Advice for The New York Times from a Direct Response Copywriter (Part 2)

In my last blog, I critiqued a direct mail piece The New York Times sent me. The piece was trying to get me to subscribe to their "weekender" package: the newspaper delivered to me on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday plus full digital access.

I gave the piece a 2/10.

My recommendations to improve the piece.

1. Sell New York not the New York Times. A friend who lives in New York once told me, "New York is where the most talented people in the world come to be the best." It's the city with leaders in every field. I'm interested to know what they're up to. The benefit: discover what the most incredible people are doing so you're ahead of the game when it comes to ideas and the practical application of these ideas.
2. Streamline the offer. Make it all digital with an upsell for the printed version.
3. Emphasize the apps and tell me what they do.
4. Give me something FREE from the vast reservoir of content. The 10 greatest people in the Arts in New York and what you can learn from them...10 greatest bankers...10 greatest budget restaurants...let me choose. "See what you can get when order today."
5. Get your direct marketing boots on. Guarantee. Take no risk...your credit card will not be billed for 14 days so you get a free look. Cancel anytime. COME ON! WE'RE TRYING TO SELL SOMETHING! This offer only good until XXX so sign up now.
6. Get some testimonials related to the theme...from actual subscribers who don't live in New York City.

I just looked their site and look at all the juicy content on this page. Package it. Give it to me when I subscribe.

But overall, I would sell the city and access to it...not the newspaper.

Oh--and use a great story to start the piece...

But most of all, use a proven direct response approach to selling subscriptions. This code was cracked a long time ago.

The core offer from the offending piece once again. Extremely underwhelming.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. For a free direct response copywriting checklist, go here. 

Direct Response Copywriter Critiques New York Times Letter

I look at all the direct response media I get in the mail. I got a letter from the New York Times trying to persuade me to subscribe to their "Weekender" which is delivery on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The offer: 50% off. $5.20 a week. Free all digital access.

It's a four color legal size piece. General copy on the front with "9 reasons to get The Weekender now" on the back. You might have thought the New York Times, with a TON of direct marketing talent on its doorstep, would produce a better piece than this; it's a 2/10. Let's take a look at the mistakes.

• Weak offer. Make the free digital access the offer...with the newspaper as the secondary benefit. They could surely dip into their vast reservoir of content for some additional goodies. Something sexy.
• The copy tells us the New York Times is brilliant but provides no benefits--save for "your paper is there waiting when you're ready to start the day." Not exactly compelling persuasion.
• A buried benefit--a free app for iPhone or iPad. Now that's better. Put it up front. Use a supporting graphic.
• Shoddy copywriting: "It's time for you to get the New York Times."
• Copy doodle I can't see. I LOVE copy doodles. The one on the order panel is small and I can't read it.

Flip over to the back and the 9 reasons.

• The testimonials are poor--with vapid stock photography.
• I looked at every item and went, "so what?"
• #6...Experience the caliber of reporting that has made The Times #1 in over all reach of U.S. Opinion Leaders. I don't even know what that means. Self-congratulation.
• #9 Ordering is easy...That's a reason to subscribe? That's a benefit?

Why would someone pay the New York Times for information? Clearly, nobody has asked this question in the marketing and circulation department.

I question the marketing strategy. They're selling the printed paper. But pumping up the digital adjuncts. Someone who loves the digital side isn't going to want the printed version. I would sell JUST the digital side and tell the reader why it's worth $5.20 a week. And provide some really big offers.

In the next blog, I'm going to discuss how they should sell this product.

This direct mail piece from The New York Times arrived in the mail. It makes a lot of big mistakes. Click on the image for full size.

On the back...nine reasons with very few useful benefits.

The offer is front and center but the best offer, the iPod and iPhone apps, is in small type.

Nobody loves a good copy doodle more than me. The one here is too small and it should be in red.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. For a free direct response copywriting checklist, go here. 

Direct response copywriter stresses speed

I'm close to making a major financial decision and there are two banks in the running for the business. I have a couple of accounts with one of the candidates, which I will call MegaBank. I have every other account with the other bank, which I will call ABank.

So it's MegaBank vs. ABank.

I contacted both last week on a Thursday afternoon. MegaBank had me approved and ready to go within an hour while ABank asked me to complete a complex form that would have required at least an hour of work.

When I shopped the offer (as you do) the guy at ABank was nonplussed and told me MegaBank was clueless.

In the interim, the guy from MegaBank provided me with a couple of options and told me the forms would be in the mail instantly--and they arrived on Saturday in a professionally presented folder.

