ct clients tha
at he preferss to work wwith, primarily over the
phone, Gary
G came upu with the concept of creating
c the
e appearancce that Jay h
has a fear off
flying wh
hen in fact he
h is extrem
mely particular in the wa ay he conduucts his busiiness.
Lesson 6: The Amazing Secret of the Hottest Investment Of The Last Five Years!
Because of the nature of the industry, investors have natural concerns. Halbert lays these
all out on the table. By reducing the risk he advances his argument that this is the definitive
key to investor wealth. Keep in mind that all this has been accomplished with out yet
reveling what this incredible investment vehicle is.
Lesson 7: An Open Letter to Every Attractive Woman in Miami Who Is Serious
about Having a Career As a Professional Model
To get your reader to see that your product or service offers superior advantages or benefits
that no other product or service offers you must determine the most powerful benefit or
advantage you can possible offer so that it will be totally irrational to move in any other
direction.
Study what Gary does in this ad, how he positions the service. In order to follow Halbert’s
template successfully you need to have a product or service that has clear benefits or
advantages and you need to be able to communicate those benefits or advantage to your
reader in such a way that they GET IT!
Lesson 8: How To Get What The US Government Owes You!
Gary strikes deep into the heart of Middle America once again. This ad addresses a very
basic aspect of human nature. It is true that people will go out of their way to get
something that is owed to them. They will do that to a greater degree than they will expend
the effort to try and find a way to make more money. Halbert knows this subject inside and
out and uses it to great advantage in this famous ad.
Lesson 9: Hot New Four-Hour Seminar Sponsored by Key West College of
Millionaires...
It is a well known fact that selling in print to a crowd of complete strangers is one of the
hardest activities a person can engage in. All the proof in the world won’t help you if you
approach it from the wrong angle. Selling has often been compared to dating, especially
“salesmanship in print.” Ever met someone you would like to go out with? Did you just walk
right up to them and ask them out? Probably not, you most likely worked on earning their
trust and getting them to feel comfortable with you and attracted to you. There is no
difference when you want someone to give you money for something. It goes double when
that something is something they never knew existed or could be achieved. What Halbert
does here is utilize the classic two-step approach that is a hallmark of his writing. Start with
a low-priced item (here it is a 4 hour seminar) and then use that to follow up with a high-
priced backend (high-priced seminars, copywriting services, marketing consulting, etc.)
Gary Halbert is a true master of the art so observe and study how he constructs the
process.
Lesson 10: How to Keep Your Money from Being Murdered!
People hate to be swindled. This is a powerful attention getter. It jerks the reader to notice
and read but notice that it is done subtly it’s not a hard sell.
Lesson 11: The Amazing Black Secret of A Las Vegas Mystery Man!
This is what I love about Halbert, Eugene Schwartz used the same technique as do all the
very best copywriters. Take information about the subject or product that is literally
unknown outside the inner circle (the insiders) and then use this little known information to
build your case. Your audience is already interested in what you have to say, your headline
has hooked them and your opener has peaked their interest because of the promise of
insider information. Now you begin to deliver on that promise by providing insider “secrets.”
It not only keeps them interested and reading but it also begins to get them excited about
your offer, an offer you have not even begun to make.
Lesson 12: At Last! China Reveals Her 1300 Year Old Stay-Young Health Secret.
Halbert, Knowing his audience, knowing that they have heard it all but are looking for that
missing element that will truly solve their problem, uses a headline that promises to reveal
a 1300 year old “hidden secret”. Asia is seen as having a corner on the market of natural
health remedies and (as all good copywriters should do), he anticipates what they are
thinking so he comes right out and says “it’s not acupuncture.” Which further peaks their
interest by posing another question, if it’s not acupuncture, what is it?
Lesson 13: The Amazing "Facelift in a Jar" Used by Hollywood Stars Who Don't
Want Plastic Surgery
This is one of Gary Halbert’s most famous headlines. It was responsible for taking Tova
Borgnine’s troubled company into the stratosphere. After Halbert worked his magic Tova’s
company became highly profitable. What Gary did with this headline is determine what
people really want from a skin cream. What they want is a “face lift.” So, with that in mind
he knew that he needed to position the product as much more than a skin cream. Skin
creams are a dime a dozen but a “face lift in a jar?” now there was something to talk about.
Lesson 14: The Amazing Marketing Miracles Created By Sir Gary of Halbert!
This ad is all Gary. Commonly referred to as a “testimonial” ad. Halbert wrote the ad and
had Blade Thomas endorse it. By using the advertising director for a big name publication
like entrepreneur magazine, Gary ads credibility to himself from the get-go.
Lesson 15: Free Website Reveals How To Make Huge Profits In Nasdaq Stocks
During The First 47 Minutes The Market Is Open!
Every aspiring copywriter knows that your headline needs a hook to attract attention and
entice the reader to read on. Can you guess what the hook is in this web ad that Gary
wrote?
Lesson 16: Here Is A Little-Known Secret That Can Help You Make Serious Profits
Trading Nasdaq Stocks!
