They’re out there. Lurking in the shadows. Waiting for the right moment to strike.

They’re the copywriting sample bandits … nefarious and sneaky people who seek to steal your samples for their own greedy ends.

If you’ve never run into a sample bandit, let me tell you about two encounters I’ve had recently so you can get a taste for how these villains operate.

A guy calls me on the phone:

Bandit: “Yeah, high. I have a car dealership and I’d like to do a mailing. Can I get some of your samples?”

Me: “Why don’t you tell me a little about your business and what sort of promotion you want to do?”

Bandit: “Uh, do you have any samples of auto dealer direct mail?”

Me: “A few. But if you could tell me what you want to accomplish, perhaps I could help.”

Bandit: “I want more customers. How about those samples?”

Me: “I can send you samples, but I’m just trying to find out a little more about the sort of promotion you want to do so I can help you accomplish your objectives.”

Bandit: “You know what? Never mind.”

*click *

Pretty obvious, right? The guy had no intention of hiring me. He just wanted to grab some samples. He wanted to steal the work I did for other paying clients and use it for himself.

The other recent encounter was nearly as obvious. A guy completed the contact form on my copywriting website and sent it to me. He was self-employed and gave no business name, no website, and no phone number. He said he had some people who wanted to hire him to do a promotion and he wanted to show them my samples.

Really? Why? To get work for yourself?

It’s usually pretty easy to spot a bandit. Here are some of the red flags:

• Real prospects usually ask for samples at the end of a conversation. Bandits ask first thing.
• Real prospects encourage you to contact them. Bandits often hide contact information.
• Real prospects are happy to answer questions. Bandits hesitate and dodge.
• Real prospects are generally professional and polite. Bandits tend to be curt and impatient.
• Real prospects tell you about a business problem upfront. Bandits avoid revealing their intentions.

Of course, not all copywriting sample bandits are so easy to spot. A few have mastered sample thievery, convincing you that they’re genuinely interested in your services and getting you to hand over your work for them to filch.

However, there’s one common tactic many of them use that give them away. It’s an empty promise that if you give them samples, they can win a client and give you the project. It goes like this:

Bandit: “I have some prospects I’m working on. And I’d love to show them some of your samples.”

You: “You want to show them my samples?”

Bandit: “Yes. You see, if we can show them the right samples, we’ll get them as clients. Then, of course, we’d want you to write all the copy.”

You: “Oh, I see. Well, sure. I guess that’s okay.”

Bandit: “Good. Goooood. Mwahahahahaaaaa!”

Okay, bandits won’t actually say that, but they’re thinking it. They have no intention of hiring you. They just want to use your samples to win clients for themselves.

Some are quite brazen about it. There’s a well-known “consultant” who actually lures copywriters into an “association” promising special access to copywriting jobs. You have to pay a  membership fee and hand over a bunch of samples. Of course, you never get any work. It’s an outright scam.

Remember this: no legitimate company or consultant will ever need your samples to win business. If they can’t get business without using your samples, they’re playing you. Say “no thanks” and walk away.

You won’t run into too many copywriting sample bandits out there, but keep your eyes open. You should never let someone take your work to use as their own. It’s unethical. It’s unprofessional. And it’s bad business.

More tips for offering samples:

You do have to offer samples. They’re your best sales tool. So unless you think you’re dealing with a sample bandit, be generous about showing your stuff.

• Create a sample page on your website showing off your work.

• If you’re concerned people will rip off samples from your website, show small images only. Ask prospects to contact you for full-size samples.

• Show some of your best work, but don’t show everything. There may be some trade “secrets” you want to keep to yourself.

• If you have printed samples, send PDFs or scans. If you mail actual samples, you’ll never see them again.

• Watermark your digital samples. This won’t prevent copy theft, but it will prevent bandits from presenting your work as their own.

• Talk to people before sending samples. Don’t send samples in response to an email message. Most bandits try to avoid personal contact.

• Watch for other copywriters posing as potential clients. Sad but true.

No related posts.

No matter how professional or experienced you are, the day will come when the sky turns dark,  the earth trembles, and the apocalypse crashes the world around you.

In other words, a copywriting project will go bad. Way bad.

Maybe it’s your fault. Maybe it’s the fault of your client or boss. It doesn’t matter. One way or another, you have to deal with it. So I’m going to give you a simple, 6-step survival strategy.

But first, let me tell you two stories. In the first, I screwed up. In the second, my client pulled a fast one. In both cases, the SHTF and I survived.

Story 1: Years and years ago, when I was just starting out as a freelance copywriter, an agency asked me to write copy for a self-mailer. It was an easy assignment to promote an award show for a local advertising organization.

So I came up with a headline, wrote a few paragraphs explaining the show, crafted a simple call to action to register for the event, and typed up a list of the various sponsors and speakers. Simple right?

Unfortunately, I made one giant blunder.

