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THE GREATEST DIRECT MAIL SALES LETTERS OF ALL TIME
This doesn't mean everyone is going to read your prose from start to finish. That's not important.
Expect recipients to stop reading as soon as their questions have been answered. But you can keep
going until you've answered questions others might have.
Reading Patterns
It's important to understand how people read letters. There's no question about the importance of
the opening paragraph(s). They are, in effect, a screening device, giving readers an opportunity to
decide whether or not the message will be of interest to them. Testing has shown that creating a
good lead paragraph can make a major difference in response. Paul Bringe, the late copywriting
expert, once created six different leads for a sales letter. Each, in his opinion, was equally good.
But when a test mailing was made, one of those leads produced 300% more response than the
other five.
Once the opening has done its job, however, you end up with only readers who, for one reason or
another, want to know more about your proposition. Chances are you've sold them on wanting
what you have to offer, but they haven't yet reached a point of decision and need some questions
answered.
People like to buy, and want to be convinced they should say "yes" to a proposition. So the lead of
a letter is critical. It quickly screens out those with little or no interest; and those who read on are
in a positive frame of mind to go along with what you are proposing. One of the biggest mistakes
direct mail letter writers can make is to continue trying to convince people they should be interested
in the proposition. This fails to recognize that the only people who are still reading after the
first paragraphs are those who have already decided they have an interest in your proposition.
Once the lead has been completed, the role of a letter is to answer unanswered questions — things
a prospect needs to know before he or she can agree to say "yes" to your proposal. Most people
tend to skim a letter, looking for answers to their questions. This suggests that the letter's body
should be organized for easy location of these answers. As a result, the inside pages of a longer
letter often feature indexing devices such as special headings, crosslines, paragraph notations,
underlined words, and the like. Keep in mind that the first page of a letter should go easy on
emphasis devices so as not to lose the person-to-person feeling.
The Johnson Box
A common opening device in many direct mail letters is the "Johnson Box" — a summary of an
offer, usually in an indented paragraph and sometimes boxed, positioned at the top of the letter,
and ahead of the salutation. The "Johnson Box" got its name from Frank Johnson, who successfully
used the device in the letters he wrote for American Heritage. Actually, Johnson doesn't claim
credit for the device he popularized: He just knew a good thing when he saw it, and put it to use
to help sell subscriptions.
Although the "Johnson Box" is one step removed from a secretary-prepared letter, it quickly
enables readers to decide whether or not they are interested. So once you get to the body of the
letter, your entire audience is composed of people who want to be sold.
Signatures
A company doesn't write letters — people do. So a letter needs a personal signature. Who should
sign it? A basic rule is to have the highest-ranking person in the organization (who would normally
write such a letter) sign his or her name. Recipients generally respect a voice of authority;
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