Lift your direct mail response rates with lift letters.

The lift letter, also known as a lift note, is the second, small letter that is sometimes inserted into a direct mail package along with the main multi-page sales letter. It often has a headline that reads something like, "Read this only if you are NOT interested in buying [name of product]."

The purpose, as its name implies, is to lift response. But what do you put in a lift note to achieve that goal?

John Forde suggests 10 possible topics and goals for lift letters:

1. To counter a key objection.

2. As a place to test your second-best or alternative headlines.

3. To give readers an extra testimonial.

4. As an endorsement (approved, of course) from an authority or a celebrity.

5. To emphasize a time deadline on the purchase.

6. To focus on the best aspect of the offer (premiums, guarantees, discounts).

7. To emphasize long-standing credibility (a formal letterhead might work well here).

8. To keep the message newsworthy. Let the lift note cover events that have happened since the initial mailing was written.

9. To underscore the ONE THING that really gives your product an edge over everyone else.

10. To emphasize track record, unusual and impressive credentials, or to make the benefits of the most important package feature especially clear.

Source: The Copywriter's Roundtable.