I assumed the assignment was so simple that the designer would just fill in all the routine items such as the reply form. That’s right. I didn’t include copy for the reply form in my copy. And yes, the designer designed the mailer with no reply form.

Worse, it was sent to the printer that way.

I still remember standing in the designer’s office reviewing the mailer with project manager when someone said, “Where is the reply form.”  That was right about when the agency founder walked in, her smile turning to a frown when she learned all the mailers would have to be scrapped. An entire room full of people glared at me in anger and frustration.

Doh! It was humiliating and I felt about 3 inches tall.

What did I do? I sucked it up and worked with the designer to correct the problem. When I climbed out of the rubble, I realized that part of my job as a copywriter was to assume nothing and include everything in the copy. It was a harsh but valuable lesson.

Story 2: Long ago, a marketing consultant called me. He said all he wanted was a simple little postcard to advertise a new service his client had just introduced.

So I provided an estimate. I would write the copy and hire a local firm for the design. I charged a flat fee, but the design firm worked hourly. Since it was just one postcard, that shouldn’t present a problem, right?

While I was writing the copy for the postcard, the client called and said he actually needed three versions of the card for different market segments. They would be similar, with just a couple lines different. Okay, no problem. The design might be a tad more, but not much.

So I create three versions, copy and design, and send them to the client. He said, “These are great. But I just realized that we’re doing some price testing. So we’ll need a little tweak on each card so we’ll have two price versions for each.”

Okay. Now I’m getting worried. I estimated for one card and now we’re up to six. The client doesn’t understand, or says he doesn’t understand, why that’s an issue. After all, it’s really just one card with a few little differences.

So we do six cards. I’ve warned the client that the bill is going up on this project. But he assures me that’s nothing to worry about. “Oh, and we need to color code the cards,” he says, “to make it easier for the printer to identify which is which, so we need some revisions. And while you’re at it, we need a couple more versions so we can run another test.”

At this point, the design hours are adding up fast. Plus materials. Plus shipping, because this was back in the days before the Internet made sending pdfs easy. Plus my time constantly meeting with the designer and dealing with the client. Plus, plus, plus.

In the end, what started out as a simple $3,000 project turned into an $11,000 invoice. When the client got the bill, he flipped out. I said, “I told you all the add-ons and revisions would increase the bill. We estimated for one card and ended up with eight.” He was furious.

He paid the bill. But I learned how badly a project can spin out of control when I allowed a client to do a “slow reveal,” adding seemingly little extras one-by-one until a small project turns into a bigger project.

The lesson: Stuff happens. You have to deal with it. You could miss a deadline, underbid a project, misunderstand the objectives and deliver off-target copy, or just make a dumb mistake. Your client or boss could move the due date, add on lots of extra work, give you poor direction, or ask you to do something you think is stupid.

What can you do? Here are six simple ways to survive your own personal apocalypse.

1. Don’t flip out. Keep your wits about you and keep your temper (or embarrassment) under control. Take a long, deep breath. Stay professional.

2. Shut up. Don’t say any more than you have to. Don’t promise anything or blame anyone. Your instinct will be to become defensive, but don’t.

3. Walk away and think. You need some time to figure out what went wrong. Think it through and be objective. Whether it’s your fault, or your boss’s, or your client’s, or someone else’s, it just doesn’t matter. Look at the problem and come up with a solution.

4. Accept responsibility. I know … it may not be your fault. But fault and responsibility are different things. Fault is about blame. Responsibility is about accepting a problem and fixing it. It’s hard to be the adult if someone else is acting like a child, but that’s one mark of a professional.

5. Fix it. Find a solution. Make it happen. Try to look at this as a personal challenge. That’s easy to say and hard to do. But do it anyway.

6. Deal with the fallout. You might end up the hero. You might end up looking like a moron. You can’t control this. Sometimes things go so wrong, it destroys a relationship. That’s life. When I forgot the reply form, it pissed people off, but I continued to work successfully with the agency. When the client kept adding on to the postcard project and didn’t want to pay extra, I collected the bill and canned the client. Good riddance.

Whatever happens, you’ll get through it. Life will go on.

By the way, if you’re a freelancer and what you’re facing is an angry client, here’s how to turn the anger into loyalty with one word.

Disclaimer: If the actual apocalypse comes, many of these tips still apply. Though I would also advise that you stock up on ammo, spam, and wooden matches.

Related posts:

1. Copywriting Revisions Gone Wild! Why it happens and how to handle it
2. How to write a postcard for maximum response
3. Do you design your copy before you write it?

How much of your life is on your computer? What would happen if it all just … vanished? Email, documents, photos, financial records, address book, samples, soft rock from the 70s, everything.

EVERYTHING!

Scary isn’t it? I know because it happened to me.

A few years ago, my computer crashed in the middle of a busy week and it almost destroyed my business. I had a backup of my data, but it wasn’t up-to-date because I was always too busy or too lazy to do regular backups.

