Bob Bly's Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to business-to-business, high-tech, internet, and direct marketing.
November 3, 2025
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Who rules search: Google or ChatGPT?
Google maintains a significant lead in online search activity, handling 13.7 billion searches daily, according to Visual Capitalist and NP Digital. While ChatGPT is growing rapidly as a search tool, it still trails Google by a wide margin. Instagram ranks second with 6.5 billion daily searches.
Source: IAB SmartBrief 6/23/25.
How to capture screen shots
Use the FireShot tool to capture screen shots from the web and turn them into editable PDFs; click here for the details.
Never start a paragraph with "It"
When you go from one paragraph to the next and start it with "It" or refer to "it," your prospect may have forgotten what "it" is.
It's much better to repeat that subject in your sentence in the next paragraph, or in a later sentence within that paragraph, so it's always clear to your prospect what you're referring to (i.e., what "it" is).
Source: Copy Insider, 6/4/25.
Could AI mean the end … for writers?
Writer's Digest advertised a webinar: "Beat the Bots: A Writer's Guide to Thriving and Surviving in the Age of AI."
What's sad is that they have to teach this, because AI is a threat not only to writers but to many other professionals--from artists to psychotherapists.
The AI genie is out of the bottle and it cannot be stopped or put back. I weep for what will become of us a decade or two hence.
Canva: graphics for non-graphics people
With Canva, you can create eye-catching social media graphics, book marketing materials, writing portfolios and more — even if you are not a graphic designer. Click here to find out more.
5 business success habits from Heather Murray
- Claim five silent minutes. No screen, no soundtrack—just you and a blank sheet.
- Pose one sharp question. "What would double my best client's results?" "Where is money leaking in my process?" The question should matter enough to pull at you.
- Let your mind roam without editing. Jot every idea, sensible or wild. The first minute is dust; the gold shows up after that.
- Circle the thought that makes you sit a little straighter. That's the keeper.
- Translate it into one tangible move before the day ends. Send the email, price the prototype, schedule the call. Thinking earns its keep only when it crosses into action.
Source: ATTAIN 5/27/25.
Not asked? Then don't answer
As a rule, avoid answering unasked questions. Why? Because sometimes, in our eagerness to help or prove value, we end up answering objections that were never raised — or revealing more than we need to. It's like solving a problem your client hasn't even realized they have... and possibly creating new ones in the process.
Source: Sandler Sales Tip of the Week, 3/29/25.
When do people open your emails?
According to Constant Contact: "Of all the contacts who will open your email, 89% open within the second day of receiving it, and 93% open by the third day."
Source: The Levison Letter, 6/2/25.
9 things you should not do on LinkedIn
- Sell courses.
- Use AI comments.
- Point out typos on people's posts.
- Pitch slap 2mins after connecting.
- Sell your services on other people's posts.
- Tag in big creators, hoping they comment.
- Use "controversial opinion" when it's clearly not.
- Tell everyone how easy it is to make $100,000 per month.
- Screenshot an email to show how much better your emails are.
Source: Kyle Campion, LinkedIn, 6/3/25.
6 characteristics of desirable copywriting clients
- Higher-paying
- Faster-paying
- Easier to work with
- Clearer communication
- Higher level of trust
- Ability to grow
To this, I also look for:
- Personal chemistry
- Interesting work
- Subject matter
- Values copy
Source: AWAI, 6/4/25.
PR tip of the week
Ditch the sales jargon and click-bait headlines. Not only do 7 in 10 journalists automatically reject pitches that are too promotional; more than half will block a PR person who sends such pitches. Stick with straightforward, personalized messaging to make a lasting, positive impression.
Source: CisionOne, 6/24/25.
Quotation of the month
"Tell me what you're trying to say. Then say that, but do it in a manner that no one else ever done it before and without the profanity."
--Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Our 60-second commercial
Bob Bly is available on a limited basis for copywriting of landing pages, direct mail packages, video sales letters, brochures, case studies, white papers, ads, email marketing campaigns, articles, and web pages. We recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting Information Kit. Just let us know your industry and the type of copy you're interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.), and if Bob is available to take on your assignment, we'll tailor a package of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Bob Bly at 973-263-0562, e-mail rwbly@bly.com, or click here now.
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