The Official Website of Powerhouse Direct Response Copywriter and Performance Creative Strategist, Josh C. Manheimer
Welcome to Josh's
DMU
Direct Mail University
Need inspiration? Thumb through my legendary direct mail campaigns and learn how I beat controls.
Everything Else Direct Mail
Dish Network
"Control!"
NordicSkater Website
"Control!"
Farm & Wilderness
FREE PR , Branding
Grassroot Soccer
Branding , Website , Launch
Matt Dunne for Vermont Governor
Geographic Data Technology
Startup PR Pitch Copywriter
Answers to Your Questions About Direct Response Marketing
How many of your legendary controls do you feature?
A ton. Soon you can access my 5-year control for POPULAR MECHANICS, an 8-year control for THE N.Y. REVIEW OF BOOKS, a 10-year control for WRITER'S DIGEST, and an 11-year control for THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION. Soon you can get your hands on my launch for Story Magazine, which pulled 14%. My package for COOKING LIGHT, which grossed 10.55%. My winner for DOUBLETAKE, which doubled anything they'd ever stuck in a mail sack. Soon you can read to your children at night my acquisition effort for THE ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL which quadrupled response, and it was written—in Chinese!
What kind of direct response copywriting do you do?
For three decades I've written compelling copy for direct mail customer acquisition campaigns, renewal series, launches, sweepstakes. Today, you’ll also find me writing digital "conversion copy" for landing pages, emails, ClickBank VSL’s, and Facebook ads.
What kinds of insurance direct mail do you do?
Lots. I’ve created auto insurance packages for members of the NEA. Travel Accident campaigns for members of the American Legion.  Short Term Recovery for members of MOAA. I've worked on medicare insurance campaigns, birthday life campaigns, death and disability campaigns.
What makes direct mail effective in insurance marketing?
<h3>Insurance is a trust sale. Whether it’s Medicare Advantage, final expense, or life insurance, the prospect is not buying a gadget — they’re buying protection and certainty.</h3> <h3>Direct mail allows space to explain coverage clearly, anticipate objections, and build credibility before asking for a response.</h3> <h3>For older audiences in particular, mail often carries more weight than digital advertising. It feels tangible, deliberate, and less fleeting than an online banner or social post.</h3> <h3>When structured properly, a letter can do what a postcard or banner ad cannot: slow the reader down long enough to earn belief.</h3>
What makes direct mail and long-form direct response copy still work in 2026?
<h3>Direct mail and long-form conversion copy work because they grab attention by creating a one-to-one relationship with your tribe.</h3> <p> </p> <h3>Unlike a banner ad or social scroll, a sales letter--when crafted correctly--forces a personal, linear experience. The reader slows down, allowing the copywriter to frame the problem, build belief, anticipate objections, introduce proof, and present the offer in a compelling way.</h3> <h3> </h3> <h3>That sequence drives response.</h3> <h3> </h3> <h3>No matter whether you are selling insurance, health, financial services, membership, enthusiast markets — response depends on clarity, credibility, and a great offer. </h3> <h3> </h3> <h3>Long-form copy gives you the chance to weave together the threads so they conspire (and create the magic) that triggers action.</h3> <p> </p> <h3>Interestingly, a copywriter's skills transfer easily from old school direct mail to new school Instagram carousels. It's the same old Art of Persuasion, repackaged for today's attention span -- from Stone Tablet to Apple iPhone.</h3>
Do you only write Medicare and patient-facing direct mail — or do you handle complex B2B healthcare messaging as well?
<h2>Both.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>On the consumer side, I’ve written Medicare Advantage and senior-targeted direct response campaigns designed to drive enrollment, appointments, and measurable ROI.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>On the B2B side, I’ve repositioned and unified messaging for one of the largest physician-led medical groups in the country — interviewing service line leaders across Anesthesia, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Hospital Medicine, and Long-Term Care ACO — then translating complex operational, clinical, and financial value propositions into language hospital executives could actually understand.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>That engagement included:</h2> <h2> </h2> <ul> <li> <h2>Rewriting website copy across service lines</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Creating objection-handling Q&A frameworks for BD presentations</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Launching integrated print and digital ad campaigns</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Developing a new unifying tagline</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Producing an industry report for Physician Advisory Services</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Creating physician recruiting EVP campaigns</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Supporting direct mail initiatives for national healthcare events</h2> </li> </ul> <h2>In short: I don’t just write tactics. I help healthcare organizations articulate their value in a way that closes.</h2>
What makes direct mail and long-form direct response copy still work in 2026?
