That envelope teaser was written nearly 50 years ago by the great copywriter and my friend Bill Jayme for a highly successful Psychology Today acquisition promotion.

Bill wrote that long before the internet.   Today, the near constant from the digital crowd (and some direct mail folks as well) would be, “People are too busy to read long copy today. Use pictures, bullets, short copy.”

I remember that’s exactly what they were saying when Bill’s piece first appeared.  And they’d be saying it again today.  Back then Bill responded, “Pay little heed to talk about American becoming illiterate. First off, unless you are selling reading courses, today’s illiterates aren’t your market.”

Do you think reading is dead and long copy doesn’t work anymore –either for digital or direct mail.  I so, you’d be wrong.  As a general rule longer, GOOD copy pulls better than short copy regardless of the medium or channel.  Those who believe the opposite need to subject their opinion to some rigorous testing.

Which brings me to the topline importance of a key component of a direct response appeal—the From Line and Subject Line for the digitally focused.   Outer envelope Teaser Copy for the direct mail folks.  So, whether you’re writing for email or postal mail this post is for you.

Of one thing I’m certain.  Judging from the email I receive; few digital copywriters spend the sort of intense time that should be spent to craft the From Line and Subject Line required for an effective direct response email.  Some would say the political campaign folks do it best, but in reality, so much of that is pure trickery or bullshit that borders on fraud (“Your Gift Matched 700 X ” …” We’re packing our suitcase and pulling out.”) or so mundane that the reflexive finger hits the delete button.

Like so much in direct response there’s both an art and a science to successful communication and that especially true when it comes to the From Line and Subject Line.  For the same reason that great direct mail copywriters spend hours getting the design and teaser copy of the outside envelope just right, writers who work in digital need to be working toward the same high standard.  No more quick-and-dirty, top-of-the-head stabs in the dark. Far less use of online calculators/graders (here, here, here for examples.  More thought and care, please.

In 1984 Denny and Peggy Hatch founded WHO’S MAILING WHAT a remarkable archive that tracked and stored copies of direct mail pieces.  From it you could learn what the “winning” packages were because they were mailed –over and over and over again—for years on end.  And from those winning packages you could spot great techniques and copy –like TEASERS.

What a godsend WHO’S MAILING WHAT was. Knowing what’s working and what’s not is serious business.  Direct mailers spend millions of dollars to get to a winner.  And the quest for success starts with the envelope.  Why?  Because, as Denny notes, “if the envelope does not get opened the mailer loses a ton of money –the massive costs of the mailing PLUS the projected revenue and profit.

Same thing is true with email. As Denny put it, “Your ‘From Line’ and Subject Line” must overpower the Inbox.

Denny has translated his findings from WHO’S MAILING WHAT into a remarkable post and primer for today’s email copywriters.  I can’t urge you strongly enough to read, download, and save it.  Get it right here.  

Key Takeaways from Denny Hatch’s Analysis

• The from Line and Subject Line are 100% important. When the email arrives in the inbox it represents 100% of the value of the email blast.  If it is not opened, but immediately deleted the percentage value of everything else in the email is zero.
• The writer has just two elements to generate a click-to-open:

 (1) “From” Line
Is the sender recognizable? If your best friend is Linda Jones, her name in the From Line will result in an immediate click-to-open. If it’s from Best Institution of the World, the odds of a positive response are severely diminished.

With the From Line, you have max maybe 25 characters of type   with spaces to make a positive, clickable impression.

(2) “Subject” Line
Is your Subject Line is as powerful as the teaser below written by the legendary Herschel Gordon Lewis for a financial offer. It would be even more powerful today in this cash-strapped epoch rife with Covid-19 worries, high unemployment and two-mile-long lines at food banks

A few words of insight from Denny on translating direct mail examples to email winners.

“Notice the blank upper left corner. No sender’s name and address to distract from the overpowering message below.

“Notice the blank upper left corner. No sender’s name and address to distract from the overpowering message below.

“Quite simply Herschel reasoned the ADVANCED FINANCIAL SERVICES logo and address in the upper left corner (corner card) would (1) distract from the powerful offer (“Who the hell are these people?”) and (2) might even be an instant deal killer.

Here’s How Herschel’s Offer Would Look in Email Today

CONGRATULATIONS! Your valuable home equity makes you eligible for up to $100,000 Cash! 

“Herschel’s teaser copy is 85 characters (with spaces) and is the outer length for the size of a subject line in an email inbox.

“In comparison with the other three subject lines, this one (in my opinion) stands out.”

Denny’s Advice on Email Copywriting

• The email inbox does not allow for illustrations, design, varying type faces and envelope sizes—all the direct mail bells and whistles that make your offer stand out, generate excitement and create desire to see what’s inside.
• In short, a full email inbox is lines and lines of boring little black words. Your message looks like all the other messages.
• FORGET THE TERM “SUBJECT LINE!”Wipe it out of your mind. This is cold academic jargon dreamed up by some dreary dweeb with an MBA who first wrote about the Internet in terms of business and personal correspondence only.
• THINK “TEASER COPY.”
• The dumbest thing the writer of emails can do is spend hours perfecting the message and then bang out the first “subject line” that comes to mind and click
• I spend ample time getting my Teaser Copy just right. It represents 100% of the effectiveness of my email. (If the recipient doesn’t click on it, all my work is deader than Kelsey’s nuts.)
• Before I send out an important email, I send a test email to myself.
• And then go to lunch. After the time lapse of a lunch break, I will see it in a fresh light.
• When I open it on my desktop/iPad/smartphone, I analyze how it compares with all the other email Teasers above and below.
• Does it stand out from the others. Is it exciting? Does it grab you by the throat?
• If not, I go back to the drawing boards.
• I rework and retest over and over again until I’m absolutely satisfied it is the very best I can do.
• Remember this: testing teaser copy in email is a helluva lot cheaper than testing it in horrendously expensive direct mail. Email is damn near free compared to mail.
• If you find winning teaser copy in email, test it on your direct mail.

Again, I urge you to read Denny’s entire post.

AND NOW…. YOUR  READER BONUS

Denny’s been a friend, mentor, colleague and co-conspirator for 35 years. He’s not only proven his direct response genius, but he’s extraordinarily generous when it comes to sharing information and insights

Here’s what he’s done for us. From the archives of WHO’S MAILING WHAT? he’s looked at 1639 Grand Controls (packages that ran for at least three consecutive years and generated millions of dollars,  and picked 169 that he feels could be adapted for email teasers.

The categories he chose from: consumer and business magazines, newspapers, newsletters, books and collectibles. Waiting to be looked at: Travel, Insurance, Baby & Child Oriented, Fundraising, Financial Services, Investments, Misc. Merchandise, Legal and Medical Services, Home Study Courses and a bunch more.

If you find this exercise useful, give a shout and Denny will  schedule more for an upcoming post.

You can reach him at: dennyhatch@yahoo.com or 215-644-9626.

Roger

P.S.  Not all teaser copy has to be long.  Contrast Bill Jayme’s long copy in the title of this post with another of his winners for Money magazine. FREE.  MONEY. Of course the skill lies in know what to use and when AND what to test.