A Great Offer: Never Go Into the Mail Without One

By Ken Schneider

I'm often asked, "What's the most important component in a winning direct mail package?"

Is it the outer envelope? The letter? Brochure? Could it be the order card? Or the lift note? And, in a broader sense, does good copy trump mediocre design? Or, conversely, can good design rescue so-so copy?

These are all intriguing questions. And I have strong opinions about each one. But—and that's a big but—we miss the whole point of the discussion about what constitutes winning direct mail if we fail to include these two words: the offer.

To have any chance of success, a direct mail package must have a great offer. But how do you know which offer is best for you? What are your options? What are other publishers doing?

In my capacity as a direct mail copywriter, primarily for consumer magazines, I've dealt with practically every type of offer you can imagine. Each one has its merits, and it's hard to point to one particular offer and say that it's a winner in every situation. But here is a rundown of several of the offers in use today.

1) 2 years for the price of 1. Many publishers are testing this offer, as well as a "3 years for the price of 1" version. Some state it as "One year free" or "Two years free." Why does it work for some magazines and not for others? Some think it's a matter of how you graphically present the offer, such as using bold headlines and in-your-face design elements shouting "2 years free." Others feel it's not so much how the offer looks, but rather how it's discussed—the story behind the offer. "We begged management to let us give you this great offer—and they finally said OK," or "We've cut our price to the bone to give you our best rate of all time." Unfortunately, there's no clear consensus on exactly which angle works best.

2) Yes, No, Maybe. Here's an offer that was all the rage about twenty years ago, but I've noticed it making a comeback recently. It's basically a clever way of presenting the standard soft offer—"Try a free issue and if you don't like it, return the bill marked 'cancel' and owe nothing." The order card features three distinct copy blocks: one labeled "Yes," the second "No," and the third "Maybe." The "Yes" copy is a statement of the standard soft offer. The "No" copy says something to the effect of: "No thanks, I don't want a free issue, send it to somebody else." (The implication is that the recipient will return the order card without even placing an order.) The "Maybe" copy is actually a restating of the "Yes" copy, but with a first sentence like: "I'm not sure, but send my free issue anyway. If I don't like it, I'll return the bill marked 'cancel' and owe nothing." The very fact that you've given the recipient a "maybe" option—even though it's the very same offer as the "yes" option—seems to raise the comfort level enough to generate a positive response that otherwise may not occur.

3. The soft offer. This approach still appears to be the most popular, however the language used to describe it varies from one publisher to another. I've seen it stated as "First Issue Free" or "Risk-Free Issue," as well as "Free Preview Issue" or "Free Trial Issue." Most include the phrase "Send No Money Now." But I have noticed several tests that tack on the "Payment enclosed/Bill me later" option in an effort to get cash with order, even though it's a soft offer.

4. The hard offer. While the soft offer makes up the lion's share of the offers out there, the good, old hard offer is still used. Hard offers—no free issue—seem to work best with a very low per issue price, such as $1 per issue. Many times a premium is included upon payment to boost cash with order. And a 100 percent money-back guarantee appears to help generate response as well. Unlike the standard guarantee that promises a refund on all "unmailed issues," the 100 percent money-back guarantee tells the subscriber that he can receive a full refund if he's ever disappointed with the magazine. Some circulation managers are hesitant to commit to a full refund, but rarely does a subscriber take advantage of the guarantee and claim his refund—and the technique does appear to lift response.

5. The Fast 50. Another way to boost response is with an old standby—the Fast 50. This sweepstakes of sorts offers a premium or gift to those who are among the first 50 replies received. Since you can't make a purchase necessary to enter, you generally have to give the option of letting the respondent say "no" to a subscription, "but tell me if I've won a prize."

6. Premiums. Once a mainstay of practically all magazine subscription offers, premiums are not used as widely today as they once were. T-shirts, pocketknives, book lights, and calculators were common giveaways. Some were awarded only when the subscription payment was received. Others were sent with just the return of the order card. Very few of my clients use premiums these days, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't consider testing one in your next promotion. "You never know until you try" seems to be a good rule of thumb here.

In fact, that's the best rule of thumb for all the offers I've mentioned here. The beauty of direct response is that it's easy to read results. And that means it's easy to tell if one offer works better than another, if adding a premium helps boost response, if "1 year free" works better than "2 years for the price of 1," and so on.

In the real estate world, the mantra is "location, location, location." In the world of direct response, it's "test, test, test." Do it—and find the offer that works best for you.

Ken Schneider is an award-winning direct mail writer/designer specializing in magazine, book and newsletter promotions. With more than 35 circulation direct marketing awards, he has been honored more than any other individual or direct mail organization. Ken splits his time between Houston, Texas, and Aspen, Colo. He can be reached at ken888@earthlink.net.