Page 35 - 100 Great Copywriting Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

11 WHAT NOT TO PUT ON
YOUR ORDER FORM

Whenever I get a mailshot in the post, or look at a direct response
ad in the paper, I always read the order form first. It’s become a little
game . . . seeing whether they’ve gone for the easy option or been
creative. And specifically, I look at the headline.

I get a point every time I see the words “Order form.” So far I have
roughly 85 million points. Why, after getting all the way through
the sales process to the close, do these copywriters shrug their
shoulders and start labelling things? There has to be something
more compelling to write than “Order form” doesn’t there?

The idea

From order forms labeled “Order form”
When you’re writing a direct response ad or mailshot, I’m willing
to bet you write the order form last. We all tend to think linearly
about copywriting, starting from the outside in. So, outer, letter,
brochure, response device. Which means by the time we get around
to the order form itself, we’re feeling just a couple of steps away
from the finish line.

The result is often recourse to the boilerplate bin. Need a headline?
“Order form” should do it. After all, it is an order form. But that’s
precisely my point. There are plenty of clues to tip off even the
doziest reader that this is, indeed, the order form. Credit card
symbols, lines for entering their personal details, return address,
direct debit mandate, and so on.

26 • 100 GREAT COPYWRITING IDEAS