Direct mail and long-form conversion copy work because they grab attention by creating a one-to-one relationship with your tribe. Unlike a banner ad or social scroll, a sales letter--when crafted correctly--forces a personal, linear experience. The reader slows down, allowing the copywriter to frame the problem, build belief, anticipate objections, introduce proof, and present the offer in a compelling way. That sequence drives response. No matter whether you are selling insurance, health, financial services, membership, enthusiast markets — response depends on clarity, credibility, and a great offer. Long-form copy gives you the chance to weave together the threads so they conspire (and create the magic) that triggers action. Interestingly, a copywriter's skills transfer easily from old school direct mail to new school Instagram carousels. It's the same old Art of Persuasion, repackaged for today's attention span -- from Stone Tablet to Apple iPhone.
What is Direct Mail University?
My baby. Today it's harder and harder to get your hands on great, proven direct mail packages from the past. Not that long ago you could climb into the dumpster behind any post office and cart away a veritable library of brilliant junk mail. Today, you'd just get covered with chewing gum and credit card offers. DMU is my attempt to make available to students of direct mail dozens of my legendary direct mail controls which rocked direct marketing to its molten core.
Do you offer direct response copywriting courses that teach how to write a great story lead?
Working on it. Stay tuned.
What are the design obstacles?
Selling insurance is serious business. It's usually not the time to splash colorful images on your outer envelope. Official and Urgent are the two operating words you must hold dear. The design needs to reflect that ... which often means Certificates and Bald Eagles. But not always. In addition, most insurance clients will have multiple affinity relationships, so your personalization must handle branding from myriad associations and unions. Is your address window going to be extra large to show off your logo from, say, the IEEE? These are the kinds of questions the insurance direct response copywriter and designer have to wrestle with.
Are you really a famous direct mail copywriter?
<p><span style="font-family:Nunito"><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Let's just say I'm pretty good at my day job.</strong> You'll find my work featured in MILLION DOLLAR MAILINGS, WHO'S MAILING WHAT, INSIDE DIRECT MAIL, and THE WORLD'S GREATEST DIRECT MAIL SALES LETTERS (four times). </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito"><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>I've created the most successful direct mail campaign in the history of Rodale Press. The most successful in the history of the Meredith Corporation.</strong> And huge, historical winners for The Danbury Mint and Time-Life (OxMoor House). </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito"><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>I've had an 11-year control for THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION. A ten-year control for WRITER'S DIGEST. An eight-year control for SOUTHERN LIVING. And a five-year control for THE NY REVIEW OF BOOKS.</strong> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito"><span style="font-size:18px">My control for THE ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL quadrupled response and -- it was written in Chinese! </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito"><span style="font-size:18px">My sales letter for CONSUMER REPORTS rolled out to 40 million people, and my winning effort for BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS would mail to every household in the country. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito"><span style="font-size:18px">It's not unusual for me to get love letters like this from my professional colleagues:</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito"><span style="font-size:18px"><strong><em>If you want to witness brilliance, go to Josh's website and read every single word of every single page. Then save the pages to your computer and repeat the exercise again next week. Then the week after. Continue doing this week after week. In just a few months of this routine, you'll have gained more copywriting insight than sitting down with Gene Schwartz himself. That Josh dude is a monster. And there's a ton you can pick up from his samples on his website.</em></strong> —K.G. (Facebook)</span></span></p> <p> </p>
Why does affinity marketing work in insurance?
<h3>Insurance is fundamentally about trust. When an offer is presented through a trusted group — an alumni association, professional organization, membership club, faith community, or employer — the message carries borrowed credibility. The prospect is not evaluating the offer in isolation; they are evaluating it within the context of a relationship they already value. That lowers resistance and shortens the credibility curve.</h3> <h3>Affinity also signals relevance. If coverage is presented as tailored to “members like you,” the prospect assumes the benefits, pricing, or underwriting considerations reflect their circumstances. That perception alone can increase response because it reduces the cognitive work required to decide whether the offer applies to them.</h3> <h3>Finally, affinity programs often allow for more precise targeting. When the list is built around a shared identity, occupation, or life stage, the message can speak directly to common concerns. In insurance, where hesitation and skepticism are natural, alignment and credibility are often as important as price.</h3>
How do you handle complex healthcare messaging without dumbing it down?
<h2>Healthcare is its own dialect — part medical, part financial, part operational, part regulatory.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>When I worked with Sound Physicians, I was warned it would take a year just to understand the nomenclature.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>Instead, I embedded for 12 months, interviewed leaders across service lines, uncovered real prospect pain points, and rewrote messaging in a more conversational — but still clinically precise — voice .</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>The result was not simplification.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>It was clarification.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>Hospital executives do not need jargon.</h2> <h2>They need clarity around:</h2> <h2> </h2> <ul> <li> <h2>Risk</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Financial performance</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Throughput</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Staffing stability</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Burnout</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Outcomes</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Accountability</h2> </li> </ul> <h2> </h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>That’s what I surface.</h2>
Are you really the greatest direct mail copywriter in the US?
Yes — results speak louder than claims. Proven performance across multiple industries.
Can I download and view the direct mail campaigns?
Yes. In a secure SCIF. Each pdf will be stamped with your name and is FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL EYES ONLY.
