This was THE Mr. X promotion. After it mailed far and wide, there were a flood of copycat Mr. X promos. Not to preserve anyone's anonymity, but because the MYSTIQUE of Mr. X led to a a lot of response. This is still an evergreen business … [Continue reading]
Self-help is a market that's smaller than many, but it's got two things going for it. First, most self-help products tend to be evergreen in nature, so a good self-help book or course can stay relevant for a decade or more. Admittedly, there are … [Continue reading]
The late, legendary direct response copywriter, Jim Rutz, wrote this unbeatable package in 2006. It was in the mail as recently as 2020 with minor modifications by my last reckoning. I don't know of many financial direct mail packages with … [Continue reading]
It's hard not to admire Littleton Coin, one of the most impressive direct marketing companies when it comes to lead generation. The company also excels at positioning itself in the role of trusted advisor to a legion of neophyte numismatists. … [Continue reading]
Listen to direct response copywriters and they’ll tell you corporate copywriters are clueless branding nuts. Corporate copywriters will tell you direct response copywriters are nothing more than peddlers of get rich quick schemes, enlargement … [Continue reading]
Hey, don't let the looks of this 1971 pitch fool you. There were some brilliant marketing minds behind this from the folks at the mighty CBS, who at the time owned Columbia House. … [Continue reading]
It's no secret. I've turned into a late in copywriting life super fan of Victor Schwab and his phenomenal advertising for his own agency. And rediscovering this "Which Ad Pulled Better?" series has only bumped it up a notch. Imagine a … [Continue reading]
Have you heard of the UNPAID newsletter, ? As the name suggests, it's not a paid newsletter subscription. … [Continue reading]
Hey, if I told you this mailing was a textbook example of enargia, you might say, "I'll take a raincheck!" I'm not projecting my own ignorance -- I was in the dark about this rhetorical term for years. What's enargia? A picture is … [Continue reading]
It's hard to fathom the upstart Motley Fool is well into its fourth decade. The company was founded in 1993 when the now-long-gone Phillips Publishing ruled the roost of financial newsletters. … [Continue reading]
Here's a winner from the pages of print from 2010-2011 which had hundreds of insertions. … [Continue reading]
My friend, Craig, ran this ad in the real estate agent magazines for ten long years. It sucked up leads like crazy. Why? … [Continue reading]
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]