Too often, we receive direct mail that’s offensive to the eye.

Big blocks of text crowd the page. Narrow left and right margins choke the life from the words. And small sans serif type makes the copy difficult to read.

Visually, these letters are uninviting.

Tips to Increase Readership

Graphic designers may love the look of grey-colored type, but readers need text printed with high contrast. Illustrations and graphics can enhance a mailing, but when overused they pull the reader’s eye in so many directions that it’s virtually impossible

What might appeal to someone’s sense of design doesn’t necessarily help the reader. And with only a few seconds to capture the reader’s attention, any distraction to the eye flow can doom the mailing.

Even when you mail award-winning copy with an offer that meets the recipient’s every need, few people—even those who respond to your mailing—will read the entire direct mail letter. But when you follow a few proven techniques, you can lead more readers to the letter’s most persuasive points and direct them to the call for action.

Here are some basic techniques that you’ll want to see included in your next mailing. They will increase your readership and help you achieve a more profitable campaign.

1. Make the letter look like a letter. People know what to do with a letter—read it. Don’t confuse them with something that looks like a brochure, a flyer or some creative hybrid approach. Most recipients will recognize your letter as being part of a mass mailing, but providing the perception of a personal letter will typically increase results.
2. Provide lots of space for your left and right margins and only justify the left margin—flush left, ragged to the right.
3. Use a serif type for your letter copy. (Serif type has little “feet” at the bottom (Courier, Times New Roman and Georgia are examples.) Virtually every newspaper, magazine and published book uses serif type because has proven to enhance reading flow and reduce eyestrain. If you want it read, use a serif type.
4. Always indent your paragraphs. Studies show that indented paragraphs “catch” the eye moving down the page and make the letter more readable.
5. Single space the letter and put a double space between paragraphs.
6. Don’t end a page with a complete sentence. Look at your newspaper. To finish practically any article, you have to turn the page and that’s exactly what you want the reader to do with your letter—keep them turning pages until they reach your call to action.
7. When using “handwritten” notes in the margin and/or underlining, be sure the letter signer uses the same pen used to sign the letter. This is one letter, written by one person to one other person. Make it believable.
8. Letters printed in a faux handwriting font have their purpose but keep them short. It’s a struggle to get through four pages of handwritten text.
9. Use nothing smaller than 10-point type (except for disclaimers). For an older audience, you’ll want to use a larger 12-point type.

Direct mail isn’t rocket science. If you’re going to persuade the reader to respond, he or she needs to read your letter—or at least its main points. No one wants to work their way through a letter they didn’t even ask for so keep it simple, stay on point and make it easy to read.

On average, the reader takes no longer than 11 seconds to decide whether to read or trash your letter. Research by Professor Siegfried Vogele found that during this 11-second preview, the reader’s eyes fix only on pictures and headlines—never on the body copy. Knowing this, you can use illustrations to draw the reader’s attention to your most persuasive copy and lead them to the call to action.

1. Typically, readers follow the classic pattern of reading left-to-right, top-to-bottom, but eye flow can be redirected using “pointing devices” with a graphic element. For example, when you place a graphic of people in your letter, the reader’s eyes will follow the eyes of the subjects in the picture. Use this by pointing the subject’s eyes toward your copy.You can use practically any “pointing device” to direct the reader’s eyes. With an illustration showing a model wearing a man-style tie, for example, the eyes of readers will follow the tie right down to its pointed end—and to the copy below.
2. Most illustrations need a caption. To get the caption read, put it below or to the right of the illustration, not above or to the left of it.
3. With 2-page layouts—as in a brochure—you can expand what the reader sees by placing color pictures to the left and black-and-white pictures to the right. Warmer colors will draw the reader’s eyes across the page revealing more of your message. When using pictures with and without people, put the people pictures to the left to encourage the reader’s eyes to go across the page.

People love a good story especially when it’s about them. To increase readership, you want to:

