Writing A Compelling Story in a Sales Letter

What's the key to writing a compelling story in a sales letter. It would be good to have step-by-step approach, but any advice or points to keep in mind would be appreciated.

 

Stories go a long way towards convincing your targets that you know exactly what they're going through: everyone loves a well-written story, especially a story with a hero/heroine that's exactly like themselves; when they start nodding and agreeing with the scenario you present, you've got their trust big-time.

And this sense of trust translates into authority ver-ry quickly. So when you start talking about the product and how well it solves the problem, readers are very eager to learn more. Then wham! you wind up your story with your character happily using the product and enjoying life once more.

Since this is my main technique (check out the Elephant in the Kentucky Derby story on my website) I hope you learn to use it well. It's a very powerful way to get your readers to identify with you and trust you. But don't let the story dominate your selling.

Dot

 

If you are not good at storytelling, I mean, DAMN good at it, don't do it, period.

The more words there are on a page (if it is just words, no pictures or free tips to keep them moving down the page), the higher the odds go up in losing more of your audience, especially on the Net.

Much of your audience is either in a hurry and/or they just don't like to read too much in one sitting, especially on the Net.

So, if your story isn't top notch, and I mean Blue-Ribbon-Award storytelling, it'll blow up in your face.

So, when in doubt, even the slightest, don't do it.

Storytelling is highly overrated, anyway.

The key is to empathize with your audience, be one of them.

 

On the web, usually KISS is your best approach. Tell them what you're selling, why they need it and how/where to buy it.

 

A premise, an arc and a payoff. Construct your sales letters with that in mind. Sometimes, your clients will insist on payoff enhancement or repetition, so you play little cycles throughout the page, culminating in the final, show-stopping payoff.