Who are some of your recent direct marketing clients?
Recently, I’ve created a ClickBank VSL for a fast-growing supplement company in San Diego. A Medicare direct mail package for an insurance company. A sales letter for a big nationwide auto club. An email and a lander for a major medical center. And a ClickBank VSL for the prepper audience.
How does insurance direct mail differ from other forms of direct mail?
Insurance is a highly regulated industry, so your copy must be powerful and compliant. Sometimes half your package can be filled with disclaimers. Trying to figure out how to distribute the legal copy amongst the various pieces of paper can be a challenge.
But I already have a creative team. Why add you?
<p><span style="font-family:Nunito"><span style="font-size:18px">Because a fresh perspective from a proven, old school, direct response copywriter can energize your folks with fresh ideas ... offer new ways of presenting old features and benefits ... supply innovative nuances to how you phrase your offer and guarantee ... create captivating voices (demanding to be heard) who really speak to your audience ... </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito"><span style="font-size:18px">... which all conspire to help widen the columns on your spreadsheets with big response breakthroughs.</span></span></p>
Q: Can you help us choose the right formats and cadences for our campaign?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">A: Yes. I don’t just write copy—I help you think strategically. Whether you need a three-touch direct mail sequence, an email drip, or a multi-format test across postcards, letters, and self-mailers, I’ll recommend the formats and cadences that fit your offer, audience, and budget. The goal is to maximize response, not just get something out the door.</span></span></p>
Can you create messaging that aligns clinical performance with financial performance?
<h2>Yes — and that’s where much healthcare copy falls apart.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>In hospital settings, clinical excellence and financial stability are inseparable.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>For Sound, messaging highlighted:</h2> <h2> </h2> <ul> <li> <h2>Decreased door-to-provider time</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Reduced length of stay</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Improved patient experience</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Revenue recapture from overturned payer denials</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Programs that cross-subsidized weaker departments</h2> </li> </ul> <h2> </h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>Executives care about outcomes.</h2> <h2>But they also care about margin.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>My job is to connect those two without sounding mercenary.</h2>
But I already have a creative team. Why add you?
Because a fresh perspective from a proven, old school, direct response copywriter can energize your folks with fresh ideas ... offer new ways of presenting old features and benefits ... supply innovative nuances to how you phrase your offer and guarantee ... create captivating voices (demanding to be heard) who really speak to your audience ... ... which all conspire to help widen the columns on your spreadsheets with big response breakthroughs.
What will I learn by studying your direct mail campaigns?
For the working direct marketing professional, these documents will be instantly recognizable as the blueprints you need to unlock the doors marked PRIVATE—doors which have hitherto been closed for decades. Â Once glance inside these extraordinary direct mail packages, and you'll understand with a seer's clarity how I craft direct response campaigns that you'll want to brazenly steal from... and sell your mother to write. Â Within an hour, you will instinctively recognize the underlying structure behind an award-winning promotion and either how to write them yourself or inspire others to creative genius.
Are you a digital conversion copywriter?
Conversion copywriting is a term coined by the brilliant digital marketer, Joanna Wiebe. It means a copywriter who uses all the specialized direct response copywriting techniques to get the prospect to say yes. Indeed, motivating an audience to take action is my core competency.
Do you ever launch new insurance products?
Yes. I recently launched an emergency travel insurance product for parents worried about their kids going off to college.
What makes you think you can beat our control?
<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px"><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito"><span style="color:#000000">I've gone up against the best copywriters in the world—and beaten them. How? </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px"><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito"><span style="color:#000000">By getting your audience to nod their heads in agreement and trust what you have to say. By tapping into their desires, their fears, and their sense of urgency to drive action now. By crafting great stories to capture attention. Powerful features and benefits to trigger their engagement. Iron-clad guarantees to reassure those who are hesitant. Compelling offers to motivate qualified buyers to say, “YES!” now. </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px"><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito"><span style="color:#000000">These universal truths of direct marketing work in print and online.</span></span></span></p>
What types of insurance products do you write copy for?
<p><span style="font-family:Nunito">A: I’ve written high-performing campaigns across Life, Disability, Travel Accident, Emergency Rescue, Roadside Assistance, Cancer, Short Term Recovery, and Medicare. From lead gen to full-funnel sales copy, I’ve seen—and improved—it all.</span></p>
Do you help B2B healthcare brands clarify their value prop?
<p><span style="font-family:Nunito">Yes—and I’ve done it inside the war room. I worked in-house with Sound Physicians, interviewing clinical and business leaders across all service lines. I rewrote sales decks, site copy, BD leave-behinds, objection-handling content, and more—all with a conversational tone that boosted engagement and clarified their competitive edge.</span></p>
What makes you think you can beat our control?
