Book Summary: The Boron Letters
Letters from a marketing master (in prison)
The Book in Three Sentences
A master of copywriting and marketing, Gary Halbert, finds himself in prison writing letters of advice to his son, Bond Halbert. Gary writes about life, marketing, and how he’s found success in direct mail marketing. Some of the advice is great (marketing/advertising), others (looking tough and eating) is questionable.
The Quick Summary
Gary Halbert is a legend when it comes to direct mail and copywriting. He wrote some of the most used sales letters in history. His focus was direct mail but many of the lessons hold true for today’s marketers, especially those producing copy online.
The book is a mixture of life advice, observations, and hard won marketing know how. Many copywriters view the book as the holy grail while others can’t stand it. Bond gives updates for the modern reader and tries to interpret some of his dad’s writings for the reader while trying to upsell his classes and website.
Some of the best advice Gary gives is, “The money is where the enthusiasm is.” This is true for you, follow your enthusiasm, and markets where people are enthusiastic. The first step in marketing is finding the market. Most people want to create a product first then find the market, this is backwards. It’s much easier to find where people are excited and spending money and create a product than to have a product and have no one interested.
Remember, don’t listen to what people say. Look at their actions and where they spend their money. People often give the answer they think you want but spend their money according to their true beliefs.
Once you have a product, create your promotion using the acronym AIDA:
Attention — Get their attention right away. Gary often did this by attaching something to his letters. Another way is to tell your story and how the product solved your problem. Transition to reader focused when the story starts to get good.
Interest — Create interest. Use relevant, interesting facts. Be specific, it’s more believable, 73.6% of people think so.
Desire — What are the benefits to the reader from purchasing your product? Paint a picture. Having more money will give you more freedom, freedom to create your own schedule, be your own boss. You’ll be able to sit on the beach drinking pina coladas and watch the money roll in.
Action — Again, be very clear and specific. Click the large blue button below that says next, enter your credit card information, the one that gives you the most travel points, then check your email for confirmation. Do it now, right now, today, this very second.
Finally, your writing should be clear and concise. Use “get” instead of “procure”. Short sentences have impact.
Paragraphs of one or two sentences keep attention (parentheses give a nice eye break).
Oh, and make sure you workout your arms. It’s good to have strong arms and big arms can be intimidating in prison.
Three Biggest Takeaways
1. The number one secret to making money? Get involved in what excites you.
2. Find a market, then create a product.
3. Most of the world’s great work was done by people who didn’t feel like it but showed up anyways. The difference between the person on the top of the mountain and the bottom is the person on top kept showing up.
One Thing to Apply Today
The AIDA model to improve your written communication.
