When Junk Mail isn’t Junk

I admit it. Many wouldn’t but I do. I read my junk mail! Not only that, I actually look forward to receiving it.

As a copywriter, I like to see what bits ‘work’ in the material and what could have been worded differently. It’s amusing to pick out what the ad writer was trying to do. For example: identify our pain then explain how they can fix it, or speak to a targeted niche through a very direct headline. Then, of course, there’s the ‘Copywriting 101’ basic: spelling out benefits rather than features.

Most of the time, the copywriting is pretty text-book; the kind of stuff we all know. But once in a while, there’ll be a rainbow. A letter like the one I received recently from a charity. A letter that stood out so far from the rest by its simplicity and straight-from-the-heart honesty.

It was asking for donations to help those in our midst who are struggling. Families in poverty, homeless, people living on the fringes of society who are often overlooked. Unlike many letters from charities, however, this one didn’t seek to make the reader feel guilty if they chose not to act. Instead, the writer stated simply, concisely and honestly what was needed and why.

I sent off a donation immediately without hesitation and learnt there are times when it’s not the theory that counts, it’s the heart.