In October, I challenged myself to learn the big concepts in marketing (see here). I’m not a marketer by nature, but I figured it’s something I can get better at if I learn the big concepts. Plenty of people understand it deeply, so I read several books about people who pioneered marketing strategies and built agencies—Claude Hopkins, David Ogilvy, Albert Laster, etc. I also read a framework book by Donald Miller, which explained how to craft messages that resonate with customers.

A central thing that kept coming up in these books is copywriting. As I understand it, copywriting is the art of conveying a message in a way that increases the chances of the reader purchasing.

When I attended the Newsletter Summit last week, copywriting appeared again in some strategy sessions. Many newsletters sell advertising, so it makes sense that copywriting is top of mind for many newsletter entrepreneurs whose revenue is based on advertising. Advertisers want readers to convert into customers. If that doesn’t happen, they stop advertising. The strategies these entrepreneurs use to test and optimize their copy are impressive. But when I zoomed out, I saw that they’re using the same strategies as Hopkins and Lasker while using tactics optimized for today’s digital world.

I still have a lot to learn about marketing, but I see the value in effective copywriting. Right now, my gut tells me that it’s a bit art and a bit science. But we’ll see if that’s confirmed or denied as I learn more about it.