So I lost weeks of work, including paying projects worth thousands. And since all my contact data was on my computer, I couldn’t even call clients to tell them what happened.

Talk about a nightmare! This is the very definition of scared straight.

I saw the error of my ways and decided this was never, EVER going to happen again. Oh, I might have another crash. But I would never again sit in my office helplessly staring at a dead computer.

My experience inspired me to devise a computer disaster recovery plan. So that no matter what might happen to my computer – virus, hard disk failure, power surge, theft, software corruption, fire, flood, meteor strike, zombies, anything – I’ll be able to recover in hours rather than days or weeks.

And the real beauty is that my plan is totally automatic. You set it and forget it. You don’t ever have to think about backups or spend a second worrying about the safety of years of personal and business data.

What’s involved? One simple text file on your computer desktop and a tiny little program that works quietly around the clock backing up your data online to a remote location. Perfect for busy, or lazy, people.

Why most computer backup methods are not reliable.

There are lots of ways to back up your computer files, including floppy disks (does anyone still use those?), tape drives, zip drives, CDs, data sticks, and external hard drives. I’ve used them all.

But they all have four serious flaws.

First, they depend on YOU. You have to schedule time to do the backups and keep doing them day after day, month after month. If you get busy or forget, and you will, all your data is at risk.

Second, they’re all “on-site.” If something happens in your office, your data is gone along with everything else.

Third, they are all “things” that can break. I’ve had floppy disks jam and tape drives break in mid-backup. CDs can get scratched or melt. External drives can fail just like any hard drive.

Fourth, they only allow you to backup a set amount of data. Once you reach the limit, that’s it.

The answer? Automatic online backups.

If you really want to keep your files secure, forget about all the usual backup strategies. You have to back up all the time and keep the data off-site. Big businesses have always done this, but it has been prohibitively difficult and expensive for the rest of us until recently. Now there are a variety of services that are easy and cheap.

Most online backup services work in similar ways. You buy a subscription, install a small program on your computer, and the software backs up your data over the Internet to a remote location. If you ever need to restore any lost data, you select the files you want and they’re reinstalled on your computer.

Unfortunately, most online backup services are more complicated than they should be. Two of the simplest and most popular are Carbonite and Mozy.

Both have their fans. I tried Mozy first after reading several positive reviews, but I couldn’t get it to work on my computer. Technical support was no help. They spent a week working on whatever the problem was, but I gave up and gave Carbonite a shot.

And I’m glad. Carbonite is mercifully simple. You don’t have to start it up or set anything. There’s nothing to learn. Once you’ve installed it, which takes all of 2 minutes, it works in the background looking for new and changed files to back up.

If there’s one negative, it’s that your initial backup will take a while. Carbonite will back up about 3 or 4 gigabytes per day on a home broadband connection. I had about 16 gigs to back up and it took 4 days. But then this is true for most other services of this kind. (I now have over 40 gigs backed up.)

Carbonite compensates for this by giving you unlimited backup space. I mean that literally. There is no limit to how much you can back up. Theoretically, if you have a thousand gigs of data, you can back it up with no extra cost.

The first backup creates what amounts to a duplicate of your hard disk, folder by folder and file by file. After that, Carbonite runs quietly in the background. Every time you load, create, or change a document, the utility automatically backs it up. You don’t have to do anything. It’s all automatic.

By default, Carbonite backs up everything in the “Documents and Settings” folder if you’re using Windows XP or the “Users” folder if you’re on Vista. This includes most of the stuff you’d want to save, such as your documents, desktop contents, most of your program settings, email data, browser settings and bookmarks, pictures, music, videos, downloaded files, etc. However, you can select anything for backup. You just click on a file or folder to tell Carbonite to back it up and keep it backed up.

One unique feature: In Windows Explorer (your file folders), Carbonite inserts a little green dot on each file or folder that is backed up. An orange dot means the file or folder is waiting for backup. This lets you tell at a glance what is backed up and what isn’t. Those little green dots give me a lot of comfort since I can see my files are protected.

If anything happens, all you do is log into your Carbonite account online with any browser, select the files you want to restore, and they’re all put back where they belong. Simple as that. Even if the worst happens and you lose your whole computer, you can retrieve everything with a new computer once you start it up and get online.

The secret of my disaster recovery plan: one little document.

My own computer crash taught me something important. Even if you have a reliable backup, there’s a lot you’ll lose if your computer fails, such as the “keys” to reinstall programs, phone numbers for technical support, information to reconnect to your Internet service provider, passwords for websites and services, and lots of other little things you take for granted when everything is working right.

So I created an “open text” document with all this information and saved it to my desktop. You could use Word or some other program, but I wanted a format that I could open with any software. I included:

• Computer model and operating system
• Internet service provider information
• The “key code” for my wireless network
• Phone number for ISP technical support
• Email customer number, password, and support number
• Incoming and outgoing mail server for setting up an email program
• Web address to access Web mail
• A complete list of my programs
• Program registration keys, serial numbers, and passwords
• A list of online tools and service subscriptions
• Website and blog user names and passwords
• WordPress plugins for my blog
• Affiliate user names and passwords

It takes a while to compile this information, but you only have to do it once. Then add information to it whenever you install a new program, create a new password, sign up for a new service, etc. Depending on how thorough you are, you’ll need from 2 to 8 pages.

