Use the focus zone - start one third of the way down the page

Faced with a page of A4 the eye normally does not start at the top and read down.  Most of us look at first to a spot somewhere between 25% and 33% of the way down the page - the FOCUS ZONE.   If there is something there that will grab our attention, we focus on that, and then start going down.

In simplest terms you put the headline somewhere between the 25% and 33% mark and then keep writing down the page.   Everything above the 25% position is dead space, so you can put in your mailmerge data there (if you insist on using mailmerge) or your company name and address, your logo or whatever.  Don't put in anything garish or bright or anything that is going to grab the reader.  Work with the mind, not against it.

(The problem with putting mailmerge there is that if the mailmerge has the slightest error in it, you will then pull the reader's attention away from the focus zone up to the error - because we all tend to spot such errors in our own name or address very quickly.)

Then you just work down the page in a nice simple style.

What you really have to be careful of is having a grabby image in or near the 25% to 33% banding - because if the reader focuses on the picture there is every chance they might not go on and focus on the text below (see the theoretical articles on this for more detail).

When you look at a lot of direct mail ads what you find is that there is nothing particular in the focus zone that you can actually focus on.  Sometimes there are several images or headlines jumping around because of the use of columns.  Sometimes there is a headline that is meaningless - such as "30% off!!!"   

This is meaningless because we don't know what it is 30% off.   You have to grab attention in the focus zone, and the best way to do that is through some really interesting text. 30% off is NOT interesting, because discounts are everywhere.  It is only interesting if we know what the product is and we value that product so much that the offer attracts our attention.

It is possible to play with the focus zone parameters a bit and start the headline higher, but this only works if the text below is noticeably smaller than the headline, and is itself of great interest.  The eye will start with the focus zone, see a lot of text, and instantly flip up to the eye-catching headline.   It is not an ideal approach but it works when you just don't have enough room otherwise to get your message on one page.

Collect together lots of direct mail, put it in a pile, and then flip through at speed putting a felt tip mark on each page as to where your eye immediately hits.  Then go back and see if there is a really zappy headline there that you want to read.  On the ads that work like this, there is a chance you are going on and read more.

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This article is written by Tony Attwood, Chairman of Hamilton House Mailings Ltd.  If you would like to discuss the writing or design of your mailing campaign, or indeed a single mailshot, with Tony, without cost or obligation, just call 01536 399 000, or email Creative@hamilton-house.com   You can also send Tony a copy of your latest advert and he will call you back with his thoughts on how your response rate could be raised - again without cost or obligation.