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...... How to Write a Video Sales Letter – Part One
Posted 14th December 2010 at 07:16 PM by Paul Barrs
By Paul Barrs
Video sales letters… you’ve seen the new trend, surely? Whether you love them or hate them, they’ve made their impact and are here to stay.
The questions arises though, how do we write a good video sales letter? Is there any difference between writing page sales copy and video sales copy? Well… yes there is, and no at the same time.
Most importantly you should remember that a good video sales letter is written for the voice as well as the text on the page. It is both read *and* heard – two different medium. Don‘t think that you can get away with just reading what’s on the screen – your viewer doesn’t need you for that, they can do it themselves.
But – and yes, there is always a BIG but… the better question is not “how to write a video sales letter”, rather do you *need* to have a video sales letter on your website?
Let’s look at that for a moment –
In today’s internet age, people use their computers and mobile phones much the way that one might use a newspaper in years past… we scan. We scan through the headlines and look for something interesting to read. The same principle applies online; we scan through the headlines and glance through a page “looking” for something interesting to read.
You cannot do this with a video sales letter. It’s all or nothing.
So unless your site delivers it’s product in video format, it would be wise to carefully test and measure the impact of a video sales letter on your audience.
A note though… we are *not* talking about a 1 minute video brochure in this article. That’s an entirely different thing.
So… once you have decided that a video sales letter is going to be good for your business you need to first create an outline for it. Starting with – a headline.
A good headline is the capture point. It’s the “I’ve got you now” that informs the viewer that they are in the right place. This is no different from traditional sales copy. The right headline can make up to 10 x the difference over the “almost” right headline, and over 50 x the difference from the wrong headline.
This headline should appear on the first frame as the video waits to be played. As the video starts, your voice over should begin a moment later… “Welcome. Who else wants to … (and you read the headline). That’s a good question isn’t it… Who else?”
The important thing here is to speak clearly, gently, individually. As if you were talking to a couple across a coffee table holding a flyer in their hands. And then you pause a moment waiting for their response.
If it’s the right headline you’ll have just grabbed their attention and they’ll want to ‘read more’. You can then move onto the next slide.
The important thing to remember when writing a video sales letter is that it’s not written to the hoards of people that you hope will one day come to view it… it’s written to no more people that a couple sitting across from you at a coffee table. It’s a conversation between you and them, and you’ve got the greatest gift imaginable to give to them.
Part two will dig deeper into the art of how to write a video sales letter….
About the Author
Paul Barrs has been providing Web Business Development to local businesses since mid 2002. He has spoken locally, nationally and at international seminars as an authority on Web Business Development. To find out how you can build your local business web presence, contact Paul by visiting PaulBarrs.com.au (or just Google him, you'll find him right there on the first page easily).
* This article may be reprinted, exactly as is, and with the sig file and hyperlinks intact.
Video sales letters… you’ve seen the new trend, surely? Whether you love them or hate them, they’ve made their impact and are here to stay.
The questions arises though, how do we write a good video sales letter? Is there any difference between writing page sales copy and video sales copy? Well… yes there is, and no at the same time.
Most importantly you should remember that a good video sales letter is written for the voice as well as the text on the page. It is both read *and* heard – two different medium. Don‘t think that you can get away with just reading what’s on the screen – your viewer doesn’t need you for that, they can do it themselves.
But – and yes, there is always a BIG but… the better question is not “how to write a video sales letter”, rather do you *need* to have a video sales letter on your website?
Let’s look at that for a moment –
In today’s internet age, people use their computers and mobile phones much the way that one might use a newspaper in years past… we scan. We scan through the headlines and look for something interesting to read. The same principle applies online; we scan through the headlines and glance through a page “looking” for something interesting to read.
You cannot do this with a video sales letter. It’s all or nothing.
So unless your site delivers it’s product in video format, it would be wise to carefully test and measure the impact of a video sales letter on your audience.
A note though… we are *not* talking about a 1 minute video brochure in this article. That’s an entirely different thing.
So… once you have decided that a video sales letter is going to be good for your business you need to first create an outline for it. Starting with – a headline.
A good headline is the capture point. It’s the “I’ve got you now” that informs the viewer that they are in the right place. This is no different from traditional sales copy. The right headline can make up to 10 x the difference over the “almost” right headline, and over 50 x the difference from the wrong headline.
This headline should appear on the first frame as the video waits to be played. As the video starts, your voice over should begin a moment later… “Welcome. Who else wants to … (and you read the headline). That’s a good question isn’t it… Who else?”
The important thing here is to speak clearly, gently, individually. As if you were talking to a couple across a coffee table holding a flyer in their hands. And then you pause a moment waiting for their response.
If it’s the right headline you’ll have just grabbed their attention and they’ll want to ‘read more’. You can then move onto the next slide.
The important thing to remember when writing a video sales letter is that it’s not written to the hoards of people that you hope will one day come to view it… it’s written to no more people that a couple sitting across from you at a coffee table. It’s a conversation between you and them, and you’ve got the greatest gift imaginable to give to them.
Part two will dig deeper into the art of how to write a video sales letter….
About the Author
Paul Barrs has been providing Web Business Development to local businesses since mid 2002. He has spoken locally, nationally and at international seminars as an authority on Web Business Development. To find out how you can build your local business web presence, contact Paul by visiting PaulBarrs.com.au (or just Google him, you'll find him right there on the first page easily).
* This article may be reprinted, exactly as is, and with the sig file and hyperlinks intact.
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