Here’s the cool part. When you save this little file on your computer desktop, it becomes part of your automatic backup. So no matter what happens to your computer, everything you need to get your system, programs, email, and services up and running again is ready and waiting.

The only thing you’ll need to commit to memory is the password for your online backup service. With that and a browser, you’re golden.

Do these three things ASAP.

1. Do a search for online backup services and try one. Most offer a free trial, including Carbonite. Last time I checked, Carbonite was $54.95 a year. Mozy was $54.45 a year. I think Carbonite is simpler (and I like those little dots on the files), but look at both.

2. Start compiling that recovery document. Yes, it’s going to be a pain. Yes, you have better things to do. But do it anyway. Without it, you face a world of hurt if something bad happens.

3. Share this article with everyone you know. Tweet it. Post it to Facebook. Stumble it. Digg it. Get it out there. Because I don’t want any copywriter to go through what I went through. Well, maybe a couple.

I had to buy a new computer, install every program from scratch, import an old backup, and make lots of calls to customer support for half a dozen programs. And some things I just lost forever. My clients understood, but they weren’t happy.

I’m asking you to eat your spinach here. But someday, you’ll thank me.

Related posts:

1. 7 writing workflow tips to double your writing speed
2. Track your copywriting projects the easy, low-tech way
3. 32 essential tools I use to run my copywriting business

“Hello, this is Bigtime Client. I’m out of the office. Please leave a voice message at the beep.”

*BEEP*

“Um, yeah. This is, er, um. This is Cathy Copywriter calling. I was, uh, just wondering if you, you know, got the samples I sent and, uh, well maybe you didn’t look at them yet because I know you’re busy, but they’re in a big red envelope and I, er, so if you like them maybe you could, uh … ”

*BEEP*

The dreaded voice mail message. It’s intimidating and merciless. It can catch you unprepared and will record every stuttering syllable as you try to string together a few intelligent sentences. More often than not, you end up sounding, shall we say, less than professional.

What’s the answer? Be prepared with a short “script.”

You should write your script before you call. And you should remember to speak slowly and clearly. No ers, ums, or uhs.

1. Say “Hello” and use the person’s name. Be sure to pronounce it correctly.
2. Say your first and last name. If you have a difficult name, spell it slowly.
3. Say your complete phone number, including area code. Again, speak slowly. The person you’re calling may be taking notes.
4. Say why you’re calling. Keep it short with two main points, maximum.
5. Say whether you’ll call again or you expect a call back. Give a time you’ll call or say when you will be available.
6. Say your complete phone number again, slowly.
7. Stop talking. Hang up.

Here’s an example:

“Hello, Mrs. Bigshot. This is Cathy Copywriter at 123-456-7890. I’m following up on the samples I sent you last week. Also, I wanted to see if you needed any additional information. I’ll call you Thursday at 10 a.m. Or you can reach me any day this week before noon. Again, my phone is 123-456-7890. I’m looking forward to speaking with you.”

That’s it. Don’t add on. Don’t ad-lib. Don’t say goodbye multiple times as in “Thanks. Talk to you later. I’ll see you. Bye bye.” Read the script. Hang up. It should take you about 30 seconds tops.

The moment you hang up, send a short email to say you called. Repeat the main points of your voice mail message. Some people don’t check their voice mail very often, so the email is a good backup. Better yet, create a template email, fill in the details, read from it for your message, then send it.

If you are simply terrified of voice mail, even with a script, don’t leave a message at all. When you realize the person you’re calling isn’t answering, hang up without saying a word and send an email. Then you can try calling again later.

Trust me, I don’t like voice mail any more than you do. But a script can put you at ease and make you sound professional and reasonably intelligent. If it works for me, I know it will work for you.

Question: Have you ever had a voice mail nightmare?

Related posts:

1. An open letter to direct mail designers

I’ve said it a thousand times. Copywriting is not just about writing. It’s about business.

For most copywriters, it’s specifically about marketing and selling. So if you want to be a smart copywriter, you need to understand the marketing industry and how things work.

To help with that, here are some of the essential marketing terms you should understand.

- A -

Abandoned Call — When a caller hangs up before the call is answered or when put on hold.

Above the Fold — Part of a Web page or e-mail message that can be seen without scrolling. A newspaper term referring to text at the top of the page, literally above the fold.

Accordion Fold — Type of zigzag fold that makes paper open up like an accordion, as opposed to a letter fold or “roll fold.”

Affiliate — Person or business that promotes someone else’s products and receives a commission for sales or clicks.

Affinity — Meaningful connection between a group of people and the offer being made to them.

