When Roots Allotments came to us, they weren’t looking to flog a discount or beg for clicks. They weren’t “pushing a product” or trying to sweet talk a mailing list. They had something rarer a real mission, an actual story, and a clear objective:
“How do we get landowners to pay attention to our letters?”
Great question. Here’s how we answered it with seeds, sincerity, and a little bit of Pen Written Post handwriting magic.
The Client: Roots Allotments
Roots Allotments are on a mission to transform unused land into thriving growing spaces. Think community allotments, minus the waiting lists, politics, and chicken-wire drama.
They connect landowners with local growers, providing an income stream for the former and rocket salad for the latter. They’re active across the UK and expanding fast. Their challenge? Convincing busy landowners that their land can be utilised.
Spoiler: they nailed it.
The Campaign: Write Letters, Not Sales Copy
We helped Roots send out a three drip handwritten direct mail campaign to 6,000 carefully sourced landowners. The stack included:
- A warm, human-sounding letter from the founders
- A branded flyer breaking down the actual ROI
- A packet of wild rocket seeds, tucked inside with a special “thank you” card
Just real handwriting, real seeds, and real people behind both.
The Results: Stats, Not Just Sentiment
Here’s what happened:
- Replies: 375 (that’s a 6.25% response rate, for the stat-heads among us)
- Positive Leads: 60 total – including:
- 30 qualified conversations happening now
- Another 15 genuinely interested, but “not yet”
- 30 qualified conversations happening now
- Warm site opportunities generated for 2026: 30+
- Voicemails needing call-backs: 25 (some positive, some “why’d you send me rocket seeds?”—we’ll take it)
Let’s be honest cold email would’ve been ghosted into oblivion. But this? This got people talking and paying attention.
📊 Industry averages for reply rates sit around 1–2%.
Pen Written Post and Roots Allotments? More than tripled that.
Feedback: Real Words from a Real Human
We always ask our clients for the good, the bad, and the “you could’ve done this better.” Adam (Roots’ expansion lead) didn’t hold back:
“You kept me far too busy… but in a good way.”
“The seed packets made people smile-even the no’s weren’t annoyed.”
“Honestly? Five stars. You just cracked on while I was underwater. That’s all I needed.”
We’ll take it. (We also like to think the rocket seeds helped tip the scales.)
