Chris Pirillo (Twitter ID = @chrispirillo) is a genius – in 12 minutes, he got several thousand people to instantly click to his late-night online talk show.

Here’s what Chris posted to Twitter:
“Your Twitter avatar will appear in my next video if you reply to this tweet over the next few minutes. :) http://live.pirillo.com/”

I just happened to refresh my screen at the moment he posted this, and instantly sent him a direct reply saying, “@chrispirillo What’s the video about?”

I then clicked on the link above, http://live.pirillo.com/, and this is what I saw…

(Check out my mug on the screen just over his left shoulder – it matches the photo at the top of this blog.)

Everybody wanted to see their avatar, so they clicked over to watch the show. Simple. Brilliant.

My friend Liz Gaige of Market Navigators just released her July marketing newsletter. Her cover article this month gives some excellent tips for real-world direct mail marketing. I find it interesting that her “rules” for direct mail apply equally in the online world when using permission-based eMail marketing [PBeM]. I strongly encourage you to read the entire article.

As Liz states, “It is possible to increase the likelihood of success if the foundation is well laid. The best approach is not to take any of the many variables for granted and to carefully craft each element of your program.” How right she is – and yet how often to do we follow that advice?

Liz gives 5 bullet points of what makes a great direct mail offer, and another 5 specific tips and tricks that cut right to the point. This article reads like a step-by-step for high-class PBeM. Thanks, Liz!