| name | direct-mail-writer |
| description | Write complete direct mail letters, postcard campaigns, and email campaigns for clients — covering offer design, list strategy, copy structure, and testing methodology. Use when a client wants to reach a known or purchased audience with a targeted, measurable written offer via post or email. |
Direct Mail Writer
Use when
- Write complete direct mail letters, postcard campaigns, and email campaigns for clients — covering offer design, list strategy, copy structure, and testing methodology. Use when a client wants to reach a known or purchased audience with a targeted, measurable written offer via post or email.
- Use this skill when it is the closest match to the requested deliverable or workflow.
Do not use when
- Do not use this skill for graphic design, video production, software development, or legal advice beyond the repository's stated scope.
- Do not use it when another skill in this repository is clearly more specific to the requested deliverable.
Workflow
- Collect the required inputs or source material before drafting, unless this skill explicitly generates the intake itself.
- Follow the section order and decision rules in this
SKILL.md; do not skip mandatory steps or required fields.
- Read files in
references/ only when the body points to them or when you need the deeper framework, examples, or evidence.
- Review the draft against the quality criteria, then deliver the final output in markdown unless the skill specifies another format.
Anti-Patterns
- Do not invent client facts, performance data, budgets, or approvals that were not provided or clearly inferred from evidence.
- Do not skip required inputs, mandatory sections, or quality checks just to make the output shorter.
- Do not drift into out-of-scope work such as code implementation, design production, or unsupported legal conclusions.
Outputs
- The requested copy asset or idea set in markdown, written to publish, review, or adapt without major rework.
References
- Read
references/galletti-27-points.md when you need the deeper framework, examples, or supporting material it contains.
Required Input
Before generating any deliverable, ask for:
- Client business name
- Industry / sector
- Country or city (default: Uganda / East Africa)
- The specific offer being made (product, service, free consultation, etc.)
- The target audience (existing customers, prospects, a specific segment)
- The desired response action (phone call, website visit, WhatsApp message, in-store visit)
- Budget context (affects format recommendations)
Part 1 — The Four Prerequisites
Before writing a word of copy, confirm all four conditions are met:
(Adapted from Edwards, Edwards and Douglas, 1991)
| # | Prerequisite | What to Verify |
|---|
| 1 | The right list | Is the audience targeted, current, and relevant? A mediocre piece to a great list outperforms a great piece to a poor list. |
| 2 | The right offer | Is the offer clear, compelling, and risk-reducing? A weak offer cannot be rescued by strong copy. |
| 3 | The right copy | Is the message benefit-led, action-oriented, and reader-focused? |
| 4 | The right timing | Does the mailing align with seasonal need, budget cycles, or purchasing windows? |
If any prerequisite is absent, resolve it before proceeding to copy.
Part 2 — The Two-List Pre-Writing Process
Before writing, build two lists:
List 1 — Features
Every factual attribute of the product or service.
List 2 — Benefits
For each feature, ask: "What does this mean to the specific reader receiving this letter?"
Write the letter from List 2 only. Use List 1 as supporting evidence, never as the lead.
"Features instruct. Benefits sell." — Hahn (2003)
Part 3 — The Three Tells
Every direct mail letter must address three questions — in the first paragraph AND again in the P.S.:
- What are you offering?
- Why should they want it?
- How do they get it? (the response mechanism)
If any of the three is absent, the letter is incomplete.
Part 4 — Letter Structure
[HEADLINE or opening hook — strongest benefit or most important fact]
[Opening paragraph: State the problem the reader has. Paint it vividly.
Then pivot: "There is a solution."]
[Second paragraph: Introduce the offer. State it clearly. Lead with the outcome,
not the features. Use specifics — not "great results" but "34% more enquiries
in the first month."]
[Third paragraph: Build credibility. Testimonial, case study, statistic,
or credential. One proof point is enough here; more can follow.]
[Fourth paragraph: Address the most likely objection. Do not wait for the reader
to think it — raise it and answer it.]
