Lousy copywriter David Ogilvy with some hints you can use

At Letters of Note, a blog that reproduces interesting letters written by interesting people, a letter on writing from advertising legend David Ogilvy: I am a lousy copywriter. Here are some excerpts:

• I spend a long time studying the precedents. I look at every advertisement which has appeared for competing products during the past 20 years.
• I am helpless without research material—and the more "motivational" the better.
• I write out a definition of the problem and a statement of the purpose which I wish the campaign to achieve. Then I go no further until the statement and its principles have been accepted by the client.
• Before actually writing the copy, I write down every conceivable fact and selling idea. Then I get them organized and relate them to research and the copy platform.
• Then I write the headline. As a matter of fact I try to write 20 alternative headlines for every advertisement. And I never select the final headline without asking the opinion of other people in the agency. In some cases I seek the help of the research department and get them to do a split-run on a battery of headlines.