Does your direct mail sound like Bill Clinton?

That was some speech in Denver last night.

Ok, so few of us will ever reach the heights of masters of their art like Bill Clinton, but lessons aplenty for how to communicate.

You can watch his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver last night here.

Don’t bother reading it, you have to hear it.

And that’s the first thing to remember. A great letter should sound like someone is speaking directly to you. If it doesn’t read like you’d say it, tear it up and start again.

And look at the words. A beautiful combination of stirring rhetoric with down-to-earth, folksy, chatty language. He talks to you, not down to you.

So get rid of all that organisation-speak, that jargon and the carefully worded descriptions of your programmes. Talk about your work as your donors would talk about your work. Fill it with stories and anecdotes. Make it human.

And most of all, try, really try, to stir the hearts of your readers.

My fellow Democrats, sixteen years ago, you gave me the profound honor to lead our party to victory and to lead our nation to a new era of peace and broadly shared prosperity.

Together, we prevailed in a campaign in which the Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be Commander-in-Chief. Sound familiar? It didn’t work in 1992, because we were on the right side of history. And it won’t work in 2008, because Barack Obama is on the right side of history.

His life is a 21st Century incarnation of the American Dream. His achievements are proof of our continuing progress toward the “more perfect union” of our founders’ dreams. The values of freedom and equal opportunity which have given him his historic chance will drive him as president to give all Americans, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability, their chance to build a decent life, and to show our humanity, as well as our strength, to the world.

We see that humanity, that strength, and our future in Barack and Michelle Obama and their beautiful children. We see them reinforced by the partnership with Joe Biden, his wife Jill, a dedicated teacher, and their family.

Barack Obama will lead us away from division and fear of the last eight years back to unity and hope. If, like me, you still believe America must always be a place called Hope, then join Hillary, Chelsea and me in making Senator Barack Obama the next President of the United States.

[tags]bill clinton, fundraising, direct mail, copywriting[/tags]