Many copywriters like grabbing the spotlight.
But never underestimate the power of a good layout and a great designer.
It can make all the difference when it comes to copy getting READ.
Why is this advertorial laid out like the front page of a newspaper? [Continue reading]
Why do some direct mail controls mail strong for years, while others conk out after six months? I love today's HOTLINE promos as much as the next guy or girl in direct response, but unless a direct mail package has a PROVEN track record, you can't … [Continue reading]
This 45-page bookalog mailed strong for several years, right up to the doorstep of 2019. So if anyone ever tells you that financial advertising is BORING, show them this bookalog! There's nothing like a good cloak and dagger story to hook your … [Continue reading]
None of our prospects are going out of their way to read advertising. But stories? When you tether one to a timeless direct response theme, the answer is "yes" -- a resounding "YES!" Here's an alt-health hit from yesteryear that remains a … [Continue reading]
Has it really been fifteen years since Gary Bencivenga's Retirement Seminar? Well, here's it is in black, white... and gold. Yes, I keep this .9999 grade quarter-ounce Australian nugget tucked away in the safe and pop down to look at it once in … [Continue reading]
Video restored. What's the difference between bullets and fascinations? Bullets -- good bullets -- make your customers wonder IF your product works. Fascinations make your customers wonder HOW your product works! … [Continue reading]
Here's a mailbox hit from yesteryear for Bottom Line's Yearbook. There is no order coupon in this one. It's a travesty and my bad. "Can you get 10 times richer by hopping a plane? Are stories like these unthinkable? Think Again! … [Continue reading]
If you'd like to FORCE readership for your ad... look no further than the one-word winner: BANNED. But be careful -- this is not an exercise in clickbait. The costume jewelry juggernaut, Stauer, shows hot to do it right with this longtime … [Continue reading]
How's this for an offer headline, ? When you've got a bunch of paying subscribers to high ticket trading advisories, why not offer them high priced subscriptions to other products and services? Welcome to the Bonner Private Wine … [Continue reading]
Sometimes I wish I had as much on the ball in the tech realm as in the archival one. The "Categories" search is now fixed. Find it in the left sidebar. Banners and funnels have been neglected for far too long. Ergo... "Banners that Bring … [Continue reading]
The "newspaper mailing" is the epitome of Marshall McLuhan's maxim, "the medium is the message" Guess I'm a little too fond of alliteration. While printed newspapers may be headed for life support in the United States, the newspaper mailing is … [Continue reading]
Who's the greatest copywriter in history? That's no trivial question. Perhaps, it may not even be a valid question. Unlike the world of football (soccer in the States), advertising copywriting spans many varied arenas and areas of human … [Continue reading]
Here's a series of plastic surgery ads that covers the big areas like: "Refresh Your Face, with Long-Lasting Results" "For Men, It’s the Midsection or Face that Often Prompts Action" "The Ultimate Mommy Makeover" … [Continue reading]
The Sumerian invention of cuneiform tablets was in widespread use as far back as 3400 B.C. Initially, its purpose was for keeping accounts and records of business transactions, but later it developed into a full fledged writing system. And … [Continue reading]
There's a whopping 30 thousand supplements for sale to treat almost every malady under the sun. Here's a tabloid sized magalog that mailed successfully in the early part of the last decade. I dug it out of the deepest layers of my archives for … [Continue reading]
Talk about politically incorrect advertising! This tiny advertorial ran hundreds of times until the FTC came down on the advertiser like a ton of bricks. Here's a mini case study of one the most popular diet products that suddenly imploded due … [Continue reading]
This one's a HOT mailing -- I've gotten it multiple times in several mailboxes. Yes, I AM twisted when it comes to direct mail marketing and archiving. We're halfway through 2020 at the time of this writing. I'd wager the second half of the … [Continue reading]
The 1-word headline has a long response grabbing history. Too few marketers test it. Headlines like: * HELP * WANTED * OBSCENE The advantage of the one-word GRABBER is obvious. … [Continue reading]
What's selling like hotcakes during this pandemic and excruciatingly l-o-n-g home sheltering? Supplements! Supplement sellers are able to tap the largest captive audience in history who is MASSIVELY concerned about its health. New avenues of … [Continue reading]
The 1980s through the early 2000s were a golden age for direct mail in the area of self-help. And Nightingale-Conant stood atop the Everest of the mail order world. Here is one dynamite memory improvement package. … [Continue reading]
When HealthSource stormed on the scene a decade ago, chiro copy was already highly evolved when it came to generating leads with long copy. Dr. Chris Tomshack, the founder of HealthSource, took it to another level with even BETTER copy and … [Continue reading]
The first time I met Joe Sugarman was 17 years to the day on a blazing hot evening in Midtown Manhattan. If it looks like I've got an impossibly goofy look on my face... it's because I do! Joe was (and still is) my hero in direct marketing... … [Continue reading]
Here's a funnel for the tinnitus relief supplement "Sonus Complete" at $69 a supplement. "US Doctor shows one simple and natural method to fight tinnitus naturally & relieve ear ringing. If you or anyone you know is suffering from tinnitus, … [Continue reading]
The headline for this package could alternatively be "The Bitcoin Secret That Can Make You Rich," after all it's one of the sub-heads in this packed 50-page bookalog. This is a classic Stansberry BIG idea package mailing in July 2020 and it's one … [Continue reading]
Newspaper print is in it's last chapter here in the United States and COVID-19 and home quarantining are speeding it up. Ah, but there was a time, , when ads like this were commonplace -- LONG copy golf ads. Granted, the "market" for info … [Continue reading]