This direct-mail shot for Moscow Olympic Games silver coins worked well. Click here for hi-res image and text. My brother Francis wrote a letter in Greek to the headmasters of private schools, selling cooking stoves. When some wrote back that they could not read Greek, he sent them another letter – in Latin. This produced orders. Successful mailings do not always depend on premiums, brochures and other such paraphernalia. I have seen letters produce satisfactory results all by themselves. But they have to be long letters. When Mercedes-Benz were saddled with 1,170 obsolete diesels, we mailed a five-page letter and unloaded the surplus. For Cunard we used an eight- page letter with marked success. Direct response advertising in magazines and television So far this chapter has been about direct mail. Now I am going to tell you what I have learned about a parallel science – advertisements in magazines and on television which invite people to send their orders direct to you, without going to a store. In print advertisements, your headline is the most important element. The other day I saw one headline produce five times as many orders as another. If your headline promises your strongest and most distinct benefit, you are on your way to success.