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"Your article titled, "How to Create an E-mail Marketing Calendar" in the recent issue of ClickZ, is one of the best - and most needed - I've read on the subject of email communications planning. Excellent work!"

Joel Book,
Director, eMarketing Strategy,
ExactTarget, Inc.


View Karen's most recent ClickZ columns on B2B Email Marketing.

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Event Marketing

Registration-Rocketing Letters

Conference marketers are starting to see a certain degree of fatigue in their email marketing efforts.

In response, they are returning to an old standby to bring in registrations - the simple #10 direct mail package, which includes a business envelope, one-page letter, agenda and registration form.

The results are often quite good. Over and over again, I've seen these letter packages perform as the #2 or #3 highest registration generator in a campaign - right behind the brochure mailer, which is usually #1.

Case-in-point: This letter for the FORTUNE Women's Summit brought in 100 registrations - based on the letter alone without the benefit of a brochure.

Fortune Women's Summit Letter


Another letter I wrote for BusinessWeek to CEOs brought in 35 early registrants, which my client said was "the best response we have gotten in 3 years for any event!" If you would like to see a copy, send me an email.

So what's the secret of writing a registration-rocketing one-page letter? Here's a template I recently developed for a client:

  • Top of the letter: Create either a conference letterhead or a "Johnson box" with:
    • Event name
    • Dates, location
    • Registration call-to-action
    • Most compelling message
  • Paragraph #1:
    • No more than 2 or 3 lines in length
    • Draw the reader in with:
      • Intriguing research
      • Identification with an audience "pain point"
      • Urgent tone
    • For senior events:
      • Invitation
      • Play up exclusivity and C-level interaction
      • More formal tone
    • For past attendees:
      • Reacquaint alumni with why they like the event
      • What's new for the upcoming event
      • Make them feel part of a community
  • Paragraph #2
    • Short event descriptor
    • Highlight event "claim to fame" in the industry
    • Play up the popularity of the event
  • Middle paragraphs
    • Bulletpoints of the most important takeaways to the reader
    • Support points as to why this is the one event to attend:
      • Testimonials
      • Survey results (95% of attendees recommend this event)
  • Last paragraph
    • Call to action
    • Create urgency - why readers should register before even putting down this letter
  • P.S.
    • One of the "most-read" sections of letter
    • Compelling reason to register TODAY

Now as you'll see, I do not always play by each of these rules. You need to use your judgment and think strategically. For example, as you'll see in the Fortune letter, there is neither a Johnson box nor a postscript. For a more formal letter from a well-known publisher there is no need to be as promotional as you might have to be in marketing a new event from a little-known conference producer to a mid-level audience.

But by following this template, paragraph-by-paragraph, you will probably find yourself moving from a blank computer screen to a finished letter a lot faster.

Another tip: While the first line of the letter is obviously the most important since it is the attention-grabber, if you're having a hard time writing it, tackle the rest of the letter first. Once your mind is "warmed up" a compelling opening line may suggest itself. A good place to look is the last line of your letter. Often, you'll see that you saved the best for last and it's just a matter of bringing that intriguing closing line up to the top.

While this template will definitely save you time, do you really want to spend the better part of your day laboring over a letter? If not, contact Karen for help.

Karen's ClickZ Columns on B2B Email Marketing