I've gone up against the best copywriters in the world—and beaten them. How? By getting your audience to nod their heads in agreement and trust what you have to say. By tapping into their desires, their fears, and their sense of urgency to drive action now. By crafting great stories to capture attention. Powerful features and benefits to trigger their engagement. Iron-clad guarantees to reassure those who are hesitant. Compelling offers to motivate qualified buyers to say, “YES!” now. These universal truths of direct marketing work in print and online.
What kind of healthcare copywriting do you do?
All kinds. WHEN one of the nation's largest medical groups needed an expert strategist to reposition their service lines and then craft innovative full-page ads to run in Modern Healthcare; WHEN Cleveland Clinic, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, and Harvard Health needed powerful, long-form copy to acquire new subscribers for their health newsletters; WHEN ConnectiCare needed to map out the cadences for all of their Medicare insurance mailings because 10,000 seniors turn 65 every day; WHEN The New England Journal of Medicine needed help promoting their CME program to physicians who had already forked over a king's ransom for years of training... WHEN NBC needed a pilot script for a new TV show about Bellevue Hospital; the hit drama, NEW AMSTERDAM, is entering its 5th season... they dove for the phone and called me.
Do you specialize in one area of direct marketing?
Nope. If you thumb through dozens of my controls, you’ll see that I have created winning direct response sales letters across a huge swath of topics and industries. Literally, on my desk on any given day might be a ClickBank landing page for alternative natural healing ... a direct mail customer acquisition package for the largest automobile club in the world ... a long form email for a new magazine for dog lovers ... or a direct mail campaign for Consumer Reports that would roll out to 40 million people ...
How is a direct mail dinosaur like you going to help my in-house creative team succeed?
I CAN TEACH YOUR TEAM HOW TO WIN!!! I’ve gone up against the best copywriters in the world and beaten them—again and again. You see, crafting my persuasive, long-form, direct mail packages—which sometimes roll out to every household in the country at great expense—requires skill and stones. You have to get it right the first time. Because no one remembers your name if you lose. Every word is chiseled like a diamond to resonate and motivate. Don’t tell anyone, but... there is little currently on the web that has not been battle tested first in the smokey back rooms of sophisticated direct mail marketers. Winning (beating the control) is hard. I can show your team the head-banging effort required to double response rates and create the most successful campaigns in the history of your organization. A bold promise, to be sure. But I’ve done it again and again for numerous elated clients. “Your direct mail package indexed 340! Unbelievable!” “You created one of the most successful efforts in the history of the Danbury Mint!” “Cash orders are 84%! That’s fairly phenomenal, Josh!” By now, I hope you can see that adding me to your stable of freelance talent is low-risk with a huge potential upside. And I play well with others.
Why hire a freelancer?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito"><strong>I'm portable. </strong>I offer you the flexibility to scale your team as needed.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito"><strong>It's not easy to sell the same thing over and over.</strong> I've been privileged to work across many verticals in my career and I'm struck by how good ideas cross-pollinate. </span></span></p>
Who hires you?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">A: I’m often brought in by high-performance agencies that don’t have a specialist in-house—or by clients directly when the stakes are too high for generalist copy. If you’re marketing a regulated, complex, or compliance-heavy offer, I know the terrain.</span></span></p>
Do you write about health equity?
<p><span style="font-family:Nunito">I do—and with depth. I helped Sound Physicians launch their Health Inequities blog for Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Greg Johnson, using real patient stories and systemic insights to frame a bold, honest conversation around DEI in clinical settings. It was part data, part memoir, and all mission-driven.</span></p>
Why hire a freelancer?
I'm portable. I offer you the flexibility to scale your team as needed. It's not easy to sell the same thing over and over. I've been privileged to work across many verticals in my career and I'm struck by how good ideas cross-pollinate.
Do you write B2B healthcare copy?
You bet. I helped launch a new Long-Term Care Accountable Care Organization (ACO) for Sound Physicians, reaching out to physicians who specializie in caring for the sickest of the sick. I’ve also helped The New England Journal of Medicine market their CME program to physicians.
Do you also write content?
I'd rather boil in a vat of hot oil. Journalists are far better suited to crank out content. I’m a poet, carefully chiseling away at sales letters, offers, guarantees, headlines, fascinations. I don’t get paid by the word. I get paid for results. I take my time and strive for copy perfection.
Are you really the greatest direct mail copywriter in the
There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration in some form, by injected humour, or randomised words which don't look even slightly believable. If you are going to use a passage of Lorem Ipsum, you need to be sure there isn't anything embarrassing hidden in the middle of text. All the Lorem Ipsum generators on the Internet tend to repeat predefined chunks as necessary, making this the first true generator on the Internet.
