As an author and professional speaker on marketing, I've recommended this book for years. It provides more specifics and sound advice for novice and experienced marketers on direct response advertising than anything else I've seen. It provides good fuel to test an ad agency's stuff-- especially those that say things like "oh, you can't track that..." I've re-read this book probably 20 times -- and you should too if you really want to improve the results of your advertising.

It is so good because Caples was in the mail order advertising business for forty-something years, and that's one of the few kinds of advertising that gets real feedback. Ads can be tested and the results can be compared. So Caples gives you FACTS rather than opinions about what works in advertising.

The book is very informative and also very interesting because Caples will show you two examples of ads he ran as a split-run and says "one sold three times more than the other; can you guess which one?" Then he'll tell you, and tell you WHY.

Not only that, but the book is extremely readable. I'm the author of Self-Help Stuff That Works, and I'm an expert on putting the most useful information into a readable form, and this book is as good as it gets. As David Ogilvy says in the introduction, "This is, without a doubt, the most USEFUL book about advertising that I have ever read." No more endorsement than that is needed!

And when they saw the RESULTS of my advertisement, the other guys simply said "Where do you get your ideas?" But, truth be told, my ideas are not all that original, but they do work, and I get my source from Tested Advertising Methods.

And that's the premise of this book--ads that are going to work; ads that will bring in customer response; ads that will produce sales. Sometimes you see advertisements with clever copy. But this book shows you how to write headlines, use effective copy, and properly use graphics that will help you SELL a service or product.

In most advertising books, you get clever ideas on ads. Some of those ads may have worked, and some may have flopped. If you want tested advertising methods, then get the book "Tested Advertising Methods". If you want one book that will show you how to sell a product or service, then get this book.

Like many of us running small businesses, I have no choice but to come up with ads, brochures, press releases, etc. myself. This book gives me a systematic way of doing so, and I credit it with saving me a lot of money in missteps. If you follow the guidelines and checklists carefully, you will probably produce advertising and promotional material that at the very least avoids being amateurish, and will probably sell some products. I like that it concisely gives an overview over each of the areas of advertising and promotion. It explains insider terms without being condescending. Any Gripes? If I could afford the "test" runs of 5000 mailing pieces before I made my "real" mailing of many times that, I wouldn't be reading this book now would I?! But I am probably making excuses for not following their advice on testing advertising, and would be better off if I followed it. The book has been a great help in building my business, and I consult it frequently.

This book holds your hand every step of the way, The information is well presented and helpful.