The Function of Seduction

In the days of direct mail, when a letter went out, the prospect might never have heard of the company before.  Or the product.  Consider also that much of direct mail's development occurred over a period where the U.S. was saving money.

It was under these difficult circumstances that the sales letter had to perform.  It would have to succeed in grabbing the prospect by the throat and dragging him through the letter, building credibility and piling on benefits, till it hit him with a powerful close.  A close that kept him up at night... until he ordered. 

Direct mail, while still a viable and even underestimated option, has taken a back seat to the new email marketing.  And that brings us to today's lesson.

Seduction.  To entice.  Lure.  You don't have to hit your prospect between the eyes, though you can, and sometimes should.  In email campaigns, however, you have the opportunity to build rapport, a brand, a legend over time.  The flexibility you have with email allows you to do things that would be totally uneconomical in direct mail.  And it allows you to lead your prospect on.  Build a little tension.  Maintain a consistant persona (writing style and format).  And use repetition over time.  The last of the three is priceless. 

As you know, I try to pack as much content into these posts as possible.  Here, I'm going to have to leave some of the work to you.

You may already be on several emailing lists.  If not, find some.  To emulate and to study.  Consider the elements of copywriting, and note where you discover them.  You may notice that they are often more subtle.  They may not have a particularly strong close.  They may space out offers in order to cultivate the good will of their prospects and customers.  It's the function of seduction. 

And now the example I promised you.  We have mentioned Ken McCarthy before.  His email marketing campaign is nearly at an end for this year.  But if you didn't join his list when we mentioned him before, take my word, the guy is a master.  In his emails, I'm hardly aware that he is selling.  Yet every email supports his unique selling propostition, his big promise, his brand.  This link was in his latest email.  Notice how this brilliant little letter doesn't conflict with the main sales letter.  (Something to consider if you do any affiliate marketing if your page links to the main site's sales letter.)

You needn't copy it by hand, but do notice the form, the hook, the classic "Why Am I Telling You This?" subhead.  Seemless and subtle – as far as selling goes.  And yet he creates a great deal of intrigue.  And if you follow the link through to the main sales letter, which you may recall linked from my classic "Boy Eats Own Head" post, you can see how the your experience of that letter is changed.  What you notice now that you didn't see before.

To Your Copywriting Mastery,

Sheridan Randolph