7 Awesome Direct Mail Copywriting Pointers

DENNIS HOFFMAN, CEO
ENGAGE USA

I came across a list of seven great pointers for writing direct mail copy from Theo De Roza at 101Fundraising.org. They can be useful practically any time you need to write for a fundraising campaign.

This first tip is a take on the classic “focus on your audience” bit of advice. Theo suggests printing out a picture of someone you think would be part of your target audience and writing your fundraising appeal with the picture in front of you. For a wild example, if your target audience is famous movie stars, maybe you’d print out a picture of Tom Hanks. This can help you get into the mindset of writing a letter as if it’s to an individual, rather than a large group of people. With a picture in front of you, it can be easier to write in a personal, conversational style as you imagine the person reading and reacting to it.

The second tip is to craft a great headline. It should peak the reader’s interest and show him exactly what he’ll gain or help achieve if he chooses to support your cause or organization. This applies to headlines online or at the top of a letter, even teaser copy on an outer envelope. Spending a little extra time on a headline can go a long way.

Third, consider writing down the acronym “AIDA” and keeping it nearby while you write. AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. These are key elements needed for a successful fundraising letter. Having this acronym on hand while writing is a great way to construct a focused letter.

Attract the reader’s Attention…

Deliver a “hook” to get him Interested…

Nourish the Desire to aid a cause…

And finally, ask the reader to take Action by contributing, signing a petition, or whatever else you’d like him to do.

Pixabay

Theo also suggests not asking a donor to do more than one thing at a time. This helps produce smooth and focused copy.

Theo’s fourth tip is to ask the reader to act at least three times – at the beginning, middle, and end of a letter. People tend to skim direct mail rather than read every word. Asking the reader to act throughout the entire letter increases the chance he’ll recognize what you’d like him to do.

Next, ask yourself “so what?” after each paragraph you write (or even every sentence!). If there’s no good answer to “so what?” – cut whatever it is from your copy. Every sentence and every paragraph should serve a purpose and help drive your message. Padding a letter with meaningless lines will only confuse the reader and weaken your message.

Tip six, copy is often strongest when the pronoun, ‘you,’ is used. Addressing the reader directly as ‘you’ is personal and conversational. Donors and supporters are the people who make fundraising organizations so special. That’s why it’s crucial to focus on them.

And finally, Theo suggests editing a letter over seven full passes, cutting filler and tweaking copy to be more on message with each pass. With each pass, you’re bound to see something else that can be improved. It’s worth the extra time to make a letter as strong as possible.

To add to this last tip, try reading your letter aloud while you’re editing – at a normal conversational volume. It helps capture the flow of your writing much better than reading in your head. A word or phrase you might not give a second thought while reading silently may sound unnatural or forced when read aloud. I can’t tell you how often this has helped me.