"You cannot bore people into buying your product. You can only interest them in buying it." — David Ogilvy
A diagnostic that strips your marketing copy down to what Ogilvy would have demanded: a headline that stops the scroll, specifics that sell, and an offer worth responding to. No opinions. Just the framework that built $1.48 billion in billings.
You point /ogilvy at any piece of copy — email, landing page, ad, sales page, social post, headline. You get back four things:
- The Diagnosis — blunt, specific, tied to Ogilvy's 10 beliefs. What works. What doesn't. Whether there's a big idea at all.
- Three Fixes — each linked to a principle, each implementable in 10 minutes
- The Rewrite — finished copy, ready to use, with inline comments showing what moved and why
- The Verdict — one line. Would Ogilvy run this ad.. or fire the copywriter?
These aren't suggestions. They're the principles behind the most successful advertising career in history.
| # | Belief | What it means for your copy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The headline is 80% of the ad | Five times as many people read the headline as the body. If you haven't done some selling in your headline, you've wasted 80% of your money |
| 2 | The consumer is not a moron — she is your wife | Never talk down. Never bore. Never write copy you wouldn't want your own family to read |
| 3 | Specifics sell, generalities don't | "At 60 mph, the loudest noise in this Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock" beats "Rolls-Royce is a quiet car" |
| 4 | Every ad invests in the brand | Every piece of copy either builds the brand image or erodes it. There is no neutral |
| 5 | Big ideas are simple ideas | If it doesn't make you gasp when you first see it, it's not a big idea |
| 6 | Facts sell better than adjectives | Research what makes the product remarkable. Then state it plainly |
| 7 | First person singular is powerful | "I" pulls the reader in. Story pulls the reader in. Testimonials pull the reader in |
| 8 | Long copy sells more than short copy | People who are interested will read. Never be brief at the expense of persuasion |
| 9 | The offer matters more than the copy | A mediocre ad with a great offer beats a great ad with a mediocre offer |
| 10 | Test everything | Opinions are worthless without data. Measure response, not applause |
Subject: Quick question
Hi there, I help companies grow their revenue through strategic consulting. We've worked with hundreds of businesses to improve their sales processes. Would love to chat about how we can help your team too. Free 15-min call?
"Quick question" — the two most ignored words in email. The headline is 80% of the ad, and this headline says nothing. "I help companies grow their revenue" — every consultant on earth. Where are the specifics? Where is the proof? "Hundreds of businesses" — a generality pretending to be a credential. Which businesses? What result? "Would love to chat" — the reader doesn't care what you'd love. They care what they'd gain. There is no big idea here. There is no offer. There is no reason to keep reading past the first line.
Subject: 144x ROI in 90 days
We ran a 90-day sprint with Alchemy — a $3M/year company stuck at the same revenue for two years. 130% revenue growth. 144x return on what they paid us.
Three things we changed: their positioning (too broad), their pricing (too low for their buyer), and their pipeline (too dependent on referrals). Took 90 days.
If your revenue has flatlined and you suspect it's a strategy problem, not a sales problem.. I'll show you where the constraint is. 30 minutes. No pitch.
Pick your best time: [Calendly link]
Simon Severino CEO, Strategy Sprints — strategysprints.com
What changed: Generic subject line → specific result. "I help companies" → named client with numbers. "Hundreds of businesses" → one business, one outcome, one proof point. "Would love to chat" → "I'll show you where the constraint is." Every change follows Belief 3 (specifics sell) and Belief 6 (facts over adjectives).
The original was wallpaper. The rewrite is a Rolls-Royce ad. I would run it.
Every /ogilvy review follows this format:
THE OGILVY DIAGNOSIS
[3-5 paragraphs. Direct, opinionated, specific. References which of
the 10 beliefs are being violated or honored. Quotes specific lines.]
THREE IMPROVEMENTS
1. [ELEMENT]: [What to change]
Ogilvy principle: [Which belief and why]
2. [ELEMENT]: [What to change]
Ogilvy principle: [Which belief and why]
3. [ELEMENT]: [What to change]
Ogilvy principle: [Which belief and why]
THE REWRITE
[Finished copy. Ready to use. Inline comments on what moved and why.]
THE VERDICT
[One line. Pass or fail. Would Ogilvy run this ad?]
- Before sending any cold email or outreach sequence
- Before publishing a landing page or sales page
- Before launching an ad campaign
- Before hitting send on a newsletter
- When copy "feels right" but isn't converting
- When you suspect AI-generated copy sounds too polished and too empty
- After writing, before publishing — pair with
/seven-criticsfor the full stress test
- To write copy from scratch (this is a diagnostic, not a copywriter)
- On copy that's already converting well (don't fix what isn't broken)
- As a substitute for knowing your customer (Ogilvy himself spent weeks studying the product before writing a word)
cp ogilvy.md ~/.claude/commands/ogilvy.mdThen run:
/ogilvy <paste copy, URL, or file path>
Paste ogilvy.md into any frontier model conversation. Then share your copy.
Copy the contents of ogilvy.md into ChatGPT, Claude, or any LLM that accepts structured instructions.
Ogilvy didn't guess. He researched. He tested. He measured. And then he wrote headlines that sold millions.
Most marketing copy today would not survive his desk. It's vague where it should be specific. It's clever where it should be clear. It buries the offer, if there is one at all.
This skill doesn't make your copy "better." It makes your copy sell. There's a difference. Ogilvy knew it. Most copywriters still don't.
Strategy Sprints helps B2B founders close bigger deals, faster, without hiring more people. 90-day sprints. One constraint at a time. Added over $2 Billion in sales to clients in finance, software, and consulting.
What we offer:
- Sprint Club — 251 founders across 72 countries. $49/month. AI-powered sales skills, community, weekly content.
- 200K Club — Weekly group coaching. 5 founders per group. Pipeline, deals, pricing. $900/month.
- Private Implementation — 90-day sprints with your team. $9,000/month. Best result: 144x ROI.
- AI Operations Sprint — Build your AI infrastructure in 5 days. $15,000.
- One-on-One Coaching — $30,000 per client.
- Workshop — $80,000. Full-day intensive for your leadership team.
Book a free Strategy Sprint call: strategysprints.com
keep rolling, Simon & The Sprinters