The Ten Ways - Humour

The hardest of all direct mail forms to write, but often the most rewarding technique of all, humourous direct mail regularly wins 50% of the awards and makes up about 1% of all direct mail posted.

Humourous direct mail does not normally mean telling a joke.  It means telling a story or setting a scene which makes the reader smile.   

It means just for one moment stopping being utterly serious all the time, and instead saying something slightly amusing.

Teachers do, after all, laugh.

That of course takes us to quite an extreme - although highly effective.  Simple humour works too however.  How about,

According to my editorial director this book is "NEW!".  I am supposed to tell you all about the author, and use the phrase, "written by teachers for teachers" as often as possible.   Apparently there are lots of pictures in it to and I have to tell you that.

I said, "but it is just another classroom text book."

She said, "keep talking like that and you'll be out of here with a P45."

I said, "but what makes it different from all the other books?"

She said, "Read it and find out."

So I did and came back with an advert which talked about dinosaurs, wedding photos, the Radio Times, and the fact that the average household now has 140 videos that no one ever watches and which have probably deteriorated so much they are now as unwatchable as decaying Buster Keaton prints found in a Hollywood vault last year.

"But its a book that teaches French grammar for GCSE," said the editor with a certain twitch in the eye which I did not like the look of.

"And you haven't read it," I said feeling smart, "because if you had you would know that all those stories are in it."

Unfortunately this is the last advert I shall be bringing you, since editors are notoriously lacking in their appreciation of anyone who appears even slightly to be a smart-arse.  But it's still a great book.   As I wend my way to the outer limits of publishing, remember me - take a copy on inspection.   You'll be stunned.   Radio Times, videos, dinosaurs... honest - its all there.