Alternate Delivery — Means of delivering an item to households, such as a direct mail piece or sample, without using the post office.

Aqueous Coating — After printing, a clear coating applied to paper to improve durability or achieve a visual effect.

Authentication — Automatic verification of an e-mail sender’s identity.

Automatic Call Distributor — Computerized means of queuing incoming calls and routing them to available agents to improve call center efficiency.

Automation-Compatible Mail — Mail that meets post office guidelines for processing by automated equipment, such as barcode scanners and sorting machines.

- B -

Bangtail — Return envelope with a reply form attached to the flap. The reply form tears off and is returned in the envelope. Also referred to as a “hot potato.”

BANT — Acronym for Budget, Authority, Need, and Time Frame. Generally used when discussing sales lead generation and categorizing prospects.

Barcode — Series of vertical bars below the address on a direct mail piece, representing the nine-digit ZIP code and allowing automated sorting and routing of mail.

Bind-In — Printed piece bound into a magazine, catalog, etc. Often a reply card. These are common in magazines to offer subscriptions.

Bingo Card — Reply card in a publication offering an easy means to request information from advertisers whose ads appear in the publication. Called a “bingo card” because it is often covered with numbers corresponding to offered information, making the card look similar to a card used to play bingo.

Blacklist — List of domain names or IP addresses considered to be spammers. The list is used to filter e-mail messages.

Bleed — Color or images running past the edge of a printed page. This is done by printing on larger paper and trimming to the final size.

Blow In — Printed card inserted into a publication loosely so that it falls out when the publication is read.

Body Copy — The text in an advertisement or direct mail piece following the headline which contains features, benefits, sales arguments, and the offer.

Bounce — When an e-mail is not able to reach an individual, often because of a wrong address, full mailbox, spam filter, or problems with the e-mail server.

Bounce Back — Reply piece included in the package delivering the products ordered or information requested. It often contains another offer.

Bounce Rate — Percentage of Web site visitors who leave immediately after arriving on a page.

Broadside — Advertisement printed on a large sheet of paper with the main selling message on one side. An alternative to a standard booklet type brochure in a direct mail package.

Buckslip — Small piece of paper inserted into a direct mail package to emphasize certain information.

Bulk Mail — Officially called Standard Mail. Class of mail for sending large quantities of similar items where postage is calculated on weight, shape, thickness, and quantity. Less expensive than First Class.

Bulk Mail Center (BMC) — Mail processing plant which handles bulk mail.

Business Reply Card (BRC) — Postage-paid card that serves as a response device. On one side is a reply form and on the other side is specially formatted address information.

Business Reply Envelope (BRE) — Specially formatted, postage-paid envelope used to return a reply form or order form.

Business-to-Business (B-to-B or B2B) — Type of marketing where businesses offer products and services to other businesses.

- C -

Call to Action (CTA) — Part of the written message that tells the reader to respond and provides an easy means of doing so, with a toll-free number for example.

Call Out — Small bit of copy used to call attention to something, separate from the main text, often with a line connecting it to the feature being highlighted.

Can-Spam-Act — Acronym for Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003. U.S. Law governing commercial e-mail.

Card Deck — Stack of postcards mailed together in an envelope, each card promoting a different product or service.

Carrier — Another name for the outer envelope in a direct mail package.

Carrier Route Sort — Presorting a mailing list to match a postal carrier’s delivery route. Doing this allows for a postal discount.

Cheshire Labels — Labels preprinted with mailing addresses and affixed to a mail piece.

Circulation — Distribution count for a publication, including paid and unpaid subscriptions. This is the “reach” of a publication.

Cleaning — Process of removing unwanted data from a mailing list, including undeliverable addresses and duplications.

Click and Mortar — Business with both an online store and a physical store.

Clickstream — Record of a person’s Internet activity, showing sites visited and pages viewed.

Clickthroughs — The number of people who click a link in an e-mail message. Can be used to calculate the “clickthrough rate” for an e-mail message.

Closed-Face Envelope — An envelope without an address window. The address is printed directly on the envelope or on labels affixed to the envelope.

Close Rate — In lead generation, the percentage of sales calls resulting in a sale.

CMYK — The ink colors in a four-color printing process: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) — System created by the U.S. Postal Service to improve the accuracy of addressing by service bureaus and to properly code mailings for delivery.

Compiled List — Type of mailing list created by collecting names and addresses from public records, directories, and other sources. The least targeted type of mailing list.

Continuity Program — Arrangement where customers agree to a series of regular, small purchases over time. For example, a series of books shipped and paid for at a rate of one per month.

Control — The most successful direct mail piece or ad, determined after testing against other direct mail pieces or ads.

Controlled Circulation — Free distribution of a publication to increase circulation and raise advertising rates. (See Paid Circulation.)

Conversion Rate — The percentage of inquiries that result in a sale.

Co-op Mailing — Mailing with offers from multiple businesses.

