test mailing should always be small. Measure your response rate to determine its successfulness. If youre getting well below a 1% then you should alter something and then test again.   Your first piece you sent is your "control" piece and your next mailing should be compared against it. If your response rate goes up, then your second piece becomes your control piece on your next mailing. If you tweak something and send it again and your results go down, then your second mailing continues to be your control piece. You continually tweak and test until you have a control piece that is bringing in the desired response rate.   Some people ask me what they can expect their response rate to be. My answer is that I have no idea. It depends not only upon the strength of your letter but also on the mailing list it was sent to.   16. The Postscript   Every letter should have a P.S. It is the second-most read item on any direct mail. Make your P.S. a restatement of your offer, your prime benefit, your main idea, and a request to order right now.   Why are postscripts so important? Because normally a person will read the top headline and the bottom of the of the letter   17. Code Everything In order to test your mailer you should code it so that you know how to track it when responses come back in. If you are asking your prospect to call you, then provide your information line phone number but set up a different voice box to select. This will tell you what your response rate is by counting how many name and addresses are left in this voice box.   If you are sending a coupon for your customer to use when coming into the store you can put a unique code number on it. Make sure you keep a copy of the exact mailer that went out so that you know what your control piece is.   Most responses will come in within the first several days after the mailer goes out. After about a week or two you can count your responses and determine your response rate.   Free Publicity Secrets: How to Get the Media to Call, Visit, and Beg for Your Story     The other day I picked up the newspaper and read the headline, "Ex-High School Teacher Helps Struggling Students Improve Their Grades." The headline immediately caught my eye because I recently developed a system for high school and college students to