Ask any Copywriter what there most valuable business asset is, and most will tell you it’s their Swipe File. In case you don’t know, a Swipe File is a collection of other peoples advertising (often direct response) that they draw from for inspiration and sometimes balls-out plagiarize (it’s kinda sorta tolerated, even expected in the industry)!
It can take years to build up a decent swipe file. Here’s our shortcut, that will at least get you off to a good start.
The idea here is that instead of hating junk-mail, you begin to love it and even encourage it. The junk mail you normally throw out represents years of experience and millions of dollars worth of testing. You get to benefit from that investment my mimicking and adapting what they send in your own campaigns.
When you get this stuff, it’s vitally important that you keep every part of it. The envelope, the inserts, the post-it notes and scratch cards. All of it. Absolutely everything that gets sent to you has been shown to increase conversion.
None of these lists cost anything to get on. It is worth saying though that if they sell something that is *extremely* inexpensive (as in under $10) you should at some point buy it. This can dramatically increase the amount of mail you receive because they now see you as a buyer.
A couple of words of warning:
- Never give them your real phone number. Trust me on that one, lol.
- Create a special email address that you use for signing up to mailing lists and not personal coresponsence. Again, trust me!
- Be Strong! Some of the copy you will receive is extremely good and something could tempt you! Unless you want to spend thousands of dollars and have little more to show for it than a Hand-Crafted Replica Indonesian Bi-Centennial Rupee *don’t buy anything*.
- Use a slightly different spelling of your name for each list you join and make a note. That way you’ll know which company is responsible for each piece of mail.
- If the mail ever seems to dry up, simply rejoin the list or buy something that is extremely inexpensive. Seriously, set a budget now and make sure it’s way under $10. Never rely on the fact that most of the companies offer refund policies.
Here’s our list of great mail lists to join.
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More Incorporated (Get-Rich-Quick niche) http://www.tmcnewsletter.com/ http://www.whatshotrightnow.com/
In absolutely no way do I recommend this companies products, if anything I would advise you say away. That said, some of their copywriting is excellent. It’s simple and repetitive in nature, so it’s also very easy to mimic.
They start by sending you a 40 page sales letter. Even though it’s 40 pages long, there are only 4 distinct messages. The main sales letter even comes with it’s own stick-letter! About a week after you recieve the mamoth salesletter, they’ll send you a large desk calculator. The idea being, that’ll you’ll need a really big calculator to add up all the money you’ll be making. Shortly after that they give up, but this is where the fun really starts! They will sell the heck out of your information, and you will get a constant stream of mail, all from different companies, all using diverse techniques.
Breck’s (Consumer Products / Elderly) http://brecks.com/catalog_request_qas.asp
You may have to buy something form them to get really get their attention, but everything is super cheap. To start with just request a copy of their free catalogue. Their copy is good (not there catalog so much as their “Special Offer” mailings), but more importantly you will end up on more Franklin Mint / Readers Digest type lists than you ever thought existed.
Marilyn Hickey Ministries (Religious / Fundraising) https://www.mhmin.org/identify https://www.mhmin.org/prayer
Just looking at it from a business perspective, Fundraising is big business. I would say that Hickey is a medium sized Religious Fundraiser and according to Hoovers.com 1 of her 4 companies did 10.8 million dollars last year. Unfortunately MHM don’t re-sell their lists, but they more than make up for that in what they send. Her copy (well, her copywriter’s) is highly emotive and uses props. Along with the letters you will get things as diverse as multi-coloured pieces of cloth, brown paper bags, sachets of oil, even chop sticks! The remarkable part is no matter how random the items they send may appear, they are very effectively tied into their religious and donation messaging.
Home Business Connection (Get-Rich-Quick / Biz Opp) http://www.freehbcmag.com
If you’ve ever read Entrepreneur Magazine than you’ve almost certainly seen all the Biz-Opp ads in the back. Home Business Magazine is just like that… 10x. Think of it like 60 pages of full colour sales letters and display classifieds, conveniently mailed to your home every month =D . In theory they charge for the “magazine“. In my experience, once you sign up for their free trial (no credit card, or anything else needed) they’ll just keep on sending to you. The content makes Parade Magazine look like Pulitzer Prize winning journalism, but even that can be useful. Think of it as a good example of Advertorial sales copy. After a while, you’ll also recveive another one for there publications called True Wealth Magazine. I’ve not found a way to sign up for that specifically, it just starts coming once you sign up for their other mailer.
Online Swipe File
If you don’t already use it, download a copy of Evernote . Every time you see PPC ads or sales letters or anything that catches your eye, you can cut and paste or clip it into Evernote. The application also lets you do screen grabs. All of the data is easily searchable, automatically saved, and all kept it one place. The application is also free.
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If you know of any other good lists to join please leave a comment.
