In his 2022 book, John Lepp details the “creative deviations” that make for truly compelling direct mail.
What’s the secret to successful direct mail? According to John Lepp’s 2022 book Creative Deviations, it’s one simple thing: human connection.
Lepp, a direct response and marketing expert, has written the fundraiser’s ultimate handbook on creative storytelling. Creative Deviations provides both practical advice and timeless wisdom on how to connect with donors using fresh ideas that wander off the beaten direct response path.
Each chapter of Creative Deviations is chock-full of case studies, full-color photographs of real direct mail packages, and concrete tips and ideas that you can put to immediate use in your own communications work. But the book is more than a how-to manual on crafting a successful direct mail package. Lepp dives into universal guidelines for storytelling that matter whether you’re creating an acquisition mailing or an annual report.
The book’s opening chapter tackles the question of brand. Lepp points out that an organization’s brand can often get in the way rather than creating connections with its donor. Blind obedience to brand guidelines can cripple creativity and prevent fundraisers from addressing donors’ real concerns and desires.
In fact, Lepp goes so far as to say that a donor’s decision to give has nothing to do with your brand. Fonts, logos, color palettes, and pat phrases are not the keys to motivating a donor to give. What does work is fostering human connection: tapping into the shared values and beliefs of your donor, letting them know you care about their concerns, and helping them see how they can make a difference in the world.
As Lepp puts it: “The more you lean into the idea of one human having a conversation with another human and asking for something specific—the more successful it will be.” He shares the best ways to get that conversation going:
- Give donors a compelling reason to help you
- Actively ask for and listen to their stories
- Let them share their values with you
- Get out of the way and make giving as easy as possible
Most important to communicate is what Lepp calls your “URG”—Unique Reason to Give. You must show how your organization is doing something that no one else can. Even more importantly, you have to show how your donor is a crucial part of that work.
Lepp encourages fundraisers to consider how they can inject fresh life into their appeals by approaching storytelling from new angles or perspectives—whether that’s tapping into emotion more, sending a letter from an anthropomorphized character, or including creative inserts from testimonials to Christmas ornaments. He encourages writers and designers not to shy away from trying things that might seem a bit cheesy or personal. The “corny” touches are often the things that make a letter seem more human.
Gratitude is a fundamental part of human connection, and Lepp encourages fundraisers to give it pride of place in all their communications. He discusses how to infuse annual reports and newsletters with donor-centric language and how to craft a heartfelt thank-you letter that makes donors feel “loved and cherished.”
Creative Deviations is full of ingenious ways to make your direct response efforts pop. But the most important thing you’ll take away won’t be what size reply form you should use or how many pictures to include in your letter. You’ll learn how to make your donor feel seen and valued. And that is the lifeblood of good fundraising.
