Anyone Can Write a Letter by Steve Cuno

ANYONE CAN WRITE A LETTER

By Steve Cuno

Anyone Can Write a Letter

nyone foolhardy enough to write direct response sales letters for a living had better be prepared for a little skepticism.
It’s usually expressed this way: “You’re kidding. You want that much ... for just a letter?”
In a way, the skepticism is a compliment. We direct marketing writers bend over backwards to make our sales letters read effortlessly. The more we succeed, the more it looks as if our work took no effort to write.
But since compliments don’t pay the mortgage, here are some points you can share with your next skeptic. You may not convince anyone, but at least you’ll feel better.

“Anyone can write a letter.”

Yes, anyone can write a letter. I’ve seen the letters anyone can write, and so have you.
Ad copywriters crank out letters that read like ads — self-consciously clever, pun-laden, and totally devoid of the direct marketing techniques it took us decades to amass. Somehow they remind you of that obnoxious furniture salesman in the plaid jacket you didn’t buy anything from.
Then there are the corporate types who write their own. The selling point is buried under lines of self-aggrandizing prattle about how many years the company has been in business, the company’s commitment to excellence, and other stuff readers couldn’t care less about.
If either is the letter your company wants, you’re right — anyone can write one.
But a sales letter captures readers. It telegraphs benefits at a glance. It

engages. It compels. It sells. It closes. It works its territory like a skilled salesperson.
That’s not the kind of letter just anyone can write.

Sales letter expertise.

Most advertising is designed to create awareness. That is, the message is supposed to influence a future buying decision.
Direct marketers groomed on mail order selling are trained to write copy that creates immediate buying decisions. Even non-mail order strategies like awareness and bond building benefit from the discipline. There are the layout tricks that enhance readership ... the ebb and flow of copy that pulls readers through before they know it ... the personal tone crafted to appeal without patronizing ... the mechanics of response ... the convincing ring ... how to present features and benefits to go in for the close ... pitfalls to avoid ... and more.
Direct response copywriters bring a wealth of technical knowledge, plus a wealth of specialized writing talent to the party. Knowledge and talent that ordinary advertising writers, despite vehement denials, just don’t get.

Worth paying for.

Direct marketing, like any profession, is filled with greats and with charlatans. Should you be lucky enough to happen upon a great direct marketing letter writer, make that person (as David Ogilvy says)your secret weapon. A secret weapon you can use to build loyalty, awareness and direct sales.
Now that’s a weapon worth paying for.

How much work is
a sales letter?

A one-page sales letter alone can run about 250 words. Add a reply card and envelope teaser copy, and you’re up to 500. A two-page sales letter with brochure, lift letter, reply card and envelope with teaser copy comes to about 1500 words. And since there’s no limit to the number of pages in a direct mail sales letter, 1500 is by no means tops.
That’s a lot of copy. Especially compared to awareness ad copy. Some ads have hundreds of words. Some have no words at all. Most land in the 100-150 word range.
The fact that it’s a letter doesn’t make it easier to write than an ad. Those of us trained to do both will tell you that good letter copy is usually harder to write than good ad copy.

Don’t let the
disguise fool you.

Readers see a letter and, defenses down, react to it like one. That’s what we want.
But the look is meant to fool readers, not clients. A good sales letter is actually a carefully crafted sales pitch — complete with relationship-building, features, benefits and closing — in disguise.
The fact that an ad is set in something besides Courier type and sports photos and graphics doesn’t mean it requires more expertise to create (often the contrary), or make it worth more money.