Are You Interesting?

When you finish this article, I will give you a chance to read the sales letter that raised $180,000 in less than a day.  You can have it for free.

The sales letter was fund raiser aimed at people who had no interest in the charity & interrupted them on their way home from work.

And yet, it was incredibly successful.

The sales letter in question is from David Ogilvy.  

Ogilvy's sales letter was distributed to white commuters on their way home, shortly after the race riots in the US in 1968.  The charity was UNCF, the United Negro College Fund.

Ogilvy raised $26,000 in less than 3 hours,  the equivalent of $180,000 today.  One single sales letter.  Under 3 hours.

His opening line:

"When this train emerges from the tunnel of 108th Street this evening, look out the window."

The reader's attention is grabbed.

But there is much more.  

How many of these commuters would have normally looked out the window towards the light outside automatically as the train left the dark tunnel? Think about your own reaction.

Likely, many.  

However, this innocent, automatic, mere twitch has been transformed by social proof into compliance by Ogilvy.

"Why look, we are all following Ogilvy's order.  Best stay in line and continue complying & Read Some More."  

Even being aware of the manipulation won't inoculate you. 

Four short paragraphs later,  he frames his request for money as the fulfillment of a creative act.  

"After dinner, will you do something imaginative?  Will you  write a check ..."

With the reader now fully emotionally invested, Ogilvy then lays out the factual basis for his request in four or five paragraphs with snappy statistics.  

The penultimate paragraph has just one testimonial from John W. Gardner who says,

"... I can tell you with some authority that that the predominantly Negro colleges need help."

Finally, Ogilvy spells out the bargain, with a simple call to action - the 1968 equivalent of 1-click buying.

"Please decide now what percentage of your gift to your own college you wish to send to UNFC, and mail it in the envelope that I have enclosed.  Perhaps you will then sleep a little better during the long hot summer."

This letter, dated June 24th, 1968, was only two months after the infamous US race riots in 100 cities which lasted for almost two weeks.  The refrain and chant of  the Watts rioters, "Burn, Baby, Burn", was also less then 3 years old."

Yet, against this background, Ogilvy delivered up interested, impressed readers to an intriguing sales proposition

-- many could not escape from the emotional pull

-- they gave in and gave.

In terms of the traditional sales funnel, Ogilvy attracted attention -> maintained interest -> created an intense desire to help = close by asking for money.

(To read David Ogilvy's sales letter, click here.)

Franchise Info has  a marketing program that attracts attention to your articles, maintains interest in you, and lets you create a desire for you product or service - the Franchise Info Partner Program - Get Published, Get Read & Get Clients.  Maybe you can raise $180,000 in 3 hours, also, with one article?

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