The true workhorse of direct mail marketing is the traditional-size, No. 10 envelope package. Here’s your checklist of elements to ensure that your direct mail package will be successful:

• Standard-size No. 10 outer envelope. Successful direct mail copywriter Herschell Gordon Lewis once said, “The only purpose of the carrier envelope, other than keeping its contents from spilling out onto the street, is to get itself opened.” Don’t try to sell (you should do that inside the package), and don’t try to be too slick or flashy. Avoid humor, as it can easily backfire with cold prospects; it’s not worth being cute and funny at the risk of losing a prospect. To gain recipients’ attention, try using a plain envelope (closed face, with no window) to make your direct mail package look like a personal letter. That means not printing your company name or logo on the outer envelope; just use your name and the return address. To convey an even more personal look, try using a live postage stamp instead of a postage meter or preprinted postal indicia, which screams “bulk mail.”

• For more traditional advertising mail, include “teaser” copy on the outer envelope. The teaser is designed to entice recipients to find out what’s inside the envelope. You may want to test teaser copy versus sending out your mailing in a plain envelope. Here are some examples of great envelope teasers that have been used successfully over the years:
  • “10 Foods You Should Never Eat”
  • “Save 18% on Your Monthly Household Budget … Details Inside”
  • “Get Accepted to the College of Your Choice … Free Report Enclosed.”
  • “Free Checking Account – No Strings. No Hassles. No Fine Print. Really FREE.”

• Sales letter. This is the main component. It should be written in a personal style: “I” the writer talking to “you” the reader. A good sales letter sounds like one friend talking to another about something that the writer thinks is valuable and that the reader should know about. If generating sales leads from a list of business prospects is the purpose of your direct mail offer, a one- or two-page letter can do the job. On the other hand, direct mail sales letters selling a product or service to consumers are often four pages – and sometimes longer.

• Brochure. When you have more detailed data than can fit comfortably into a sales letter — for example, tables of specifications, schematic diagrams, even photos of customers using your products — you can add this information to a sales brochure. Be sure the brochure includes your company name and contact information, since prospects who throw away the sales letter often keep the brochure. These brochure collectors can contact you later if they become interested in your offer. The sales letter, however, remains the key selling piece in the package. As the old direct mail saying goes, the letter sells, the brochure tells.

• Reply form. When generating sales leads, a business reply card (BRC – a postage-paid reply postcard) works best; for mail orders, enclose an order form along with a business reply envelope (BRE). Some customers and prospects mail back their completed order forms with checks, while others may fax their orders with credit card information. Don’t forget to include a toll-free number and Web address for buyers who prefer to order by phone or online. When your reply element is a postcard or an order form with an envelope, using postage-paid reply mail almost always increases response rates. And you only pay return postage, plus a nominal per-piece fee, for those BRCs and BREs returned to you. When a BRC or BRE is thrown away, your return postage cost is zero.

• Lift note. Many direct mail packages include a “lift note” – that is, an additional item that’s designed to lift response to your offer. Typically, it’s a quick-read note from a credible source – often written on personal “note” stationery. With many fundraising direct mail pitches, the lift note might come from a notable celebrity who endorses the cause. In publishing, the lift note might come from the publisher, and highlight a key or unique benefit — or even just personally guarantee the publication. A lift note can also be a testimonial from a customer who is a raving fan, telling the quick story of how the product or service helped in a real-life situation.

• Return envelope. The purpose of the return envelope is to get orders, leads, or inquiries back to you in the quickest way possible. Talk to your local postal officials about how to properly set up a business reply account – and how to properly design a business reply envelope. When designing your envelope, the biggest mistake to avoid is creating an envelope that is too small for the reply form. When potential customers have to fold and fit an item into the envelope, you can lose some of them to frustration.

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