Direct Mail - Rules to Live By

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com


“Live” from the CM Show, Chicago X2
(Excerpts from my session at CM)


1. Role of each component in DM package.
Envelope – get itself opened – so don’t reveal your offer on the envelope. Consumers sort mail over the trash. Tickle their curiosity or promise a benefit. A strong OE helps you avoid the round file.

Order Form – perhaps the most important piece – restate key benefits and make it crystal clear how to order

Bochures tell, letters sell. Letter is the key component, next to the order form. Emotional sell.

Lift note – motivate the prospect from another point of view, a different signer

2. Response Basics – Help consumers instantly understand the benefits you are promoting. An irresistible offer they can’t refuse, made loud & clear: free, urgent, limited time offer, just for you. Come out w/strong offer or sneak into the bill pile w/a Bill-like OE (voucher) or blind OE. Save big, save now, premium/freemium, call to action, sweeps.

3. Follow Aida formula –

Grab attention – use a headline or subhead to attract your target market. You can also accomplish this with pictures & captions.


Arouse interest – Tell the prospect how your pub will improve his life. (Gold Dig) State the main benefit up front, loud & clear. Reinforce w/testimonials. Answer wiifm.

Stimulate desire – entice the prospect to want something prospect may not have thought about before by triggering their emotions, e.g. exclusivity. Create an irresistible offer incorporating fear of loss – limited time, bonus for immediate order e.g. fast 50, special price – give them a reason to buy now. Add an ironclad no-risk guarantee.

Motivate prospect to action, bec. Desire w/o action = no sale. Ask for the sale. Tell the reader exactly what you want them to do & make it easy to buy NOW. This works bec. This formula works bec. it smoothly and seamlessly moves the prospect to ordering

4. 9. DM tactics that work –

► Fire your biggest guns first with a great lead.

► Teasing & tantalizing the reader, hitting their hot buttons on issues that keep him up at night

► Use bullets, dashes, numbers, underlines. Use 6-7 lines per paragraph & lots of white space

► Try handwritten messages in the margins, Johnson box, callouts and underlines that break up the copy.

► Many won’t read the whole letter so underline the main points so they get the gist at a glance from the lead, underlines & P.S.

► Testimonials and guarantees work – they add credibility.

► Use the P.S. to restate the offer, repeat the guarantee or reply-by date