So, while ABank, to which I've sent a TON of business, faffs around, MegaBank is moving forward, making my life easy and being FAST.

This has been a tremendous reminder. Speed is a strategy as Andrew Wood says. Speed impresses and can get you past price objections.

It's impressive that a company like MegaBank, which is massive, can move so quickly. The elephant can dance...and sprint.

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I'm a direct response copywriter. My current website is here.

Direct Response Copywriter Details Marketing Lessons from the Royal Wedding

ROYAL WEDDING MARKETING LESSONS...from but a lowly direct response copywriter...

1. SPEED

2. EVENTS CREATE OPPORTUNITIES

3. CONTENT IS KING...THE KING IS CONTENT

4. BUILD AROUND EVENTS

5. BUILD ANTICIPATION

5a. PUBLICIZE

At age 15, in 1981, my parents let me go down to Fleet Street in central London the night before Diana and Charles got married. I went with Danny Milan and we spent the night in sleeping bags along with seven punk rockers--with nose rings, purple hair, and poor personal hygiene. It was great fun, though, and I was in the front row along the route.

There's another big wedding coming up on Friday (I've heard) and while I can't think of any copywriting lessons, there are PLENTY of marketing lessons.

Speed. 60 minutes after the royal couple leaves Westminster Abbey, a company will have an MP3 of the entire service ready for download. The CD will be ready in stores in three days. "Speed is a strategy" as Andrew Wood says. Get to market quickly. Make decisions. Act. BE FIRST.

Events create opportunities. Use them. Write an email about the Royal Wedding and the marketing angles. A store I've worked with that sells home "stuff" has been going bonkers with the wedding.

CONTENT IS KING...In this case, the content IS the king or someone who might be king one day. Is YOUR content Royal Wedding brilliant?

Merchandise around events. The Royal Wedding has been a massive bonus for companies that make and sell everything from plates to beach towels. I still own a copy of NOT THE ROYAL WEDDING...a book/spoof from a popular comedy show, Not the Nine O'Clock News.

Build anticipation. The Royal Wedding has been a big event since the announcement of the engagement last year. Start promoting your "big event" weeks before the event--and promote it frequently.

Publicize like crazy. Even the most ardent royal hater in the UK will have to admit that 1 billion eyeballs on central London is pretty good publicity for the tourism business. In fact, the Royal Wedding will be on YouTube. It's easier than ever to publicize your events: take photos and post them to your Facebook page. Shoot video. Blog. PR is no longer about the local newspaper and TV stations--it's your website, your blog, your Facebook page. And TV stations and newspapers look for all this "stuff" when they're scratching around for stories.

The most important marketing lesson from this Royal Wedding is speed. Update your website quickly. Get your Facebook page updated FAST. Move. Make decisions. Eliminate decision making by committee.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte NC. My full website is here.

Direct Response Copywriter Learns from Teenagers

Teenagers are an interesting group. Vivacious. Moody. Unpredictable. Trying to be old. But still so young. I want to tell them...in 20 years, you'll want to be young again. Enjoy being young!

I hang out in a coffee shop and there are plenty of teenagers, especially later in the afternoon on weekdays; there's a high school with over 3,000 students less than a mile away.

Teenagers LOVE to tell other teenagers how brilliant they are. "I came first in this...I got this new pair of shoes...my new boyfriend is...my new girlfriend is..."

Of course, we all love to boast. In fact, I often come across websites that are one big boast.

Several years ago, a magazine here in Charlotte called "Charlotte's Best" would let advertisers call themselves...Charlotte's Best...So Bob's Taxidermy would tell everyone, "We're Charlotte's Best Taxidermist."

Don't you hate it when the person next to you in the coffee shop spends 30 minutes telling you how brilliant they are? It makes me want to bang my head against the wall.

I recently received an email newsletter from a local company. Look at it now.

It's one big boast and fails to answer THE question the prospect is asking, "What's in it for me?"

I'm just as guilty as anyone when it comes to this...I'm about to re-do my website and while my current direct response copywriting site is not replete with boasting, I'm going to be careful on the new one to make sure every word is directed to ensuring I'm addressing the needs of my prospects.

Yes--a track record is important. And testimonials are vital too. But it's much more important to find out what really matters to the prospect--and tell them how your product or service applies to what really matters or solves their problem.

For example...I'm going to ask those teenagers, "would you like a product that will make you look 10 years older?" Or perhaps I will tell them, "I'm Charlotte's best."

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I'm a direct response copywriter. My full website is here.

Click here for a free direct response 'PREFLIGHT' checklist.