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5 Reasons to Test the Lift Letter

March 25, 2009 By Ethan Boldt, Editor-in-chief, Inside Direct Mail

3. The lift letter doesn't need to be a "letter."
The lift letter can take different forms and operate on a different level for the mailer. For example, it can be used as a testimonial. "Lift letters are also great for addressing buying objections using customer testimonials," says  Pat Friesen, copywriter and owner of Pat Friesen & Co. She, in a prospecting mailing for a travel/tour company, recently used a lift letter from a new first-time customer to address the buying objection.

Hennerberg has a couple of insurance packages that have been mailed nearly 40 million times, and both include lift notes, neither of which are "letters." Rather, he says, "they're statistics and facts that didn't fit into the letter. In this case, death rates. Since we were selling insurance, death rates were germane to the selling process, but they didn't seem to fit in the letter. Rather, by stating them in a lift note they could stand on their own, and we didn't need to explain this subject to the reader."

4. Serve it as an appetizer.
Another appealing aspect of the lift letter is its appetizer-like effect. Friesen lists a few reasons how and why it works so well in tandem with the sales letter. "They are usually smaller—bite-size—in the amount of copy they provide. And frequently, they focus on one major reason (offer-driven) about why you should respond. They are easy to read in less than a minute. And they normally stand out, because they are printed on paper other than white."

5. Make it strong, then test it.
The bottom line? The inclusion of a lift letter should be tested. "It must pay for itself by lifting the response rates, but mailers shouldn't overlook the fact that if the lift letter is weak, it won't help you. So if you're going to test a lift letter, don't make it an afterthought. It should be a strategic test with the time and talent required to make it a test you can be confident in conducting," concludes Hennerberg.


 

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