One of the most effective ways to begin your copy is to open with a story. Because Gary
had already pre-qualified the prospect with the prior lead generation ad he takes the liberty
of jumping right in with a story to explain his system.
Lesson 17: Here Are 3 Very Low- Priced Stocks You Must Know About Before
Midnight On Tuesday, June 30, 1998! Here Are 3 Very Low- Priced Stocks You Must
Know About Before Midnight
Urgency and Scarcity are the hallmarks of a great headline and this is one your going to
want to keep and file away. With an emotion based overheated stock market timing is
everything. That is why scarcity coupled with the fear of loss is so compelling.
Lesson 18: High School Student Loses Almost 600 Pounds and Now Devotes His
Life to Helping Others Get Skinny!
Creates credibility by using authoritative proof as well as establishing the fact that what is
about to be described is newsworthy and has been covered by independent third parties.
Lesson 19: How to Make Money with Your Credit Cards
A very simple headline. The simplicity in and of itself is a hook because it leaves you with
one question…how? How do you make money with credit cards. By being the first out of the
starting gate with a concept you can capitalize on the potential market by using simple yet
effective headlines especially when no one is aware of the product yet.
Lesson 20: Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Day Trader In The Hottest
Financial Market In The World?
…Posing a probing question. Putting the reader in control (or so they think) by asking a
positioning question that causes the reader to feel like this is not a sales pitch. This
approach when handled properly is very effective.
Lesson 21: The Amazing Money Making Secret of a Desperate Nerd from Ohio!
You must get into the psyche of your audience the psyche of grass roots America. Eugene
Schwartz once said that top-shelf copywriters read publications like the National Enquire,
Weekly Worldwide News, People Magazine, etc. These publications are geared toward your
average American, they are at the check out and their headlines scream to be read…they
draw you in and whether or not you actually buy the rag you are literally forced to pick it up
and read to find out more. National Enquire writers are some of the highest paid in the
world and there is a reason for that. Their headlines are loaded with hooks. That is what
draws you in. Halbert knew that intrinsically. Many of his headlines read like they are
straight out of the pages of the National Enquire. Look at the hook he used here “Desperate
Nerd.” Anyone can see that a headline of this nature is much better than “how to quickly
and easily make a gazillion dollars.”
Lesson 22: The Famous Stick Letter
As you can see, I have attached a nice, crisp $1 bill to the top of this letter. Why have I
done this? Actually, there are two reasons:
Lesson 23: The Eye Surgery Letter
As you can see, I have attached a nice, crisp $1 bill to the top of this letter. Why have I
done this? Actually, there are two reasons: Gary uses the same headline for a different
market and you can too!
Lesson 24: Miami Beach Lesbian Creates New Product that Makes All Women
Almost Instantly Crazy to Have Sex with Males... or... Females!
Enter Gary Halbert story teller. This is Gary Halbert at his irreverent finest. As he begins to
weave his tale enter the “Miami Beach Lesbian,” the character and the plot (Hook #1) and a
product that can make women attractive to other women, “hummm, what would that do for
a man who used it?” (Hook #2).
Lesson 25: How to Burn off Body Fat, Hour by Hour!
This headline harkens back to a famous one by Eugene Schwartz which linked the
eradication of disease to “burning” it out of your body. The use of the word burn or burning
creates a visual image of something that is not easily seen with the eyes while at the same
time creating a mental image of the fat coming off right away.
Lesson 26: The Amazing Diet Secrets of a Desperate Housewife
Over used now, powerful words like amazing, secrets and desperate were extremely
effective selling tools. In those markets that have not had an over-exposure to them, they
are still effective today. Amazing implies that this product out performs anything else on the
market. Secret implies that you are getting access to something that others are not.
Lesson 27: New Haley's Comet “Silver Eagle” Is Totally Unique and Made of Pure
Silver!
Scarcity! That is the key emotional hot button of this ad. In order to learn the masterful use
of scarcity in an ad, I chose this one out of all of Gary’s ad to study.
Lesson 28: How To Collect From Social Security at Any Age!
Find a pond with hungry fish and you have your market. Just whip out your pole and drop
the line in. Here Halbert discovered that even by someone placing an obscure, miniscule
notice in the back of a local paper about gaining access to your social security investment,
that people, by the droves were lining up to request their fair share.
This got the wheels moving, you can almost see the cogs in the brain of the ole shitweasel
turning. When Gary heard about this he decided to take advantage of the demand and
create a product just for them. This product and ad are the direct result of his decision. And
(according to the Prince of Print himself) one of the 9 all time greatest ads to study and
learn from.
Lesson 29: How Almost Any Man Can Get Non-Stop Sex... While... He Is Waiting To
Meet His Dream Lover!
Leave no doubt who you are targeting, “Men.” What man doesn’t want “non-stop” sex. It
would be difficult for any man to not at least stop in his tracks and read this headline.
“Wow! I can have non-stop sex while I’m looking for the ultimate lover?” Again it would be
very difficult to avoid reading to find out more.
