TTM Letters - Acceptable & Not

[JVazz29]

Hi.

I'm new to the whole TTM thing and started writing my own letters. I did read the sticky about 'how to write' one and it was a lot of help. However, looking to be a little more detailed here:

What the heck do you say?!?!

So far, the letters I've written have not exceeded more than one page. If the person is older I made the font a little larger than typical. I try to say something meaningful. For example, when writing to Donovan McNabb, I mentioned a time in which I bumped into him at a movie theater I worked at (live 10 minutes from their training camp). So that one was pretty easy to write, however, I would like to write to some athletes that I respect in terms of their talent, but may not necessarily have something super meaningful or personal to say.

What I'm getting at is, how can I NOT sound so generic other than "Hey you are a good ball player and I like your style. Please sign this."

I've also seen some people say they've written lengthy letters to particular athletes or celebs that hold a special place in their heart. Is this advisable, or should I keept it to 1 page still out of respect for their time?

Any of my ramblings make sense? Thanks

[tikitomoka]

personally, i just make mine short and sweet. i just tell 'em that im a big fan of theirs and would love to get an autograph. half of the people won't even read them, but the other half that do will still appreciate ^ that type of letter

[pinkfoxrider]

I pretty much do the same as tikitomoka but usually state something about their career or something that they accomplished.

[SMVintage]

i do exactly what pinkfox and tikitomoka- most players don't read them and I like to keep them short and sweet

[Dougdad65]

I agree with the above,keep it short.I usually start by saying I hate to bother them because I know how busy they are but how big of a fan I am and would love to add their auto to my collection.

[C&C Collecting]

Short and to the point. Remember these guys are getting tons of mail. They don't read it generally. They might glance it over to see if you ask for a personalization or something like that but they don't really care about the letter. They know what you are asking for. Check out Pat Neshek's website http://www.eteamz.com/patneshek/index.cfm? to get an idea of what an athlete does with his mail and stuff. Poke around on there. At some point he mentions how to write a letter...he says keep it short.

[slitz]

If the person is older I made the font a little larger than typical.

prob want to try hand written letters

[RockiesFan33]

Every one of the thousands of letters I've sent out have been hand written. I write nearly the exact same thing every time. I'd say the 2 biggest guidelines are:

1. Keep it simple. Your request isn't the first they've ever received for an autograph. Just say that you appreciate the player or the sport, make your request and thank them. Which leads to...

2. Be polite. It is completely inexcusable to ever request something from another human being and not show them courtesy. These players owe nothing to you or any other fan out there, so ask nicely. I keep seeing posts on other sites from collectors complaining about what they received back. It's easy to do and I've done it myself before. But, we need to remember that we're making unsolicited requests of other people to take time out of their day to do something for us. Often with no sort of benefit to the signer.

[LakersMC]

Agree with all of the above.
For the players you write to that you are a die hard fan of, I like to mention some things that only die hards would know. You know, like interesting off the field stuff or specific games that are special. Not the kind of stuff you can google. I've gotten a few letters back & hand written responses. So there are cases where I know the players are reading the letters, which is cool.

[chrisborene]

short and sweet, i usually try to mention an accomplishment or 2 of theirs, and usually how much to me it would mean to add their auto to my collection.