Do you play well with others?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">It's not unusual for my copywriter colleagues to discover my work, steal everything on my website, and then post on Facebook where the gold is hidden ... </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito"><em>"</em>If you want to witness brilliance, go to Josh's website and read every single word of every single page. Then save the pages to your computer and repeat the exercise again next week. Then the week after. Continue doing this week after week. In just a few months of this routine, you'll have gained more copywriting insight than sitting down with Gene Schwartz himself. That Josh dude is a monster. And there's a ton you can pick up from his samples on his website.<em>"</em> --K.G. </span></span></p>
What if we’re planning a series of Medicare mailings?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">A: I can help you map the messaging cadence and recommend cost-efficient formats for each drop—postcards, slim jims, tabbed self-mailers, classic magalogs—whatever fits your budget, list, and goal for each touchpoint.</span></span></p>
Do you write for both D2C and B2B healthcare campaigns?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">Yes, I’ve written record-breaking direct mail campaigns for consumer health products (Rodale’s Everyday Health Hints, Dr. Sinatra’s supplements), and compelling B2B messaging for hospital systems, including a full brand revamp for Sound Physicians.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">I’ve sold Medicare insurance for Unitedhealthcare, Emergency Travel Insurance for Mercer, and a back pain newsletter for Harvard Medical School.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">I’ve promoted books on heart health … cookbooks for diabetics … and tapes for mind/body healing.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">I’ve helped Dr. Andrew Wile launch his newsletter on Natural Healing and Johns Hopkins launch their Consumer Guide to Drugs.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">I’ve created emails and landing pages for Harvard Health. Grown newsletter circulation for Cleveland Clinic. Helped build the CME program for The Massachusetts Medical Society.</span></span></p>
Do you play well with others?
It's not unusual for my copywriter colleagues to discover my work, steal everything on my website, and then post on Facebook where the gold is hidden ... "If you want to witness brilliance, go to Josh's website and read every single word of every single page. Then save the pages to your computer and repeat the exercise again next week. Then the week after. Continue doing this week after week. In just a few months of this routine, you'll have gained more copywriting insight than sitting down with Gene Schwartz himself. That Josh dude is a monster. And there's a ton you can pick up from his samples on his website." --K.G.
How did you start as a direct response copywriter?
The short version. Three decades ago, I climbed into the dumpster behind my post office, and climbed out with garbage bags of junk mail by the most brilliant direct response copywriters in the world at the time: Bill Jayme, Linda Wells, Hank Burnett, Judy Weiss. There were no schools to study direct response copywriting at the time; this was my Harvard and my Yale. Today you'll find my work featured in THE WORLD'S GREATEST DIRECT MAIL SALES LETTERS -- four times. And if you google "direct mail copywriter," you'll see I come out #1 in the United States.
How much do you charge?
Placeholder content for this accordion, which is intended to demonstrate content for this accordion, which is intended to demonstrate the accordion-flush class. This is the third item's accordion body. Nothing more exciting happening here in terms of content, but just filling up the space to make it look, at least at first glance, a bit more representative of how this would look in a real-world application.
What’s your secret formula?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito"><strong>No secret. Hard work. I started my copywriting career when mailboxes were bursting with brilliant sales letters by the best freelance copywriters in the world.</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">I would climb into the dumpster behind my post office, drag home garbage bags of direct mail, and study how the great copywriters and designers teamed up to craft their elaborate mail packages.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">Almost everything you see today on the web found an earlier form in print.</span></span></p>
What Are Old School Copywriting Techniques—And Why Do They Still Work?
<p><span style="font-family:Nunito">A: Old school copywriting refers to classic, time-tested techniques developed by advertising legends like David Ogilvy, Eugene Schwartz, and Gary Halbert. These copywriters didn’t just write—they sold. At the heart of their work was the sales letter -- one-to-one communication which exhibited deep customer understanding, bold headlines, clear benefits, irresistible offers, and strong calls to action.</span></p>
Can you collaborate with our in-house team?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">A: Definitely. I’m happy to work with your internal designers and marketing team—or I can bring in my own trusted creatives if you need full-service support. I’m flexible and results-focused.</span></span></p>
Do you work with hospital groups and physician staffing companies?
<p><span style="font-family:Nunito">Yes. I helped Sound Physicians reposition and relaunch messaging across:</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">• Hospitalist programs</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">• Critical care and anesthesia</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">• Emergency medicine</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">• Long-term care ACOs</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">I crafted B2B content that resonated with hospital execs, eased objections, and opened doors—without sounding like generic consultant-speak.</span></p>
What’s your secret formula?
No secret. Hard work. I started my copywriting career when mailboxes were bursting with brilliant sales letters by the best freelance copywriters in the world. I would climb into the dumpster behind my post office, drag home garbage bags of direct mail, and study how the great copywriters and designers teamed up to craft their elaborate mail packages. Almost everything you see today on the web found an earlier form in print.
Do you offer direct response copywriting tips to budding copywriters?
Better than that. I offer my professional copywriting colleagues the opportunity to swipe from my legendary direct mail campaigns. If you're interested in studying how a master direct response copywriter motivates an audience to leap out of their chairs and shout, "YES!", my Direct Mail University (directmailuniversity.com) is a good place to start your journey.
Do you work well with other copywriters?
Placeholder content for this accordion, which is intended to demonstrate content for this accordion, which is intended to demonstrate the accordion-flush class. This is the third item's accordion body. Nothing more exciting happening here in terms of content, but just filling up the space to make it look, at least at first glance, a bit more representative of how this would look in a real-world application.
How do you charge for your freelance copywriting services?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">For large, easily definable projects where I go off and do my thing, we can establish a set fee--half up front. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito; font-size:large">If, however, you want to throw a dozen of your most challenging conversion headaches at me, some clients have found it more convenient to pay me monthly so I thoroughly understand their business and can then tackle problems as they arise.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito; font-size:large">I'm easy and flexible.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">Got a different plan in mind that works for you and your accounting department? Let's chat. </span></span></p>
Isn’t that outdated? Why not just use modern digital techniques?
<p><span style="font-family:Nunito">A: Great question. While platforms have changed, human psychology hasn’t. People still buy for emotional reasons and justify with logic. Old school techniques are rooted in persuasion that transcends medium. Today’s high-performing funnels, landing pages, and email sequences? Many are built on the same foundations—just adapted for digital.</span></p>
How do you write for regulated insurance products?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">A: With precision. I understand compliance constraints and know how to write persuasive, benefit-rich copy that still clears legal. I’ve worked closely with legal and compliance teams and know how to get to ‘yes.’</span></span></p>
Do you write vitamin supplement and natural medicine copy?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">Yes. My legendary control for EVERYDAY HEALTH HINTS was the most successful direct mail package in the history of Rodale Press and featured in two books on direct marketing: MILLION DOLLAR MAILINGS and THE WORLD'S GREATEST DIRECT MAIL SALES LETTERS.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">I've helped Dr. Stephen Sinatra sell heart supplements, Dr. Andrew Weil launch Natural Healing, and promoted multiple mind-body healing products. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">I've also sold diabetic cookbooks, Harvard’s Back Pain Solutions, and various books on heart health and aging.</span></span></p>
How do you charge for your freelance copywriting services?
For large, easily definable projects where I go off and do my thing, we can establish a set fee--half up front. If, however, you want to throw a dozen of your most challenging conversion headaches at me, some clients have found it more convenient to pay me monthly so I thoroughly understand their business and can then tackle problems as they arise. I'm easy and flexible. Got a different plan in mind that works for you and your accounting department? Let's chat.
How do you get paid?
Usually, I work on a project basis. I always get half up front. Sometimes a royalty.
Can you give an example of an old school technique that still works today?
<p><span style="font-family:Nunito">A: Absolutely. Take the “problem-agitate-solution” (PAS) formula—used in direct mail 50 years ago, still a killer in today’s email campaigns. Or the use of curiosity-driven headlines (like “The Secret They Don’t Want You to Know”)—now a staple in Facebook ads and YouTube thumbnails. These techniques have simply evolved with the medium.</span></p>
Do you provide graphic design?
<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">I can. I will work with your in-house design team, if you have one, or partner with the rock star, freelance, direct response graphic designers. I'm a creative Stop-and-Shop.</span></span></p>
Can you help raise funds for healthcare innovations and clinical trials?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">Yes. I've helped Grid Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech, craft fundraising and investor messaging for its novel lung cancer therapy. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">That involved translating complex science into clear, emotional copy that donors and early investors could grasp, trust, and support.</span></span></p>
Do you provide graphic design?
I can. I will work with your in-house design team, if you have one, or partner with the rock star, freelance, direct response graphic designers. I'm a creative Stop-and-Shop.
Do you write ClickBank VSLs like Stefan Georgi?
I sure try. Stefan Georgi in one of the best writers on ClickBank, and you better believe I study every little twinkle in his shrewd marketing eye.
Wait! What the heck is a direct mail copywriter, anyway?
<p><span style="font-family:Nunito">A direct mail copywriter is a professional writer who specializes in crafting persuasive marketing materials designed to be sent directly to a target audience through the mail. The goal is to generate a response—usually a sale, a donation, a subscription, or a lead.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">Unlike general advertising copywriters, direct mail copywriters are response-driven. That means they write with a specific action in mind and measure success by how many people take that action.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">What a Direct Mail Copywriter Writes:</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">Sales letters (the long-form kind that comes in an envelope)</span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Postcards</span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Self-mailers</span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Catalog copy</span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Insert mailers and envelope teasers</span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Response devices (order forms, reply cards)</span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Follow-up sequences</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">What Makes This Role Different:</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">Measurement: Every campaign has a clear ROI. You know how well it worked by the response rate.</span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Testing: Small changes (like a headline or call to action) are tested to see what improves results.</span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">List targeting: The message must match the audience, often segmented by past behavior, income, geography, etc.</span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Offers: Direct mail copywriters understand how to structure and position irresistible offers.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">Industries That Use Direct Mail Copywriters:</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">Insurance</span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Health and wellness</span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Financial services</span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Publishing and subscriptions</span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Nonprofits and fundraising</span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Membership and affinity programs</span></li> <li><span style="font-family:Nunito">Consumer products (especially high-ticket or recurring offers)</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">In short, a direct mail copywriter doesn’t just write to sound good—they write to get results in the mailbox.</span></p>
Do. you write for Health Insurance products?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">You bet! Some of the shrewdest insurance direct marketers in the country have asked me to promote their Medicare insurance, Emergency Medical Insurance, Short Term Recovery Insurance.</span></span></p>
Wait! What the heck is a direct mail copywriter, anyway?
A direct mail copywriter is a professional writer who specializes in crafting persuasive marketing materials designed to be sent directly to a target audience through the mail. The goal is to generate a response—usually a sale, a donation, a subscription, or a lead. Unlike general advertising copywriters, direct mail copywriters are response-driven. That means they write with a specific action in mind and measure success by how many people take that action. What a Direct Mail Copywriter Writes: Sales letters (the long-form kind that comes in an envelope) Postcards Self-mailers Catalog copy Insert mailers and envelope teasers Response devices (order forms, reply cards) Follow-up sequences What Makes This Role Different: Measurement: Every campaign has a clear ROI. You know how well it worked by the response rate. Testing: Small changes (like a headline or call to action) are tested to see what improves results. List targeting: The message must match the audience, often segmented by past behavior, income, geography, etc. Offers: Direct mail copywriters understand how to structure and position irresistible offers. Industries That Use Direct Mail Copywriters: Insurance Health and wellness Financial services Publishing and subscriptions Nonprofits and fundraising Membership and affinity programs Consumer products (especially high-ticket or recurring offers) In short, a direct mail copywriter doesn’t just write to sound good—they write to get results in the mailbox.
Did you really write the pilot for New Amsterdam?
<p><span style="font-family:Nunito">No. But I helped pave the way. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">New Amsterdam was based on my brother's book, TWELVE PATIENTS, and his experience as Medical Director of Bellevue Hospital in New York City.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">Together, he and I wrote the first draft of the pilot, only to discover, pilots are usually written by the Showrunner. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Nunito">My brother joined the New Amsterdam Writer's Room as a Screenwriter and Medical Advisor while I went off to write other medical dramas.</span></p>
Who hires direct mail copywriters in this digital age?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong><span style="font-family:Nunito">Turns out my old school copywriting skills are not only transferable to the digital world, but give me a perspective (and an edge) that is hard to replicate -- thank goodess! As a result I hear from ...</span></strong></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:18px"><strong><span style="font-family:Nunito">S</span></strong><span style="font-family:Nunito"><strong>uper smart founders,</strong> <strong>entrepreneurs, artists, mad scientists</strong> ... with brilliant ideas who ask me to help put their feverish ideas on paper and articulate their messaging -- clearly and compellingly.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito"><strong>Savvy performance marketers</strong> who know testing fresh creative from the best copywriters in the world is the fastest way to get big, historic wins.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:18px"><strong><span style="font-family:Nunito">Agencies and printer's (with In-house agencies) often ask me to fill in when they look around and realize they have gaps in their skill set.</span></strong></span></li> </ul> <p> </p>
Who hires direct mail copywriters in this digital age?
Turns out my old school copywriting skills are not only transferable to the digital world, but give me a perspective (and an edge) that is hard to replicate -- thank goodess! As a result I hear from ... Super smart founders, entrepreneurs, artists, mad scientists ... with brilliant ideas who ask me to help put their feverish ideas on paper and articulate their messaging -- clearly and compellingly. Savvy performance marketers who know testing fresh creative from the best copywriters in the world is the fastest way to get big, historic wins. Agencies and printer's (with In-house agencies) often ask me to fill in when they look around and realize they have gaps in their skill set.
Test
This is test
How many of your legendary controls do you feature?
<p>A ton. Soon you can access my 5-year control for POPULAR MECHANICS, an 8-year control for THE N.Y. REVIEW OF BOOKS, a 10-year control for WRITER'S DIGEST, and an 11-year control for THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION. Soon you can get your hands on my launch for Story Magazine, which pulled 14%. My package for COOKING LIGHT, which grossed 10.55%. My winner for DOUBLETAKE, which doubled anything they'd ever stuck in a mail sack. Soon you can read to your children at night my acquisition effort for THE ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL which quadrupled response, and it was written—in Chinese!</p>
What is Direct Mail University?
<p>My baby. Today it's harder and harder to get your hands on great, proven direct mail packages from the past. Not that long ago you could climb into the dumpster behind any post office and cart away a veritable library of brilliant junk mail. Today, you'd just get covered with chewing gum and credit card offers. DMU is my attempt to make available to students of direct mail dozens of my legendary direct mail controls which rocked direct marketing to its molten core.</p>
Can I download and view the direct mail campaigns?
<p>Yes. In a secure SCIF. Each pdf will be stamped with your name and is FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL EYES ONLY.</p>
Q: How is this different from conversion copywriting?
<p><span style="font-family:Nunito">A: Conversion copywriting is the modern label. It focuses on results—clicks, sign-ups, purchases. Old school copywriting is the engine behind it. Think of it as the DNA that powers conversion-driven content. When you blend both—timeless persuasion with modern data—you get copy that doesn’t just sound good. It sells.</span></p>
Who benefits most from working with an “old school” copywriter?
<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Nunito">A: Smart marketers, founders, and CMOs who value results over trends. If you’re running paid traffic, launching products, or managing campaigns where every word counts, old school techniques give you an edge. Especially when your competitors are chasing shiny objects instead of proven principles.</span></span></p>
How do journalists respond to your story-telling PR pitches?
<h2>“This, without a doubt, gets the award for the best PR pitch. Please send a review copy.” <br /> — Terry Savage, Chicago Sun-Times</h2> <p> </p> <h2>“Thank you for your wonderful letter. It made my morning. Please stay in touch … so I can visit as soon as possible.” <br /> Christina Robb, The Boston Globe Magazine</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>“Thank you for the best query letter I’ve ever received and I’ve received thousands.” <br /> Ellie Grossman, United Feature Syndicate</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>“Thank you what could be the most entertaining and interesting letter in my memory.” <br /> Lawrence Burke, Editor-in-Chief, Outside Magazine</h2>
Do you build objection-handling frameworks into your messaging?
<h2>Always.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>For Sound’s hospital medicine and emergency medicine pages, I introduced Q&A sections that addressed concerns before BD teams ever entered the room .</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>These included:</h2> <h2> </h2> <ul> <li> <h2>Why transform with an external physician partner?</h2> </li> <li> <h2>How do you integrate with community physicians?</h2> </li> <li> <h2>What about burnout?</h2> </li> <li> <h2>How do you manage risk?</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Can new programs generate revenue to subsidize others?</h2> </li> </ul> <h2> </h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>Addressing objections early shortens the sales cycle and improves close rates.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>That principle applies equally to:</h2> <h2> </h2> <ul> <li> <h2>Medicare enrollment mailers</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Physician advisory services</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Hospital partnerships</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Recruiting campaigns</h2> </li> </ul> <p> </p>
Have you worked on healthcare thought leadership or DEI positioning?
<h2>Yes.</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>I helped launch Sound’s Healthcare Inequities blog for their Chief Diversity Officer, positioning the organization as a leader in confronting disparities in care .</h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>That work required:</h2> <h2> </h2> <ul> <li> <h2>Clinical credibility</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Cultural sensitivity</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Moral clarity</h2> </li> <li> <h2>Strategic restraint</h2> </li> </ul> <h2> </h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>Healthcare organizations increasingly need messaging that reflects both clinical performance and ethical responsibility. I’m comfortable in that space.</h2>
What makes you different from other healthcare copywriters?
<h2>Most healthcare copywriters focus on tone, brand alignment, or surface-level clarity. I focus on persuasion inside regulated environments.</h2> <h2>Healthcare marketing is not lifestyle marketing. It involves reimbursement structures, compliance constraints, clinical nuance, risk tolerance, and skeptical audiences who are making high-stakes decisions. Whether the reader is a hospital executive, a physician, or a 78-year-old Medicare enrollee, the message has to do more than sound credible. It has to remove friction, clarify value, and move someone toward action without crossing legal or ethical lines.</h2> <h2>My background is in measurable performance. I think in terms of enrollment velocity, cost per acquisition, revenue recapture, objection sequencing, and message hierarchy. I don’t just polish language. I help healthcare organizations articulate their value in a way that closes.<br /> </h2>
Do you write Medicare Advantage and patient-facing campaigns — or complex hospital and physician group messaging as well?
<h2>Both.</h2> <h2>On the consumer side, I have written Medicare Advantage and senior-targeted direct response campaigns designed to drive enrollment, appointments, and measurable ROI. That means structuring persuasive arguments for readers navigating confusion, compliance language, plan comparisons, and time-sensitive decisions.</h2> <h2>On the B2B side, I have embedded inside one of the largest physician-led medical groups in the country and helped unify messaging across Anesthesia, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Hospital Medicine, and Long-Term Care ACO. That engagement required translating dense operational and financial value propositions into language hospital executives could immediately grasp and act upon.</h2> <h2>The throughline is this: whether the audience is a patient or a hospital CEO, the job is to clarify value, reduce resistance, and build trust in a regulated environment.</h2>
What kinds of healthcare organizations do you work with?
<h2>I have worked with hospital systems, physician groups, Medicare Advantage campaigns, long-term care organizations, insurance providers, healthcare publishers, and clinical education initiatives.</h2> <h2>If your organization operates in a regulated environment and needs to communicate complex value clearly and persuasively, we are likely aligned.</h2>