Copy Tip 19: Headlines IV
Here’s a short headline tip for today … one that’s related to the most mailed direct sales letter in history (sent out over 100 MILLION times).
The letter did NOT have a headline.
I’m talking about the very famous (in copywriting and marketing circles) Gary Halbert “Coat Of Arms” letter.
It was a typed letter designed to look like it was personal correspondence, with just six paragraphs of text. It was signed by Nancy L. Halbert.
And it had a VERY compelling offer with some incredibly persuasive text. The opening of the letter was just as compelling at getting attention as any headline might be.
No logo, no order form. A very plain return address and phone number.
Nothing “business-like” about it. No ad/promo writing on the envelope.
A very deliberate “personal” strategy that worked beautifully (reportedly having over US$100 million in gross sales — and at one stage employing 40 people just to process the checks/cheques).
It starts off with the following (in the example copy I have):
Dear Mr. Macdonald,
Did you know that your family name was recorded with a coat-of-arms in ancient heraldic archives more than seven centuries ago?
My husband and I discovered this while doing some research for some friends of ours who have the same last name as you do…
It’s simply brilliant.
What’s that you say? You’d like to see a copy?
It’s well worth your time to use Google (or Google Images!) and find a copy. They’re out there. I’m not going to include it here … I’m encouraging you to be resourceful and discover it yourself … there are enough clues here to find it quickly. Research is paramount, so it’s time to start putting it into action!
And I’d be writing it out by hand when you find it — a great way to really get into actual copy.
The big lesson
There will be times in your strategy when a HEADLINE is NOT used to grab attention and compel people to keep on reading. Other copy will do that job.
There are no “hard-and-fast” rules — in this case, having no headline was the perfect strategy for this campaign.
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