Popular Mechanics Letter #12
“How To”
information
never goes
out of style.
Well done.
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 93
Childcraft Letter #13
— Overview —
This letter is another that uses handwritten notes to add a personal touch. The first is the opening word
of the letter — Bam — which grabs the reader’s attention. This letter takes care to target its audience,
parents, assuring them that this book will benefit their children and indirectly implying that they are
better parents if they make this purchase.
Here we’ve got
another “I’m Like
You” opening
— this time to
parents of young
children.
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
Childcraft Letter #13
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Childcraft Letter #13
Active verbs
like ‘meet,’
‘probe,’ and
‘view’ keep
the pace of
the copy
moving.
It’s always
a good idea
to identify
the thing that
“Keeps The
Customer Up
At Night.”
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
Childcraft Letter #13
Quizzes, checklists, evaluation
charts ... they
can all get your
reader involved
in your copy.
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 97
Gene Schwartz Letter #14
— Overview —
This letter is a great example of benefits-oriented copy. The copywriter, Gene Schwartz, was legendary
in the direct mail business for his ability to recognize and pack in benefits. In this letter he relied on
testimonials, credentials, and explanations to help his readers become comfortable with an unfamiliar
concept. And it worked.
This famous headline
promises great benefits
with almost no
work — a powerful
promise if you can
make it honestly.
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
Gene Schwartz Letter #14
By quoting
directly from
the book
and sharing
illustrations,
the writer
“Shows”
instead of
“Tells” how
effective this
technique
can be ...
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 99
Gene Schwartz Letter #14
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
Gene Schwartz Letter #14
Admit it ...
weren’t
you just
thinking
about
stopping
to try these
techniques
yourself?
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 101
Gene Schwartz Letter #14
The writer
hits the “No
Effort” many
times over ...
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
Gene Schwartz Letter #14
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Gene Schwartz Letter #14
This is
almost a
“Liquidating
Bonus” —
Even though
it’s FREE,
it sounds as
valuable as
the main
product.
Resistance
just melts
away.
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
Gene Schwartz Letter #14
Testimonials “show” rather than “tell” too.
These are like little stories all by themselves.
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 105
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
— Overview —
This letter takes an incredibly unusual approach to a hard-to-sell product — it never actually tells
what the product is! How? Not only with a very personal tone and great storytelling, but also with a
methodical effort to isolate and overcome objections. Plus, the very exclusive “velvet cord” lead.
“I write to you today only because I want to,” it says.
This may
be the most
relentless
“Velvet
Cord” lead
I’ve ever
seen!
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
The “ragsto-riches”
story is
a classic.
And very
effective.
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 107
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
So
mysterious.
But
intriguing
too ...
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
Notice how
he lifts the
responsibility
for past failures
away from the
reader?
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 109
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
This
whole
letter is
“Indirection”
brought
to an
art form ...
... He starts
with a
call for
success
stories —
then
promises
to make us
successful
to get them!
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
He gives
us a vivid
picture of
how we’ll
feel once
we succeed.
Very well
done ...
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 111
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
Never have
I seen
someone
turn the
cost of
directmailing
into a
credibility
booster.
Clever ...
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
Why so
much detail
about the
work he’s
done for us?
Because it
makes us
feel we
owe him ...
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 113
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
The best
part of this
letter — He
knocks
down
every
objection.
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 115
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
Here’s
“The
Gauntlet.”
The writer
practically
dares you
to accept!
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 117
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
What’s a
“lookey-loo?”
I don’t know,
but it adds to the
letter’s charm ...
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Ken Roberts Company Letter #15
The “Velvet
Cord” again
— Don’t
subscribe if
you’re not
up to it!
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 119
Swiss Money Strategies Letter #16
— Overview —
This letter was Don Mahoney’s first project, written under the guiding hand of Michael Masterson. This
four-page insert mailed for three years and made somewhere between half a million and one million
dollars. The letter uses fear very effectively. Also, notice the carefully researched facts all through it.
“Your wealth is in
imminent danger.” It’s
a great opening line.
This letter
explains
to the reader
in careful
detail who
is after their
money —
everybody.
It then gives
the reader a
solution
— Switzerland.
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
Swiss Money Strategies Letter #16
Another
quiz —
Notice
how it’s
engineered
to get “Yes”
answers.
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 121
Swiss Money Strategies Letter #16
All this
proof
required
work
— but
it really
paid off!
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
Swiss Money Strategies Letter #16
Take note:
Every
feature
here is
translated
into a benefit.
Reply Form
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 123
American Express Letter #17
— Overview —
This letter mailed for over 12 years. One hundred and fifty letters challenged it before it ever got beat.
It mailed to over 280 million names. Projecting the volume of charges made by American Express card
members signed on due to this letter, you have another “billion dollar letter.”
This is an
effective
use of the
“Velvet
Cord” — a
promise of
exclusivity.
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Note the
simple
structure.
The writer
makes a big
promise, then
goes right into
the benefits.
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
American Express Letter #17
This letter is a
great example
of benefits over
features. The
writer shows
us how the
card gives
holders wealth
and prestige.
Ask for the
order more
than once!
Good job.
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 125
National Geographic Letter #18
— Overview —
This invitation letter is written in plain language, but its structure is quite sophisticated. The writer has
used the familiarity of the name, “National Geographic,” along with a prestigious invitation, and a
testimonial right at the beginning to build credibility. The price is then presented early on as a benefit,
something difficult to do, but in this case with the credentials to back it up, it works.
Lucky writer
— This is a
great brand.
He makes the
most of it with
a handsome
front page,
just like the
product’s ...
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
National Geographic Letter #18
This opening
testimonial
is a powerful
technique.
Another “Inclusion Offer”
— Join our elite society!
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 127
National Geographic Letter #18
The
“Ginsu
Knife
Secret” —
Just
when
your reader
thinks
the sales
message
can’t get
any better,
you find a
way to say
“But wait,
there’s
more ...”
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
National Geographic Letter #18
Certificates
are great
for making
a club feel
“official”...
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 129
The Oxford Club Letter #19
— Overview —
Here’s another classic invitation package. It makes effective use of greed, contains great testimonials,
talks about the group’s long history, and focuses strongly on benefits.
This is one
of the “Inner
Circle” style
invitations
I’ve seen ...
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Oxford Club Letter #19
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The Oxford Club Letter #19
Note the use
of layout to
draw attention
to these great
testimonials ...
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Oxford Club Letter #19
Safety
is a great
selling
point
for most
investment
products.
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 133
The Oxford Club Letter #19
“Richly appointed
members’ room” ...
sounds posh like
a club should,
doesn’t it?
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Oxford Club Letter #19
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The Oxford Club Letter #19
This “Friendly
Ultimatum” technique
creates urgency.
The benefits reinforce
all the reason not to
miss out.
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Oxford Club Letter #19
Notice
how each
premium
description
is packed
with new
promises.
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 137
The Oxford Club Letter #19
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Oxford Club Letter #19
The
“Win-Win
Situation”
is an
effective
intro to
the sales
close.
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 139
The Oxford Club Letter #19
This is great
“Transubstantiation”
— The simple
membership offer
is suddenly
transformed into a
family heirloom!
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame
The Oxford Club Letter #19
Great
sales
closes
often
assign
a dollar
value to
different
features
of the
product.
It helps
make
the sales
price
feel like
a great
bargain.
AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame Page 141
The Oxford Club Letter #19
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AWAI Direct Mail Hall of Fame