1. Include a salutation. You wouldn’t start a conversation without a greeting so include a salutation with your letter. And assign title codes. There is nothing more impersonal than using the recipient’s full name in the salutation. (“Dear Mr. Hugh Chewning,” for example. It’s either “Dear Mr. Chewning” or “Dear Hugh.”) When you can’t assign a title code, use a default—“Dear Member,” “Dear Homeowner” and “Dear Friend” are examples—but say “hello” and welcome the reader before launching your sales pitch.
2. Have the copy written as if it’s a one-on-one conversation between the letter signer and the recipient. Direct mail is an “I” to “you” medium. Not “us” and “we.” People are more comfortable with an individual than a large, impersonal organization, so keep it personal and they’ll keep reading.
3. Personalize the copy with the reader’s name and any other pertinent information that’s available. Properly used, the cost of adding personalization to the letter will almost always pay for itself. And when you’re mailing to customers or donors, recognize the recipient as such early in the copy.
4. Give special attention to the letter’s first paragraph and the P.S. Typically, these areas get the most attention so use them to state the problem your offer will solve, how the reader will benefit by responding and to issue your call to action. If they read nothing else, they’ll know how to respond and why they should respond.
5. Don’t worry about using incomplete sentences, contractions or a preposition at the end of a sentence. Write in a conversational style as if the letter signer is speaking directly to the recipient.
6. Create an image for the reader. If the reader can see him or herself in the situation you describe, they’ll take an interest and continue to read.
7. If you can’t spell a word or need to look up its meaning, don’t use it. You want to give the reader a “warm and fuzzy” feeling not impress him or her with your vocabulary.
8. Don’t let the reader stumble on in-house abbreviations. When using the term for the first time, spell it out. For example, rather than beginning a letter with “ACLU” you would write, “American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).” You’ll lose all momentum if the reader must turn back to the start of the letter to understand your meaning.

The more you create the perception that your direct mail letter is a personal communication from the letter signer to the recipient—and make it easy to read—the more readership you will have.

And the math is simple—greater readership equals higher response.

Getting every possible response is always worth the effort of giving added attention to the package’s layout, its use of graphics and its copy style. Increase readership of your letter and you and your organization will profit.

Direct mail is a sales medium. We use it to sell ideas, products and services. And like any other form of sales, its success is based on trust.

Regardless of how much the prospect may value your offer, if he or she doesn’t trust the person attempting to make the sale, it’s not going to happen.

In direct mail, our salesperson is the letter signer. And to establish trust we use testimonials, money-back guarantees and clear, straightforward language.

By definition, an asterisk “indicates omission…”

An asterisk signifies that the claim being made isn’t complete. There are qualifications and/or limitations to what you’re being told. In blunt terms, an asterisk says that you’re not being told the whole truth.

Recently, I received a mailing with the headline “Save $1,000.*”

Seeing the asterisk, I read this headline as “Save $1,000? Maybe.”

The headline makes a big claim but the asterisk warns me that I’m not getting the full story. Continuing with the letter, I encountered three more asterisks before I completed the first paragraph.

Where’s my trust level now?

I’ve never been impressed by fast-talking salespeople who oversell and promise something they can’t deliver. If there are restrictions or qualifications to become eligible for an offer, just say so in clear, straightforward language.

Full disclosure is not only a legal responsibility and a matter of conscience, it’s good salesmanship.

I expect that on more than one occasion you’ve walked away from a sale because you sensed the salesperson was more interested in making a sale than giving you all the information you needed to make a good buying decision.

Isn’t this the same message an asterisk delivers to our readers?

There will be times when using an asterisk to direct the reader to the disclosure is your best choice. But too often we use an asterisk because it’s easy. All we need to do is insert an asterisk and drop the legal department’s comments into an endnote and we’re done.

But typically, there’s a more effective way.

• When making a statement that requires a comment, write, “You’ll find the full details and limitations below.” You’ll still have the endnote, but you’ll avoid the asterisk.
• In a four-page letter, try to work the mandatory copy into page two or three where it won’t disrupt the flow of the letter.
• Rather than try to hide the legalese, see if you can find a way to feature the disclosure copy. Be upfront and let the reader know, “Here are facts that you need to know.” People want to do business with people they trust—someone who doesn’t hide information concerning the sale.

Recently, I attached a Post-It note to the letter’s first page and wrote:

As you might expect, with an offer this good—and discounts this huge—there are certain conditions that apply. You’ll find complete details printed on the blue insert I’ve enclosed.

You may not like this particular idea and I can’t say how well it worked because we didn’t test it separately. But my point is that we can meet regulatory and legal requirements without littering our copy with asterisks.

Here are a few examples:

• Often we see an asterisk pointing to a disclosure that reads, “For new customers only.” Instead, try adding copy to the letter that says, “The savings and benefits offered are reserved exclusively for our new customers.” Now, the mandatory copy adds exclusivity to the offer.
• If the offer is only good for a limited time, don’t hide it in the disclosure. Turn the “limited time” into a deadline to respond and add urgency to the offer.
• Using diet products as an example, you often see “With diet and regular exercise” added to the disclosure. But rather than put this into the disclosure, include letter copy that says, “With regular exercise and proper diet, you can see amazing results with XYZ product.” You’re communicating the same message but the qualifying statement is now part of the benefit.
• When promoting Certificates of Deposit rates, financial institutions often add “New Money Only” to the disclosure. Instead, try putting this into your copy: “Because we’re looking to raise money to make new home loans, this special rate is limited to new money—money that’s not already deposited with the bank.” This not only gets rid of an asterisk, it also opens the offer to existing customers.

