There is a direct-mail letter that generated an estimated $1 billion in sales over an 18-year span. It was written by Marty Conroy for The Wall Street Journal, a simple two-page letter that told the life stories of two college graduates who went on to the same company. However 25 years on, one was a manager while the other was its president. The implication (never explicitly expressed) was that the president read The Wall Street Journal, helping him gain success in the business world.

You can read the whole letter here.

As you see, it is a fairly unassuming piece. But because of its enormous success at generating subscriptions, it is considered by many to be the best direct mail letter of all time.

So what can we learn from this piece? In fact, quite a lot. Just as fiction writers are encouraged to read the classics, copywriters and other types of marketing writers should study what has come before.

I have a collection of various pieces that I’ve collected over the years. Direct mail pieces that worked, brochures, magazine ads — you name it. I even kept a napkin from a restaurant once that had a witty saying. I also save banner ads and web pages I come across on the Internet.

I’ve since found that this is a common practice among many professional creative types. But the key is not just to stuff them into a folder and forget about them. Refer to them from time to time, decide why you like it and what works with it, see what you can apply to your own current projects.

I wouldn’t recommend using these pieces verbatim — apparently the world’s greatest sales letter is also the world’s most ripped off piece of marketing writing. Instead, use them as a source of inspiration to take your own copywriting to the next level.

Do you have any copywriting examples that you think are especially unique? Hit the “Comment” button and let us know!

~Graham