Key Takeaways
- The best sales letter examples share a universal structure: headline, lead, problem agitation, mechanism, proof stack, offer, and close — this architecture works because it mirrors how humans make purchase decisions
- Every great sales letter starts with deep audience research — the copy works because the writer understood the reader's fears, desires, and objections before writing a single word
- The headline determines whether the rest of the letter gets read — legendary copywriter John Caples proved that changing nothing but the headline can multiply response by 5-19x
- Templates provide useful structure but never replace research and skill — use templates for the framework, use your audience knowledge for the content
- Sales letters have not become obsolete — they have evolved into sales pages, VSL scripts, and email sequences that apply the same persuasion principles through digital channels
- Building a swipe file of proven sales letter examples is one of the most valuable investments any copywriter or marketer can make
Why Study Sales Letter Examples?
Studying proven sales letter examples is the fastest way to develop an instinct for what converts. Every copywriting book recommends it. Every famous copywriter practised it. And every serious marketer maintains a swipe file of proven letters they can study and reference.
Definition
Sales Letter
A long-form persuasive document designed to sell a product or service directly to the reader through a structured sequence of elements: headline, opening lead, problem agitation, solution mechanism, proof, offer, and close. Originally delivered via direct mail, the sales letter format now powers digital sales pages, VSL scripts, and email sequences. The best sales letters generate measurable, attributable revenue.
The examples below are not theoretical exercises. They are real letters and pages that generated real revenue — in some cases, hundreds of millions of dollars. Each example illustrates specific direct-response principles that you can apply to your own copy.
Example 1: The Wall Street Journal "Two Young Men" Letter
This is arguably the most successful sales letter ever written. Created by Martin Conroy in 1975, it ran for over 25 years and generated an estimated $2 billion in subscription revenue for the Wall Street Journal.
What it does brilliantly:
The letter opens with a story of two college classmates who graduated with similar backgrounds and abilities. Twenty-five years later, one is a mid-level manager. The other is president of the company. The difference? One reads the Wall Street Journal.
Why it works:
- Story lead: The narrative opening draws the reader in before any selling begins
- Contrast framework: By showing two similar people with different outcomes, it lets the reader see themselves in the story
- Implied benefit: The letter never says "subscribe and you will become president." It simply presents the contrast and lets the reader draw the conclusion
- Simple mechanism: The Journal provides the knowledge and perspective that leads to career advancement
Key takeaway: The most powerful sales letters often do not feel like sales letters. They feel like stories that happen to lead to a purchase decision.
Example 2: The Gary Halbert "Coat of Arms" Letter
Gary Halbert's coat of arms letter is considered one of the most successful direct mail pieces in history. It sold genealogy reports by mailing personalised letters addressed to specific family surnames.
What it does brilliantly:
The letter opens with curiosity: "Did you know that the [surname] family has a coat of arms?" It immediately engages the reader by making the letter feel personally relevant. The offer is simple — a framed copy of your family's coat of arms — and the proof is embedded in the personalisation itself.
Why it works:
- Personalisation: Each letter was customised with the recipient's surname, making it feel like a personal message
- Curiosity opening: Everyone wants to know about their family history
- Simple offer: Low price point, clear deliverable, no complex decision
- Implied scarcity: "Your family coat of arms" suggests something unique and personal
Key takeaway: The best sales letters make the reader feel like the message was written specifically for them. Personalisation and relevance are more powerful than any copywriting formula.
Example 3: The Boardroom "Tax Loopholes" Letter
This direct mail package for Boardroom Reports promoted a book of tax-saving strategies. It used a classic curiosity-driven approach that kept readers turning pages to discover each new tax secret.
What it does brilliantly:
The letter is built around a series of fascinations — tantalising bullet points that hint at valuable information without revealing it: "Page 54: A legal way to deduct your entire vacation..." Each bullet creates an open curiosity loop that can only be resolved by ordering the book.
Why it works:
- Bullet-driven structure: Each fascination sells the book independently
- Specificity: Page numbers, dollar amounts, and specific scenarios make the claims feel concrete
- Self-interest appeal: Saving money on taxes is a universal desire with clear, immediate value
- Accumulating value: By the time the reader finishes 50+ fascinations, the perceived value of the book massively exceeds the price
Key takeaway: Bullet points and fascinations can carry an entire sales letter when each one promises a specific, desirable outcome. The reader does not need to find every bullet compelling — they only need to find enough to justify the purchase.
Example 4: The Agora Financial Newsletter Letter
Financial publishing companies like Agora have refined the long-form sales letter into a precision instrument. Their best letters run 20-40 pages and sell newsletter subscriptions by combining economic narrative with specific investment insights.
