Manifesto Writing

Created by Lonnie Elliott, Powered by Serious Copywriting

Welcome

This is a free resource for learning, studying, and enjoying the craft of brand manifestos. It’s based on a personal approach I developed over 12 years as a copywriter and copy director inside the creative studios at Apple and Meta.
If you want to submit a manifesto, have any feature requests, or run into trouble, send me an email. Thanks for visiting.

Updates

✓ Added 75 more manifestos to the archive
✓ Overhauled genres with better categories
✓ Expanded and updated the structures
Plus, if you like physical books, check out The Manifesto Writing Guide to Structure. 316 pages, 6 deep dives, 100+ scripts. Available now on Amazon.

Manifesto Examples

175+ Great Scripts

Click the link below to explore a collection of manifesto-worthy print ads and commercials scripts, all of which offer valuable insight into the craft of establishing creative ideas. Now updated with 75+ more manifestos.
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Knowledge Center

How to Write a Manifesto

This page walks you through the structure of great manifestos. Learn how to create powerful pieces with examples from the archive. Updated with the sixth and final structure: The W Shape.
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Mastering the Manifesto Style

Manifestos use specific language techniques that make them more memorable. Even though you may only use a few each time, I’ve found it helpful to keep all of them close at hand should a need arise.
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Types of Brand Manifestos

Now fully updated and improved. Every manifesto can be classified into six themes, which is the task your manifesto sets out to accomplish. Every theme can be written in every structure.
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Manifesto Cheat Sheets

I frequently post guides on Linkedin covering different aspects of the manifesto process. You can access an archive of those, which include deep dives on structure, genre, openings, endings, and more.
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External Resources

Deck of Brilliance

A stunning free resource for decoding and exploring conceptual strategies. Stuck coming up with a big idea? Start here.
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Stuff from the Loft

A huge collection of great copywriting sorted by individual writers. Click on a link on the page to find scores of great work.
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Brian Burch’s Linkedin

Follow Brian. He posts long-copy ads that he pulled himself from decades of great print. Your feed will better for it.
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Creative Brief Archive

An incredible resource for studying the craft of creative briefs. Perfect for seeing what good looks like. Free to join.
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Strategy Link Bank

A sensational collection of resources collected by Baiba Matisone that covers all aspects of brand strategy, all free.
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One Look Thesaurus

The best thesaurus. Massive word lists. Also lets you search for synonyms of phrases and idioms, which is rare.
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