There will be times when directing the reader to the disclosure with an asterisk is still the best approach. Sometimes there’s just no better way to communicate mandatory information. But don’t make it the first thing you try because more often than not, you can make better use of the disclosure information in the letter copy.

Including required information in your letter copy can increase the believability of your offer and build trust. But using an asterisk to point to a disclosure in eight-point type can only hurt the mailing’s creditability.

________________________________________

*To kill the perfect offer, use an asterisk in the headline and letter copy.

Too often, people and organizations put all their attention into getting the big things right, but ignore the details.

There’s a word to describe this. It’s “mediocrity.”

Giving attention to the details can’t ensure your success, but ignoring the small stuff can quickly bring about your downfall.

Every detail has bottom-line repercussions and it’s irresponsible to think of any aspect of direct mail as trivial, unimportant or inconsequential.

Here are a few fine points often overlooked in a mailing. None will ensure your success, but collectively, they can make a huge difference in your mailing’s success.

• Double-check the planning schedule. Don’t assume that someone has selected and ordered the mailing lists. Has the copywriter submitted his or her work in time to get it approved and into production in time to meet your mail date? Have the envelopes been delivered to the mail house? Too many projects never get off the ground—or mail at an unfavorable time—because no one monitors the planning schedule.
• Make certain all the mailing’s components—the outer envelope, the letter, the response form and other components—synergize into one mailing package. It’s one direct mail package, not a collection of individual components.
• Understand that giving attention to detail is not the same as cluttering the package’s design with details. Including too many graphic elements in the design can confuse the eye and keep the reader’s attention away from where you want it to flow.
• Check the art and make certain the letter uses a serif font. If anyone questions the value of using a serif font in the letter, have them pick any book from the library or look at any magazine or newspaper, and they will see that they all use serif fonts. Why? Because a serif font is more readable. And having more people read more of your letter can only increase response. When you want something read, use a serif font.
• You wouldn’t start a conversation without greeting the recipient, so make certain the letter includes a salutation. And give attention to title codes—Mr., Mrs. and Ms., for example. For me, there’s nothing more impersonal as “Dear Hugh Chewning.” It makes everything sound like a sweepstakes letter. Open the letter with “Dear Mr. Chewning” or, when appropriate, “Dear Hugh.” And provide a “default” for names that you can’t match to a title code. For example, “Dear Member,” “Dear Customer,” “Dear Neighbor” or even “Dear Friend.”
• Keep the letter’s paragraphs short and provide plenty of white space for the margins. Wide margins and short paragraphs invite the reader’s eye to the page. Fat paragraphs and long sentences are intimidating and unwelcoming to the reader. You want to get the letter read, so make it warm and comfortable to the recipient. (Compare the pages of a novel written in the 1930s or earlier with those of a contemporary book and see which you find more inviting.)
• Make sure the letter’s paragraphs are indented. Eye-camera studies show that indented paragraphs “catch” the eye moving down the page and make the letter more readable.
• Check for asterisks and, whenever possible, eliminate them. Asterisks are for the lazy and they announce that you’re hiding something. If there’s something you must say, just say it. It’s far better to announce a limitation or condition than for it to appear that you’re hiding the full truth. In a four-page letter, put required legal information on page two or three—very few people read those pages anyway.
• Format the letter as a “friendly” letter rather than a business letter—even for business-to-business mailings. Think of the letter as a one-on-one conversation between the recipient and you—the salesperson. To whom would you be more likely to respond—a salesperson who comes across as warm and friendly, or someone who is formal and distant?
• Read the letter aloud. Its copy is a conversation you’re having with the reader and that’s how you want it to sound.
• Don’t let a page—other than the last—end with a complete sentence. Any newspaper—with the possible exception of USA Today—will force you to turn a page to finish the front-page article. Why? They want you to see the advertisements. In direct mail, we also need the reader to turn the page to discover the benefits of our offer and reach the letter’s call to action.
• Give attention to the letter signer’s signature and any margin notes. The signature needs to be realistic but readable. You don’t want it to look like an artist signed the letter, but the signature needs to be legible or it’s going to hurt the letter’s credibility. And make certain any “handwritten” note in the margin is in the same handwriting and ink color as the signature.
• Has the letter used any in-house words or abbreviations without providing an explanation? Don’t assume the reader—even customers—will understand the terms that are unique to your business. If your spouse, best friend or neighbor aren’t familiar with the term, you need to explain it or omit it from the copy. When you do use abbreviations, always spell the word out when first used. For example, rather than beginning a letter with “ACLU,” you would write, “American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).” You’ll lose all momentum if the reader must turn back to the start of the letter to understand what you’re talking about.
• On the response form, tell the reader to whom their check is to be made payable. Don’t make them guess or give them any reason to hesitate. And it’s not “Make your checks payable to…” You’re only asking for one check, so use, “Make your check payable to…”
• Check the response form and make sure it fits into the return envelope. And, if appropriate, have you included a toll-free telephone number or a website the recipient can use to respond?
• When you do offer a toll-free number or webpage as a method of response, make certain that you have procedures in place to include these responses in the mailing’s results report.
• Finally, have the letter proofread. Don’t expect the copywriter to be the final proofreader of his or her own work.