What they do brilliantly:
The best financial copywriting letters open with a news-driven hook — a current economic event that creates fear or opportunity — then weave a narrative that positions the newsletter as the reader's guide through uncertain times. The mechanism is always a proprietary system, strategy, or insight that the newsletter editor has discovered.
Why they work:
- News hook: Current events create built-in relevance and urgency
- Fear and greed: Financial copy leverages the two most powerful motivators in investing
- Expert positioning: The newsletter editor is presented as a credible authority with a track record
- Mechanism storytelling: A proprietary system or discovery differentiates the newsletter from competitors
- Proof through predictions: Past correct predictions serve as powerful proof of future value
Key takeaway: Long-form sales letters work when the topic is high-stakes and the audience needs extensive persuasion. Financial decisions involve significant risk, so the proof stack must be comprehensive.
Example 5: The Direct Mail Insurance Letter
One of the highest-performing direct mail formats is the simple, personal letter selling insurance products. These letters look like personal correspondence — typed on plain paper, no graphics, often with a handwritten-looking signature.
What it does brilliantly:
The best insurance letters use a story lead about a specific family who experienced a crisis without adequate coverage. The story creates empathy and triggers the reader's fear of being in the same situation.
Why it works:
- Personal format: Looking like a real letter increases open rates and readership
- Story-driven fear: A narrative about a real family makes the abstract risk concrete
- Problem agitation: The consequences of inadequate coverage are made vivid and personal
- Simple offer: Clear coverage, clear cost, easy response mechanism
- Guarantee: Money-back guarantees remove the risk of trying the product
Key takeaway: Sometimes the most effective sales letter is the simplest one. Strip away the design, the graphics, and the formatting — and let the words do the work.
Example 6: The Digital Sales Page (Modern Sales Letter)
Modern sales pages are digital sales letters with enhanced formatting. The best ones — used by top ClickBank vendors, supplement companies, and info-product creators — follow the exact same persuasion architecture as classic direct mail letters.
What the best digital sales pages do brilliantly:
They combine the proven structure of direct mail sales letters with digital advantages: embedded video testimonials, interactive elements, responsive design, and instant checkout. The copy architecture remains identical — headline, lead, problem, mechanism, proof, offer, close.
Why they work:
- Classic structure, modern delivery: The persuasion sequence is timeless
- Enhanced proof: Video testimonials are more compelling than written ones
- Immediate action: No mailing a response card — the viewer can buy in 60 seconds
- Testing capability: Digital sales pages can be A/B tested in real-time
Key takeaway: The medium has changed, but the psychology has not. Every high-converting sales page is a sales letter in disguise.
Example 7: The VSL Script as Sales Letter
VSL scripts are sales letters delivered as video. The most successful VSLs — some generating tens of millions in revenue — follow the same seven-element structure as written sales letters, adapted for spoken delivery.
What the best VSL scripts do brilliantly:
They control the pacing. Unlike a written letter where the reader can skip ahead, a VSL delivers the persuasion sequence at exactly the speed the copywriter intends. The viewer experiences the problem, the mechanism, and the proof in the optimal order.
Why they work:
- Pacing control: The copywriter determines the emotional arc
- Audio engagement: The human voice creates connection and trust
- Forced sequence: The viewer cannot skip to the price — they experience the full value build
- Accessibility: Some audiences prefer watching to reading
Key takeaway: VSLs prove that the sales letter structure works across any medium. Whether the words are read on paper, displayed on a screen, or spoken in a video, the persuasion architecture is what converts.
The Universal Sales Letter Template
Every example above follows the same fundamental structure. Here is the template, with the key elements and approximate proportions:
| Section | Purpose | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | Capture attention, promise a benefit | 1-2 lines |
| Lead/Opening | Hook the reader into the story | 10-15% of copy |
| Problem Agitation | Amplify the pain or desire | 15-20% of copy |
| Mechanism/Solution | Explain why your solution works | 20-25% of copy |
| Proof Stack | Demonstrate results with evidence | 15-20% of copy |
| Offer Stack | Present what the reader gets | 10-15% of copy |
| Close | Urgency, guarantee, and CTA | 10-15% of copy |
This is not a rigid formula — the proportions shift based on the audience's awareness level, the price point, and the complexity of the offer. But the sequence is remarkably consistent across the most successful sales letters in history.
How to Build Your Swipe File
The examples in this guide are a starting point, but the most valuable resource any copywriter or marketer can build is a personal swipe file — a collection of proven sales letters, ads, and emails organized for easy reference.
