Compiled into one thread... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copywriting for Beginners; Lesson 5: Sales letter layout -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The layout of your sales page is very important. This will allow you to write in logical sequence each step of your sales page. It is important to plan your layout well so that your visitor can also follow your sales letter to its logical conclusion and buy from you. There will of course be a headline to grab your reader's attention, followed by a hook or sub headline to pique interest and draw your reader in. Basically your layout for the body of your sales page will be rather like a letter. There will be a friendly greeting and then the actual body of the letter. You will state the problem with your introduction and sympathize with your reader. As you do this you will emphasize the problem and really make your reader aware of its magnitude. Introduce the product or service as the ultimate solution or discovery. Presenting your product and USP is very important. Present benefits: from these your reader will be convinced that your product is indeed the ultimate solution for their problems. Back them with testimonials: Testimonials will build credibility by providing your reader with proof that your product does indeed do what you say it does. More benefits: this will provide further reasons to buy your product. Guarantee: it is very important to have a strong guarantee to help you close the sale. Call to action Order form Put a sub heading before each section. This will serve to increase your potential customer's curiosity and compel them to continue reading and persuade them to buy. Each section should flow continuously and smoothly onto the next one. As you can see it is very simple to put together a layout for your sales letter. Plan each section carefully and write as if you were writing to a good friend about a wonderful product, which could help them greatly. When you follow these few points you will be able to plan and understand how to lay out your sales letter. Once you have planned a good layout you will have a solid foundation to build your sales page on. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copywriting for Beginners; Lesson 6: Sales letters-3 P's -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When writing a sales letter it is important to not get so carried away that you lose focus on your real objective for writing your sales letter. It is simply and solely for closing the sale with your potential customer. I have 3 principles that are the basis for my sales letters. I like to call them the 3 P's of copywriting. Personal: it is absolutely vital to make your sales letter personal. Now this is not to say that you should be familiar and take this overboard. Stay respectable but convey warmth and empathy to your potential customer. It is like extending a handshake to your reader and saying" thank you for coming I am glad to meet you." You do this by: 1. Your greeting. "Dear friend," Dear fellow entrepreneur" etc. 2. Introduce yourself "my name is xx and I want to share xx with you." This is when you empathize with your reader and bring warmth and sympathy towards him and let him know you understand his problem. You will draw you reader into the letter by doing this. Persuasive: Here is how you begin your sales pitch without your reader feeling he is being sold to. Emphasize benefits not features. Answer that million dollar question" so what's in it for me?" This is what will persuade your reader to buy because your product will not only solve his problem but will benefit him greatly. Precise: No need to ramble. Internet readers are very short on time and their concentration span is somewhat short. So when you weave your story, impress them with benefits etc remember to keep focused and explain precisely what you need to get across. When you give a clear picture your reader will be more impressed and will not be left scratching his head wondering what you are trying to say. So before you even start writing your sales letter keep the 3 P's in mind and get off to a good start with your sales letter. When you start right you can easily accomplish your mission, to close the sale. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copywriting for Beginners; Lesson 7: Sub headlines -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sub headlines are an important part of your sales page. Sub headlines will break up the monotony of a long page of words into readable and understandable small blocks of text. They have 2 main purposes. To create excitement and curiosity in you reader so that they are excited to know more about your product. In this way they will be drawn into the rest of the copy. The second purpose of the sub headlines is to catch your reader's attention as they quickly scan your sales page. Many people when they look at a sales page will quickly scan the headline and sub headlines first. . Many of your potential customers will quickly skim over your sales page and will just read the headline, sub headings, and post scripts. So your sub headings need to create excitement and curiosity in your reader. Think of them like mini headlines Your sub headlines should draw the reader into the particular section and make your potential customer curious to read more. It is most important to keep your reader interested and focused on your message and sub headlines can help you do this. Your sub headlines should be: " Interesting and attention grabbing. Make them short but compelling. "3 good reasons for using our product…" "Risk free guarantee…" " Sub headlines are like milestones in your copy, guiding the reader from one section to the next. " They should draw attention to what a particular section is going to be about. As they read the sub headlines they will know exactly what they will be reading about. When you make your sales page you can plan it by means of your sub headlines. Map out each section with a compelling sub heading. You can then just fill in the details, as you tackle each section. It will make your job easier and faster. Plus your reader will be able to take in the information from your sales letter better. So plan and think carefully about your sub headlines and understand that they are second only to your actual main headline. Use them well and effectively and you will be able to increase your sales conversions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copywriting for Beginners; Lesson 8: Your USP -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An important part of your sales letter is identifying and showing you reader the unique selling point of your product and service. without this your reader can become confused and not really understand fully the full benefit of your product service to him. In short how your product is uniquely different from your competitors and will be able to solve your potential customer's problems. Presenting your product: It is critical to set your product or service apart from your competitors or they will simply take your potential customers before you even have time to present your product to your readers. You will do this by presenting your product or service well and making it crystal clear that your this will be the ultimate solution to your reader's problems. Over deliver: you will need to offer something to your potential customer that nobody else is offering. This will make you stand out from your competitors. This is especially true if you have a service. Offer a little extra and you will see customer conversions soar. You can do this by emphasizing benefits. Make your potential customer an offer that he cannot refuse. To do this you will be listing benefits that similar products from your competitors simply do not have. This is again making your product or service truly unique. Your product must be different and hugely benefit your reader. Your sales page is all about stating the USP of your product and service. Once you have done this then your reader will be truly interested, as he will perceive your product as different and better than other similar products that your competitors are selling. This will help you to increase sales conversions. When you clearly clarify and impress on your reader your USP you will then be able to persuade him to buy from you and not your competitors. You will also give him a good clear picture of what he is buying and how it will benefit him. So put some thought into how you will present your product or service and what sets it apart from your competitors products before you write your sales page. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copywriting for Beginners; Lesson 9: Headlines -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Headlines are the key to the success of your sales copy. This is what your reader will see first and will attract them to read further. When potential customers are looking at product they will be attracted to your ad or sales letter by your headlines. Your headline is your sales person and you want it to stand out and be read. There are many, many ads and sales pages on the internet but few of them make it to their intended readers because they just do not stand out from the crowd. Headlines are the most important part of sales copy, whether it is ads or sales letters. They must jump out of the page and grab your reader's attention. There are 5 common types of headline: 1. News: This is a headline that will invoke excitement. Something new, an announcement or a brand new concept. This will be the equivalent of a ground breaking story. "Now for the first time the insider secrets of xx will be revealed." Your reader gets a little thrill of excitement and starts to read. 2. A promise: "No more hair loss if you use this product- guaranteed." Now you need to be able to back up what you claim with this type of headline. So be cautious about using this promise headline. 3. Selective: "to all who want to be copywriters but do not know how." You will be pinpointing a certain section of your market and really tightening your niche with this type of headline 4. Curiosity: this is to spark interest in your reader and will take the form of a question and state a particular problem. "do you have trouble with public speaking?" This will identify your reader's problem. 5. Demand: This is a little tricky, as this type of headline can be interpreted by your reader as being a bit pushy. Presenting your headline is also important. It should be in larger font than the body of your sales page and you can make it in a different color as long as it matches the sales page and blends in well. It is important for it to stand out as this is the first thing your potential customer will see.