Letters from Boron

A legendary direct mail copywriter was put behind bars.

No, not because he joined a gang and overthrew the local police….

But because he didn’t file his taxes properly.

If you haven’t already guessed I just started reading the Boron letters, and based on the testimonials it seems like a book that is too good to be true.

Every legendary name you can think of states this book as a gem.

It’s about the copywriter Gary Halbert who wrote letters to his son to fill him with all of his years of experience in sales writing and life.

These letters are personal, not always on topic, and aren’t just about how to write better copy.

Yet it’s considered a must-read for marketers.

Why does any of this matter?

It’s a reminder to read between the lines.

It’s the reason I’m writing about this when my main focus is e-commerce.

You can learn the most from indirect topics/stories to your relevant subject.

This idea also connects with a practice I learned from the Copywriting Handbook and it used this exercise:

Back in the day, you would write down random words on pieces of paper, put them in a box, shuffle, and pick one out.

Now we have https://randomwordgenerator.com/

Step 1. Generate a random word or topic

Step 2. Find a way to connect it to your product/topic of writing/practice/skill

Step 3. Make something creative, nothing is impossible

What does creative mean?

Example:

Word: Fire

Product: Sneakers

Your Job: Email Marketing

Your Creative Excercise: Find a way to connect fire with sneakers and design an entire email around it

The reason behind this exercise is to stretch your current belief and improvise with the resources given to you.

Specifically, if you are a writer/marketer/business owner this can benefit you in multiple ways:

• New creative ideas

• Problem-Solving

• New Marketing Angles

I want you to try this, and if you do reply with your story!

Tomorrow I’ll try it with the next email….