This was an actual direct mail piece that a now defunct bank sent out a few years ago.
I won’t say their marketing was the only thing that caused them to go bankrupt. In reality, their criminal business practices were the main reason the FTC shut them down (you can look it up if you want) but if this is the kind of promotion those geniuses came up with, then their marketing sure didn’t help keep them afloat.
To set the scene, before you read the entire letter…
This piece was mailed to business owners offering them a business line of credit. As you look it over ask yourself… “Would you trust this bank with your personal and business information”?
First, here’s the envelope (the recipient name and address showed through the window)…
And now here’s the actual letter that was enclosed…
No my friend, that is not a page full of typos.
80% of this piece is nothing but the word “blah”.
And except for the recipient name and address being blacked out, this is the actual, unadulterated sales letter the company paid to have produced, and mailed to millions of people.
I can only imagine someone at corporate thought this letter was clever. But this kind of clever doesn’t sell anything.
So for any young copywriter who thinks they’re not good enough… Just remember, someone got paid to write this piece of shit. And if you believe you can do better than this, then don’t give up.
Is this the worst direct response sales letter in history?
- SARubin
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Is this the worst direct response sales letter in history?
A good marketer knows how to think like a marketer - A great marketer learns how to think like the customer...
SARubin - Direct Response Copywriter / Conversion Flow Expert
SARubin - Direct Response Copywriter / Conversion Flow Expert
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Re: Is this the worst direct response sales letter in history?
A lot of direct mail I get reads like “blah, blah, blah” to me.
At least these guys were honest about it.![😉](//twemoji.maxcdn.com/2/svg/1f609.svg)
At least these guys were honest about it.
“There are 3 kinds of people in this world. Those who can count, and those who can't”
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Re: Is this the worst direct response sales letter in history?
Oh wow I can't believe this was actually legit. Thanks for sharing. As a rookie, I really want to learn from the greats.
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Re: Is this the worst direct response sales letter in history?
This letter wasn't from one of the greats, but it can still teach us what NOT to doMariowalker904 wrote: ↑January 23rd, 2021, 11:40 pm Oh wow I can't believe this was actually legit. Thanks for sharing. As a rookie, I really want to learn from the greats.
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif)
A good marketer knows how to think like a marketer - A great marketer learns how to think like the customer...
SARubin - Direct Response Copywriter / Conversion Flow Expert
SARubin - Direct Response Copywriter / Conversion Flow Expert
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