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
Tags: copywriting, direct mail, samples, wall street journal
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Casey Hibbard Says:
Graham,
Of course, I would point out that the best direct mail piece of all time, the WSJ letter, is actually a customer story! It’s really powerful to share those stories with audiences.
If we stick with the direct mail theme, I’ll share an example of a graphic designer in Atlanta I know. She sends out postcards to her mailing list a few times a year. Each one has a mini success story on them with images of projects she’s produced and customer results.
She’s seen great results with the postcards and even has folks who call her with their new addresses so they keep getting her mailings.
Those stories really resonate with readers. It’s one powerful technique in direct mail, especially if the featured customer is similar to the recipient.
Casey
Graham Strong Says:
That’s a great point Casey, though I think the customer story was entirely fictional in this case. And I love the mini-case-study-on-a-postcard idea. Does she have a strong tag line or anything like that to grab attention, or does she just launch into it?
~Graham
Casey Hibbard Says:
The name of her company is Design That Works (www.designthatworks.com), so she has this sidebar running on the left side of the postcard with a headline that starts, “Because Great Design Just Isn’t Enough.” Then she has a few words about how design has to WORK. Then on the other 2/3 of the card (it’s a large postcard), she shares the little success story in Challenge, Result, Quote sections. It all works together.
It really gets your attention. I’ve thought that’s a cool idea for small businesses.
Casey
Graham Strong Says:
I agree. Despite all this new-fangled Internet marketing, direct mail is still a very powerful marketing tool.
Thanks for the link!
~Graham
Devon Ellington Says:
I think one of the reasons it works is because the “letter writer” inserted himself into it (”I’m looking at page one” ) along with story and characters of the two men.
Personally, that letter wouldn’t induce me to buy a subscription, in spite of the writing, because I look at it and say, “flash fiction”. And the fact it is supposedly by the publisher, so of course, he darned well better be looking at page one of his own product!
But it is well written, and I can see how it might entice others to bite.
Devon Ellington’s last blog post..Thursday, May 1, 2008
Graham Strong Says:
I agree, but then we are likely not the target audience. It is also a bit dated — I think the last time they used it was 2003 or something, though it hasn’t been changed much apparently since they first launched it.
But no matter its effect on us, you certainly can’t argue with the numbers!
~Graham
Tom Chandler/Copywriter Underground Says:
One thing lacking in the mindset of many online copywriters is the big idea — the strong headline/image ad concept kind of thinking that’s seemingly fallen by the wayside.
One of these days, I’ll get some scans together and write a post about the Fallon/McElligot era of the mid-80s and early 90s, where strong, direct “Minnesota Look” print advertising ruled the awards contests.
I believe a lot of copywriters would benefit from a little exposure to that kind of work.
Tom Chandler/Copywriter Underground’s last blog post..Getting Ready For the Client Pitch: How to Turn Prospects Into Clients
Graham Strong Says:
Hi Tom,
Several years ago I read a book by Mary Wells (Wells, Rich, Greene ad agency — big in the ’70s, for those who haven’t heard of them) about her time in advertising. I can’t remember the name of the book, but I do remember that it was sort of an autobiography and sort of a series of case studies on her own approach to advertising, managing clients, drumming up business, etc.
One of those ads was a two-page magazine ad comparing the AMC Javelin with the Mustang (?), underlining how it outperformed it AND was thousands cheaper. According to Wells, that was a high impact ad, and really helped put the Javelin in the mindset of the consumer.
But is there an equivalent to those types of print ads on the ‘Net? Perhaps landing pages could be done that way. Ironically, space on a web page, even though it is “free”, seems to be more of a premium than in your average full-page ad in Time.
Anyway, I ramble. Yes, it is always a good idea to study what has come before. And your comment here has inspired me to take another look at how to approach landing pages!
~Graham
Graham Strong Says:
BTW — came across that ad:
http://www.ciadvertising.org/student_account/spring_01/adv382j/jm/paper_2/amc.htm
Tom Chandler/Copywriter Underground Says:
Graham: I’ve been wondering about many of the same things you have. How does advertising in print (where you could have all the space you could buy) translate to online services?
After all, a headline/image concept that kills in a two-page magazine spread won’t necessarily translate to a 160 x 600 banner ad, and consumers seem to find popups and interstitials annoying (as do I).
As for landing pages, I’ve done a few in a similar, ad-like vein for corporate clients. The long, copy-heavy landing pages tend not to perform very well in a B2B setting (at least for my clients).
Tom Chandler/Copywriter Underground’s last blog post..Getting Ready For the Client Pitch: How to Turn Prospects Into Clients
Graham Strong Says:
Yes, the long letter jumped to my mind as well. I know that a lot of people swear by it, and many of them are described as Internet marketing gurus. Personally, it kind of turns me off, but you can’t argue with success I guess.
As you say though, it doesn’t work for everyone. And there are many differences between it and the magazine ad. I think the most subtle but most profound is the fact that in the case of the magazine ad, you are actually holding it in your hand. The whole thing is visible immediately — the graphics, the content, and the layout — whereas on the ‘Net you usually have to scroll. You don’t get the “big picture” — perhaps there’s your answer to why online copywriters don’t think about the big picture in the first place.
But I’m sure there is a way…
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