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video sales letter vs. writing a regular sales letter?

by davemiz
16 replies
we're all seeing the video sales letters online.

They obviously work.

(I know a few sites that are making BANK using them).

What (in your opinion) is difference is between writing a script for a video sales letter, vs writing a 'regular' sales letter?

For me I notice there's more 'content' in the video than the sales letter.

anything else?
#letter #regular #sales #video #writing
  • Profile picture of the author Harlan
    Dave, you've got to write it exactly like a salesletter.

    Plus, you've got the visuals.

    Bottom line is - it's a salesletter. Just in a different form.
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  • Profile picture of the author davemiz
    Hey Harlan.

    cool cool. thanks.

    Happy new year!
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  • Profile picture of the author MontelloMarketing
    Originally Posted by davemiz View Post

    For me I notice there's more 'content' in the video than the sales letter.

    anything else?
    Yeah... every one of them has to have the phrase "...weird little trick..." somewhere in the first minute.

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  • Profile picture of the author Aj Wilson
    I'll second Harlan,

    Without a Formula, sales letter or sales script...

    One will tend to lose track of things and start to ramble.

    and when you start to ramble in your videos,
    you can easily lose your prospect...

    still learning heaps from my tests etc,
    but I still create a sales letter first... then script the video from that.
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    • Profile picture of the author Scott Lundergan
      Besides content and formula, some of the difference is the phrasing
      of words and sentences by when it "reads" fine on a website, but saying
      it loud in a voice over or camera doesn't flow quite properly, sounds canned, or
      not as personable, so the words have to be written a different way.

      This happens often when I get scripts from clients where they will try
      and write the video script themselves and I will edit the wording so it
      works for the voice over or on-camera piece.

      They are some sharp video copywriters I collaborate with for talking
      head videos where I load their scripts on the teleprompter and it flows
      amazing natural and gives the talking head a burst of on-camera personality.

      Other times, I'll get scripts from copywriters who will write it where it
      would be great on a website, but then we often find ourselves making
      changes in the teleprompter by just changing the "way" certain words and
      speech patterns are placed throughout the script.

      Same concept with the scripts I get from others or write myself for voice over use.

      Just something I've come to see over time after working with hundreds
      of video scripts.

      Best,

      Scott
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  • Profile picture of the author ASCW
    Video allows tone of voice to be used as an extra medium of expression.
    Most marketers (and some copywriters) don't know how to use tone of voice to increase sales. In fact some people totally botch their videos. By reading a good script with horrible tone of voice. This leads to bad conversion rates - when everything "seemed" good to go.

    So there's that....

    I'd also like to point out that many people have started to make their squeeze pages super short and condensed (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). I feel this is because the super clean (and simple) layout of video squeeze pages has a lot of appeal. So people try to emulate this with their squeeze copy.

    But what most people don't realize is that most videos on squeeze pages have at least a few minutes of audio. Some of them even have 30+ minutes. And I'm pointing out that 30+ minutes of script is a HELL OF A LOT OF COPY WRITTEN OUT!

    Basically what I'm saying. Don't skimp out on your squeeze copy because you think the videos doing it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nathan Alexander
    I was thinking about running some yellow highlighter over my face when I say something important in my video. I haven't seen that tried yet...
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  • Profile picture of the author davemiz
    hahaha..... thanks vin!

    damn. that was the piece I was missing. :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author John_S
    I was thinking about running some yellow highlighter over my face when I say something important in my video. I haven't seen that tried yet...
    This thread is going to keep repeating right up until the state of video on the web reaches the infomercial stage of development. So get ready for ten years of watching "experts" reading a sales letter like they're a high schooler on day one in the A/V department.

    No. A script is different from a sales letter. And thinking visually is different from the same sales pitch in print. If the vids work at all, it's because of the horribly primitive state of web vids selling stuff.

    Billy Mays must be spinning in his grave about now.



    What are these infomercial idiots thinking ....Billy is not talking in a monotone, disinterested, semi-stupor -- he's using inflections and excitement and body language. ...Wait, what, you've got transitions and voiceovers atop demonstration after demonstration after demonstration!!


    OMG ...somebody went outside and rented a semi!! What morons. They could have saved that money having Mays read a sales letter describing how it looked.

    Everybody knows you just rattle off paragraph after paragraph explaining what *would* happen if anyone "did* demonstrate how something *does* work -- because we all know the book read aloud in theaters is better than movies where people act out scenes and paragraphs describing things are shown in an instant.

    Geez, I bet they select products around the demo factor and insist on there being some clear way to show that the product works like magic. We all know you sell using a screencam shot how software works -- done by the developer -- isolated from customers or results.

    What's next with these clueless people -- pointing a camera at a customer and getting third parties endorsing a product?! What dinosaurs. You can't trust people who sometimes turn off a computer and interact with a customer.

