A good sales letter needs to answer in every line: “whats in it for me” and “why should I bother reading on?”
And remember always “sell on emotion, justify on fact”
The key thing to remember is to sell benefits, not features. “toothpaste with fluoride” is a feature: a description of an aspect of the product. “whiter teeth” is the benefit to the user Copy must promote benefits.
The headline is the key.
All split testing has proved that a good headline can massively change multiply response by several times.
So good copywriters spend a lifetime studying headlines, and they may produce twenty or more headlines for a sales letter before deciding which to choose.
Headlines can be long, but dont over do it, Ted Nicholas believes 17 words is the limit.
The essence of a good headline is one that contains the prime benefit to the reader - and be as specific as you can.
There are formulae for headlines that have worked consistently:
“Cambridge Scientists Announce This GUARANTEED Way You Can Lose Fourteen Pounds or More in Thirty Days or Less, WITHOUT dieting!”
Why does this headline work?
It creates credibility ” Cambridge scientists” It reverses risk ” Guaranteed” It contains a specific benefit “Fourteen Pounds or more” It contains instant gratification “Thirty days or less” It appeals to the lazy gene that wants results without effort ”Without dieting” It forces you to read on: the word “This” in “This guaranteed way” provides a mystery the reader will read on to find. The headline is in quotes which ALWAYS increases response.
It creates credibility ” Cambridge scientists”
It reverses risk ” Guaranteed”
It contains a specific benefit “Fourteen Pounds or more”
It contains instant gratification “Thirty days or less”
It appeals to the lazy gene that wants results without effort ”Without dieting”
It forces you to read on: the word “This” in “This guaranteed way” provides a mystery the reader will read on to find.
The headline is in quotes which ALWAYS increases response.
Studying good headlines is well rewarded.
A hook is the big idea contained in an advert. The thing that makes the advert stand out and hook people in to buying. An example of a hook is the golf instruction ad that said “The secrets of a one legged golfer that could” - if a one legged golfer can do it they reasoned, so can everyone else. The ad was massively successful
“Dear reader If you want to lose weight fast, then this is the most important letter you will ever read.”
Testing confirms a letter works best, and if you have a way to enter the readers name, so much the better
The introduction to a sales letter is vital. And the best recommendation is to tell a story, to explain the message
“Why this” “Why You” “Why Me” “Why Now”
Present all the benefits of the product. Write a list of features, and list all the benefits the reader will get from the service or product.
It is a proven fact, that one small benefit may become the reason why purchasers buy - so the more you tell the more you sell.
Dont just say save “lots of money” imagine the benefits that brings.
“Can you imagine it? You stand on a beach, hear the waves lapping lazily against the shore, feeling the hot sand between your toes, and you draw in the smell of sea air: for the first time you dont need to worry about where the money came from to pay for this holiday, so you can relax…”
Paint pictures as though the person had already bought.
People are more sceptical every day. So credibility is everything. Put your telephone number and address on every web page. Prove you are real. Dont worry, nobody is likely to ring! - But they may order more!
Put testimonials in your copy - not “I think bill is a great guy/ has a great product” but “once I was lost, and now I am found”
“I was really struggling with doing zzzz, I had spent a lot of time and money trying. Then someone suggested I buy this, and I was amazed! - within a week I had mastered it: the instructions are great, and I am no wizard, but even for me it is easy to use, and for the first time I can do xxxxx quickly and cheaply. I am really grateful that I found this” Name. Location.
And if your testimonial is willing to put contact details in,so much the better!
Show as many results as you can
Have you ever seen bullets for an information products that say:
“The seven secrets to doing zzzz, see them on page 153″ - that statement is there to build credibility - proving the secrets are there in the book.
Always offer a money back guarantee to a first time customer. And the best risk reversal is done with cost plus. One successful mailpiece said. “Any problems, give us a call, and we will send fedex out to collect it”. Make it sound easy to return! ( in that case, they were told to keep the goods if they rang, and fedex did not call!)
Ask for the order or sign up! Use an Imperative! “Order now!”
These days, everything is sold with a free gift! And some things are sold on the free gift rather than the product! Make it valuable, and add up the value before presenting the price.
A PS in a sales letter is a given. Why?. It is the way copy writers avoid putting the price at the bottom. And also get a good benefit at the end where the reader will see it, whenthey look for the price.
Astounding - amazing - shocking - humiliate Use power words, they still work.
Subheadings are used to break up a letter. But they also stand out so highlight benefits That way, when people scan and speed read, they see all the benefits
When speaking people use conjunctions, to glue their thought together. And since copy should be like speech - sales letters should too.
For example, short phrases can glue a letter together:
So whats this about? Heres why it works. And this is what it contains. Heres the deal. Check this out. Now just look at all of these:
So whats this about?
Heres why it works.
And this is what it contains.
Heres the deal.
Check this out.
Now just look at all of these:
To make sure it is conversational enough, read it out loud. If it does not read, then change it!
Split Test everything! - When you do you will be surprised. The headline you were sure was best , will pull half as well as the one you thought was rubbish. So get your customers to tell you what works, by what makes them buy. Never stop testing.
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