The Ad Money Machine

“The axe came down. The clay vessel shattered. And 1650-year-old coins spilled out.”

Talk about copy that transcends the product for sale. Take a look at this one. This is how you sell a $199 coin by mail order. … [Continue reading]

Selling PAIN PILLS to Boomers and Seniors

Forget the photos of haggard, pain ridden boomers and seniors clutching a knee or doubled over with a wrenched back. This direct mail cover sports a T-Rex (tyrannosaurus rex!) with a host of familiar maladies like tight shoulders, sore lower back, … [Continue reading]

The KING of Self-Help (The Power of Visualization)

Before Audible... before Amazon... heck, before the WEB(!)... Nightingale-Conant ruled the roost of self-help audio programs. They also sat near the top in the world of direct mail marketing for decades. A lot has changed since their halcyon … [Continue reading]

Set Up a WEALTH MACHINE that fills your pockets with $100,000 a year or more while you kick back and watch the money roll in steadily!

This 9 x 12 envelope pulls no punches. There's teaser copy galore and the apropos STACKS of C-notes -- no confusion what this is about! … [Continue reading]

Secrets of RABID Direct Response Testers (7 Years of Press Ad Power)

There are testers in direct response... And there are TESTERS! Let's have a look. The world of American newspapers once boasted HUNDREDS of insertions for health supplements. But 2024 seems light years away from 2016 when the blockbuster … [Continue reading]

$25 “RETIREMENT NOTES”

Here's a familiar lead for Laissez Faire's "Unconventional Wealth." They say ideas repeat themselves in threes. Just after updating the entry on the four-year mailbox blockbuster, “The Greatest Little Retirement Career You’ve Never Heard Of” … [Continue reading]

“Recipes for Diabetics” (EVERGREEN Products that SELL)

Some book titles are so good, they often double as advertising headlines. Think "How to Win Friends and Influence People" from waaaay back in 1936! By any measure, it's not a bad headline or title even now and the book is STILL selling to this … [Continue reading]

How To Rob WINNING Headlines… Legally

I suspect you're well acquainted with this concept, . All winning advertising -- whether it's DRTV spots, online display ads, or even that fast disappearing medium of the print ad -- is just a combination of words that work together. Here's … [Continue reading]

When “Crazy Bob” Waved His Magic Wand (The Art of the Killer Offer)

"Crazy Bob," "The Polish Maverick” "Bet-A-Million Bob”… Bob Stupak had more monikers than anyone could keep track of. But his list of sobriquets is easily outdone by job titles: casino magnate, world-record motorcycle racer, professional poker … [Continue reading]

“Free Stuff and Great Bargain Adventures for People Over 50” (Double Page Spread)

You don't publish double page spreads in magazines unless your promo's got the goods. You've likely seen this red hot premium that's the tasty bait for the Frankly Income Report. … [Continue reading]

Which Headline Won? Testosterone Headline Split Tests… and Clayton’s DM Treasure Chest

This won't be a deep dive, . And it's better that it's not because the take-away from this split test fortifies our knowledge in a compact, yet fundamental way. Which one do you think is the winner? "The Surprising Truth About Testosterone … [Continue reading]

“Getting Rich In Commodities, Currencies and Coins — Before or During The Next Depression”

Here's another trading promo from the Conservative Book Club. While newspaper insertions like this are a piece of the past, the market for commodities trading courses is no different today than 1975 when this ad ran. The " Before or During The … [Continue reading]

80-Page Pitch for Selling to Hillbillies, Paranoids and Kooks (from the late Brian Keith Voiles)

Listen, Every now and then... it helps to step out of your own market. You get to see FRESH ideas and sometimes... you can bring them back into that familiar world of yours... you inhabit every day. … [Continue reading]

15 Year Old Martial Arts Marketing STILL Kicking @ss

TRS Direct (Threat Response Solutions) has been one of the premier martial arts and self-defense marketers since the turn of the 21st Century. There are a dozen sales letters in this compilation. Only the top one is a letterbox pitch -- the rest … [Continue reading]

“Too Clever Copywriting” That Defies Reason

I love the creativity that comes with health and beauty copywriting. - "Lunchtime facelifts" - "Gastric bypass in a bottle" - "Tummy tuck pills" Though these metaphors test the boundaries of credibility, they're pretty commonplace. But … [Continue reading]

12-Year Diet Plan Control That Beat the Odds in a Sea of Charlatans

No supplements for sale in this 1,971 word epic. This weight loss ad lasted the equivalent of several lifetimes (from 1992-2004) at a time when outrageous claims dripped off the page of almost every diet ad. This one is different. What are … [Continue reading]

“Nvidia’s $1 Trillion AI Pivot” (5 Decades of Financial Marketing)

Martin Weiss is a five decade gladiator in financial newsletter publishing and marketing. But this isn't one of his classic direct mail magalogs from the halcyon days with legendary copywriter, Clayton Makepeace. … [Continue reading]

“I showed my 16-year-old daughter how to turn $10,000 into 110,000 in just 12 months…

Some direct response types (like me) are more captivated by specific promoters... than they are by any specific market, product or service. Sure, if real estate advertising is someone's thing, they're not likely to be pouring over anti-aging … [Continue reading]

Now, with the proper guidance, even the beginner can master the art of Chinese Cooking

This was one of Time-Life's wildly successful offerings in its Foods of the World series that ran for over a decade in print and direct mail. … [Continue reading]

HELP! (1-Word Headlines That WIN)

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]

“Who’s Burning More Fat?”(Weight Loss Selling Wonders… from the Mailbox Masters)

Queue up the story selling master plot! The story of "two young men who owned very modest homes in a Middle Western City"... The story of "two young men graduated from the same college"... "The story of two men who fought in the Civil … [Continue reading]

Self-Help Superstar (The 2-Word Headline Hit)

In mid-2005, a self-help superstar stormed on the scene. This ad captured the spirit of the market with the two-word headline, "Defiant Child?" Here's the opening copy that ran by the thousands and lasted over five years. "Is your child's … [Continue reading]

Biz-Op Letter VACUUMS Up $480,000 in ‘Small Checks’ in an Afternoon (Copy Secrets of STOPPING Prospects from Disqualifying Themselves)

If you'd like to make a mint with a BREAKTHROUGH business opportunity pitch... This timeless 8-page template lights the path. This marketer boasted the Obi-Wan Kenobi of biz-op as his mentor... he was Luke Skywalker. The story selling force … [Continue reading]

Ugly Layouts in a World of Beauty and $238 Biz-Op Books

Eugene Schwartz revealed this gem in a lecture to Rodale Press in the early 1990s. “The ugly thing in a world of beauty stands out.” You won't find uglier than this magalog... for a $238 biz-op book no less. … [Continue reading]

Riveting Money Making Story… from the Next Generation of a Direct Mail Dynasty

Marketing and business aren't just about products and services... and advertising that sells them. I've always been interested in the HUMAN element behind the business and in some markets, that can be really important. As AI worship continues full … [Continue reading]