Courtesy of SOFII, here is the latest direct mail tutorial from copywriting guru Jerry Huntsinger.

This one talks about evaluating a fundraising letter. Jerry’s points, embellished in his tutorial …

1. Give yourself some positive reinforcement.

2. Get your mind off the letter of complaint you read earlier this morning.

3. Don’t try to edit the letter so that it ‘sounds like you’.

4. Trust your writer’s technical expertise.

5. Make sure your writer opens the letter with a strong beginning.

6. Don’t get hung up on the length of a letter.

7. Be sure the letter asks for a specific donation amount.

8. Don’t pass the letter around the office for further approval, unless it is absolutely necessary.

To me, #5 is the tricky one.

Taking for granted the copywriter’s ‘technical’ skills (e.g., bending of grammar rules, punchy formatting, strong offer construction), what you’re really paying a professional copywriter to do is to capture your prospect’s attention, tell your story in the most compelling way, and lead them to a direct action.

A good copywriter is a good listener and will have sifted through your program material and briefings to extract what his or her ‘ear’ and experience say will best engage and motivate your prospect. And they will craft the letter in such a way that it arrests your readers — snaps them to attention — starting with the very first sentence.

For most prospects, that’s all the time your letter will get (from its reader) to have any chance of being successful … starting with getting further read.

So what happens if you (the client) think your copywriter has missed the boat in the lead?

Whose judgment do you trust? That’s a tough one!

As a fundraiser, you probably believe you know your audience best. And surely you should know from past mailings what creative approaches and messages have worked best (or failed) before.

Against that, you need to weigh the experience of your copywriter. Presumably he has a successful track record (why else did you hire him?). Her fresher perspective might deliver precisely the zing that your fundraising appeal requires. He too should be conversant with the audience he is writing for (which, as Jerry points out, isn’t you!). She should have a better trained ear for the emotional drivers that motivate your donors.

I’ve been on the client side of this relationship, and I’d estimate that I went with the copywriter nine times out of ten. Obviously, making that call involves more than ‘buying’ the lead. But as Jerry says, if you’re having a problem with the lead, that could be the deal breaker … it’s a sign that one of you is on the wrong page!

Tom