Self-Mailers
Sometimes, nothing works better than a postcard with in-your-face teaser copy on the address panel that pulls the reader to the back. Before he knows it, he's read everything my client wanted to say to him — and he certainly didn’t intend to; it just happened. He intended to throw it in the trash, but he got hooked with a problem-posing headline and the benefit-rich copy.
Though the self-mailer sample writings below are from postcards of various sizes, I’ve also written more lengthy copy for multi-fold mailers. My hands-down favorite, though, is the oversized postcard. Its size makes it stand out in the mail and gives me plenty of room to hook the reader in the space right beside his name and address. The back usually provides all the room I need to finish off the job and move in for the kill.
Sample Self-Mailers
2001 Optometric Practice
Head: Fine-tune your vision with bifocal contact lenses.
Copy: You’ve no doubt heard that bifocal contacts have been radically fine-tuned. Refined materials. Advanced fitting techniques. Improved designs. With them, you can see your book, your computer screen, and those pesky speed limit signs — with nothing on your face but your good looks.
But even though bifocal contacts sound pretty good, you’ve probably been wondering, “Do they actually work?” Yes! For a growing number of presbyopes (that would be you), they really do work. If you’re already a successful soft contact lens wearer, here’s good news. Soft lens wearers lead the pack in successful bifocal contact lens wear. . . .
1998 Accounting Software Firm
Head: Bleh. Bleh! [graphics show woman sticking her tongue out at her computer monitor]
Subhead: Having a little disagreement with your accounting program? A word of advice: never pick a fight with your software.
Opening Copy: You won’t win — unless, of course, you’ve received some “inside” information and can outsmart it.
Good news! We offer classes that help you do just that. Well, maybe not outsmart it, but at least make it work for you instead of against you. Choose from six classes a month, every month. On the calendar, you can see that we offer half- and full-day classes in QuickBooks® and Peachtree® accounting software.
Full-day workshops give participants an overview of the program and help get them started right. Our half-day workshops are more focused, detail- and task-oriented sessions. In both, participants may bring their own disk of company data and “play” with it, using their new-found knowledge immediately in our computer-lab classroom.
We limit class size so that every participant is guaranteed Q & A time, and we’ve chosen to limit class times. . . .
1996 Copier Repair Business
Head: Your copier’s ‘down’ again and until it’s fixed, your employees can only go so far with their projects.
Subhead: You all wait and wait. The tech comes and ‘fixes’ it. Maybe not. Copy quality is still poor. Meanwhile, reports go out looking like trash, trashing your company’s professional image in the process.
Opening Copy: You get the service company’s bill . . . and decide there’s gotta be a better way.
You’re right. There is. Compare us with our competitors and discuss it with your staff. You’ll find we’re a copier repair service company with a different slant on the whole picture.
From Copier Dynamics, you’ll get no-nonsense, objective advice. Did you know most copiers should last at least ten years? Did you know that many copier manufacturers instruct their technicians to slack off on preventive maintenance once a copier is about three years old, so that problems will become more frequent? Did you know part of the tech’s job is to get the sales rep into the loop. . . .