Gary Halbert · whole document (8)
2 855 Bribe Letter
I met some of the most intelligent, wealthiest, most creative and sometimes, some of the
nicest people you could ever imagine. Not only that, it gave me time to write out a "crash course" in
direct marketing for my youngest son who, for some insane reason, seems to want to follow in his old
man's footsteps. So, toward this end, I wrote him a series of 25 long letters which contain, all in all, the most concise,
hardest-hitting, no-holds-barred, direct marketing education available anywhere on this planet. These
letters contain 196 pages of dynamite info! But let me tell you this: These letters are raw. They pull no punches! You know, when you are serving time, you don't feel much like pussy-footing around. Prison
conversations go right for the jugular. So do these letters! What I was trying to do here was, give my
son the fastest, most impactful education that can be transmitted by the written word. I dare say I succeeded. These letters contain a "stripped down" version of the most important secrets I've learned about how
to sell by mail. They explain exactly how to develop a "killer" ad or direct mail package right from the
ground up. They teach you how to develop a "can't lose" marketing appeal. These letters cover
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everything from postage to layout; offer development and list selection; how to create a winning game
plan and a lot more like this:
• The basics of writing good copy!
• The fine points of writing good copy!
• What really makes people buy!
• How to lead your reader by the hand!
Why you never get a second chance to make a first impression... and... why you
just "hook" your reader from the moment he sees your copy
• How to give your ads and letters the right "look"!
• Secrets of order-pulling layouts!
• An essay on closing the sale!
• Exactly how to ask for an order!
• What you can learn about advertising from Alex Haley and his book Roots!
• How to make your copy clear and readable!
• The surest way to become a "big money" writer!
• Why you should write for money... and not... for applause!
• What to do when you don't know what to do!
• How to turn a losing catalog into a multi-million dollar success!
• HALT: How memorizing that acronym can keep you out of a lot of trouble!
• A prison inmate's "street smart" survival kit?
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• Why "make a bushel of money" works better than "increase your income"!
• Six secrets of special deals you can write about in your letters!
• A little trick every copywriter should know!
• 7 exact steps to direct mail success!
• The most common marketing mistakes made by beginners!
• How to keep going when the going is hard!
• Hai toil and the paces fourthy sic dad copy on your nerves, muscle fibers,
• An emotional "tool kit" which can save your life!
• The most important key to making really serious money!
• How to become a student of markets!
• How to use the SRDS list book to make a fortune!
• A discussion of a 156-million-dollar promotion!
• Cheap research: How to make sure you'll hit the right nerve!
• Examples of winning formulas and "double customization"!
• How to get flowing again when you're stuck!
• How to discover the right central selling idea!
• How to use envelopes to "induce guilt"!
• A good "boilerplate" P.S. which can make you money!
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• How to get orders from people who have already decided not to order! • The best attention grabbers in the world! • How to make your reader "picture with pleasure" what you are trying to sell! • The ultimate layout for an order coupon! • 8 things you should have at hand before you start to write an ad or direct mail piece! • What you must always include in your marketing research! • How to manufacture the "aha!" experience! here's an awful lot more but, that should be enough to give you the idea. These letters read lil
eased lightning. Sometimes, when I was writing them, it was 114 degrees outside and I would 1
surrounded by every imaginable kind of felon. Coke dealers. Mafia hit men. Common murderers
Motorcycle maniacs. Bank robbers. Embezzlers. And so on
I didn't have time for chaff. These letters are all wheat. They contain the most intense personal stuff
I've ever written. They are collected between grim black covers and I have titled them simply:
The Boron Letters
I have a set of these letters right here on my desk ready to send to you. T'Il mail these out (via first-
class mail, of course) as soon as you give me the word. My offer is simple: What I'm going to do is
send a complete set of these letters absolutely free to every single person (like you) who renews their
subscription to my newsletter within the next fourteen days! I have a mixture of motives for making this offer.
In addition to the obvious one, I have another very
conceited reason for wanting you to renew your subscription. What is this "conceited" reason? It's
simple... I Want To
Show Off! Not only that, The Boron Letters are the most heartfelt messages I've ever written. It would be