#ContentWritingChat Recap: Direct Response Copywriting with Eddie Shleyner - Express Writers
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION
Direct Response Copywriting

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Direct Response Copywriting with Eddie Shleyner

by

Are you familiar with direct response copywriting?

Would you like to learn more about it?

Well, you’re in luck! That’s exactly what we discussed during this week’s #ContentWritingChat!

We talked about how you can apply direct response writing principles, a simple formula you can follow for writing copy, and shared some great resources to learn from!

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Direct Response Copywriting with Eddie Shleyner

Our guest host for this week was Eddie Shleyner. He’s a direct response copywriter and a content marketer. And Eddie is the founder of VeryGoodCopy. He shared some great tips during the chat, which you’ll want to check out! So, let’s go ahead and dive into our recap!

Q1: What is direct response copywriting?

To kick off the chat, we asked everyone to share what direct response copywriting is. Some of our participants were familiar with it, while others were not. It was a great opportunity to see who was new to the world of direct response. Here are a few responses we received:

As Eddie said, direct response is when you create copy that speaks directly to your target audience. He mentioned you need to grab attention, keep your readers engaged throughout your message, and persuade them to take immediate action afterwards.

Lexie know direct response copywriting is a way to get a swift reaction from your reader. You may push them towards making a purchase or something else.

Sarah agrees that it’s all about causing a direct response in the reader, which is typically done by tapping into their emotions.

As Julia pointed out, the action is immediate when it comes to direct response. There’s no waiting around here!

It’s going to eliminate the fluff and get straight to the point, which is a time saver for your readers.

Marijana said the purpose of direct response copywriting is to get people to take an action, which will be based on a goal that’s connected to your business objectives.

Q2: So is Don Draper from Mad Men a direct response copywriter?

Many of us are familiar with the Don Draper character from Mad Men. But was the work he did also direct response copywriting? Check out these answers:

Eddie said Don Draper was more of an in-direct response copywriter. His goal was to create copy that lingered in the mind until the consumer was presented with a buying decision.

Julia agrees with Eddie when it comes to Don’s work. He certainly knew what he was doing when it came to the campaigns he created.

Terry said Don was able to tell a story that made customers think they couldn’t live without a product. When it came time to buy, they recalled the copy he’d crafted.

Q3: What’s the greatest advantage direct response copywriters have over their in-direct counterparts?

Direct response copywriting can certainly have its advantages. But for those who aren’t familiar with it, they might wonder what those benefits are. Here’s what you need to know:

Eddie knows that those in direct response can easily measure an ad’s effectiveness through trackable actions. Being able to see those results come in is a great feeling!

He also encourages A/B testing on a single variable to see which one performs the best. You can tweet headlines or CTAs to determine which leads to the best conversion rate.

As Lexie pointed out, you’ll be able to tell right away if your efforts are working because your copy should lead to quick actions.

Although your content strategy is crucial, it’s more challenging to prove the success of a long-term campaign. As Marijana pointed out, you’re going to see results much sooner with direct response.

The immediacy of direct response means you’re going to see those sales coming in much sooner.

After all, there’s nothing better than meeting and exceeding your goals!

Q4: Can direct response WRITING principles be applied to an article, for instance, or another piece of business content that is not intended to drive immediate action?

Now that you see some of the benefits of direct response copywriting, you might be wondering if you can apply those tactics to other copy you’re creating. Here are a few responses that will guide you in the right direction:

Eddie’s advice is to be clear, be concise, and be compelling. This is always important to remember, no matter what kind of copy you’re creating.

Cut the fluff and get straight to the point! Don’t waste your time or your reader’s time.

Danielle pointed out that you need to know your audience in direct response copywriting, as well as their paint points. That’s going to be important no matter what you’re creating!

Lexie agrees that knowing your audience is crucial!

Using a compelling call to action is important, whether it’s direct or indirect copywriting.

As Terry said, you can apply the principles to anything. You can use direct response to trigger emotions or bring up a pain point. And that’s something you can use in a variety of formats.

If the copy doesn’t grab attention, it won’t read, understood, or revisited.

Q5: What’s a big mistake writers who are new to direct response often make?

If you’re just getting started with direct response copywriting, you’ll want to avoid making some big mistakes! These are ones to be aware of so you can make sure you don’t do them:

Eddie said writing in the first person is definitely a mistake. you want to write in the second person to allow your prospect to see themselves in the copy.

Cheval knows that failing to know and understand your audience is a big mistake.

Lexie agrees with Cheval. Knowing your audience is crucial, no matter what. You have to understand their needs in order to create copy that resonates.

As Julia pointed out, failing to educate yourself is a bad move. You always have to learn and improve your skills if you want to become better at what you do.

For Sarah, using clickbait headlines is a big no-no!

Telling your audience to buy something without making it clear what’s in it for them won’t get you very far.

Felicity knows subtly is key instead of shoving your product in your reader’s face.

Q6: What’s an effective, yet simple, direct response formula for beginners?

If you’re looking for an easy formula to help you get started with direct response copywriting, you’ll want to check out these responses!

Eddie recommends following the PAS formula by covering the problem, agitation, and the solution.

Marijana recommended a formula she learned through another business owner. It’s all about painting a picture of where the consumer is and where they want to be.

Know how you can help your audience and how their situation will improve with your offering. That’s a great way to secure results with your campaigns.

As Cheval knows, you can do any of these steps without first knowing your audience. Spend time researching them to see what they’re talking about and what they need help with.

Address their pain points and offer the solution you can provide to them.

Make sure you keep it simple and highlight the benefits your offering provides to your audience.

Q7: Besides Ogilvy, who are the best direct response copywriters to study?

There are plenty of people you can learn from to brush up on your skills! Here are some great copywriters to check out:

Eddie has a few recommendations that are definitely worth checking out.

As Sarah said, Neil Patel knows what he’s doing!

These are some go-to people for Terry to learn from. Add them to your list to check out!

For Julia, she loves reading content from Copyhackers.

Q8: What’s the fastest way to internalize a master copywriter’s voice, ton, style, and overall approach?

To wrap up the chat, here’s some final advice for you to take along on your direct response copywriting adventure:

Eddie suggests transcribing a copywriter’s work word-for-word.

Felicity has also been taught to use the same technique of writing their work over and over.

Lexie’s advice is to set some guidelines based on what you know about your audience. That will really help you and other writers on your team when you’re crafting copy.

Marijana said to learn from the building blocks within another copywriter’s work. You can review both direct and indirect response copywriters to better your skills.

Never stop learning, so make it a priority to ready copy from some of the masters out there. Don’t forget to test and experiment to see what works best for you.

Annette knows how important learning is, as it’s the best way to help you develop your own voice.

Do you want to join the next #ContentWritingChat? Follow @ExpWriters and @writingchat for all the latest! And be sure to hang out with us on Twitter every Tuesday at 10 AM Central.

No HR needed to get access to the best writers, editors, QAs and strategists. We are your all-in-one content writing service delivering publish-ready content.

Copyright – 2025 Expresswriter -All rights reserved