[Fifth paragraph: The offer in full. State exactly what they receive, what they
pay (or don't pay), and any time limitation or bonus.]
[Closing paragraph: The call to action. Exact next step. Make it frictionless.
State the deadline if applicable.]
[Signature — handwritten name, full title]
[P.S. — Restate the single strongest benefit and the call to action.
The P.S. is the second-most-read element after the headline. Never waste it.]
Part 5 — The 27 Copywriting Points
See references/galletti-27-points.md for the full Galletti checklist. Apply before finalising any copy.
The five most critical points:
- Move the best, most powerful thing you can say to the very beginning
- Write to one specific person — not "our valued customers"
- Use "you" and "your" far more than "I," "we," or "our"
- Make the offer risk-free — a guarantee, a trial, or a free first step
- Test the headline before anything else — if the headline fails, nothing else matters
Part 6 — List Strategy and the FRAT Formula
When advising on mailing lists, apply the FRAT formula to prioritise who to contact first:
(Adapted from Hahn, 2003)
| Letter | Factor | Question |
|---|
| F | Frequency | How often has this contact bought or enquired? |
| R | Recency | How recently did they buy or enquire? |
| A | Amount | What is their average transaction value? |
| T | Type | What type of products or services do they purchase? |
Score each contact on all four criteria. Mail the highest-FRAT contacts first, most often, and with the most premium formats.
For rented or purchased lists:
- Require recency of contact within 90 days
- Match list demographics to the offer's target buyer
- Test with a small cell (minimum 500 pieces) before rolling out
Part 7 — Budget Viability — The $20 Rule
(Hahn, 2003)
Before committing to a mailing programme:
For every UGX 20,000 (or USD $20) of projected revenue per transaction, the client can reasonably invest up to UGX 1,000 (or USD $1) per piece in mailing costs.
If projected revenue per transaction is UGX 100,000 → affordable cost per piece = UGX 5,000.
If projected revenue per transaction is UGX 500,000 → affordable cost per piece = UGX 25,000.
Use this to guide format decisions: a UGX 5,000 budget points to a postcard or simple letter; UGX 25,000 allows for a folded brochure insert.
Part 8 — Format Options
| Format | Best For | Cost Tier |
|---|
| Single A4 letter | Professional services, B2B offers, relationship selling | Low |
| Postcard (A5) | Event invitations, short offers, reminders | Low |
| Letter + insert | Product launches, complex offers with supporting evidence | Medium |
| Self-mailer (folded brochure) | Retail promotions, multiple products | Medium |
| Email (cold or warm list) | Digital-first audiences; fastest test vehicle | Very low |
| WhatsApp broadcast | Known contacts only; EA primary channel | Very low |
Part 9 — Testing Methodology
- Test one variable at a time only — headline vs headline, offer vs offer, list A vs list B
- Minimum test size: 500 pieces per cell for digital; 2,000+ for print
- Code every response mechanism: different phone number, URL parameter, promo code, or reply address per test cell
- Track: response rate, cost per response, conversion rate, revenue per piece mailed
- Never roll out without a test — even a 50-piece email test beats no data
Quality Criteria
Good output from this skill:
- Copy leads with the strongest benefit — never the company name or "We are pleased to offer…"
- The Three Tells appear in both the opening paragraph and the P.S.
- "You" and "your" outnumber "we," "our," and "I" throughout the letter
- The offer is specific and risk-reducing — not vague
- At least one proof point (testimonial, statistic, case reference) appears in the letter
- The call to action is a single, unambiguous instruction with a response mechanism
- The P.S. restates the strongest benefit and the call to action
- The $20 Rule has been checked before recommending any format
References
- Hahn, F.E. (2003) Do-It-Yourself Advertising and Promotion, 3rd edn. Hoboken: Wiley.
- Edwards, P., Edwards, S. and Douglas, L.C. (1991) Getting Business to Come to You. Los Angeles: Tarcher.
- Pinskey, R. (1997) 101 Ways to Promote Yourself. New York: Avon Books.
