The Long and the Short of It -
Writing Copy for Your Sales Page

Volume III, Issue 7
ISSN: 1547-7754
December 2005
printable version

Chris King, Editor
By subscription only, this monthly e-newsletter is loaded with short, "down and dirty" tips to help you with solving the everchanging and growing puzzle of the Internet. This e-zine serves as a place to ask your questions and find the answers. So, send me your burning questions.

One of the goals I set when I finished my e-book on Powerful Presentation skills was to create a one page mini-site for selling it. This page would be dedicated only to the e-book and the bonuses offered with it. There would be no additional navigation or links. And there would be only one choice for the visitor to make - to order or not order.

The other main consideration was the length of the copy. The discussion groups to which I belong have hashed short vs. long copy over and over and over. I decided to choose medium to long length without hype. Just enough to tell the whole story.

In this issue, I am going to share the steps I followed to create my new sales page. Keep in mind that this is just one person’s approach. How it works remains to be seen - it was launched only two days ago.

STEP #1. Create a compelling headline.
To catch a reader’s attention, I have been told to either state their problem, challenge or pain, or to give hope - state a dream. Because my book is written to cover everything the reader needs to know and do to become “An Outrageously Powerful Presenter” I chose a hopeful headline.

STEP #2. Include a brief description and an action warning.
I quickly summed up the overall content of the book and my action warning was to stop readers from continuing if they weren’t prepared to put in the time and work. By telling them this, I figure I will start their commitment to the manual.

STEP #3. Describe the possible problems they are facing (time for a bit of pain).
I included the section, “Is This You?” in which I described six different scenarios that would precipitate the need for a manual like mine. Then I used a phrase that has worked for me before, “If one of these scenarios describes you, you have come to the right place.”

STEP #4. Sprinkle testimonials throughout the page.
Personally, I enjoy reading testimonials but don’t like them all bunched together, so I placed them throughout the page.

STEP #5. Tell the visitors about you.
In the short bio I included, I summed up my varied background, including my “more than eighteen years as a professional speaker.” When I visit a sales page, I want to know if the person who authored the product has actually had the experience he or she is writing about. I also like to see photos, so I did add my head shot.

STEP #6. Add “order now” links down to the Order section.
I feel that many of the visitors already know me from my e-newsletters and websites, fit one or more of the scenarios, so would prefer not to read everything that follows. Therefore, I am giving them the option of going right down to the Order portion.

STEP #7. Answer the question “What Is Unique about …?”
In this section, I acknowledged that there are many other excellent books about presenting skills (after all, I do recommend them on my website). And yet mine is unique in four areas, which I describe.

STEP #8. It is now time to include the facts and features. “What Is Included …?”
I list the six major sections with bullets of what the main topics in each of those sections cover. Rather than just listing the menu items, I added a sentence describing them. At the end of this portion, I ended the discussion with a brief summation and my e-mail address and phone number, so if anyone has questions they have a way to get in touch with me.

STEP #9. Setup the “Order Now” portion.
In this part of the page, I also listed five bonuses as extra incentives - three of my Special Reports, A Presentation Planning Worksheet, and an hour of consultation with me after filling in an assessment (that accompanies the order).

STEP #10. State the Cost.
I don’t believe in making someone hit the Order Button before finding out the cost of a product.

STEP #11. Make the offer risk free.
I called it “Good News.” I have a 100% money-back guarantee, no questions asked.

STEP #12. Make ordering as easy as clicking on the “Add to Cart” button.
I have been using PayPal for several years and find it to be easy to set up and seamless.

STEP #13. Add a P.S.
I added two. And, by now, if I have piqued your interest, I hope you will visit the sales page I have been describing - click HERE - and do let me know if you have any suggestions and/or questions.

Have a terrific and productive month!