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 while working inside the creative studios at Apple and Meta.
I am constantly looking for ways to improve this site. If you have any requests, submissions, or ideas on how to make the experience better for everyone, please send me an email. Thank you.
Inspiring Examples
100+ Great Scripts
Click the link below to explore a collection of commercials and print ads to inspire your next manifesto. Most are not manifestos in the traditional sense, but all offer valuable insight into the craft of establishing creative ideas.
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Knowledge Center
How to Write a Manifesto
Despite popular belief, manifestos are not a random collection of sentences. At least the good ones aren’t. Most fall into the same five structures. These can be easily learned and mastered.
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.
Types of Brand Manifestos
Every manifesto can be classified into eight genres. A “genre” is the word I use for role of your manifesto—whether defining your purpose, giving advice, sharing perspective, and more.
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.
External Resources
Deck of Brilliance
A stunning free resource for decoding and exploring conceptual strategies. Stuck coming up with a big idea? Start here.
Stuff from the Loft
A huge collection of great copywriting sorted by individual writers. Click on a link to find pages of great print work.