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If you're reading this sentence, you've just supported the point I'm about to make. Direct mail postcards with numbered headlines offering solutions work!

The formula is simple:
According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product
>

First, pick a goal or an accomplishment (saving money, increasing performance, improving health, avoiding pain, etc.). Then tell the reader how to accomplish this goal in X number o
; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in
steps. Or give them X number of ways to achieve the same goal.

Here are seven tips for using numbered headlines on your direct mail postcards:

1. Use odd numbers.
With a
lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

ll other things being equal, odd numbers have been shown to outperform rounded, even numbers. They appear more legitimate and scientific. That's why Listerine "kills 99% of germs" inst
here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe
ad of 100%.

2. Write numbers as numbers.
Numbers catch the eye better in numerical form (7), as opposed to written form (seven).

3. Crank up the benefits.
To
d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro
increase the motivating power of your numbered headline, simply increase the reward promised by the headline. For example, instead of "7 Ways to Decrease Your Debt," you might say "7 W
ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc
ys to Eliminate Your Debt." Only one word has changed, but now the promise of value is much greater. "Decrease" is vague. "Eliminate" is absolute.

4. Write clearly.
Keep y
easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi
our headline simple and straightforward. The reader should understand the benefit right away. She should not have to read the headline twice or puzzle over it. Number and benefit &hell
nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically
p; it doesn't need to be any more complicated than that.

5. Use strong action words.
Instead of telling readers how to "increase the safety of their computer systems," tel
and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ
l them how to "safeguard their data and shield their servers." Strong words conjure up strong emotions. Boring words yield boring results -- drop them from your direct mail vocabulary.
ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

6. Deliver on your promise.
If your postcard headline mentions "21 Ways to Increase Your Email Marketing Success," you better follow up with (you guessed it) 21 ways to im
ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a
prove the reader's email marketing. At the least, offer a summary or excerpt of those tips and then point to a full report that offers the rest.

Stay away from "bait and switch" headl
dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
nes that don't deliver on the promise. Trickery and deceit will get you nowhere.

7. Follow a formula.
Develop a formula when creating your headlines. This will help you as
cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
k all the right questions and shape a headline around the answers to those questions.

Example formula:

Audience
Product
Number of parts
Benefit
Headline
tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

Now let's imagine we're a financial services company using this headline formula for a direct mail postcard. It might go something like this:

Audience: Middle-income taxpayers
t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

Product: Financial seminar
Number of parts: Three
Benefit: Saving money
Headline: Get More Money at Tax Time -- 3 Simple Steps

You can see how the formula builds
ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
the headline. It also helps us identify the heart of our message and the audience it's intended to reach.

Bonus Tip: Write a Dozen, Keep the Best.
Headlines can make or br
y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products
eak a direct mail postcard. So don't settle for your first attempt. Even professional copywriters rarely hit the mark on the first try.

Personally, I'll write at least a dozen version
.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
of a direct mail headline. Then I'll eliminate half of them (the weaker half) right off the bat. Then I'll put them aside for a day or so, and when I review them again I'll pick what
elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip
I think is the best one.

* You may republish this article in its entirety as long as you include the byline and author's note. If publishing online, please leave the hyperlinks active

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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Digg It - Direct Mail Postcards: 7 Ways to Grab Attention With Your Headline

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