Problem - agitation - solution.

Problem - don't you hate it when...?

Agitation - the effect of not solving the problem - worst-case scenario,
etc..

Solution - present your product - introduce it and lead into benefits
quickly showing in exciting terms how it solves the problem.

Thanks for the responses. That's Pretty much exactly the "formula", for lack of a better word, that I use. Attention, Pain, Solution, Urgency, Action.

I've got a lot of original, related bonuses - should I include them all at once, or sprinkle them after I introduce the main offer.

Regards,
Matt

Matt,

I read through the thread and liked the feedback..

Loren was right on the money with logical progression.

As for The Presentation of the "Offer" ... it's important to think about SOCIAL proof first at the very top of the copy (or content that' imbedded into the image) Some imagery as the very, very beginning must show a brand, themed message or something that substantiates what coming..

Also, as Kevin said, you need to try different approaches.. One day you will hit the Copy that pulls ... when it does, don't change it .... stick with it.. Also, do no over look analytical tools that show page views.. Sometimes (without objective measurements) you will make changes to copy when you really didn't have too...

Finally, when you do make your sales.. do hesitate to ask the buyers WHY THEY BOUGHT FROM YOU..

Again, great comments for everyone.... Continued success.

Really simple:

1 - Describe Problem
2 - Share personal life story of your struggle with that problem
3 - Show a little proof of what happened once you LEARNED the "Secret"
4 - Offer to SHARE that Secret including some EXTRA stuff that will let your prospects achieve the SAME Results or even better.

Voila

Nick pretty much summed it up there... To add to that ... will all of the crap that is out there... the facts speak for themselves... SOCIAL PROOF and Renifoced SOCIAL proof along with an Incredible Money Back Guarantee ... are very important in this day and age..

Hey Matt

I always try and make introducing the product as natural as possible in my copy, ie. the reasons for me eventually developing the product (which coincidentally happen to be the problems that the visitor will be having).

Then I talk about the reasons why I settled on my eventual price.

Raw, condensed, simplified version:

Someone suggested I should price this at $297 because it was better than Product X, but I didn't want to exclude [you poor folks]. So I decided to price it at $97.

(Disclaimer: The above is not copy, it's a very,very simplified outline of how I introduce the price.)

However, the price isn't really the offer (at least, not in this instance).

I define an offer as something that makes the customer feel they are getting even more value for money than usual.

(Actually, come to think about it, I'm going to start a thread on the main forum to ask people what they think an offer is. I think there will be lots of different answers!)

As you say, the trick is to "build value", so that the offer appears in the best possible light.

I use several different techniques, such as...

(a) Price conditioning.

I think you already have my 10% Conversion report, so you know how that works, i.e. condition people as early as possible to anticipate a high price/value (not silly stuff like, "it's worth $997, but you can have it for $2.50").

(b) Put the price into perspective.

In the 1st sales letters I wrote on the videos in my copywriting course, it was for a hypothetical "quit smoking" product, where I had my friend Sally calculate how much she saved from quitting her $7 a day habit... turned out to be over $2,500 a year... or more than $76,000 over 30 years!

Those figures put the $47 price point into perspective.

(c) Use comparisons.

"This simple tip saved me $750 an pay-per-click expenses."

Find some things that cost you $X until you discovered Y, and can save the reader $X.

(d) Emphasize the true costs of things.

Generally speaking, people don't know how to value things properly, so help them out.

How much did it cost to research, to put the product together, etc?

What about the time and effort?

We use money because we can exchange it for things that have value to us.

Help your potential customers to see that they're trading their $47 (or whatever) for your many, many hours of time and effort (and money) that YOU spent putting what they want and need together into one convenient package.

...

To me, the "offer" is the clincher; what pushes them to BUY NOW, rather than think about it.

So I usually have it near the end...

... after their desire has been peaked, they've been price conditioned, and the price has been fully justified.