How to Write a Sales Page: Tips for Beginners
Writing a sales page can be kind of tricky, especially if you're selling a product that is relatively new or unheard of. Anyone can sit down and slap together a few details, paste a picture of a satisfied customer and their review to a page and click publish but it takes a special kind of style to write a sales page that successfully reels buyers in and secures the purchase. Think about. How long do you linger on a sales page that is poorly written and just seems flat out bogus?
Simply writing and reiterating the same thing over and over again doesn't get the job done. You have to really dig deep and take time to formulate meaningful discussion over what is being sold. Writing a 5,000-word page and stuffing keywords will get you nowhere really fast so here are a few tips on writing a sales page to get you started.
Pitch Without Pitching
The obvious purpose of a sales page is to pitch a product to prospects but often times we go above and beyond thinking that we're increasing the chance of converting a click to a sale when we're really just wasting our time. Coming across as to pitchy or too focused on trying to snatch away someone's hard earned money is a quick way to lose potential buyers even if you have an amazing product or service. Think about it. Most folks turn out the lights and shut the curtains the moment a salesman knocks at the door. Here's a few reasons why:
1. They come across as impersonal.
2. They don't care whether or not you need their product or get results.
3. They just never know when to back off.
Focus on Results
Don't be like a door-to-door salesman. Get personal with your prospects by zeroing in on the purpose your goods or services serve and how they will positively impact their life. This is the real way to keep them reading and viewing the information you post on your page. Potential buyers don't care that you've personally used whatever you're trying to sell. They want to see that your product is universal and will work for them. If you can't prove this, you won't make a sale.
Include Media
Sales pages are great places to include media such as real pictures and videos proving that your product works. It seems like 8 out of 10 sales pages has stock images of men and women instead of actual client pictures. How do you expect for someone to take you, your product or your company seriously if you can't even be honest about customer reviews and results? If you have reviews but not pictures, then use their reviews and fill the page with other sources of media.
A great multi-functional source of media is whiteboard demonstrations. These are a great way to visually tell clients about your product and let's be honest. Whiteboard videos tend to really grab attention and keep it. You can even use a whiteboard video as your sales page and simply include reviews, an overview and links to purchase below it or on a separate page.
Share Reviews
And by reviews we mean honest reviews. Not the kind that are clearly fake or overwhelmingly positive. Fake reviews are a great way to lose your prospects when it matters the most. Some folks will slap 10,20 or even 30 fake reviews onto an otherwise great sales page and then scratch their heads when no one is making a purchase. Honesty matters. Transparency matters. If you are posting fake reviews (even if it's because you yourself don't have reviews and want to build trust) you will only end up making the reader/listener think that you are nothing more than a scammer.
Obviously if you're selling a new product or a service that you are providing you may not have any reviews. This is fine too as long as you are honest about the results that the buyers can receive and provide proof. Let's say you're selling a writing course on how to make $100,000 a year. You personally make over $100k each year and legit want to show others what you know but you don't have anyone that has personally tried your course so obviously no one has succeeded at it. The best thing you can do in these situations is be transparent about your situation. Show the buyers your monthly statements, outline how much effort was put forth talk about how your methods were formulated, what works, and what didn't work so much.
Format Wisely
Sales pages can be quite long. Especially when there are many topics and concerns to be covered. The length of a sales page can make or break your ability to actually get consumers to purchase so here's what you do:
1. Use bullets and numbers whenever possible.
2. Review sections at a time to make skimming easier.
3. Make paragraphs short and concise.
4. Try not to use fluff or fillers.
5. Use media to break up large chunks of text.
6. Show instead of telling.
Like I said before, sales pages can be tricky and downright annoying to write but if done correctly you're bound to reap the rewards of your labor.
Simply writing and reiterating the same thing over and over again doesn't get the job done. You have to really dig deep and take time to formulate meaningful discussion over what is being sold. Writing a 5,000-word page and stuffing keywords will get you nowhere really fast so here are a few tips on writing a sales page to get you started.
Pitch Without Pitching
The obvious purpose of a sales page is to pitch a product to prospects but often times we go above and beyond thinking that we're increasing the chance of converting a click to a sale when we're really just wasting our time. Coming across as to pitchy or too focused on trying to snatch away someone's hard earned money is a quick way to lose potential buyers even if you have an amazing product or service. Think about it. Most folks turn out the lights and shut the curtains the moment a salesman knocks at the door. Here's a few reasons why:
1. They come across as impersonal.
2. They don't care whether or not you need their product or get results.
3. They just never know when to back off.
Focus on Results
Don't be like a door-to-door salesman. Get personal with your prospects by zeroing in on the purpose your goods or services serve and how they will positively impact their life. This is the real way to keep them reading and viewing the information you post on your page. Potential buyers don't care that you've personally used whatever you're trying to sell. They want to see that your product is universal and will work for them. If you can't prove this, you won't make a sale.
Include Media
Sales pages are great places to include media such as real pictures and videos proving that your product works. It seems like 8 out of 10 sales pages has stock images of men and women instead of actual client pictures. How do you expect for someone to take you, your product or your company seriously if you can't even be honest about customer reviews and results? If you have reviews but not pictures, then use their reviews and fill the page with other sources of media.
A great multi-functional source of media is whiteboard demonstrations. These are a great way to visually tell clients about your product and let's be honest. Whiteboard videos tend to really grab attention and keep it. You can even use a whiteboard video as your sales page and simply include reviews, an overview and links to purchase below it or on a separate page.
Share Reviews
And by reviews we mean honest reviews. Not the kind that are clearly fake or overwhelmingly positive. Fake reviews are a great way to lose your prospects when it matters the most. Some folks will slap 10,20 or even 30 fake reviews onto an otherwise great sales page and then scratch their heads when no one is making a purchase. Honesty matters. Transparency matters. If you are posting fake reviews (even if it's because you yourself don't have reviews and want to build trust) you will only end up making the reader/listener think that you are nothing more than a scammer.
Obviously if you're selling a new product or a service that you are providing you may not have any reviews. This is fine too as long as you are honest about the results that the buyers can receive and provide proof. Let's say you're selling a writing course on how to make $100,000 a year. You personally make over $100k each year and legit want to show others what you know but you don't have anyone that has personally tried your course so obviously no one has succeeded at it. The best thing you can do in these situations is be transparent about your situation. Show the buyers your monthly statements, outline how much effort was put forth talk about how your methods were formulated, what works, and what didn't work so much.
Format Wisely
Sales pages can be quite long. Especially when there are many topics and concerns to be covered. The length of a sales page can make or break your ability to actually get consumers to purchase so here's what you do:
1. Use bullets and numbers whenever possible.
2. Review sections at a time to make skimming easier.
3. Make paragraphs short and concise.
4. Try not to use fluff or fillers.
5. Use media to break up large chunks of text.
6. Show instead of telling.
Like I said before, sales pages can be tricky and downright annoying to write but if done correctly you're bound to reap the rewards of your labor.
Aspiring copywriters: if you need 1:1 advice from an experienced copy chief, head over to my Phone a Friend page.
Aspiring copywriters: if you need 1:1 advice from an experienced copy chief, head over to my Phone a Friend page.