CPI (Cost Per Inquiry) — The cost of your campaign divided by the number of inquiries you receive. This tells you how much you have spent to acquire one inquiry or potential buyer.

Cost Per Piece — Total cost of a mailing divided by the number of pieces mailed. Includes list rental, printing, and postage. The cost of copywriting and design are sometimes included, but not always since this is generally a one-time cost.

CPM (Cost Per Thousand) — The cost to deliver your message to 1,000 people or the purchase price of 1,000 names of a mailing list. (The M is from the Roman numeral which stands for 1,000.)

CPO (Cost Per Order) — The cost of your campaign divided by the number of orders you receive. This tells you how much you have to spend to acquire one customer.

Coupon — Reply form within the design of a printed ad. May also refer to a reply card in a direct mail package.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) — Strategy for boosting revenue and customer satisfaction by improving the customer experience with a company and its products and services.

Cross Sell — Encourage established customers to buy different but related products. Getting a computer buyer to purchase a printer, for example.

- D -

Data Card — Collection of information describing the characteristics of a mailing list.

Data Mining — Discovering patterns and relationships within customer data to reveal what customers want and how they act.

Database — Collection of personal and/or transactional information about customers or prospective customers. The repository of information about a company’s relationships with people.

Database Modeling — Predicting customer behavior by using statistical techniques.

Decoy — Name included in a mailing list to catch people who disregard the terms of the list rental agreement. If the agreement is a one-time rental and the renter mails to the list more than once, the decoy will receive the mailing and inform the list owner.

Demographics — Statistical information about groups of people, such as age, sex, income, education, etc.

Direct Mail — Medium used to deliver advertising directly to postal addresses, including envelopes, self-mailers, postcards, flyers, and catalogs.

Do Not Call List — List of people who do not wish to receive telemarketing calls.

DPI — Short for Dots Per Inch. In printing, the number of ink dots that fit into a 1″ x 1″ square.

Double Opt-In — Technique for double checking that e-mail subscribers actually want a subscription. They must subscribe then confirm the subscription.

Drop Date — Scheduled day when a mailing is to be delivered to the post office.

DRTV — Short for Direct Response Television. Medium used to deliver ads to TV viewers and asking for an immediate response.

Duotone — Image created using two colors.

Dupe — Short for duplicate or duplication. Names that appear more than once in a mailing list.

Duplex Lasering — Laser printing simultaneously on the front and back of a printed piece.

- E -

ECOA — Short for E-mail Change of Address, a system to help update e-mail address lists.

E-mail Appending — Adding individual e-mail addresses to an database of names and postal addresses.

E-mail Filter — Software that blocks incoming e-mail based on sender address, subject matter, or other factors.

- F -

Flyer (or Flier) — Promotional piece created from a single sheet and usually not folded. Smaller than a broadside.

FPO — For Placement Only. Mark to indicate the position of a design element which is not yet ready. A placeholder.

Free-Standing Insert — Printed advertisement inserted, but not bound, into a publication.

Freemium — Free gift included in a mail package to increase response. The word is a spin off of “premium,” also a gift but which is usually given after a purchase.

Frequency — For a given customer, the average number of purchases within a certain time period, such as 2 purchases per month.

Fulfillment — The process of responding to a customer purchase or request, including shipping ordered products.

- G -

Gatefold — Parallel folds on printed piece resulting in flaps folding toward each other like a gate.

GIF — Acronym for Graphics Interchange Format, a type of graphic format used on Web sites.

- H -

Halftone — Printing that uses dots of ink to create various shades of a color.

Hard Bounce — When an e-mail message is rejected or “bounced” because of a bad address.

Hotline List — The most recent additions to a mailing list representing those who have just made a purchase and are therefore desirable customers.

House List (or House File) — List of buyers and prospects maintained by a company. This is the most valuable asset for any direct marketer.

HTML — Short for Hyper Text Markup Language, the programming language used to create Web pages.

Hyperlink — Text on a Web page or in an electronic document which can be clicked with a mouse to open another page or document.

- I -

Imposition — Arranging pages so that they print in the correct order.

Indicia — Preprinted mark in the upper right of mail piece which shows that postage has been paid.

Ink Jet Printing — Means of printing where ink is sprayed onto paper.

Insert Media — Print media delivering advertising to consumers by means other than solo direct mail or space advertising. Includes card decks, cooperative mailings, statement stuffers, package inserts, blow-ins or bind-ins, and free-standing inserts.

Internet — Global network of interconnected computers of which the World Wide Web is one part.

IP Address — Short for Internet Protocol address, a unique number identifying a device connected to the Internet.

ISDN — Acronym for Integrated Services Digital Network, a set of standards for telephone transmission technology.

ISP — Acronym for Internet Service Provider, a company providing access to the Internet.

Inquiry — Request for information from a prospective customer.

- J -

Johnson Box — Type of headline at the top of a letter, originally set in a box with solid borders or a border made of asterisks. Named for the inventor, Frank Johnson.