Managing any one of these details isn’t going to produce a huge lift in your direct mail results. But collectively, getting the details right can be the difference between success and failure. Plus, it’s the professional thing to do.

You’ll often find the greatest success within the smallest details. And when it comes to making a difference in your mailing results, a penny is a penny. And pennies make dimes and dimes make dollars.

Sweat the small stuff. Strive for perfection and you’ll achieve excellence.

With direct mail, it’s often said, “The letter sells while the brochure explains.” With this in mind, it’s important not to let your explanation get in the way of making the sale.

I do a lot of “Beat the Control” work, and whenever I’m up against a package that includes a brochure, my first instinct is to test eliminating the brochure. More times than not, dropping the brochure will increase the mailing’s response.

Why? Because when people are reading your brochure, they aren’t responding. Too often, the brochure becomes a distraction and diverts the reader’s attention from the letter’s call to action.

Yet, there are times when it makes sense to test a brochure.

With some products and services, you can better communicate their benefits with a picture, illustration or graph than you can with just words.

For example, if you want to demonstrate the inner workings of a gadget, exhibit the beauty of a collector’s item or show the photo quality of a travel magazine, a brochure can help you sell your offer.

You use a brochure to document the claims made in your letter.

With a brochure, you can show pictures of customers using your product, include more testimonials, provide a chart comparing your service with that of your competitors, include graphs to validate improved product performance, and deliver product information your prospects can keep or pass along as a reminder of your offer.

Selecting the Right Format

You define your brochure’s format by the job you need it to do. For many offers, a simple flyer is enough, while a tri-fold brochure may work better for others. High-ticket offers may even require a multiple-page booklet.

Whatever the format, the brochure is always part of the total direct mail package and its design must share the image of the mailing’s other components. For example, a glossy, four-color, multiple-page booklet doesn’t fit with most fundraising offers. A tri-fold brochure may be out of place with an offer for gold coins, but it can be the perfect fit for a security alarm company.

When designing your brochure, you also want to consider the following:

• Unlike the letter, design the brochure to be scanned, not read.
• Include a strong headline that tells the “what and why” of your offer. The headline identifies the reader’s problem and suggests that there is a fix.
• Make your first paragraph count. Engage the reader and briefly describe how they will benefit from your product or service.
• Include a strong guarantee. Nothing will overcome the reader’s hesitation more quickly than a strong “No-Risk, Money-Back Guarantee.”
• Issue a clear call to action and tell the reader how to respond—by mail, telephone or via your website. Include a response device at the bottom outside corner of the page, where it’s easy to cut out. Show perforation lines around the response device to suggest what the reader needs to do. Also, include your toll-free number and the URL for the offer’s landing page. The brochure is a stand-alone device and needs to provide all the information necessary for the reader to respond.
• A brochure is a great place for Questions & Answers—written as if the reader is asking and you are answering.
• Increase your credibility with testimonials.
• Use graphs and product reviews to compare your product with those of your competitors. People will scan, not read, your brochure and graphs and charts can often tell your story better—and quicker—than text.

Focus the Reader’s Attention

The brochure is a “show me” component; you want to use its graphics to focus the reader’s attention so they quickly get the information that will motivate them to respond.

Use photos freely because before any word of text is even noted, the reader’s eyes will be pulled to photographs and illustrations.

