Are most sales pages too long?

cool thanks for the advice. I guess i'm just fearful of being repetitive trying to keep up with all of the long sales copies that I have been reading.

In my opion ,i do not think the customer before computer like to read too long to make theri decision...
most the customer have theri own consume goal...and the ture picture in my point are more charming to words...

That's a silly thing to say this! You may mill the wind throughout 10 pages without nothing to say. And you may tell essential things just in several lines. And the results will be quite different!
Personally I close the sites with a GREAT amount of information. At first you should grasp the consumer and then tell him additional information.

You should also use your sub-heads to tell the story to "skimmers" (like me) who want to learn what you have to say, but don't want/have time to read the whole thing.

Virginia

I'm sure people appreciate the encouragement.

As for how long or short sales letters need to be, here's what I have noticed over the last year of doing critiques:

1. Generally, most sales letters presented are underwritten. They do not articulate all the benefits, and for me, that's leaving money on the table. Because especially when you launch, you never know which benefit will resonate.

2. Most sales presented on this forum, even though they try to be exciting, come off underplaying the emotional aspects. They are usually overwritten on their logical elements.

3. Many try to be "cute" with their graphics or layout. Many use pictures which are not relevant to the message. Unless you're doing multi-variable testing, you'd be wise to keep the format, graphics and layout simple.

4. Many sales letter are incongruent in their offer v. proof v. benefits. They promise a six-figure income but they only show they've made $500 a week. Or they have testimonials saying they have a great product, but they guarantee a six figure income. That strategy raises all sorts of red flags.

If marketers and copywriters would focus on these elements, I think a modest increase of 10% at least would be in order for each point. That means an overall increase of 40%.

- Rick Duris

6 years ago when I was a newbie copywriter with little knowledge and more talent...

...a prolific copywriter noticed my sales copy and decided to give me a call. He was really impressed with my work... and a little less impressed when I asked how long he thought copy should be.

He'd already decided to hire me, and he did. But I sensed he might be worried about that decision as he filled me in on the secret answer...

..."as long as it needs to be."

That IS the right answer. The answer is not 1,000 words, or between 3,000 and 5,000... but most of us already know that in the copywriting forum.

The problem, of course, is figuring out how long it needs to be.

That depends on a multitude of factors. Especially the prospect's awareness of what you're selling.

Schwartz's "Breakthrough Advertising" gives the best breakdown of deciphering the prospect's awareness and responding accordingly.

But here's what I think beginning copywriters should do.

Start small, and GROW the sales letter with testing.

If you don't have much experience writing copy, it's going to be very difficult to keep their attention throughout long copy. And it just gives you more opportunities to make mistakes.

Instead I'd spend most of your focus on creating an awesome headline, a solid and appealing offer, and some curiosity provoking bullets. Keep it relatively short, and then start testing.

Make sure to test portions of your copy against nothing. That'll help you find out which portions of your copy are hurting sales.

Then as you add new copy, test that against nothing too. That way you'll find out if your new copy is helping or hurting.

Of course, if you're writing your own copy you may not have a way to generate a ton of traffic yet either. And that'll make it hard to test...

...and that's why I recommend starting with squeeze pages first. Write your copy like a sales page but instead of an order button, ask for the email instead of $20-50 bucks.

This will help you optimize your sales copy faster with less traffic. You may have to give away several free copies of your product, but you're giving it in exchange for growing better sales copy.

That's a fair trade.

Cheers,
Stephen Dean

I haven't used Clicktale but I've used an equivalent. The heat maps are my favorite. Much faster than trying to watch 100 visitor sessions, although I'm sure it could tip you off to some things.

Cheers,
Stephen Dean

Hey Andrew,

Do you mean, like, 6 point font?

The truth is, copy should always be "three" things:

1) Fat-free

2) Persuasive

3) Complete

#1 is why it is advocated by many writers that you just write, write, write. Not for style, not for clarity, nothing. You just write and get everything in your head onto paper. Then, you go back and edit the material. You organize it, trim the fat, change features into benefits, increase the emotional appeal, etc.

#2 ties in with #1. You should've trimmed away all the fat so that the persuasiveness of your copy isn't bogged down in irrelevant drivel.

#3 is also tied to #1. Your copy, particularly on high ticket items, needs to answer every objection, show every benefit (not knowing which one in particular will push your prospect over the edge into buying), reverse the risk, and etc, etc. The standard stuff you're taught about writing copy.

But as you can see, this all ties in with #1. The problem with some copy not that it's too long, but that it's too boring. And there you have what kills your conversion rates.

Note: this was for anybody reading this thread. Not particularly aimed at Andrew.

Regards,

Angel

Bingo!
That are the salespages which really sell!

Nicely said

One contributor to this thread mentioned "padding", B and B said "repetitive" and not wanting to be so.

I do not write reams of copy but have eyed much of it over the course of a decade or so. 98% of it online.
Trends were noticed with the advancement of Internet Persuasion through the written word.

Many sold me, short and long. And then something happened.

Repetition, the sameness began to leech into a brain too curious to quit. Slow at first this nagging tug, persisting until the blare was glaringly obvious. Not all copy fit, but much.

The copywriting was being copied by many sales guys over and over. Massive scrolling sales letters without end, repetition rampant, padding excessive. The Bonus bulging ends are now middles [last I checked]
The wording, layout, storyline, pauses, all of it, could have been running out of the mouths of twenty business owners simultaneously, the only thing really different would be their faces.

I read enough to know what is taught by some is to find what works and use it. Nothing the matter with that but some of these guys don't go a long way to be original and those who used to win with me now fail.
Maybe I'm just too worn, jaundiced eyes tired, old school, or cranky.


What did it for me no longer does and the long,long twenty minute sales page prompting the "same" every third paragraph or whatever the formula flavor for the month is just has me annoyed. Okay I'm cranky.
The new uninitiated flock in by the thousands so the sales pitch works.


I go out to get a good old dose of oral copy-writing once and awhile.
Climb into the faithful beater, head out to various used car lots, chug in smoking and before the engine quits dieseling, a warm handshake, current weather forecast and the game is on. Most of these meetings can run long too.
Hmmm. What do I know.:rolleyes:


Bill

Driving away, old beater growing smaller in the rear 'view of a 2011 Lexus.

Rick,

I'll forgive you this one...

All Jim Rutz writings are really fantastic. But copying those long pieces he writes would constitute a day-job.


Regards,

Angel