Q2 • 2021


INSIGHTS DIRECT MAIL LETTER » The Reading Curve


The reader glances at the logo and date first, looks at the address block and salutation next, and then skips straight to the end of the letter to look at the signature and signatory. This path is called the reading curve.


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hen it comes to understanding direct mail, no one has been more influential than Siegfried Voegele, who literally wrote an entire book on the subject in the 1970s. Even today, his insights into how the consumer interacts with direct mail prove to be a timeless primer for educating marketing students and helping writers execute successful direct mail copywriting. Voegele explains that the most


important facet of a direct mail package is the letter. More than inserts, response forms, and incentives, the letter is a personalized way of engaging the consumer and establishing a connection to your brand, organization, or product. How do you ensure consumers read your letter, though? Here, Voegele provides some timeless tips.


Understanding the Reading Curve Voegele unpacks what’s known as the reading curve. Readers don’t read direct mail letters straight from beginning to end. Instead, they glance at the salutation


and date and then glance straight down to the signature. Unconsciously, readers are wondering who is writing to them, what the sender wants, and why it’s important. To that


end, using a direct form of address rather than a generic “Dear Neighbor” will help pull readers in, along with signing the letter with a person’s name rather than the company’s name. (Tip: the signature should be printed in bright blue to match what you would expect to see in a personal letter, 70 percent of which are signed in blue ink.) While the reader is at the bottom of


the page, the first thing he or she will read is a PS. For this reason, a PS is crucial to a direct mail letter’s success. Voegele found that 90 percent of readers read a PS word for word, and the content of the PS will determine whether or not the body of the letter gets more than a cursory glance. According to Voegele, the PS should be


two to three lines long and should directly state the benefits, offer, discount, or emotional reward presented in the letter, along with the desired call to action. Once the reader knows what is at stake, he or she will go back to the top and read the letter in full.


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