When a prospect picks up your envelope, together with his other post, he spends less than three seconds assessing whether or not to open it. Naturally, this problem means that direct marketers are tempted to “spill the beans” on the envelope; pushing their features and benefits, even the offer. This is a big mistake.

The envelope has one role and one role only; to carry the items it contains within it to the person to whom the envelope is addressed. That’s it. The resulting fact has forced copywriters to dream up inventive ways to tease, and entice prospects to open the envelope, and read the sales copy within.

Facing that same dilemma, one company decided to conduct a number of B to B and B to C envelope tests, to discover which pulled in the better result. Envelopes with teaser copy and offers on the outside or envelopes with nothing but the return addressed on the back.

What they discovered:

They discovered that when the reader couldn’t determine what the offer inside was, they felt they were missing out on something great, and were more inclined to open the envelope. They felt these feelings more acutely, if the envelope was sent by a brand they knew very well or had a good long standing reputation with. The reader also wanted to know the offer first before deciding whether or not to reject it.

There are some fantastic lessons to be learned here, namely…

Simple is Best

No copy on the envelope. You may not be a big brand name but it’s never a good idea to spell out your offer to a list who doesn’t know you – yet. It’s like asking a girl to marry you on your first date. You’d never do that. Timing is everything in relationships. It’s no different in direct mail. When building that all important long term relationship – easy does it, is key.

Make it Personal

You know how you feel when you receive a letter that is addressed, “To the Owner” or “To Whom it May Concern”. If you send similar envelopes to your prospects, you can guess how they’ll feel. Go the extra mile to find out your prospect’s name, title, and make sure both are spelled correctly.

Address their Names by Hand

If you take the time to hand write their names, then some of your list will take the time to open your envelope, and read what’s inside. Nothing makes a bigger or better impression then handwritten notes, and envelopes. It’s these personal touches that add style, and class to any envelope, and indeed to any company. By deciding to write their names by hand, you put your company at a higher level then the rest, and guarantee long term faithful clients.

Put your Logo on the Envelope

If you’re marketing to a list that knows you very well, and is, as far as you know, very happy with your service. Then put your logo on the front top left hand corner of your envelope or discreetly on the back flap.

Then, they’re more likely to open your envelope because, like the company in the example, they could be missing out on something great, and want to read about it before making the decision to disregard it.

Test, Test, Test

Before embarking on any campaign, it’s important to test your envelope, and everything on your envelope until you’re sure you have the right combination that will go a long way to enticing your prospect to open it.

What will go a long way in making your headlines tight is asking yourself some strong questions, and they are:

Will this headline drive my prospects to buy now or never?

The most important thing you must achieve in your headline copy – is to give your prospect every possible reason to want your product now!. You could say things like – ‘while stocks last’ or ‘offer ends today’ etc.

Read lots of direct-mail campaigns that come through your door, and especially those that drove you to buy straight away – study their headline copy. You’ll be amazed how simple they are, but discover very quickly how hard they are to emulate.

Is my product valuable to the prospect?

Assuming that you already know, hand on heart that your product or service is something the public really wants or needs, then expressing this in your headline copy should be a piece of cake.

Does my header make the product stand out from the rest?

This is where your headline should outline the uniqueness of the product or service; miss this bit and your headline will fail.

Is my headline specific and clear enough or is it trying to say too much?

Being ambiguous is not an option or cramming too much information is not good either. It’s vital to be clear, concise and specific throughout your copy but especially in your headline. It’s here that the prospect gets their first taste of your offer. So hit’em with it!

My headline has a job to do – is it doing it?

If you put the four key techniques into place, as I suggest you do, then your headline will be pulling double duty. First grabbing their attention, secondly selecting them.

As your headline copy will be saying something meaningful to one person but at the same time, having the opposite effect on someone else. Thus selecting those eager to buy prospects you really want.

It’s interesting to note; prospects read headers five times as much as they read the whole copy, which means for every dollar the advertiser spends, 80 cents of his advertising dollar is spent on the header.

According to world famous copywriter David Ogilvy, the headline is the most important part of an advertisement.

So based on that logic and compelling evidence, it would stand to reason that you spend 80% of your time crafting that perfect header. It would be time well spent.

That’s just how important the headline is.