Look out Don Draper, Peggy Olsen has stolen the show.
The realm of famous copywriters is no longer dominated by men in tailored suits, brainstorming the next catchy headline from their sprawling 100-square-foot offices.
Today, a diverse lineup is running the show with unmatched skill and creativity.
Google “most famous copywriters”, and you’ll mostly see lists of the same white male copywriters from an era before Gerwig turned the Barbie concept on its head.
I’d like to think those days are behind us.
So here’s the list of new-school famous copywriters who should know, follow and learn from, as well as the traditional list of direct response sales and ad men you might have been searching for.
Laura Belgray
Laura Belgray is famous for her email newsletters that feel like a best friend wrote them. With her hilarious sense of humour and lazy launch approach, she’s built a million-dollar empire.
Eman Ismail
Famous for email copywriting VIP weeks, Eman Ismail also hosts one of the most impressive business podcasts of today: Mistakes That Made Me.
Brenna McGowan
You’ve probably heard that “riches are in the niches”.
Brenna McGowan is walking proof with her signature prelaunch strategy and copy offer. Her Prelaunch Plan Program shows you how to do it yourself (I love this program so much, I’ve taken it twice!)
Belinda Weaver
Famous for copywriting mentorship, Belinda Weaver was one of the first copywriters I discovered when I started for myself. She has supported countless copywriters through her various newsletters, podcasts and programs.
Kate Toon
Famous for SEO copywriting, Kate Toon is now more digital marketing mastermind than a copywriter but is still the go-to resource for all things SEO (a must for anyone who writes web copy for themselves or others)
Prerna Malik
Famous for launch strategy and copywriting, Prerna Malik makes up one-half of Content Bistro together with her husband, Mayank. This dream team has been featured in Copyhackers, Convertkit and Forbes, just to name a few.
Chelsea Wallace
Famous for launch strategy and copywriting, Wallace’s words have helped generate almost $4 million in revenue. Her focus is on building sustainable and profitable launches.
Susan Reoch
Hi, you didn’t think I’d leave myself out, did you?! 😉
Famous for UX copywriting, Susan Reoch helps do-it-yourselfers and copywriters fast-track their website writing process and success backed by User Experience expertise.
Joanna Weibe
Famous for founding Copyhackers, Joanna Weibe is the Canadian Powerhouse who (in my research) was often the sole woman featured on famous copywriter lists. She’s the original conversion copywriter and creator of Copyhackers.
Kira Hug
Famous for launch strategy and copywriting, Kira Hug is also co-founder of The Copywriter Club and its fabulous resources, including a membership, mastermind, Facebook group and podcast.
Old-school famous copywriters
Okay, so you searched “famous copywriters for advertising,” and you were like, blah blah feminism. But hey, you stuck around, didn’t you?
Here’s a shortlist of the famous copywriter list you’ll mostly see blasted across the internet.
Gary Bencivenga
Famous for direct response (like most of this second list), Gary Bencivenga compiled his four-decade career into 29 marketing bullet points that act as a masterclass on persuasion.
Claude C. Hopkins
He’s famous for inventing the concept of a “slogan” and popularising testing (using coupons, no less!). Claude C. Hopkins is widely attributed with getting America to brush their teeth every day thanks to a toothpaste campaign.
Rosser Reeves
You can thank Rosser Reeves for the concept and term “Unique Selling Proposition” which he based his slogans around.
Clayton Makepeace
According to many articles, this famous ad copywriter has sold BILLIONS of dollars worth of product. While he wrote for a few different niches, he really focused on the financial market – showing the importance of finding a profitable niche.
Gary Halbert
He is famous for his direct-response sales letters but also, interestingly, for the 25 letters he wrote to his son from prison — the Boron Letters 🤯
Leo Burnett
Founder of the long-running Leo Burnett Company, Inc. agency, Leo Burnett was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people. A famous copywriter for ads, he created famous archetypes like the Marlboro Mab, Doughboy, and Tony the Tiger to move product.
David Ogilvy
Known as the “Father of Advertising”, David Ogilvy is famous for his agency by the same name and his insistence that the customer be treated as intelligent. This famous copywriter for ads coined the now-famous copywriter phrase, “The customer is not a moron, she’s your wife“.
What do these famous copywriters have in common?
I was trying to find the common thread between each of these famous copywriters and was coming up short, when it hit me.
Reputation.
Each and every one of these copy pros may be top of their game but they also are clever marketers not just for their clients but also for themselves.
The biggest mistake you can make is waiting for others to build your reputation. After all, you’re far more invested in your own success than anyone else is.
You get to control that narrative.
Becoming famous for UX Copywriting was 100% a strategic decision I made about 3 years ago. And here we are.
Start telling people what you want to be famous for, and you will have taken an important step in that direction.
See you on a stage somewhere soon.
