Charlie Chaplin, Demosthenes, & David Ogilvy

 I’m glad you appreciate my writing, but …

In a discussion on classic film comedy, a critic said that when he watched Charlie Chaplin he thought to himself that he was watching a comic genius at work, but when he watched Laurel and Hardy, he laughed.

Which is reminiscent of a story from a few thousand years ago, that David Ogilvy referenced in a famous quote about advertising:

I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form,

but as a medium of information. When I write an advertisement,

I don't want you to tell me that you find it creative. I want you to

find it so interesting that you buy the product. When Aeschines spoke,

they said, "How well he speaks." But when Demosthenes spoke,

they said, "Let us march against Philip."

Don’t let your writing distract your audience. Keep them focused on the offer, why they want/need it, and how to access it.

Go for more Demosthenes and less Aeschines.