Way back in Bullet 21, Gary Bencivenga lauded an hysterical short film that captured the spirit of a piece of direct response history: the correspondence course from Art Instruction Schools, Inc. This unassuming ad was the launchpad for a … [Continue reading]
This is one INCREDIBLE business model. (Sshhh! Don't tell anyone.) And it keeps on rolling in 2021. It's a great example of a PURE affiliate marketing offer -- using online lead generation -- that targets large and passionate segments of the … [Continue reading]
Here's a long time control from the mighty Nutri-Health, before the company was acquired in the mid 2010s. It's no coincidence that the supplement sellers with the strongest copy have had some of the biggest paydays, take Health Resources for … [Continue reading]
Here's one of the epic Moneysworth ads that appeared in the thousands back in the 1970s. The copy also ran into the thousands of words with double page spreads, via the flowing ink from the prolific pen of Ralph Ginzburg's wife, Shoshana … [Continue reading]
This blockbuster lead from Clayton Makepeace is likely responsible for untold tens of millions in supplement sales because it's been knocked off so far and wide. A longtime subscriber offered me a small fortune not long ago to track down the … [Continue reading]
This may not be a high ticket offer, but it boasts a strong PRESTIGE appeal in the mold of the Bonner Private Portfolio. "I’d like to invite you to join us at special kind of “round table.” At this table, you’ll meet millionaire businessmen and … [Continue reading]
It's one of the biggest bookalog hits of the 21st Century. It nails all the appeals... and pushes all the hot buttons of a hungry market. This bookalog mailed for FOUR solid years and launched more copywriters into the business than you can … [Continue reading]
I've gotten around a bit in the direct response world. I had two great phone conversations with Boardroom founder and marketing legend, Marty Edelston, after I sent him this ad collection. His passion for direct response was still red hot in … [Continue reading]
This is nearly 250 pages of the "secret" direct mail legend, Thomas L. Hall's reports and sales letters. There were many direct mail marketers, including Gary Halbert, who learned the ropes about direct mail marketing from his Direct Mail … [Continue reading]
You can tell a real copywriting connoisseur must have gotten his hands on this package twenty years or so ago. It's a little weather-beaten and there are some hand-written notes and mark-ups in the letter. Oh, and since this was from the early … [Continue reading]
This is NOT your everyday direct mail package. It straddles the markets of biz-op, self-help, mind dynamics and a little bit of Maria Duval for good measure Here we've got a 56-page bookalog, 14-page sales letter and a 4-page lift letter. … [Continue reading]
Audio-Forum ran this campaign for TWENTY solid years, starting in 1977. The great Don Hauptman was the genius behind it. ¿See that inverted exclamation point at the beginning of the headline? Quoting Rodney Dangerfield... ¡That little … [Continue reading]
This is surely not your first time coming across those mighty Vikings of health and beauty product lines that vanquish, New Nordic. Here is one of their latest half page insertions that's making the rounds in October of 2021. There are few … [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]
''The Next Two Years Should Generate More Wealth Than the Previous 20 Combined! 'If it were anyone else who said it, I would have dismissed this prediction as nonsense.' -- Bill O'Reilly INSIDE: See how to claim TWO bestsellers WITHOUT paying … [Continue reading]
There's no anonymity or "playing it safe" as a newsletter publisher. Unlike the pills and potions in the world of health and beauty, but without the massive markets, the newsletter business obligates the publisher to "put it all on the table," … [Continue reading]
How could any self-respecting ad archivist resist this swipe in a case study that cost an advertiser $300 k? You've likely run into A Little Mistake That Cost a Farmer $3,000 Each Year in Victor Schwab's classic house ad spread 100 Good … [Continue reading]
"How does Dan Kennedy do so many things so well?" "How does anyone accomplish so much in the span of a few hours?" "How does Kennedy manage to come up with cracking copy... seemingly every time?" These are some of the questions I've pondered … [Continue reading]
This 27-year control in both the mail and print wasn't top dog for lack of competition. Let's hear it straight from the copywriter's mouth. Malcolm Decker was one of the greats of direct mail copywriting for many decades. Since there's no … [Continue reading]
The eye supplements category may not be as prominent as blood sugar, digestion or joint pain but, it's a bustling market with an endless supply of prospects looking for an edge with dietary supplementation. This visually impressive magalog for … [Continue reading]
This is a textbook "testimonial headline" in the world of book advertising. Book advertising? Yes, it will continue to matter well into this new decade because it's a TRUE test of a an ad writer's mettle. As we've seen with the late 20th … [Continue reading]
Bill Bonner is the undisputed heavyweight champ of enargia in copywriting. Enargia may not flow off the tip of the tongue, but this word of Greek origin for "vividness," has a great track record for selling, both in direct mail and in … [Continue reading]
Here's a 2021 spin on a mature market familiar to all of us in direct response -- the copywriting game. With the draconian public health restrictions (at last!) beginning to recede (at least in many parts of the States) it's time to get back to in … [Continue reading]
Here's a red blooded trading pitch (from a few administrations ago) that's a hodgepodge of several successful direct response headlines, sub-heads and product names, including the redoubtable "Little Black Book." You'll notice there's a good deal … [Continue reading]
RootBlast has been going strong for three decades and has done the rounds of DRTV, print and direct mail. These insertions are packed with long copy and plentiful proof elements in the home gardening market. … [Continue reading]