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PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT CORPORATION "LOVER OF LIFE" LETTER
One of the toughest selling jobs a letter writer faces is promoting a book by mail. Often there is
no colorful brochure to be enclosed. You're faced with the job of selling words with only words.
Copywriter Bob Matheo faced such a challenge when Personal Improvement Corporation asked
him to create a letter to sell Keeping Young & Living Longer. He describes the challenge:
■ To assess the letter, you must consider first the message the reader received on the
outer envelope. It was:
"TURN THE TABLES ON FATHER TIME! A noted gerontologist reveals: 1. How to
turn back the clock and feel, look and act years younger; and 2. How to slow down
the aging process and add 25 vigorous years to your life span."
This is a whale of a promise. It is so big, in fact, that I feared two adverse reader reactions:
the first was disbelief; the second was rejection (who wants to live to 100 if
you're going to be senile, incontinent, and bedridden?).
So my first task was to deal with those two negative reactions. I dispelled disbelief in
a display area at the top, by quoting book reviews and citing the author's credentials.
And I dispelled rejection with my opening.
Here's what he wrote:
Dear Lover of Life:
I myself am middle aged. I really enjoy life. But when I heard that Dr.
Hrachovec could help me live past 100, my first reaction was, "Who
wants to?"
I was thinking of some old people I've seen. Senile. Incontinent. So
weak they can hardly walk. If that's what old age is, I don't want it.
But I soon discovered that isn't the kind of old age Dr. Hrachovec has
in mind.
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