14 Tips for Writing a Sales Letter

I’m also to going share the importance of the 4 Ps which are known as Promise, Picture, Proof and Push.

Promise

The first element of any sales copy is the Promise. In effect this is the most exciting benefit your product or service could offer your prospect and is made by creating an attention-grabbing headline. Hence top copywriters will often spend 80% of their time working on just the headline. This demonstrates how important those first few words are in gaining the focus of your target audience.

You want to promise a valuable benefit to keep your reader engaged and interested. For example, some of the most successful headlines have aroused curiosity, announced news, or promised a quick and easy solution to a specific problem. The first thing on your prospects mind is “what’s in it for me?”. So, it’s vital that you back up any claims you make in your headline later in your sales copy.

Picture

So, you’ve captured their attention and they’re keen to know more and are willing to read on. Your first few sentences should expand on your initial promise made in your headline. Your aim should be to create a vivid picture and get your reader to imagine enjoying the benefit or the desired outcome. Illustrate a familiar scenario in the real world that they will feel a connection with and describe how it could be transformed by your product or service. Maintaining their emotional interest here is key so that you can lead them onto the next stage and then present them with even more great benefits.

Proof

At this point your reader will be excited and more likely to make a purchase, however they may also have doubts. That’s why it’s absolutely crucial to back up your previous claims with proof. You can demonstrate this by using a variety of proof factors such as charts, graphs, statistics, case studies, testimonials, and third-party facts. Show that the features of your product or service deliver the benefits you’ve promised.

This is also the time to address any potential objections your reader may have. Put yourself in your target audience’s shoes and answer the type of questions they might be thinking about. You need to reassure your reader that what you’re presenting is a genuine offer. It’s important to gain their trust. People are a lot more cautious about buying online these days as there are so many scammers out there!

What goes a long way to building trust is showing that you’re a real person just like them. Talk about the common problems in the marketplace surrounding these types of products or services. Acknowledge the possible negative experiences and then describe why yours is different from the rest. Often people will resist because they think your product or service is too expensive. This is where you must provide proof that your product is worth their investment. Remind them of the key benefits here too.

Push

Towards the end of your sales copy you need to push your reader to invest in your product or service. Persuade them to take action to click on the buy button at the bottom of your page. You must tell people exactly what you want them to do. Don’t just assume they’re going to do it without your lead. Now, people will only do this if they have all the information they need to make a decision, so make sure you provide them with everything they need to know.

Here’s 14 Tips for Writing a Sales Letter

Tip 1. Create a compelling headline

As I discussed earlier capturing your reader’s attention immediately is vital. In addition, you need to pique their interest and convince them to read further. You can showcase the main benefits of your product or service here in a bold, short, concise sentence.

Tip 2. Craft a sub-headline that creates excitement

Focus on the benefits of your product or service and generate the excitement of your reader in a couple of short sentences at the most. If you’re offering a limited promotion then clearly specify this here.

Tip 3. Prompt section

This is where you can add something like “Please read this special message right to the end”. You want to motivate your reader to continue working their way through your copy.

Tip 4. Boldly list the benefits

In the first few sentences of the body copy make sure you address your reader’s goals or fears. Get alongside your reader and empathise with what they’re feeling and experiencing. Describe how their problem will be solved, or how their life will be improved by investing in your product or service.

Tip 5. Define your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

Describe what makes your product or service different from others on the market and why they should invest in yours rather than someone else’s. Again, highlight the benefits to your reader. Explain that you will elaborate on the details later on.

Tip 6. Establish your credibility

You have to make your big promise believable and any bold claims you’ve made have to be backed up by credible evidence. As well as sharing your own experience you can offer evidence in the form of relevant illustrations, quotes or statistics. Before someone invests their money in your product or service they have to feel safe and that they can trust you.

Tip 7. Reiterate the benefits and list the features

This is a critical stage in your sales copy because here you’re repeating the benefits of your product or service in addition to detailing the features. This is also where you’ll reassure your reader that this is a genuine offer. They may have objections, so you need to concentrate on removing these so that they progress and make a purchase.

Tip 8. Include customer testimonials

Testimonials are another solid way of establishing your credibility and reinforcing the quality of your offer. If this is a new product or service then select a few people in your network and ask if they’d try it out and offer you a testimonial in return. This is a great way to get genuine, honest feedback. It may be that after receiving feedback you’ll want to tweak some elements before your launch.

Tip 9. Continue to build value

It’s important to keep building value and make sure you let your reader know exactly what they’d be getting when they invest in your product or service.

Tip 10. The Offer

It’s crucial that you spell out the amazing value they’ll be getting and the small investment they’ll have to make to access your product or service. Instead of saying cost or price use the word “investment” because an investment is an asset or item that is purchased with the hope that it will produce income or appreciate in value at some stage in the future.

Tip 11. Bonuses

The majority of sales pages have a bonus section. The golden number appears to be 3 or 4. However, on many occasions I’ve seen offers with more than 20, which in my humble opinion is just too overwhelming and takes the focus away from the main offer. The bonuses you include should complement your main offer and of course will add more value to your product or service.

Tip 12. Offer a strong guarantee

By offering a money-back guarantee you are taking away any risk and reassuring your reader that they can try out your offer and see how it works for them. This instils trust and confidence and pushes them to make a purchase.

Tip 13. Show and tell

Make it crystal clear as to how they can make a purchase. Don’t leave anything to chance. Spell out what they’ll get and when, and how their purchase will be delivered.

Tip 14. Always include a P.S.

Many readers of sales letters will read the headline and then skip to the price and the p.s. and then come back to the rest of the copy. So, make sure you highlight the benefits again. Restate how investing in your product or service will solve their problem and transform their life. Tell them this is an opportunity they don’t want to miss.

Remember – sales letters require tweaking until you get that winning combination that converts your prospects into buyers.

To Your Success!