JPEG — Acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group, a type of compressed graphics file used primarily for color images on Web sites.

- K -

Key Code — See Source Code.

- L -

Labels — Strips of paper printed with a mailing address and affixed to a mail piece.

Landing Page — Web page that is reached when a link is clicked, specifically a special page designed to receive traffic from particular links.

Laser Printing — Means of printing using a laser to etch a photoelectric drum which then applies toner to paper.

Lead — Person identified as a potential client or customer after asking for information or meeting certain buying criteria. Generally a more qualified possibility than a “prospect.”

Lead Generation — Process of identifying prospective customers for a sales pitch or further marketing efforts.

Lettershop — Printing business that specializes in direct mail. They can print, assemble, address, and mail any type of direct mail piece.

Lifetime Value — Net profit a customer is likely to generate during their relationship with a company.

Lift Note — Second, shorter letter in a direct mail package with a highly focused message. Generally signed by a different person.

List — Collection of data that may include names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and other information for a group of people who share a common characteristic, such as being sports car owners or doctors.

List Broker — Person or business that helps locate and purchase lists that are appropriate for a given direct mail or e-mail campaign.

Lithography — Printing process in which an image is created using plates with areas that variously absorb or repel ink and can press the image onto paper.

- M -

Magalog — Direct mail sales format that looks like a magazine or catalog.

Mail Preference Service — Service of the Direct Marketing Association allowing people to remove their names from mailings lists (at least from lists of mailers who cooperate with the program).

Merge/Purge — Combining two or more lists while simultaneously removing duplicate data.

Multiple Buyer — Customer who has made purchases more than once. Also called “repeat buyer.”

- N -

National Change of Address (NCOA) — Means provided by the U.S. Postal Service to correct addresses on a mailing list prior to mailing.

Negative Option — Type of offer where the customer agrees to ongoing shipments or purchases of a product or service, which will stop only when the customer asks for them to stop. One example is a book of the month club.

Nixie — Mail piece returned by the post office because the address is not deliverable. This term refers specifically to mail returned for reasons other than a change of address, such as “No Such Street,” “Insufficient Address,” “Attempted-Not Known,” or “Deceased.”

- O -

Offer — The deal you propose to a potential buyer to encourage a purchase. The offer includes price, guarantee, premiums, etc.

Offset Printing — Printing method in which ink is transferred or “offset” from a plate to a roller then to paper.

Open Rate — Number of people who open an e-mail message divided by the total number of e-mail messages sent.

Opt-In — To grant permission for a company to send e-mail by making a direct request to be included on a mailing list.

Opt-Out — To decline permission for a company to send e-mail by making a direct request to be excluded from a mailing list.

Outsourcing — Hiring someone outside a company to do work.

Overline — Headline above the main headline, usually in smaller type. It can be part of the headline or an introductory statement.

- P -

Package — Direct mailing consisting of an envelope and all its contents, including a letter, order form, brochure, etc.

Package Insert — Promotional piece sent along with a product shipment. Some businesses make additional revenue by including inserts from other companies.

Paid Circulation — Distribution of a publication to those who pay for a subscription. (See Controlled Circulation.)

Pass Along — Readership of a publication or mailing beyond the original recipient. Also a printed piece intended to be passed on to someone else.

Peel-Off Label — Self-adhesive label which can be removed and attached to a reply card or order form.

Personalization — Inserting a person’s name or other unique information into the message of an advertisement.

Phishing — Method for identity theft using what appears to be a legitimate e-mail message to get people to reveal personal information, such as credit card or bank account numbers.

PMS Color — Color in the Pantone Matching System, a widely used system for naming and identifying specific colors for printing.

Poly Bag — Alternative to paper envelopes made of transparent plastic called “polyethylene.”

Pop-Up — Ad or message that “pops up” in your browser window.

Positive Option — Type of offer where the customer is given the opportunity to purchase repeatedly, but where there is no implied obligation. No products or services are provided until the customer asks for them.

Premium — Gift or bonus offered to encourage people to buy a product or service.

Prepress — Various actions taken to prepare an item for printing, such as separating the colors of a piece into separate printing plates.

Presorted Mail — Mail that has been sorted by address or carrier route in order to reduce costs of the U.S. Postal Service and thus create postal savings for the mailer.

Prospect — Someone who has been identified as a potential customer or client.

Prospecting — Process of finding potential customers by advertising specifically to groups of non-customers.

Psychographics — Descriptive information about groups of people, such as lifestyle, attitudes, and values.

Purge — Cleaning technique for mailing lists which removes bad addresses, duplicates, or undesirable names.

- R -

Recency — Time since the latest purchase or activity for a person or business.

Registration — Alignment of printing plates using “registration marks” that are located at identical places on each plate.

Reply Card — A card in a mailing used by the recipient to reply to the offer.

Response Device — The part of a direct mail piece or ad returned to the advertiser, such as an order form, reply card, or coupon.

