How To Start A Pen Pal Club
Pen Pal Clubs are very easy to start, and can provide a very comfortable "by mail" income for the sharp operators.
The best way to operate is via a monthly newsletter, and listing of new members. We've found that a simple one age, typewritten sheet is all you need to get started. This should be, or should include a quick run down on what your members are up to - i.e.: Janice C. is planning to vacation at Tahoe next month; Debbie 0. is going to take her vacation in Hawaii; Lisa S. is attending night classes for a real estate license; John R. isthinking of changing jobs - he wants some-thing more involved in advertising sales; Bob L. is setting up his own Carpet Cleaning Service; Dave A. is wanting to move to Denver...
This kind of reader-membership involvement will get your "newsletter" off to a running start, and keep your members loyal to you because of the "gossip" you pass along in each issue.
You follow your "gossip story" with either a question and answer session or letters from the readers a-la Ann Landers or Dear Abby. Complete the newsletter with a short story on how to meet men or women, what to say and how to develop a friendship. The back page, or extra page, is then a listing of men and women - including a short description of each, and their addresses - wanting to correspond with or meet other people with similar tastes.
You'll need a typewriter, paper, and names of people interested in writing and receiving Pen Pal letters. You can quickly secure a start with names answering ads (classifieds) placed in your local papers, and several out-of-town papers you are familiar with, and by checking your newsstand for the magazines that carry such ads - it won't take long to get a basic "100" to begin your operation.
You should have letterhead and imprinted mailing envelopes and return reply envelopes - about 1000 of each for about $100.
Next, make up a sample copy of your newsletter, and an application sales letter that will explain your membership fee of about $10 per year for the newsletter, plus $1 per month each time you carry a member's name & address in your "correspondents wanted" section. Be sure to ask for reports on what members are doing, and encourage them to bring up to date from time to time - this keeps the "personal touch" gossip supplied.
Now, you send out your newsletter samples, with your sales letter/membership application, to
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