“Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.”
Joseph Heller, Catch-22
I first read Catch-22 when I was 18.
I thought it was immensely funny. Not because it was filled with jokes (it’s not). But because each time I thought I had a grip on where the book was going, it slipped away from me and swam somewhere else.
And that’s very relevant for copywriting, too. As Jim Rutz, one of the most successful copywriters of all times, once wrote:
“You must surprise the reader at the outset and at every turn of the copy. This takes time and toil.”
I bet you know exactly how to surprise the reader.
And you know where to apply the time and toil that Rutz is talking about.
Because I just gave you a good clue, in the quote above from Catch-22.
In case you don’t see the answer yet, read over the quote and it should become less and less obvious.
In the meantime, if you need surprisingly effective advertorial copy, the following might help you get a start: