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Possibly the saddest, most incompetent catalog ever made...

If you wanna make money, you gotta know the rules!

So says Denny Hatch, copywriter extraordinaire...

As some may know, I'm a big fan of Denny Hatch. He's a copywriting expert. I have all of his non-fiction books (if you don't have any of his books, I recommend you start with "Method Marketing")...

He writes regular articles for "Target Marketing Magazine" - he was the former editor-in-chief - now it's headed by his wife, Peggy Hatch.

Denny's latest article is a doozy...

If you want to make moolah by selling things through your writing - it's worth a read!

Of course, many here will already know these rules... But if you don't, ignore these at your own peril!

He talks about a catalog he received - which breaks the well-known rules about copy and design, which are proven to work...

Here's part of the article...

Quote:

From the article by Denny Hatch...

Every morning I sit on a stool at the kitchen counter with a mug of coffee and three newspapers—Inquirer, New York Times and Wall Street Journal—next to the small TV tuned to CNN, MSNBC and/or Fox.

This little thing must have slipped out of the Times. I guess I missed it when I moved the papers to the recycling bin.

I saw it lying alone on the counter pathetically crying for attention like a starving kitten and I picked it up. The more I studied it, the sadder I became at its utter incompetence. I couldn't read it, because all the type was far too small and much of it printed in reverse type over busy, mottled backgrounds.

It's a British catalog, of course. Any designer (or creative director) that produced this mini-atrocity could never find work in America.

The copy cannot be critiqued, because the entire 64-page booklet is set in 6- to 9-point type and therefore unreadable.

What follows is a brief compendium of the basic rules for the design of direct mail and catalogs.

...

You can read the rest here...

Breaking Every Rule in the Book! In 50 years, the saddest catalog I ever saw!
http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/ar...og-i-ever-saw#

By the way, here's where you can find all of Denny Hatch's writings at Target Marketing Magazine...

http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/se...nny+H atch%22

Best wishes,

Dien

Re: Possibly the saddest, most incompetent catalog ever made...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dien Rice (Post 32006)

Dien,

Thanks for the hatch info. I forgot how good the guy could write. I even copied some of his material for reading tomorrow.

Tom

The Most Diverting Direct Mail Letter Ever Written...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandalwood (Post 32016)

Thanks for the hatch info. I forgot how good the guy could write. I even copied some of his material for reading tomorrow.

Hi Tom,

Glad you liked it! I'm a huge Denny Hatch fan...

Denny Hatch uses a lot of "buckets of gore" in his writing.

Let me explain...

Here's my favorite advice of his about writing. This could even make you more profits (after all, if people read more of your ad copy, then logically, more people should end up buying your stuff after reading/hearing/seeing your promotions)...

Also, by using the following advice, it's always nice to know you're writing something that people will want to read... :)

Denny Hatch once wrote...

I once paid my mentor, Bob Scott , a pinch of change to critique the opening of a novel I was working on. Scott, a teacher with the Writers Digest School for 18 years, told me what I was afraid of—that it was boring. “You want to upset a bucket of gore in the reader’s lap,” he said rather inelegantly, “and spend the rest of the novel cleaning it up.”

Good advice for writing any kind of article, too (not just novels)!

Best wishes,

Dien

P.S. I also recommend the article I referred to above, so you can read about "The Most Diverting Direct Mail Letter Ever Written"...

Re: The Most Diverting Direct Mail Letter Ever Written...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dien Rice (Post 32017)

I once paid my mentor, Bob Scott , a pinch of change to critique the opening of a novel I was working on. Scott, a teacher with the Writers Digest School for 18 years, told me what I was afraid of—that it was boring. “You want to upset a bucket of gore in the reader’s lap,” he said rather inelegantly, “and spend the rest of the novel cleaning it up.”

I remember reading that story about the 100% Guarantee con somewhere else. It was funny at the time and was maybe a little bit more funny reading it this time.

Let me make a guarantee here and now. For $1 I will guarantee I can tell you what will happen to you the very first thing in the morning. You can even pick the date but don't make it too far out. My prediction goggles can only see so far.

Please send cash only...:D

Thanks for the link. I truly enjoyed the story.

Re: The Most Diverting Direct Mail Letter Ever Written...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandalwood (Post 32018)

Hi Tom,

Glad you liked it! I think the story is also told in Denny Hatch's book, "Method Marketing"...

The crazy thing is - that "scheme" would work! (And be "easy money"...)

Though - the "long arm of the law" would (probably) eventually catch up with anyone who tried it "for real"...!

Dien