I was a copywriter and creative director for 30+ years and I’ve taught copywriting (and other subjects) for ten. I’m grateful to those who have written books that capture what it’s like to be a copywriter in an agency, how to develop and apply some key advertising principles, and how to critique copywriting. But unfortunately, I have yet to find a traditional print textbook that includes everything young copywriters need to develop their skills.

That’s a shame because copywriting has hidden powers that can be used to help amazing brands find their consumers. It can be used to help you find your people. It can also help change the political narrative and all of our lives—for the better. Copywriting is a secret storytelling weapon you can use to get what you want in the classroom, in your career, and in your life. That’s why I say copywriting is a super power. A super power that everyone can tap into.

You can use this super power to convince anyone of almost anything. Copywriting will help you accomplish your goal—whether you need to write an email to your boss asking for time off; convince your spouse to buy that sexy new car; get your parents to let you go to stay out later; change the political narrative; or convince a client to entrust you with millions of dollars to help them market their product or service.

If you’re a student of advertising, marketing, public relations and/or communications, learning how to connect a strategy with its creative, persuasive expression through copywriting will serve you not only in class—but throughout your life and career.

Why OER instead of a physical book?

In today’s fast-moving digital world, words and pictures are likely to be out of date not long after they’re printed. That’s one reason I decided not to write a physical textbook that would quickly become obsolete. For example, in 2023, hardly anyone was talking about AI. In 2026, AI is having an immense impact on every aspect of the communications industry and our lives. Likewise, this year’s most effective and award winning campaigns/content will become passé within six months. New advertising stars are born overnight. And new methods and tools could become available by the time you finish reading this sentence.

Another reason I wrote this as an online resource is that traditional textbooks cost money—which is in short supply for many students of public universities such as CUNY. An Open Educational Resource (OER) is free and accessible. But money isn’t the only barrier when it comes to learning. For those who are visually impaired, a physical book is useless. The same goes for those who are hearing impaired, physically unable to be in a classroom, or who are neurodiverse. Practically speaking, the best way to make knowledge available to the largest number of students is via an Open Educational Resource that has built-in features that make the content accessible to everyone.

So when I was invited to take part in a CUNY program designed by Rebus that supports faculty as they develop OER projects, I was thrilled to take part. After all, in my Advertising Copywriting class at The City College of New York, I was already mixing professional best practices with academic resources, plus the methods and tools of ad pros who are still in the industry. I routinely drew on classic examples, plus the latest content, campaigns and trends.

I chose not to write a physical textbook that needs to be updated and reprinted every semester. Instead, I wrote an OER that can be updated each semester—or whenever new technologies, strategies, practices, and thinking becomes imminent and imperative.