“You’re reading this not because you want to, but because I want you to. Now, you’re reading this second sentence because, again, I’m telling you and forcing you to read this.”
That is the power of copywriting.
Those lines come from Sam Parr, the founder who built The Hustle into a massive daily newsletter empire from scratch and later sold it to HubSpot. Today, he is the co-host of My First Million, one of the most popular business podcasts in the world.
If you want to build a business, you have to know how to sell. And if you want to sell online, you have to know how to write. According to Sam, copywriting isn’t just writing words; it’s understanding human psychology, knowing what people want, and figuring out the exact sequence of words required to get them to take action.
Here are the core copywriting frameworks Sam used to build his multi-million dollar empire.
1. The AIDA Method (Even for Flirting)
AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. It is the foundational framework for almost all successful marketing.
Sam even used this framework to land a date with his wife. He saw her at a restaurant and knew he needed to grab her Attention. When she walked by, he had a friend ask him loudly, “What’s the difference between a chickpea and a lentil?” Sam delivered the punchline, grabbing her attention and making her laugh. That sparked her Interest, built Desire through a charming introduction, and led to the Action of a date.
In business, you can say almost anything as long as you capture attention and evoke a positive emotion. Sam calls this “Restaurant Owner Energy”—speaking to your audience with the warmth, familiarity, and confidence of a restaurant owner welcoming a regular customer.
2. Mind the Gap (The Curiosity Hook)
David Ogilvy famously said that five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. If your headline fails, your entire ad fails.
The secret to a great headline is creating a “curiosity gap.” Human beings are psychologically wired to hate unresolved tension. If you open a loop, they have to read the next sentence to close it.
Think of the famous vintage ad: “They laughed when I sat down at the piano, but then I started to play.” You have to know what happened next. Mind the gap by giving the reader just enough information to hook them, but withholding the payoff until they read further.
3. The Slippery Slope
Famed copywriter Joe Sugarman coined the concept of the “slippery slope.”
The sole purpose of your headline is to get the reader to read the first sentence. The sole purpose of the first sentence is to get them to read the second sentence.
You achieve this by building momentum. In your writing, tease what is coming next. Use phrases like, “What I’m about to tell you next will blow your mind, but really quick, let me explain this…” It keeps the reader sliding down the page until they hit your call to action.
4. Write at a 7th Grade Level
If your writing is complex, you will lose your audience.
The New York Times is written at a 7th-grade reading level. Warren Buffett, one of the smartest men alive, writes his annual shareholder letters using an average of just 17 words per sentence.
Keep sentences short.
One sentence should make one point.
If you find yourself using a comma, try replacing it with a period.
Start sentences with transition words like “And” or “But” to create a punchy rhythm.
Write your first draft, cut a third of the words, cut another third, and cut it again. Constrain forces clarity.
5. Sell With Stories (The Hero’s Journey)
People are terrified to use stories in their ads because they think it makes the copy “too long.”
According to Sam, there is no such thing as too long, just too boring.
We are biologically wired to respond to stories. When writing copy, use the Hero’s Journey framework. But here is the critical rule: Your brand is not the hero. Your customer is the hero. Your brand is the guide that helps the hero overcome their problem and reach their goal.
6. Address Objections Head-On
The best way to disarm a skeptic is to call out their skepticism before they can even voice it.
Think of the final rap battle in the movie 8 Mile. Eminem completely disarms his opponent by listing out all of his own flaws first, leaving his opponent with nothing to attack.
Do the same in your copy. Say things like, “I know what you’re thinking. Why should you trust me?” or “You’re probably thinking you don’t have time for this right now.” By calling out the objection, you build immediate trust and control the narrative.
7. Copywork (The Ultimate Cheat Code)
If you want to become a world-class copywriter, do what Sam did for six months: Copywork.
Find the greatest ads, sales letters, and headlines in history. Sit down with a pen and a notebook, and write them out word-for-word by hand.
When you physically write out the words of masters like David Ogilvy or Gary Halbert, you begin to feel the texture, the rhythm, and the syntax of high-converting copy. You absorb their rules, and once you know the rules, you can start bending them to fit your own voice.
Here’s a great storytelling breakdown by Sam Parr:
