Who
is Hank Burnett?
-- by Abby Burnett Nighman
He liked to write on a typewriter when everyone else switched to word processors.
He preferred instant coffee to brewed, and complained nostalgically about the absence of a decent hot dog on the West Coast.
He followed pro baseball avidly, and played pingpong as well as the Koreans who taught him the game during his Army days.
He loved Christmas and Koalas and volcanoes and classical music. A regular guy.
His other side was a bit different. The side that probably made him choose a northern exposure for his office.This person was insightful and creative, sensitive and sometimes brooding. He took pleasure in lending a hand to young writers. He was hilariously funny, yet seldom more than chuckled at his own jokes.
He was humbly confident. He could go anywhere and fit in comfortably. And he was a direct marketing creative guru, the winner of a Gold Mailbox.
To say Hank Burnett wrote letters is like saying Steinbeck wrote stories. You can't define talent like that so narrowly. He didn't need to prey upon widely available human emotions like paranoia and self-doubt. He coaxed deeper emotions. He courteously asked for his reader's attention. He cordially invited. Hank Burnett was admired for his gift of writing. But he offered an even greater gift: a heart whose depth he was not afraid of and the capacity to reach to its bottom for what it took to create some of the finest copy ever written.
EXAMPLE OF HANK'S TALENT... Most mailings for expensive products build desire and perceived value, then reveal price once the customer is sold. An opposite approach is to state price up front and use the exclusivity of a big number to weed out non-prospects. Example: “This service is for serious investors only. It costs $2,500 a year. If that price scares you, this is not for you.” An element of exclusivity and snob appeal is at work here. Also, the more you tell someone they do not qualify, the more they will insist they do and want your offer.
The classic example is Hank Burnett’s famous letter for the Admiral Bird Society’s fund-raising expedition. The second paragraph states: “It will cost you $10,000 and about 26 days of your time. Frankly, you will endure some discomfort, and may even face some danger.” This letter sold out the expedition in what was about a 16 page letter. so much for how long copy doesn't sell, eh?
- With slight edits by writer Robert Bly, rwbly@bly.com
