Long or short copy?

It's a fact: your direct marketing communication has all of three to five seconds to make the prospect decide whether to read it...or not. And once that decision is made, your copy has just 20 seconds to convince your prospect that it's worth reading on.

Does that mean short copy is more effective? Not necessarily. Back in my ad agency days, the president of my agency -- Dave Hefter -- used to say, "The letter will always write itself." If your proposition is simple and compelling, there's no need to add a lot of fluff just to make it longer. Conversely, if you've got a product with lots of bells and whistles, why shortchange it by fitting it into a short format because "that's what people read"?

Remember: it takes just the right of sales psychology to convert a prospect into a loyal customer. Every direct marketing copywriter, at heart, MUST be a sales rep, a psychologist, and a darn good writer. If you can get someone who incorporates all three, there's a great chance your marketing communications will succeed.