When your direct mail letter hits the post office, you want to be SURE that the odds are stacked in your favour. What with artwork, printing and mailout costs, you can’t afford to blow it by getting ‘Gav from the warehouse to bang out a letter’ and hope for the bast.
Read these 11 cash copywriting tips from our direct response team to get a better understanding of the techniques that go into making a sales letter profitable.
1. Direct mail copywriting must keep pulling towards the offer.
When your prospect is reading your letter, there are many other things competing for their attention. If they are at work, there are phone calls to be made., emails to be checked and tasks to be done. If they are at home, there are yelling kids or this week’s riveting segment on A Current Affair about weight loss or dodgy speed cameras.
There are all KINDS of distractions. So you need to pull people through your letter, with a quick ‘bridge’ between every third or fourth para to keep them reading.
Examples are…
- But there’s something else…
- That’s just one example, but…
- In addition…
- Now let me explain…
- …but do you know how to make it bigger?
- …so here’s the story.
- …and this is how it works.
2. Use Saxon words, NOT Latin words.
| Latin | Saxon |
| Information | news, facts |
| Indicate | show |
| Regarding | about |
| Immediately | now, right away |
| Construct | build, make |
| Regulation | rule |
| Conversation | talk |
| Publication | book |
| Discover | find |
3. Don’t use hackneyed words, use VIVID ones.
| Hackneyed | Vivid |
| Tough | diamond hard |
| Shiny | glittering |
| Money | cash |
| Dislike | hate |
4. Use short sentences. And vary the lengths.
5. Use short paragraphs and vary the lengths.
6. Get to the point.
You’ll lose people in the first few paragraphs if you don’t TELL THEM WHAT THEY WILL GET SOON ENOUGH. Give a quick summary of the strongest benefit right up front. Then, use a ‘bridge’ (See tip #1) to pull them down into the body of the letter.
7. Use active rather than passive verbs.
Don’t say: It will be delivered to you in seven days.
Say: We’ll rush it to you in a week.
Don’t say: It’s guaranteed for 12 months.
Say: We guarantee it for a solid year.
Don’t say: The machine is operated by a simple switch.
Say: Just press one button and it’s in action.
8. Relate the story to the reader.
Don’t say: Every year, 1 in 3 families is affected by hospitalisation.
Say: There’s a 1 in 3 chance that someone in your family will go to hospital this year.
Don’t say: Many people are wondering.
Say: I’m sure you must have wondered.
9. Use links to join paragraphs.
10. Turn the negative into a positive.
Don’t say: If your hearing isn’t improved, we’ll refund your money.
Say: You’ll hear whispered conversations or we’ll refund your money.
11. Keep referring to the order.
Don’t say: Managers who tried Gerbit.
Say: Managers who posted the reply-card for a free trial of Gerbit.
Don’t say: Now you can try Gerbit for 7 days.
Say: When you complete and send the reply-card, you’ll be entitled to use Gerbit for 7 days.
Don’t say: With Gerbit, you’ll also receive
Say: With Gerbit, you’ll get another bonus when you post the reply card.
This list clearly shows that there is more to getting a response than just “slapping words on paper”. So before you spend money on printing and postage, please Contact Us. You’ll get the help you need from our Brisbane Graphic designers and copywriters to out-wit and out-market your competitors before they even know what has hit them!
