Want To Get Your Sales Letter Critiqued? Get Your Hook Sparkling First
*In my Dirty Harry voice*
So... you want to post your sales letter up for critique.
That’s a damn good idea.
You’re going to get a bunch of great information that you can use to add the crucial %'s to your conversion rate.
But…
I'd wager that 80% of you won't hit the "new thread" button. Maybe even as high as 90%.
Why?
Because The Copywriting Forum is a scary place. People have been undressed in front of everyone by the straight-talking, no-bull approach carried by most members.
And that’s not a bad thing, but nobody wants it to happen to them, right?
After all, you’re not a copywriter, so you don’t have a clue what reception your letter will get.
But you don't want to be laughed out the place.
And you need a little confidence to bump your letter in here... so here's an aspect that you can get right, before you post.
An aspect so important, that it can make or break the most emotionally gripping sales letter around.
It's your…
Hook.
The heart and soul of every sales letter...
It runs from beginning to end.
And yet some still miss this point…
So, if you’re serious about receiving a solid critique, read on…
How To Make Sure Your Hook Is Laser-Targeted
Rule number 1 in copywriting is to grab your prospect’s attention… rule 2 is to keep it.
If you confuse your prospect with a muddled up hook, then you’re done for. It’s over.
They’ll click off, without even giving you a second thought.
And this goes for every platform…
Sales letters, VSL’s, website’s, squeeze pages…
Brutal.
The simple fact is, that people are being marketed to for hours everyday. And they really don’t have time for what any marketer is trying to say to them. So if you get their attention…
You better frickin’ keep it!
So how do we make sure our hook is as clear as possible?
Here’s your crash course (credit goes to Jon Benson)…
1. List out all the problems your product/services solve.
Now… put on your customer’s thinking cap, their knee-high boots and decide which are the 3 most important problems your product/services solves. .
Not what you think. What they think.
Like:
2. Pick out the most important problem and combine it with one of the remaining two (this is called the enabler).
Financial Freedom, working with complete freedom.
3. Then make it appealing to your customer.
The Easiest Way To Earn $xxxx.xx Per Month, After Being Liberated From The 9-5.
Sure, yours may not be the "easiest," but what is it? The simplest? Quickest? The list goes on...
Note: This is not your headline, this is just the hook that you’re trying to convey through your sales letter.
Now you have a hook you can use. The same hook which needs to resonate in every aspect of your letter… the headline, the hook, the close, ALL OF IT!
Or you'll find your customer's clicking off...
So there you have it.
Don’t confuse your customer…
And most importantly...
Don't confuse us.
Be brave.
See you on the other side.
Chris
P.S. Read this sticky too.
So... you want to post your sales letter up for critique.
That’s a damn good idea.
You’re going to get a bunch of great information that you can use to add the crucial %'s to your conversion rate.
But…
I'd wager that 80% of you won't hit the "new thread" button. Maybe even as high as 90%.
Why?
Because The Copywriting Forum is a scary place. People have been undressed in front of everyone by the straight-talking, no-bull approach carried by most members.
And that’s not a bad thing, but nobody wants it to happen to them, right?
After all, you’re not a copywriter, so you don’t have a clue what reception your letter will get.
But you don't want to be laughed out the place.
And you need a little confidence to bump your letter in here... so here's an aspect that you can get right, before you post.
An aspect so important, that it can make or break the most emotionally gripping sales letter around.
It's your…
Hook.
The heart and soul of every sales letter...
It runs from beginning to end.
And yet some still miss this point…
So, if you’re serious about receiving a solid critique, read on…
How To Make Sure Your Hook Is Laser-Targeted
Rule number 1 in copywriting is to grab your prospect’s attention… rule 2 is to keep it.
If you confuse your prospect with a muddled up hook, then you’re done for. It’s over.
They’ll click off, without even giving you a second thought.
And this goes for every platform…
Sales letters, VSL’s, website’s, squeeze pages…
Brutal.
The simple fact is, that people are being marketed to for hours everyday. And they really don’t have time for what any marketer is trying to say to them. So if you get their attention…
You better frickin’ keep it!
So how do we make sure our hook is as clear as possible?
Here’s your crash course (credit goes to Jon Benson)…
1. List out all the problems your product/services solve.
Now… put on your customer’s thinking cap, their knee-high boots and decide which are the 3 most important problems your product/services solves. .
Not what you think. What they think.
Like:
- Gain financial freedom from having a list you can sell to over and over.
- Gain personal freedom by not having to work for anyone.
- Learn how to make money online.
2. Pick out the most important problem and combine it with one of the remaining two (this is called the enabler).
Financial Freedom, working with complete freedom.
3. Then make it appealing to your customer.
The Easiest Way To Earn $xxxx.xx Per Month, After Being Liberated From The 9-5.
Sure, yours may not be the "easiest," but what is it? The simplest? Quickest? The list goes on...
Note: This is not your headline, this is just the hook that you’re trying to convey through your sales letter.
Now you have a hook you can use. The same hook which needs to resonate in every aspect of your letter… the headline, the hook, the close, ALL OF IT!
Or you'll find your customer's clicking off...
So there you have it.
Don’t confuse your customer…
And most importantly...
Don't confuse us.
Be brave.
See you on the other side.
Chris
P.S. Read this sticky too.