Marketing Rebel · Copywriting · Digital Marketing · Online Business · United States
Direct response copywriter based in Reno, Nevada, who sells the Simple Writing System course, the Marketing Rebel Insider's Club membership and the Platinum Mastermind Group.
John Carlton is an American direct response copywriter and writing teacher. According to his own website, he began as a freelance copywriter for Los Angeles ad agencies, holds a psychology degree and worked for years with direct marketers Jay Abraham and Gary Halbert. A 2012 Copyblogger profile by Robert Bruce places the start of his freelance career in the early 1980s and lists publishers such as Rodale, Boardroom and Phillips among his clients. In a 2025 blog post he describes himself as a couple of years past seventy; no exact birth date appears in the sources consulted.
His courses are published under JCSD Publishing LLC, which the Simple Writing System site names as copyright holder and which appears in Nevada business records. A 2026 footer on the Marketing Rebel sites names Marketing Rebel LLC. The Marketing Rebel Insider's Club sales page presents Carlton as co-founder alongside Stan Dahl, who leads Marketing Rebel.
He writes a blog called The RANT at john-carlton.com, with posts dated from Reno, Nevada, through September 2025, and co-hosts the free weekly podcast Psych Insights for Modern Marketers: The 3G Edition with copywriters Kevin Rogers and Daniel Throssell. No YouTube channel of his own is linked from his website; his video presence consists mainly of interviews on other people's shows.
What he sells, as of September 2026: the Simple Writing System 2.0, an 18-lesson video course on writing ads and sales copy, at $497 or with a $97 first payment, and a subscription version called Simple Writing System Connection at $49 per month that bundles the course with the Insider's Club. The Insider's Club on its own costs $29 per month. Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel, his written and audio course, sells for $49.95. The Platinum Mastermind Group, a two-day meeting capped at 12 attendees held in person or on Zoom, requires an application and a phone screening, and its price is not published. Personal coaching for the Simple Writing System (2, 3, 6 or 12 months) is arranged by email, also without a published price. He is also the author of The Entrepreneur's Guide To Getting Your Shit Together, published in two volumes.
On reputation: his course sales pages carry a 30-day money-back guarantee, and the Connection page states that its testimonials do not represent typical results. A search of ftc.gov for his name on September 14, 2026 returned no enforcement action concerning him. No independent press investigation about him was located; coverage consists of profiles and interviews in marketing outlets. Figures about his results and past sales come from his own promotional material and have no independent source.
Objective facts about their offer, taken from public sources. We don't rate the quality of the programs or the results you may get.
3 without a public price
4 official channels
Facts checked on Sep 15, 2026.
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| Program | Type | Published price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Writing System 2.0 Video course of 18 lessons on writing ads and sales copy, with a workbook of more than 300 pages, lifetime access, a Power Words report and one free month of the Insider's Club. Payment plan available starting at $97; 30-day money-back guarantee. | Course | $497 Checked Sep 15, 2026 | View |
| Simple Writing System Connection Monthly subscription that gives access to the 18 Simple Writing System lessons, videos on using AI with Carlton and Stan Dahl, and full membership in the Marketing Rebel Insider's Club. Price per month, cancel anytime. | Community | $49 Checked Sep 15, 2026 | View |
| Marketing Rebel Insider's Club Membership with a private community, about 50 hours of recorded lessons, ad breakdowns, expert interviews and monthly training sessions. Price per month, no long-term commitment. | Community | $29 Checked Sep 15, 2026 | View |
| Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel Digital course in 18 sections with written material and audio versions, a Power Words report and one free month of the Insider's Club. 30-day money-back guarantee. | Course | $50 Checked Sep 15, 2026 | View |
| Platinum Mastermind Group Two-day mastermind meetings limited to 12 attendees, in person or on Zoom, with Carlton and Stan Dahl. Admission through an application and a phone screening; price not published. | Mentorship | Not published Checked Sep 15, 2026 | View |
| Simple Writing System Coaching Personal coaching alongside the Simple Writing System for 2, 3, 6 or 12 months, requested by email. Price not published. | Mentorship | Not published Checked Sep 15, 2026 | View |
| The Entrepreneur's Guide To Getting Your Shit Together Book in two volumes collecting his articles on business, persuasion and salesmanship for entrepreneurs. | Book | Not published Checked Sep 15, 2026 | View |
Prices are those published by the mentor on the date checked and may change. “Not published” means we couldn't find a public price.
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An American direct response copywriter based in Reno, Nevada, known for his long collaboration with Gary Halbert. He teaches copywriting through the Simple Writing System and Marketing Rebel, co-hosts the Psych Insights for Modern Marketers podcast and, by his own account in 2025, is in his early seventies.
The official order page lists Simple Writing System 2.0 at $497 in one payment, or a payment plan starting at $97. A subscription option, Simple Writing System Connection, costs $49 per month and includes the Marketing Rebel Insider's Club. Prices were read in September 2026.
A monthly membership co-founded by Carlton and run with Stan Dahl, priced at $29 per month with no long-term commitment. It includes a member community, around 50 hours of recorded lessons, ad breakdowns, interviews and monthly training sessions, according to its sales page.
What can be checked: his courses are sold by JCSD Publishing LLC, a company registered in Nevada, with a 30-day refund guarantee. No FTC action under his name turned up in a search of ftc.gov on September 14, 2026. Claims about his students' results come from his own sales pages, which state that testimonials are not typical, and no independent data backs them.
Yes, but without public prices. The Platinum Mastermind Group accepts applicants through a form and a phone screening, and Simple Writing System coaching of 2 to 12 months is arranged by email with the Marketing Rebel team.
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