How to Write Direct Mail Envelope Teaser

How to Write Direct Mail Copy



Avoid Ambiguity

Envelope teasers are very crucial in direct mail since the prospective customer has about 3 or 5 seconds to decide whether to open your envelope or chuck it into the trash bin.

Here is a weak and rather annoying envelope teaser copy:

"Is This Little-Known Utility Company America's Next Major Uranium Producer?"

My first reaction is:

"You are asking ME? How the heck would I know? YOU are supposed to be the expert and yet you don't know whether THIS [whatever it is] little-known company is the next big thing on the horizon or not?"

As I read the envelope teaser I'm wondering if THIS is a way for me to make money OR provide free information to someone who doesn't quite has the skinny on this "little known company" yet...

Who knows, perhaps this "little known company" is little known for a very good reason indeed.

This envelope teaser has already lost me with its indecisiveness.

Then comes the next line:

"Time-Sensitive White Paper. Open Immediately."

No. Sorry. I won't. Because who ever wrote the copy is not sure of this company at all. If the publisher is not sure of his/her facts, how can I trust him/her to lead me?

Why didn't this teaser really teased the heck out of me and did its job with no holds barred by saying something like:

"Little known company... about to explode (guaranteed!) as America's next major uranium producer. Limited-time opportunity to get in on the action before the little known company is not so anymore..."

Now, THAT would have perked my attention because of the firmness of the voice and the strength of the promise.

If you want your readers to open that envelope DO NOT ASK THEM ANY PUZZLES and DO NOT MAKE THEM THINK.

If you are trying to write a teaser don't be halfhearted or shy about it. Make sure you are really TEASING instead of posing intellectual puzzles with no answers.



Use a Big-Emotion Teaser

An average consumer spends 3 seconds to decide whether to open a direct mail envelope or not.

Even if you have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop a direct mail package, unless the consumer decides to open the envelope, all that work will end up in the trash can.

Here is a way to improve the chances that your customers will indeed read and open your envelopes:

Make sure you have a teaser copy and rely on Big Emotions (like fear and greed) for that copy.

And make your teaser as specific, unique and urgent as you can.

For example, "Money making tips inside..." is a very weak teaser headed for the trash can. It is not specific, not unique, and not urgent.

A better teaser might be: "Secrets of the Norwegian Pendulum Method to make $77,000 in 29 days -available for the first 100 customers!"

Most customers will open such an envelope, at least out of curiosity. I know I would.

Write Your Teaser Copy the Last

An average consumer spends 3 seconds to decide whether to open a direct mail envelope or not. So it's crucial to have an irresistible teaser copy on your envelope that rocks and compels the customer to open your envelope.

One way to come up with such a strong teaser is to leave it to the last.

Why?

Because while writing the main copy, the Lift Note, the Response Form, and other components of the direct mail package, you will come up with a lot of "a-ha!" moments. You will realize many fine points of the direct mail offer that were unclear to you at the time you sat down to write it.

That's why envelope teaser copy written with the "hindsight" of the full package always makes better copy.

And that's also why, if you are a business owner, make sure your teaser writer has full access to the full direct mail package for inspiration and insight.



ALSO: Try No-Teaser Envelope

Modern consumers are bombarded with so many pieces of direct mail every day that they can smell an ad from a mile away.

That's why the new trend for the past couple of years is for the official-looking envelopes with no teaser copy on the outside.

The implication is if you do not open it something unpleasant might happen, similar to trashing a court summon or a collector's bill.

That's why most people do open no-teaser envelopes that simply reads "From the President's Desk" or nothing at all. Celebrity names are also used for direct mail fundraising packages.

One potential down-side of no-teaser envelopes is the way their content might look. If the package inside looks like any other hyped-up screaming sales piece, then it will not only head straight for the trash can but also create a negative image of the company in question since the customer will feel she is duped.

That's why it is important for the serious-looking no-teaser envelopes to also have similarly buttoned-down packages inside.

My recommendation would be to have a split run of the same package with and without an envelope teaser and compare the conversion rates. When it comes to successful Direct Mail marketing no one has yet discovered a weapon more potent than split runs.

How to Write Commercial Copy



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