Where to find sales letter examples:
- Copywriting books (The Boron Letters, The Robert Collier Letter Book, The Ultimate Sales Letter)
- Swiped.co and other online swipe file collections
- Your own inbox — save every effective sales email, ad, and landing page you encounter
- Competitor analysis — study what your competitors are mailing and publishing
- Gary Halbert's newsletter archive (thegaryhalbertletter.com)
How to study sales letter examples:
- Read the letter as a consumer first — notice what captures your attention and what makes you want to keep reading
- Read it again as a copywriter — identify the structure, the transitions, the proof elements, and the persuasion techniques
- Type out the letter by hand — this forces you to internalise the rhythm and structure in a way that reading alone cannot achieve
- Apply one technique to your current project — immediate application is how learning becomes skill
The copywriters who study the most sales letter examples write the best copy. It is that simple.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good sales letter example?
A good sales letter example demonstrates clear direct-response principles: a compelling headline that captures attention, an opening that hooks the reader into the story, problem agitation that makes the reader feel the pain, a mechanism that explains why the solution works, stacked proof (testimonials, data, case studies), a clear offer, and an urgent call to action. The best examples are letters that actually generated measurable revenue, not just letters that look impressive.
What is the structure of a sales letter?
The proven sales letter structure follows seven elements: Headline (captures attention and promises a benefit), Opening/Lead (hooks the reader into the letter), Problem Agitation (amplifies the pain or desire), Solution/Mechanism (reveals why your product works), Proof Stack (testimonials, data, credentials, case studies), Offer (presents what the reader gets with clear value), and Close (urgency, guarantee, and call to action). Each element earns the reader's attention for the next.
How long should a sales letter be?
A sales letter should be as long as necessary to make the complete case for the purchase — and not one word longer. Direct mail legend Gary Halbert wrote letters from 4 to 16 pages. The most important factor is not length but whether every paragraph earns the right to continue. Short letters work for simple, low-cost offers to warm audiences. Long letters work for complex, higher-priced offers to cold audiences.
What makes a sales letter effective?
An effective sales letter demonstrates five qualities: it speaks to one specific person about their specific problem, it builds desire through emotional storytelling and concrete proof, it presents an irresistible offer with clear value, it removes risk through guarantees, and it creates genuine urgency to act now. The best sales letters feel like personal messages, not advertisements.
Can I use a sales letter template?
Templates provide a useful starting framework but should never be used as fill-in-the-blank documents. The structure of great sales letters is remarkably consistent — headline, lead, problem, mechanism, proof, offer, close — but the content must be researched and written specifically for your audience, product, and market. Use templates for structure; use research and skill for the content that fills that structure.
What is the most famous sales letter ever written?
The most frequently cited sales letter in direct-response history is the Wall Street Journal "two young men" letter, which ran for over 25 years and generated an estimated $2 billion in subscription revenue. Written by Martin Conroy in 1975, it used a simple story of two college classmates whose careers diverged — one subscribed to the Journal, one did not — to sell subscriptions through contrast and aspiration.
Do sales letters still work in 2025?
Sales letters are more effective than ever — the format has simply evolved. The principles that made direct mail sales letters work (storytelling, proof, urgency, clear offers) now power sales pages, VSL scripts, email sequences, and landing pages. The psychology is identical; only the delivery medium has changed. Many of the highest-converting online sales pages are essentially digital sales letters.
How do you write a sales letter headline?
The most effective sales letter headlines promise a specific, desirable outcome to a clearly identified audience. Proven formulas include: "How to [achieve desired result] without [common objection]", "The [number] [thing] that [surprising benefit]", and "[Specific result] in [timeframe] — guaranteed." Test multiple headlines for every letter — legendary copywriter John Caples proved that changing nothing but the headline can multiply response by 5-19x.
What is the difference between a sales letter and a sales page?
A sales letter is traditionally a long-form written document — originally delivered via direct mail — that follows a linear persuasion sequence from headline through close. A sales page is the digital equivalent, published as a web page. The structure, psychology, and copywriting principles are identical. The main difference is the delivery medium and the design elements (images, videos, buttons) that web pages can incorporate.
Where can I find sales letter examples to study?
The best sources for studying sales letter examples are swipe file collections (both physical and digital), books like The Boron Letters and The Robert Collier Letter Book, direct-response copywriting courses, and the archives of legendary copywriters like Gary Halbert, Eugene Schwartz, and Dan Kennedy. Build your own swipe file by saving effective sales pages, emails, and ads you encounter as a consumer.
Rob Palmer
Rob Palmer is a veteran direct-response copywriter with 30+ years of experience and $523M+ in tracked results. His clients include Apple, IBM, Microsoft, and Citibank. He specializes in VSLs, sales funnels, and email sequences for ClickBank and DTC brands, leveraging AI to amplify battle-tested direct-response principles.
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