Josh’s Conversion Copywriter Blog

HOW TO WRITE SUCCESSFUL DIRECT MAIL LETTER COPY
By MAXWELL ROSS
(courtesy of the Direct Marketing Association)

INTRODUCTION

The letter is the basic element in the direct mail package. Without a letter, it can be argued, all that's happening is that the seller is simply putting an advertisement into the mail.

The reason for promoting by mail in the first place is to be able to send a seemingly personal message to a specific person at his or her address. The letter is that personal message; it is the essential "from me to you” communication. Developing the strategy for achieving this personal-ness is the subject of this treatise. Granted, that the principles and points made have application to other elements of direct response: brochures, space advertising, even radio or television scripts. After all, we are talking about the basics of good advertising writing. But there still is a unique flavor and personal style exclusive to letter writing which makes it an art form unto itself.

When you stop to think what missions are accomplished by direct mail—the news and information it provides—the goods and services it sells—the countless functions it is called upon to carry out—it's easy to understand that:

"EVERY LETTER GOES ON
A MISSION ALL ITS OWN"

And you realize at once the basic importance of these missions to our everyday life and their contribution to the nation's economy.

Many letters you receive are interesting, exciting, inspiring, and action producing. Others are lifeless and unimaginative, lack direction, and fail to spark an idea.

There is a basic reason for this.

Too many people "sit down to write a letter" without preparing. Their copy shows it. So let's discuss . . .

Section 2

What You Need to Know Before You Start to Write

To write good copy, you must understand human nature thoroughly. You will need to make a continuing study of people-because people change just as times change. Consider these self-evident truths:

1. People are slow to accept the new and untried until it has become firmly established. For 20 years after the automobile was invented, it remained a semi-freak contraption. Businessmen stubbornly resisted the typewriter. (After all, steel pens cost them less than a penny.) If a consumer survey had been taken at the time, we might never have had postage stamps. Doctors of that day warned that the glue was poisonous, caused cancer of the tongue, indigestion, and several other afflictions. Opposition continued for a decade before these falsehoods were revealed.
2. People are reluctant to break established habits. Habits save us untold time, trouble, and inconvenience. They are comfortable to live with. But habits are hard to break. So if you want your readers to do something contrary to their established behavior patterns, then you must not talk in terms of breaking old habits. Instead, make it easy to form new ones!
3. People dread to make decisions.
   It is a fallacy to think that to get a person to act on anything, all we need to do is convince that person the proposition is sound and logical. Decisions are not always made on logic; they are often made on emotion. For example, consider the logic that nearly everyone believes in insurance-but very few people ever deliberately ask for it. They frequently buy because they have just gone through an emotional experience involving someone close.
4. People need to be disciplined when it comes to reading copy. Too many copywriters overlook this fundamental truth-that people are not likely to read copy all the way through unless you use specific techniques to help them do so. Later when you come to the section which tells you how to form a "Bucket Brigade" through your copy, pay special attention to it. It shows you how to lead your reader through a piece of copy-subtly-so that he stays with you!
5. People prefer to ride with a winner.
   There is a widespread belief that all America loves the underdog. And in many respects, this is true. But it is probably even more true that people love to be on the bandwagon. They want to ride a winner. That is why once an idea catches on; people rally 'round in great numbers. If you have a winner, capitalize on it! If your direct mail work concerns both men and women, as is so often the case, it will help considerably to understand some of the basic psychological differences between the sexes. There are exceptions to the following, of course, but the law of averages will work for you if you accept these truths:

• Men have a faster reaction time than Women. They can absorb a sales message faster, but women can more easily shift from one idea to another.
• Women are more responsive to color than men. Women prefer shades and gradations, while men lean toward solid colors.
• Men's interests are more dynamic, and they are more mechanically inclined, which suggests it pays to emphasize verbs in copy. Women, left to free choices, choose adjectives.
• Women are more aware of, and absorbed in people than men are.
• Feminine interests run to social contact, books, music, religion, art education. (What this may mean: Social situations could be good sales pegs.)
• Avoid generalities in dealing with women. This is not so necessary with men. Psychologists back this up. They say sales material for women should be reduced to cases and phrased in terms of people or specific incidents. (This may suggest: That testimonials could be more effective in selling to women than to men.)
• Women have stronger likes and dislikes than men. And more of them. Since their reactions are stronger, this may explain why adjectives (and superlatives) Prevail in women's conversations.
• You can treat emotions lightly in dealing with men, but NEVER make that mistake with women, especially where marital or maternal love is concerned. Women are great direct mail prospects but you must exercise great care in preparing the copy that goes to them.
• Men usually need proof. This does not seem to be true of women,
• Both men and women buy from impulse, but men are freer to make out checks for what they buy. This means that extra incentives for cash may be more successful with men.

Section 3

The Audience you write To is Rapidly Changing

As the new generation takes over, let's heed the warning of ace copywriter Sol Blumenfeld (writing in the magazine, DIRECT MARKETING) that this new public will require a different copywriting style. He says:

"How will this public differ from the one you and I are accustomed to? Let me project some adjectives on it. More knowledgeable. More sophisticated. More distrustful. More comfort-loving. More leisure-loving. Less materialistic. Less self-serving. Less patient. Less attentive. Less inhibited."

