Here's one of the premier direct mailers and stalwarts of crisis copywriting that's been going strong since 1969. This DM piece is one part story selling, one part crisis copywriting and one part customer reactivation. The headline is not … [Continue reading]
For over 30 years, this author has set the standard for interview compilations in the trading markets. Here's what he says: "These books, which are based on interviews with exceptional traders, are by far my most widely read books, accessible … [Continue reading]
NGC Sports were BIG TIME in sport fishing and golf and had TENS of thousands of insertions in everything from local newspapers... to trade publications like Oklahoma Farm Bureau... all the way to Newsweek magazine and the Wall Street … [Continue reading]
You could almost bet your eye teeth this British insert was penned by John Carlton. The 27 word headline is certainly one of the tells. … [Continue reading]
Video restored. It was an early 1990s sensation that made a fortune with DRTV spots. And it all started with an oddball inventor. … [Continue reading]
What's the difference between certain COMBINATIONS of words that COMMAND a prospect's attention... and those that fall on deaf ears? It's a question that should fascinate anyone in the game of copywriting and direct marketing. RKG ran thousands … [Continue reading]
Here's how one of the best in the biz sells cosmetic dental procedures. When you're selling services for $10,000 and over, it helps to tell the COMPLETE story. Sometimes it takes 24 pages to do so. … [Continue reading]
Verbal Advantage was a force to be reckoned with. They mastered the driver of the PRESTIGE appeal in advertising. Here's one of their turn of the century full page ads in the nationally published, Newsweek magazine. … [Continue reading]
I have a big "mea culpa" for this entry. There's no envelope and no order form for this HOT high ticket offer. Or to be more precise, I think they can be located, but it'll take a minor archeological expedition to locate them in my archival … [Continue reading]
Just look at the composite words of this headline: You... BIG MONEY... home... TV. … [Continue reading]
$4,997 for a newsletter subscription... $3,200 for a skin cream... $4,000 for an anti-aging supplement... $9,990 for a power supply backup... And cosmetic dentistry that makes them all look like bargains. Whether you're marketing … [Continue reading]
I've done my share of tours in the anti-aging market and have seen (and written) almost every advertising lead out there. To the outsider, a claim like "... Takes 10 Years Off Your Face in Just 10 Minutes" sounds fanciful to the point of … [Continue reading]
The days of Fisher Investments' glorious lead generation ads in print are over—the readership is gone. But don’t think for a second these full-page ads lack the gusto you need to build a database to the cosmos. … [Continue reading]
Claude Hopkins, eat your heart out. When Claude Hopkins was hired by Schlitz, he toured the brewery and noticed the purification process: the beer was steam-cleaned, the bottles were sterilized, and the water was filtered through layers of wood … [Continue reading]
Some people have their favorite songs, novels, sporting teams and travel destinations. Others have their favorite direct mail packages. One of my all-time favorite magalogs in alt-health is still “Killed By Conventional Medicine." … [Continue reading]
The mark of a GREAT advertising copywriter is versatility. Admittedly, that's hard to pull off nowadays with the intense pressures to specialize, driven by steep competition. And realistically, you wouldn't expect your average copywriter to churn … [Continue reading]
Times and technology may change. But business development rarely shifts from its main axis of MORE offers... in front of MORE customers and prospects... MORE often. CDs or audio-cassettes... the choice is yours! … [Continue reading]
Most self-help marketers today have little idea about the treasure trove of ad copy that sold untold thousands of books and courses... long before the Web. Here's an ad that ran in 1972 for the book, Games Alcoholics Play. The ad does justice to … [Continue reading]
No rented list comes even close to the response-producing power of your own list—aka your house file—whether you've got fifty or five million names in your database. … [Continue reading]
Long before crowdfunding, print was the go-to medium for on-the-fly fundraising. Nostalgia is a big appeal in this ad underpinned by urgency. It presented the potential fate of an important historical film studio, the original Lasky-DeMille … [Continue reading]
Here's a sales letter from the great (now retired) direct response genius, self-publishing dynamo, and early-days member marketing and video marketing expert, Bill Myers. Bill Myers shared the stage with Gary Halbert and Jay Abraham in the '80s … [Continue reading]
In 1962, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV envisioned Costa Smeralda (in Northern Sardinia) as an exclusive destination for the well-to-do. By 1968, he and a consortium of investors had pumped £30 million into the project including high priced ad … [Continue reading]
Maybe Prudential plc, founded in London in 1848, doesn't leap to mind when you think of financial copywriting. But this lead generation ad for Prudential Investment Bond almost reads like a business opportunity ad at first. This is excellent … [Continue reading]
Here's a loaded headline. It's reminiscent of leads like: "Get paid to lose weight" and “The Perfect Retirement Business.” … [Continue reading]
The late Joseph Segel made a mint as the founder of Franklin Mint which he founded in his garage in 1966. He briefly retired in 1974 at the age of 43 before later founding the giant QVC television shopping channel, along with numerous other … [Continue reading]