• Select a readable typeface (serif); use short paragraphs and sub-headlines.
• Include pictures of people using your product or service. Readers will look at pictures with people before they see pictures of products.
• On two-page spreads—the inside of a folded brochure, for example—put your strongest picture as far to the left as possible. In most cases, eye flow begins at the upper right of a two-page spread and continues in a sideways “U” like this . Placing a strong picture to the left pulls the reader’s eyes back across the page and “exposes” more of your message.
• People read captions. Place captions as close to your pictures as possible—below or to the right of the illustration.
• Your reader’s eyes will typically follow the eyes of the people in your photos. You can take advantage of this by, for example, having the models in your photo look to the left when you want to call attention to copy that’s to the left of the picture.
• Place color pictures to the left and black-and-white pictures to the right. Warmer colors draw the reader’s eye to the left and they will see more of your message.
• Readers will see action illustrations before still pictures. Portraits gain attention before full pictures of people and, most often, a larger group of people will gain attention before a smaller group does.

Does It Help or Hurt?

Your brochure can be a great asset, but you do need to test its effect on your mailing. It’s a mistake to assume that the brochure’s four-color beauty, high-quality photos and fancy charts will increase response.

Test and retest your mailing’s brochure. And remember, the brochure’s purpose isn’t to educate, entertain or impress. In a direct response mailing, the brochure has only one purpose: to increase the mailing’s net income.

This is Part 2 of the findings of an extensive series of eye-camera tests conducted by Professor Siegfried Vogele of the Institute for Direct Marketing in Munich, West Germany. The tests traced eye movements as thousands of men and women opened and read all types of direct mailings and, at the same time, studied emotional reactions by observing body and hand movements.

Once your reader opens the envelope, they take no longer that 11 seconds to decide whether to read your letter or trash it

During this 11-second preview, Professor Vogele found that the reader’s eyes fix only on pictures and headlines — never on the body copy.

The Professor’s findings demonstrated that illustrations play a greater role in determining how the recipient reads your direct mail than any other graphic device.

Before any word of text is even noted, the reader’s eyes will be pulled to photographs and/or drawings. And by understanding the affects of graphics on eye flow, we can boost response rates by directing our reader’s attention to our most powerful sales copy.

How to use illustrations

• Large pictures will get attention before smaller pictures.
• Color pictures will be noted before black-and-white pictures.
• Warm colors attract attention before middle tones or cooler colors.
• A sequence of pictures will be noted before individual pictures.
• Action illustrations will be seen before still pictures.
• Pictures with people will be looked at before pictures of products.
• Children will attract attention before adults.
• Portraits will gain attention before full pictures of people.
• Eyes will be the first thing focused upon.
• Most often, a larger group of people will gain attention before a smaller group.
• Outline illustrations will generally be noted before square halftones.

Focusing the reader’s attention

• A reader will typically follow the direction in which eyes in the illustration are focused.

• When an object within an illustration “points,” the eyes will generally flow in that direction. For example, in an illustration of a model wearing a man-style tie, the eyes of readers follow the tie right down to its pointed end.

• Place captions as close to pictures as possible. Captions should always be below or to the right of an illustration, not above or to the left.

Expand what the reader sees

On two-page spreads, the inside of a folded brochure, for example –put your strongest picture as far to the left as possible.

Why? In most cases, eye flow begins at the upper right of a two-page spread and continues in a sideways “U” like this – . Typically, however, the eyes stop just to the left of the gutter between the two pages and then exit at the lower right.

To expand the reader’s scan of the entire page:

• Put a “commanding” illustration at the far left. It will draw the reader’s eye and expand the viewing area allowing the reader to see more of the left-hand page.

• You can get similar results by placing color pictures to the left with black-and-white pictures to the right. Warmer colors draw the reader’s eye to the left and they will see more of your message.

• If you have pictures with and without people, put the people pictures to the left and they will encourage the eyes to go in that direction.

But be careful not to place an eye-grabbing illustration at the lower right. It will draw the eyes immediately to the exit position of the page and reduce the amount of attention given to your entire presentation.

Shapes

Vogele’s eye-camera studies also show how shapes affect readership.

• 80 percent of readers will go to a vertical shape before a horizontal shape.
• Even more eye compelling is a diagonal shape.
• Readers generally note circled areas before square-cornered ones.
• Closed shapes are observed before partially open shapes. People typically read copy within a border before “open” text.
• “Bursts” get immediate attention, but they can often be distracting by re-attracting the eyes and drawing the reader’s attention from the copy that you want them to read.

Without graphic elements to draw the eye, reading generally follows the classic pattern of left to right, top to bottom. But when we add eye-compelling graphic elements to the page – and understand how to use them to draw the reader’s attention to our most powerful sales message – the result is often a welcomed boost to our response rates.