Introduction
Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz is one of the most influential books ever written on copywriting, marketing psychology, and buyer behavior. It’s so important that you can barely find it. In public libraries, it oftentimes gets stolen. Below is a chapter-by-chapter summary of the book. You’re welcome.
Breakthrough Advertising Chapter by Chapter Summary
Chapter 1: Mass desire is the force that makes advertising work.
- Core idea: You can’t create new desire. You can only channel existing mass desires.
- Your job as an advertiser is to harness these already-present desires and show how your product satisfies them.
- Desires are universal and unchanging but the way they manifest varies based on sophistication, awareness, and culture.
Chapter 2: The 5 levels of customer awareness.
The audience progresses through 5 stages of awareness:
- Completely unaware: no awareness of problem or solution.
- Problem aware: knows they have a problem but not the solution.
- Solution aware: knows the result they want but not your product.
- Product aware: knows your product but unsure if it is right for them.
- Most aware: knows your product and wants it.
Each level requires different messaging.
Chapter 3: The 5 stages of market sophistication.
As markets become more mature, your copywriting must evolve:
- State the claim: Loose weight fast.
- Amplify the claim: Loose 10 lbs. in 7 days.
- Differentiate: With our fat-burning formula.
- Elaborate mechanism: Breaks fat at the cellular level.
- Identification/Emotional Appeal: For women tired of fad diets.
Your messaging must match the sophistication level of your audience.
Chapter 4: How to intensify a desire.
Instead of trying to invent new desires, amplify what is already there. Use the following techniques:
- Specificity (quantifiable benefits)
- Visualisation (vivid, sensory rich description)
- Naming the mechanism (giving the method a new name adds credibility)
Chapter 5: The stages of awareness applied.
Apply the 5 stages of awareness to practical advertising strategy. As awareness drops, more education and storytelling is needed.
Copywriting must shift from direct offer to educational narrative and from sales pitch to attention-building curiosity.
Chapter 6: Headlines and how to build them.
The headline is the first and often only shot at grabbing attention. Tailor your headlines to match awareness level and sophistication. This includes the following headline types:
- Direct benefit
- News
- How to
- Question
- Command
- Curiosity
Chapter 7: The anatomy of a great ad.
Great ads have a logical structure:
- Grab attention
- Intensify desire
- Increase believability
- Present mechanism
- Lead to action
Use transitions to carry the reader from curiosity to belief to action.
Chapter 8: Body copy construction.
Build your copywriting in a sequence:
- Start with desire: lead with emotion or need.
- Introduce the mechanism: explain how it works.
- Back with proof: testimonials, studies, stories.
- Deliver the promise: paint the before and after scenario
- Call to action: make it clear, specific, urgent.
Chapter 9: The art of pre-selling.
Pre-selling means building belief before the pitch. Tactics include:
- Storytelling
- Education
- Demonstrating authority or track record
The purpose is to decrease resistance and increase readiness.
Chapter 10: Copy testing and improving.
Analyze which parts of your ad fail or succeed. Track:
- Headline performance
- Drop-off points
- Offers and CTAs
Constantly refine your message to better fit market sophistication and awareness.
Key Takeaways
- Don’t invent desire. Channel existing emotions.
- Know your audience’s awareness level and sophistication
- Match your message and headline to where they are mentally.
- Explain your product’s mechanism, as in how it delivers the promised result.
- Copywriting is architecture. Each part builds on the following, towards conversion.
Source:
- Schwartz, Eugene M. Breakthrough Advertising. New York: Boardroom Books, 1966.