Important? Yes. For as Sol Blumenfeld continues, "We copywriters are, by the nature of our profession, students of human character, Our success is determined by how deeply we delve into the labyrinth of human emotions. We appeal to our recipient's need for love, acceptance, security, importance ... to his vanity, ambition, greed, love of comfort, aggressiveness, love of adventure. As direct mail and direct response writers, we give these emotions a more thorough going-over than most."

Keep in mind that before you can sell a person anything, you must show that it's worth more than the money it costs. It's a principle to remember.

All the more reason for setting down these points:

Point #1 - Your objective--what you want to accomplish.

Point #2 - Your offer-what inducement you are going to use to accomplish this objective.

Point #3 - Your market-what type or types of people you will be appealing to.

Point #4-Your selling points-what benefits of your proposition will prove most important.

Let's take a quick look at these points, one by one.

It may seem strange to set down your objective on paper. Yet when you read some mailing pieces you wonder if the objective was really clear in the minds of the writer. And if you find that, once written down, your objectives are many-fold, then you are headed for trouble. Try to establish one objective. It's much easier to accomplish one big objective, rather than many small objectives.

Take a look at Section 9-which discusses the offer. Be sure to get your offer down on paper before you start to write. It will influence your thinking as you write. Point #3 concerns your market. See if you can write a vivid and meaningful description of your typical prospect. Remember--the star salesmen in every field not only know their products, but they know their prospects as well.

Put all your selling points down on paper. This should be obvious, but because it is obvious, it is often overlooked. But by now, you can easily see the importance of notes. They are extremely vital to the success of your copy.

Section 4

What Does Your Prospect Want?

Now you are ready to decide on your appeals. What is it about your offer, your selling points, that will appeal to your prospect? What is it your prospect wants that your proposition can satisfy?

Let's explore this basic list of human wants:

1. To make money
2. To save time
3. To avoid effort
4. To be comfortable
5. To be healthy
6. To be popular
7. To be in style
8. To avoid criticism
9. To conserve possessions
10. To escape physical pain
11. To gratify curiosity
12. To satisfy appetite
13. To protect reputation
14. To purchase wisely
15. To have beautiful possessions
16. To attract the opposite sex
17. To save money
18. To be individual
19. To enjoy life
20. To be clean
21. To be appreciated
22. To protect family
23. To emulate others they admire
24. To avoid trouble
25. To take advantage of opportunities

There is considerable evidence that unless a writer knows how to appeal to human wants and needs, the copy will never achieve maximum results. Advertising consultant Richard Manville once wrote:

"Advertisements that attempt to give people what they want out-pull advertisements which present those things which people do not want as much-or do not want at all." Manville points out, too, that people want food, shelter, adornment; they want to love and be loved; they want to assert themselves they want to feel "adequate." They not only want to keep up with their neighbors, but to get ahead of them.

When copywriters need to choose between two copy thoughts, Richard Manville suggests that they ask themselves this test question:

"DO PEOPLE WANT MORE THAN 'Y'?"
Now-let's see how it works out when we apply the question to the following pairs of copy points: (These examples were taken from actual split run publication tests, but the philosophy applies equally well to copy for direct mail letters. Names have been changed where necessary.)
Copy Point A-"How to avoid these mistakes in planning your house!"
Copy Point B-"How to plan your house to suit yourself!
Which one pulled best? B out-pulled A by 16%-because more people want to plan their house to suit themselves than the number of people who simply want to avoid mistakes.
Copy Point A-"Don't swelter this summer!"
Copy Point B-"Now every home can afford summer cooling!"
By applying the test question. "Do people want more X than Y?" You would easily predict that B would be the winner. But the margin of difference for B (which promised summer cooling) over A (which simply told people not to swelter) was a staggering 300%!
Another pair:
Copy Point A-"Keep your dog safe this summer!"
Copy Point B-"Warning to dog owners!"
When you ask the question, "Do dog owners want to keep their dogs safe or do they want a warning?"-the answer clearly indicates A was better. And it was-by 60%!
Here are two more:
Copy Point A-"Cut three strokes off your score with Bobby Jones Non-Slip golf shoes!" Copy Point B-"Your pair of Bobby Jones golf shoes will outwear any other brand!"
Any real golfer will gladly buy a new pair of golf shoes every summer if necessary-if it will lower his score. The wearing quality of the shoes is only secondary.
Keep in mind the test question as you look at these pairs:
X - "How to become a good dancer in one week.
“Y - "Avoid these embarrassing mistakes On the dance floor."
Ог X - "Clean your rugs quickly without Fuss, muss, or bother."
Y - "This cleaner has only seven moving Parts."
Or
X - "You absolutely can't cut yourself While shaving."
Y - "Saves you five minutes every morning."
Although each is a selling point, some are certainly secondary in importance.
The would-be dancer wants to become popular by learning to dance quickly. He can avoid mistakes by staying away from dances altogether.
The housewife doesn't care as much about moving parts as she does about cleaning rugs quickly without muss or fuss.
And most men aren't particularly interested in saving five minutes in the morning. They would much rather escape cut, nicked faces. SO PUT YOURSELF IN THE READER'S PLACE.
And remember
"To sell John Jones What John Jones buys, you must see John Jones through John Jones' eyes."