THE MASTERS · KENNEDY
Dan Kennedy: his rules for direct response and what to use
Build a system around response.
Dan Kennedy wrote practical books on direct response for business owners. This page covers his background, six ideas worth keeping, a response checklist and where his advice needs care.
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who he was
About Dan Kennedy
Dan Kennedy is an American copywriter, consultant and author. He wrote about direct response for small and medium businesses. He wrote The Ultimate Sales Letter and the No B.S. series, which includes No B.S. Direct Marketing.
His advice was practical: make an offer, ask for a response, count what comes back and follow up. He wrote for business owners who needed customers.
six ideas
Six ideas that still hold
| Idea | What it says | How to use it now |
|---|---|---|
| Three tests for a response ad | A clear offer, a reason to respond now and clear instructions. | Check every ad and page against all three. See direct response copywriting. |
| Message to market match | The right message has to reach the right people. | Decide the audience before you write. See how to find a hungry market. |
| The offer | A response ad lives or dies on the offer. | Add a bonus, a guarantee or a deadline before you rewrite the copy. |
| A response device | Give the reader one obvious way to reply. | One button, one phone number or one form, and say what happens next. |
| Follow-up | Most buyers need more than one contact. | Send a short sequence after the first reply, and track each step. |
| Build a system | One ad is a test. A system repeats what works. | Write down the sequence from first view to sale, and improve one step at a time. |
the order
A response checklist
- Is there a clear offer?
- Is there a reason to respond now?
- Are the instructions clear, and is the step small enough to take today?
- Does the message match the people who will see it?
- Is there a follow-up for those who do not reply?
The playbook uses the same test: make the next step unmistakable (no. 19) and strengthen the offer before decorating the copy (no. 16).
the limits
Where Kennedy needs care
- His examples come from mail, phone and fax, and the costs differ online.
- Strong urgency and bold claims need proof behind them, and some channels restrict them.
- His tone suits some audiences and puts others off. Test it.
- Take the structure of the offer, the deadline and the follow-up, and set the tone for your own reader.
reading him
Where to start reading
The Ultimate Sales Letter is the usual first book. The best copywriting books page puts it in a reading order, and what is direct response marketing gives the wider picture.
the full method
Kennedy is one of eight masters
In the playbook his page covers the core idea, what to borrow today and the limit to respect. His line is build a system around response.
the playbook
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before you go
Common questions
Who is Dan Kennedy?
An American direct response copywriter, consultant and author of The Ultimate Sales Letter and the No B.S. series of marketing books.
What is The Ultimate Sales Letter?
A book on how to write a sales letter that asks for a response. It has been revised since it was first published.
What are Dan Kennedy’s rules for direct response?
They are often summarized as three tests: a clear offer, a reason to respond now and clear instructions for how to respond.
What is message to market match?
Kennedy’s name for matching the message to the people who receive it, so the right offer reaches the right audience.
Is Dan Kennedy worth reading today?
For offers, deadlines and follow-up, yes. His tone and some channel advice suit mail and an older audience, so translate them for email and the web.
Where does Kennedy fit in Ink & Signal?
He is the last of the eight masters, with the line build a system around response. His example in the playbook is a next step that is small and specific.
keep reading
Related
Direct response copywriting
The seven parts of a piece and a five-step process.
What is direct response marketing?
A plain definition, with examples and the numbers to track.
Gary Halbert
Market, list, offer, copy.