Response Rate — The number of responses to an offer divided by the total number of people who received the offer. Generally stated as, “That mailing generated a 5 percent response.”

Retention — Efforts by a company to keep customers or clients from defecting to the competition.

Return on Investment (ROI) — Money earned compared to money spent, a figure used to determine how profitable a business is.

Rich Media — Communication content that includes video, audio, or animation.

RFM — Acronym for Recency, Frequency, Monetary value. A formula used to predict the potential sales of a given universe of prospects.

RGB — Stands for Red, Green, Blue. The color system used primarily by computer and television monitors to produce color images.

Roll Fold — A way of folding paper similar to how you would fold a letter, so that all the folds are in the same direction.

Rollout — Mailing to the rest of a mailing list after testing the mail piece on a smaller sample of that list.

- S -

Salutation — The part of a letter that addresses the reader, such as “Dear Friend” or “Dear Sally.”

Self-mailer — A piece of direct mail without an envelope. Technically, this can include catalogs, booklets, slim-jims, folded mailers, and postcards. However, the term usually refers to a folded mailer.

Seeding — Adding names to a mailing list to reveal unauthorized use. See Decoy.

Segmentation — Dividing potential buyers into smaller groups based on buying patterns or demographic information.

Selects — Sub-groups of a mailing list based on geographic location, age, gender, or other information. Used to fine tune a marketing effort.

Service Bureau — Business that maintains, updates, cleans, and enhances mailing lists for list owners.

Sheet-Fed Press — Printing press that prints one sheet at a time as opposed to a web press, where paper is fed into the printer from a continuous roll.

Shopping Cart — Software that holds selected products online until the buyer is ready to complete the purchase.

Sorting — Organizing a list into a particular sequence, for example by name, company, or ZIP code.

Source Code — Also called “key code.” A series of letters and/or numbers placed on a reply device to help identify the source of the reply. For example, if you mail the same package to two lists, the source code will identify which list generated each reply.

Space Advertising — Ads placed in print publications.

Spam — Unsolicited or unwanted commercial e-mail.

Split Test — Technique used to test an offer or message for the same audience at the same time. For example, you could run two different ads in the same print run of a magazine to see which is most effective.

Spoofing — Masking a sender’s e-mail address with a fake address to make the recipient think the message is from a trusted source.

Spot Color — Specific, individual ink color for printing as opposed to process colors, which are made by mixing up to four inks. See CMYK.

Spyware — Software that tracks and communicates computer activity, usually without the user knowing about it.

Statement Stuffer — Small promotional piece inserted into an envelope that contains a billing statement.

Stochastic Printing — Also called FM or Frequency Modulation printing. Printing method using dots of various density that are not in a grid pattern (as with ordinary screen printing) in order to achieve a more realistic image.

- T -

Take-One — Promotional literature (usually one sheet) placed in high-traffic areas, such as grocery stores.

Teaser — Words that create curiosity and make the reader want to know more. Usually found on the outside of an envelope to encourage the recipient to look inside.

Telephone Preference Service — Service of the Direct Marketing Association allowing people to remove their names from telemarketing lists (at least from lists of telemarketers who cooperate with the program).

Throwaway — Cheaply printed ad or flyer used for mass distribution where the response is expected to be low. Most people will throw it away, so it must be economical.

Tip On — Usually refers to an item that is glued to a printed piece, such as a reply card “tipped on” to a mailing piece.

Token — Involvement device used with a call to action, such as a sticker that reads “Yes!” which must be affixed to a reply card.

Traffic Builder — Any advertising effort intended to draw people to a certain place, such as a store or a Web site.

Trim Size — Size of a printed piece after it has been printed on a larger sheet then cut to its final size.

- U -

Universe — The total group of people or businesses that are being targeted in a campaign or all those who are potential buyers for a product or service.

- V -

Variable Data Printing — See Personalization.

- W -

Web Press — High-speed printing press using paper from a large continuous roll instead of inserting individual sheets.

Whitelist — List of domain names or IP addresses specifically identified as not spammers. The list is used to assure that legitimate e-mail messages are received.

Related posts:

1. Copywriter thumbnails and how to draw them
2. How to write a postcard for maximum response
3. Do you design your copy before you write it?

When I started out as a copywriter, few knew about copywriting as a profession outside of ad agencies or direct mail shops.

But in recent years, interest has grown dramatically. Maybe it’s the economy and job losses that has people seeking new opportunities. Or it could be the small industry that has grown around promoting copywriter career information.

Whatever it is, there are more people interested in discovering what this “copywriting thing” is all about than ever before.

I’m always getting questions about this, so I’ve put together a Copywriter Information Center on my main business website. Aspiring copywriters can find information about what copywriters do, who does the hiring, typical pay, available full-time jobs, and more.

I’ll be adding information over time, so bookmark the page for reference. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, let me know. I’ll make notes for future updates or answer your questions here on this blog.

No related posts.