How to write better
This week’s wisdom from the Dean of Direct Mail is all about language, and how you can learn to use it better. There’s a lot of detail in this exhibit – and plenty of gold nuggets too – but we apologise that the length of the article stretches our format to its limits. However, it’s all good stuff, so we think it well worth it.

Coming soon:
• What do Shakespeare’s plays, the Bible, the Gettysburg Address and a successful fundraising letter all have in common? Magic words – but you have to know what makes them magic...

Other Huntsinger tutorials already on SOFII:
• Introduction to Jerry and the Tutorials.
• Creating fundraising letters and packages.
• Direct mail fundraising. Is it science or art?
• What makes a successful letter-writer?
• Motivation, magic and junk mail.
• More talk about junk mail.
• The power of the letter.
• The reply device.
• The reply envelope.
• Pavlov’s dog.
• Tips for effective design.
• Principles of layout.
• The PS
• How to make the most of photographs
• Creating a chemical reaction.
• How to write in a warm, personal way.
• Ten suggestions to help you write better.
• Magic words and what makes them so.

Download pdf of this page here.

More on writing, on SOFII:
• George Smith on how to write right
• Ken Burnett’s tips for headlines.
• Pamela Grow’s secrets of writing great proposals.
• Tom Ahern’s ‘self-auditing’ your communications. (PDF)
• Marc Pitman on why you should twitter.
• Bob Levy on why we must change our words.