The $500 Per Word Copywriting Rule Every CEO Needs

24 Aug 2025 · 1 min

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In this concise instructional video, speaker George Foley presents a single, high‑impact copywriting principle: treat every word on a page as if it costs $500. By visualizing each word as a costly asset, marketers and CEOs are urged to eliminate unnecessary language and focus on clear, impactful wording. Foley emphasizes that the rule applies across paid ads, cold‑email outreach, and website copy, where every word consumes attention and money. He challenges viewers to consider what they would say in a ten‑second window of a prospect’s attention, urging them to prune excess verbiage and prioritize brevity over cleverness.

Chapters

This is the single most important copywriting rule you will ever need. Always imagine that every word on the page costs $500. The goal is to use as few words as possible. It's not about being clever. It's about clear words that make an impact. Prune everything that you can. In reality, you're paying money, whether it's through paid ads, cold email, or traffic to your website. You're paying for them to read that data and that copy. If I had 10 seconds of someone's attention, What would I say to them? Would I use a bunch of extra words that are totally irrelevant, or would I prune it down? Imagine every word on the page costs $500.