Book SummaryThe Boron Letters, by Gary C. Halbert and Bond Halbert

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Boron Letters

If you were in prison when your child turned 16, unable to parent them during some of their most formative years, you’d probably want to write down and send them everything they need to know to succeed in life. In 1984, copywriter Gary Halbert was put in this position.

While serving a sentence for mail fraud in Boron Federal Prison Camp, Halbert wrote his son Bond The Boron Letters: a series of instructions explaining how to get rich marketing products directly to consumers and, more broadly, how to live a happy and successful life. In these letters, Halbert distilled the most important secrets to his success, and anyone with a similar entrepreneurial spirit can use them to make a fortune.

Gary Halbert...

The Boron Letters Summary How to Decide What to Sell

Before you can get rich, you need to figure out what to sell. But this isn’t the first step: Gary and Bond Halbert contend that before you decide what to sell, you need to figure out who to sell it to. In other words, you should identify a demographic or list of specific people that you intend to market to directly.

Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of first coming up with a “genius” idea for a product, then doing research to figure out what its target audience should be. The authors maintain that this is a mistake, since it’s much easier to invent a profitable product than to find a profitable market.

(Shortform note: In Purple Cow, Seth Godin disagrees, arguing that if you have a truly original and exceptional product idea, you’ll have no problem finding it a profitable market. He contends that every market contains a certain number of innovators and early adopters: Consumers who are always on the lookout for new and better products. If you come up with a product that’s markedly better than what already exists in a new and exciting way, these innovators and early...

The Boron Letters Summary How to Write Copy That Sells

After you’ve identified a profitable market and a product to sell in it, sending out convincing marketing messages (or “marketing copy”) is what turns leads into customers. Here are four of the authors’ tips for how to write persuasive, powerful marketing copy.

Tip #1: Follow the AIDA Model

When writing marketing copy, the authors recommend following the AIDA model: a decades-old template for persuading readers to buy your product. AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action: four goals your copy should achieve, in this order. Let’s take a closer look at each of these steps.

(Shortform note: The AIDA model was first described in a magazine article by the American marketer Elias St. Elmo Lewis—all the way back in 1898.)

Step #1: Attract Attention

First, your marketing message needs to grab the attention of potential customers. The authors note that unless your message is immediately interesting, no one will bother to read your full copy.

This part of your message doesn’t need to be persuasive in itself—it just needs to stand out enough to make people pay attention....

The Boron Letters Summary How to Succeed at Anything in Life

In addition to the tips for direct marketing that we’ve covered so far, the authors provide some general life advice for anyone trying to accomplish ambitious goals. Here are three tips for how to succeed at anything in life.

Tip #1: Build Your Life Around Periods of Mental Clarity

You almost always need a clear head to do your best, most productive work, argue the authors. Mental fog or emotional turmoil will make it impossible to write clear, effective marketing copy. More generally, they make every task seem more difficult and often lead to unwise and unproductive decisions in every area of life.

(Shortform note: In Deep Work, Cal Newport argues that it’s not possible to permanently maintain the mental state necessary for maximum productivity. On the contrary, even experts can only maintain clear, effective concentration for around four hours a day—and to even reach that level, you need to practice exerting this kind of effort. Thus, don’t schedule more than four hours of copywriting or high-stakes decision-making each...

Shortform Exercise: Practice Writing Persuasive Marketing Copy

The quality of Gary Halbert's marketing copy is arguably what set him apart from his competition. To improve your copywriting skills, imagine a product to sell and practice writing persuasive marketing copy for it.

Brainstorm a list of potential products you could sell. Which one makes you feel the most excited and motivated? Why?