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 page, 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. is thinking of changing jobs - he wants
    something 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 (or computer), 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 the list of names we've supplied
    you with, or you may have purchased from other sources.

    At the same time, you should run an advertisement in as many of the
    small mail order publications and ad sheets as you can afford.  For
    a complete listing of publications, with names and addresses of
    publishers, order HOW TO REPORT #409 for $4.  Your ad could read
    something like this:

       Pen Pal Listings!  Nationwide circulation!  $1 to:
       Your name, address & zip code.

       Tom's Pen Pal Letter Monthly club news and membership
       listings!  $1 to:  Your name, address and zip code.

    Of course, you'll want to keep records on all your members, and
    continue to update the listings you carry, but basically that's all
    there is to getting started.  You could even run ads of this kind in
    your local newspapers and expect a good response.  We definitely
    recommend that you send for sample copies of other Pen Pal Club
    bulletins to see how they operate and what ideas of theirs you can
    adapt for use in your newsletter.  By all means, become a "browser"
    and look through all the magazines related to pen pals and mail
    order introductions every time you pass a magazine display rack.

    Be sure to get your newsletters out regularly, and don't stop
    advertising.  Keep up your efforts to sell as many issues of each
    publication as you can, expand your membership list, and get as many
    new listings for each issue as you possibly can.

    Something you might want to consider - 3 back issues of your
    publication for 3 dollars, or as a free bonus to all new
    subscribers.  You could carry this idea as a free bonus in your
    advertising, and as a special offer in your newsletter.

    You might also want to expand your income potential by offering
    booklets, books, tapes, motivational and informational.

    By keeping good records of all the mail you receive, you can also
    sell or rent name lists of people who have responded to your
    offerings to other mail order dealers.  Real opportunities exist for
    sales mentioned in the paragraph above - the opportunities limited
    only by your imagination.