Over the past couple of months, I’ve written about getting—and keeping—prospects’ attention. In this noisy world, that’s no small task.
This post borrows from an Ivan Levison newsletter in which he presents five tips for making fulfillment pieces more appealing. For those who don’t know Mr. Levison, he’s one of the world’s experts on direct mail and email. (That’s kind of like calling Michael Bublé a “singer.”)
First off, if you’re offering a white paper (for example) as a reward, don’t call it a white paper. “The White Paper, as an offer, is so overused, so tired and flat…” says Levison. He’s right. Would you eagerly request one? Instead, dress your piece up a nifty description. Not a “Free white paper on network capacity planning.” Instead, a “Free guide to optimizing network bandwidth and saving money.” What you do by presenting a white paper this way, as Mr. Levison points out, is motivate prospects to take action.
Next, tell prospects what they’ll learn. That’s the old “what’s in it for me?” ploy. Busy folks are not going to read anything out of a sense of virtue. If your piece tells them about saving time and money and having more fun doing it, let them know.
Make your fulfillment piece look nice. It doesn’t have to be expensively designed, but the cover, at least, should be well-laid-out and easy to read, so that it stands out in the vehicle where you’re promoting it.
In your promotional piece, use call-outs or captions to grab attention and reinforce the impression that you’re making a valuable offer. And finally, make sure that prospects know the piece is free.
We’re bombarded by free offers every day. Some we respond to, some we don’t. The intrinsic merit of a piece may be the motivator, but, I believe that the way an offer is written plays a big role. What’s your take?
Blake Brakstad says
Good article. Its so important to stand out from the crowd and too much reliance is placed on the “free offer”
Susan Monroe says
Thanks for your comment, Blake. I hope to see you back here soon!