May 23, 2005

Make Your Letter as Long as You Need to Make the Sale

Regarding the controversy over short letter or long letter? I thought the answer was to use all the words you need to make the sale, then stop. And if experience and testing show that a certain length works best, like the larger type, eight-page letter used by Mayo Clinic publishing or the neighborhood postcards used by our local coffee chain, you don't use one instead of the other.


Unlike lots of writing I've done, I have found nothing more demanding than a really good long sales letter. That's why I leave them to John Stern, a longtime associate back in Illinois. Short I think I can outdo him, given the chance. Short or long -- wasn't it John Caples who told us 75 years ago to test rather than guess? How quickly we forget!


Fred Hahn


AdWizFred@aol.com


This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorization. Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of Haymarket Media's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions