Quick Tip:
Make Sure "Remember" Works
By Will Newman

I was reviewing another copywriter's promotion the other day when I came upon this phrase: "And remember that …"

"Remember?" He had to be referring to something he'd said earlier in the promotion, but I didn't remember any such reference. So I went back, looking for what I thought I'd missed.

Nothing. I looked again. And I did a search for the phrase and for variations of the phrase. Again, nothing.

While this may seem like a minor deal, it isn't. If you do this, you're inviting the prospect to stop reading so he can try to find what you really hadn't told him previously.

This stops the momentum at a critical time. And if the prospect doesn't find the reference he's looking for, he might get annoyed and toss the letter.

So when you use words and phrases like "Don't forget …" or "Remember …" make sure what you're referring to is in the promotion.

If you're referring to something that's general knowledge, then label it as such: "Remember what you learned in high school biology?" Better yet, tell the prospect what you want him to remember from high school biology (or The Wall Street Journal, or whatever) in the letter.