Lesson 30: The Options Hotline Letter
As you can see, I have attached a nice, crisp $1 bill to the top of this letter. Why have I
done this? Actually, there are two reasons: This is the third time in these lessons that
Halbert has used the same headline approach, all for 3 different niches. You can apply the
same to your marketing!
Lesson 31: Generous, Creative Businessman Wants To Find A Hot, Sexy Woman
With A Good Sense Of Humor
Notice the personal tone of this ad? Again, this is one of Gary’s most infamous ads and in
fact if this was the only ad he ever wrote he would have made his mark as a master
copywriter. Who in their right mind would not read on after a headline like that, even if just
for a little while? Notice the seductive words used to grab interest…paradise, exciting,
adventures. Then Gary begins to describe himself in such a way, it’s as if you already know
him.
_________________________________________________________________
WARNING!
Lesson 32 Contains Sexually Explicit Material...If you have a problem with that you
should not study this ad...
_________________________________________________________________
Lesson 32: How Even A Plain-Looking Woman Can Make Herself 350% More
Sexually Attractive To Almost Any Man On Earth!
Notice the personal tone of this ad? Again, this is one of Gary’s most infamous ads and in
fact if this was the only ad he ever wrote he would have made his mark as a master
copywriter. Who in their right mind would not read on after a headline like that, even if just
for a little while? Notice the seductive words used to grab interest…paradise, exciting,
adventures. Then Gary begins to describe himself in such a way, it’s as if you already know
him.
Lesson 33: Amazing High-Speed Diet Pill Produces Extremely Fast Weight-Loss!
Key focus, people hate to diet people want to lose weight. There is a wealth of great copy
here in just the first paragraph. Look at the hot buttons that are pushed: all-natural, fast-
acting, fat-fighting. Also notice the power words used: miracle, destroys fat, killer. Then
there is the credibility statement: One doctor says that it burns off more fat than running 98
miles per week. This not only adds credibility by coming from a doctor but proves the sheer
quality of the product.
Lesson 34: Amazing New Formula from Beverly Hills Lets You Look Years Younger
What woman wouldn’t want to look like a beautiful Hollywood Actress? Virtually every
woman secretly wants to live the Beverly Hills lifestyle. If only someone had that secret
formula that the stars themselves use. What woman doesn’t want to look younger? This is
the targeted group that Halbert is having a conversation with here. It is a huge group. But
first he has to capture their attention.
Lesson 35: Researchers In FDA Certified Lab Discover How To Triple Your Energy!
Notice the authority of the above headline. Authority headlines are extremely influential
because if you have the voice of an authority figure making a statement it carries much
more weight than the average “joe.” In addition to that it gives the impression of a news
article as opposed to an advertisement, disarming your reader.
Lesson 36: The FAMOUS “Coat of Arms” Letter
The biggest hidden persuader in the letter is its personalization. Prior to this time nobody
personalized letters. After the industry caught on they personalized the heck out their direct
mail pieces. But Halbert DID NOT do that in this letter. Count the number of times the name
of the reader is mentioned. is headline reader. The key to the success of this letter is that
everything about it look personal. Halbert had the offset printed letters trucked into to Bath,
OH so that they would have the Bath, OH post mark because the return address of Nancy L.
Halbert of Ira Road, Bath, OH. Gary’s hometown = A Pile Mail.
Lesson 37: The Semontier Strategy Letter
This story about two prospects may seem vaguely familiar, it was made popular by the
famous Wall Street Journal promo, as you can see many copywriting ideas can be adapted
and modified, working time and time again for all kinds of products.
Lesson 38: Experience the ultimate muscle-pumper that has the fitness freaks
crying, NO FAIR!
Here Dr. Douglas takes a direct swipe at the fitness industry making the promise that you
can maintain “your muscles without leaving your La-Z-Boy.” It's this type of imagery that
resonates in people’s minds…as they continue to read…this image continues to reappear.
This is the type on imagery you want to construct for your ads.
Lesson 39: The Most Profitable ‘Boot Camp In A Box’ Ever Or You Get Double Your
Money Back Guaranteed!
Let me give you a little insider information about the origins of this “famous” letter. This
letter brought back $41 for every $1 spent in mailing costs. It's a long letter (24 pages, plus
a 2-page testimonial insert and order form)... the longest Scott had written up to that point.
It was a huge success. In fact, it doubled the response of a letter Dan Kennedy wrote for
the event tapes the year before.
Lesson 40: [Gene Schwartz] 'NOW! TURN YOUR MIND INTO A MENTAL MAGNET'
One of the most famous headlines of all time, This incredible headline from the late great
Gene Schwartz is an immediate attention grabber. The fact that you can power up your
mind to attract almost anything you want has an appeal to those who are just not satisfied
with the status quo. This headline conjures up images that you can take and empower your
mind in ways you may have thought impossible. But there is one other great aspect about
this headline…in fact it is the most important aspect. It gets you to do what a headline is
supposed to do. It forces you to read on to find out what this is all about.
