Good direct marketing copy is not like a letter to your grandma; unless, that is, you're asking Grandma to sponsor you for the 5K Fun Run at the park. Direct marketing copy isn't designed to make people feel warm and fuzzy about you, your company or your product, or generate awareness, or promote your brand. Good direct marketing copy does one thing - it generates a response.

Direct marketing writers use a myriad of copy techniques that serve that key goal, but which may seem aggressive, "salesy" or "cheesy" to the uninitiated. Below are some examples. You may read these and say to yourself: "that's not how we talk to our audience." That's your decision. The bottom line is that these techniques are proven to increase response.

1. "... and more."

   One reason why testing is so fundamental to direct marketing is that different people respond to different offers, benefits, and creative in general. "... and more" is a classic way to end a list (of benefits, for example) because it implies yet more, albeit unnamed, reasons to respond, and increases the perceived value of whatever it is you're selling.

2. "Plus ..."

   Hesitation is the bugbear of direct marketing success. Good direct marketing copy keeps the reader moving; any pause, hesitation, distraction or confusion, and the cause is lost. Beginning a sentence (or technically speaking, a sentence fragment) with "And" or "Plus", though poor grammar, is one way to hustle the reader through to your next compelling point.

3. "Act Now ..."

   Even the most successful direct marketing campaigns have minimal shelf life. Success depends on not only getting people to respond, but getting them to do so immediately. Urgency is king. "Act now" implies there's a price to be paid for delay.