    Honestly, I have seen more innovative thinking applied to two tin cans and a piece of string.

    If you'll excuse me, I've suddenly gotten the urge to find a forum where Amish people discuss whether this movin' pi'ture thing is a fad or here to stay. And how about that 'lectricy thing ever'one's makin setch a fuss over?
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  • Profile picture of the author Nathan Alexander
    I know that video didn't work. There were no power-point slides.


    EDIT: Just making sure people know I'm kidding. (You have to combine ppt with polyphonic midi loops to really work.) Kidding again.
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  • Profile picture of the author John_S
    Reading powerpoints on video. YES! Forget flying cars ....that is the future in all its sci-fi glory.

    And now I have the urge to smash in the little "emergency" window of the red metal case holding a bottle of 151 proof Bacardi I have hanging on the wall. (Only serious)

    You know, whenever people make a joke on the web, some darned fool makes a serious business product out of it as a punchline.
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  • Profile picture of the author davemiz
    thanks for the comedy.... but you guys are taking the thread off topic.
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  • Profile picture of the author John_S
    Yes. We need to discuss getting your voice to a monotone, never showing anything but you reading, or better yet powerpoints and screencams alone.

    Serious stuff. Because you know and I know people are going to go right back to do that.

    Worse yet, develop products and talks about doing exactly that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nathan Alexander
    Yikes. Now I feel like I should contribute a little more. Sorry...

    I suppose in the end you have to ask yourself, "what would get me excited to buy?" There may be many paths, but the goal needs to move me.

    And action is motivated and inspired by a desired promise communicated through pushing the right buttons (usually emotional) through a captivating, engaging and empathetic conversation between me and the guy selling to me in an environment that (at least) appears to be private and meant only for me (one-on-one).

    So in the end, as long as you can speak to me and tell me how you'll help me, give me new hope, solve my problem and that kind of thing and do so...

    ...all while keeping me from tuning you out due to the million distractions that come my way so I can actually enjoy our conversation (the "flow" of timing and anticipating the bringing up of and resolving of concerns or questions about your product)...

    ...and play out the mental movie that you're subtly creating in my head (by purpose and design - kind of a "screenplay" you've engineered to the intended effect like, "Oh....so THAT's how I would mount it in a bathroom...but then what if I wanted to...oh, cool! It does that too!")

    ...so I can walk myself through going from having the problem to experiencing a vision of myself without the problem thanks to you, then do it however - ppt, video, words on paper even smoke signals (I don't think that WSO would fly).

    Video, sales letter, crappy video or sales letter, it's the ride more than the car you're in all else being equal. (Does that even make sense?)

    Selling is selling. You gotta get and hold attention, then....ah everyone knows it already.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin Rogers
      (This is a re-post from a similar discussion in the main forum, because it's relevant here...)

      An effective sales video is the result of effective copy. Period. I don't think any sane marketer would argue with that, but here is some actual proof I've been able to provide through recent projects...

      1. A well-established fitness client with a 7-year control ad who was (at first) reluctant to test video, put up the text version of my video script as a standard long form sales letter. The result was an instant 29.4% spike in conversions.

      (Side note: He did this without telling me. Which is good because I would have certainly made adjustments to the script as a text only letter based on my preconceived notions about the different appeals).

      Then we made it into the video sales letter and his conversions shot up another 66% -- literally overnight.

      Big lesson: Strong hooks and targeted appeals are vital in any medium, but if it works as text, it will likely KILL IT with video.

      2. On the Mobile Monopoly campaign, Adam had the same issue with video a lot of marketers do (especially if they enjoy making videos)... they believe following a script, however loose, will make them come off stilted. Like a pitchman instead of a casual guy offering good info.

      And yes, reading directly from a script can make you sound stiff -- if you do a stiff read. However, stiff reads are more of a personality issue than they are a scripting issue.

      If you're a stiff, you could hire Quentin Tarantino to write you script and guess what... you'll still be a stiff. (In which case your best bet is to hire voice talent or embrace your stiffness as your own personal hook)

      But if you have a big personality, then you'll be able to follow a script and still make it feel loose and spontaneous... while eliminating the risk of stuttering along or venturing onto any side roads on the path to action.

      The greased slide is still king in video, maybe more so. Making sure you keep your viewers on it requires carefully considered and well written copy.

      That will never change.

      KR
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  • Profile picture of the author Aj Wilson
    Not everyone can be an "instant expert" in creating video informercials...

    So if reading a sales letter or a script from a sales letter with powerpoint slides etc
    is all you can do right now...

    That is better than screwing things up and waffling garbage...
    Or worse, not starting out and testing anything at all.

    You gotta start somewhere and you can only get better over time
    as you get the real world feedback you need to make changes.

    Your prospects will tell you what works and what doesnt.
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