The sales letter is a tried and true method for getting a lot of information into the hands of your prospects. It vastly predates the Internet and has been used by major corporations, small businesses, and everywhere in between to increase their exposure and position themselves as leaders in their industry or niche.
The Internet, however, did add a dimension to sales letters that they didn’t have before: It offered the opportunity to integrate visual and audio media into the message for increased effect. Eventually, the medium evolved into full-blown video sales letters, most of which present the text of the sales letter in small chunks onscreen while a voiceover artist narrates.
There is no doubt that long-form and video sales letters (or VSLs) are both powerful and effective. Think about it: Have you ever sat through an entire VSL and wondered later why you spent half an hour listening to a sales pitch? Well, there’s a reason why you did, and those who know how to write effective sales letters (of any description) will tell you that in order to maintain the attention of an audience for that long, certain elements need to be in place.
This is especially true if you are writing a long-form sales letter that you want people to read from beginning to end, and we’re about to show you how to do that.
Most often, a sales letter will accompany promotional items as a means of explaining your product, the void it fills in the recipient’s life, and why he or she should buy it from you. To accomplish this, you must accomplish seven things.
1. Start with a Strong Opening.
Beginning an effective sales letter isn’t all that different from how you would present a printed ad: You have one shot to grab the attention of your audience; you have to make them want to read on. You can accomplish this by composing a powerful headline or a solid first sentence.
If you use a headline, be careful to choose words that make sense to your audience. What that means is that your words, while powerful and well chosen, need to be simple. This is not the time to dazzle people with your cunning use of verbal strategy. It’s time to establish rapport and pique interest. Focus on the reader, not on the product. If it’s a choice between clarity and complexity, go for clarity.
2. Identify the Problem Your Product Will Solve.
Tell your readers, under no uncertain terms, how your product is going to help them – what void it will fill or what pain it will ease. This is the best and most powerful opening you can use in a sales letter. You can also use other formats, like asking a question or making an announcement, but here’s the thing: Going after the pain points works better than anything. It takes the curiosity angle and makes it personal. Don’t ask what the problem is; inform the user that it exists and promise a solution.
3. Benefits, Benefits, Benefits.
By “benefits,” we don’t mean product features or claims about service after the sale. What you want to do here is focus entirely on how the product will impact the user and why he or she can’t live without it one more day. Don’t try to impress by detailing the intricacies of the product. What will impress readers is knowing how the product will ease their pain or set them apart from their neighbors and friends by having it.
4. Make a Solid Offer.
You’ve heard it said that people don’t buy products; they buy solutions. They also don’t make purchases so much as they accept offers. If you have done an effective job of showcasing the benefits, you need to follow up with an offer they can’t possibly refuse. Most people aren’t interested in buying a product as much as they are in getting a good deal on the product. They don’t buy your widget. They buy the notion of getting the widget for 40 percent off, so be prepared to price your product in a way that lets you make an attractive offer to the buyer.
5. Eliminate the Notion of Risk.
Guarantees are strong selling points. No one really wants to deal with customers returning products after a year if they aren’t completely satisfied, but knowing that they could puts to rest many of the fears that come with making a purchase. Give your customers an escape route. The chance of them actually taking it, even if they decide they don’t like the product, is minuscule at best, especially as more time passes.
6. Give Good Directions.
Never assume that the customer will do anything proactive. If you want the sale, you’re going to have to ask for it, and you’re going to need to be specific with customers on how they are going to get their hands on your life-changing widget. Make all relevant information easy to see. That includes your address and your phone number so they can easily get ahold of you if they have any questions or concerns. Never use anything smaller than 10-point font in your sales letters.
7. Make It Easy for the Customer to Take Action.
The more steps there are to the purchase process, the less likely you are to get the sale. What if you convince them to order but didn’t supply a return postage-paid envelope, Web address, or phone number to place the order? You just lost the sale. Make it easy to say “yes” to your offer, and people will respond.
These seven components integrate well into any kind of sales letter, so no matter what your delivery medium – paper, email, video, landing page, etc. – keep them all in mind and make sure you have implemented them all in a reader-friendly way. If you’re worried about whether or not you’ve accomplished that (or can accomplish it) on your own, you can always seek the aid of an experienced copywriting service to either edit and critique your sales letter or even write it from scratch.