Lesson Objective:
To put together your sales letter into final form so you can post it up to the web
tomorrow.
Skills Needed:
· Imagination
· Basic Word Processing
You may have noticed that a lot of the information products, websites, and ebooks you’ve
seen have “covers” or software “boxes” even though everything is delivered
electronically.
This isn’t by accident!
The human mind thinks in pictures and it’s hard to imagine what an ebook or a software
package looks like when you go to purchase it. However, with the right “virtual”
packaging, it’s easy for people to visualize what they’re buying from you!
Remember when you purchased this course? We had a really nice ebook “cover” on the
website so you instantly got a feel for what we were selling and how you could benefit.
If you want to get a “virtual” cover, package or box for your product – there’s only one
place we recommend – Killer Covers!
They did the cover for this ebook and many of our other online projects.
Visit their website to get a feel for how a cover can totally change your product’s
appearance and impact your sales like you never dreamed possible. At the very least
you’ll get some ideas on how you can do your own cover if you choose to do it yourself!
Alright -- on to day 6!
Today’s Lesson:
Today, we’re going to take the major components you created yesterday and “stitch and
sew” them together into a great sales letter.
But before we go there let me give you a few more tips for effective cyber-copywriting…
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Cyber Copy Tips
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When writing your copy throw everything you learned in English 101 out the window.
Write just like you talk
Use plain, easy to understand English. Nobody cares if you can use xenophobia and
ostentatious in a sentence. Write almost like you're talking to a buddy over a beer. So that
means using contractions. Be friendly and personable in your writing.
In fact, you'll notice I use phrases like "Look" or "I just told you about..." or "Listen".
These are all "talking phrases".
Write to one person
Try to think of the ideal prospect as you write and make the message just for them. Even
if your web site will be read by thousands of people each day - every person will read it
one at a time. Use "you" and "your" liberally. Focus on them, not yourself.
Keep your sentences and paragraphs very short and simple.
Period.
Sentences (and even paragraphs) can even be one word like that last one.
And paragraphs should be no more than 4 or 5 lines.
You want your web site to look easy to read with a lot of white space. Make it inviting.
Long blocks of words are scary (especially online). Paragraph breaks do not need to be
determined by content.
This is critical for your web site because reading on the screen is even more difficult than
on paper!
Make your subheads provide an entire sales message
Subheads should be like mini-headlines. Use them to break up large bodies of text and to
bring people back into the body of the letter.
A lot of people will scan your web site so you need to make your subheads give a
complete selling message by themselves. That way even people who just scan you web
site can be sold.
Many times I'll use the rejected headlines (from our last lesson) for the subheads.
Use lots of bullets
To make long letters look easier to read and draw attention to your message use lots of
bullets and be sure to make them double-spaced so the web page looks easy to read.
You can use bullets, checkmarks or numbers.
Make It Easy To Read
There are three graphic embellishments you want to stay away from in your web copy.
They are underlines, italics and ALL CAPS.
Underlining is typically used to identify hyperlinks so you don't want to confuse readers
with underlines.
ALL CAPS, like this, makes it much more difficult to read (especially on a screen).
Italics usually come out difficult to read on the screen also, the only spot I'll use italics is
for my testimonials.
Also, to make it easy to read avoid reverse type (white type on dark backgrounds). Stick
with a light background and dark type.
Remember if people can't read what you're saying… they can't buy.
To give emphasis to certain passages you can use Bolding, Boxes and yellow
highlighting.
Margins
You want to bring your margins in closer on the web site.
So instead of using the whole screen you or your webmaster needs to set the margins
closer for easier reading.
Never, ever make people scroll left or right to read your sales letter.
People's eyes have difficulties reading anything that is set too wide.
That's why you'll notice most magazines and newspaper are set in columns.
* * *
Now, with all of that said, you should model your sales letter after proven winners.
Go explore around the Net and bookmark copy that compels you to buy. Take the best
elements from all of these and combine them into your own sales letter.
In fact, one of the ways I learned to write copy so well was to write out (in my own
handwriting) proven sales letters from the masters.
This is the quickest and easiest way for the process to become imprinted in your mind.
Today’s Assignment:
1. Put together your own winning sales letter.
2. Take the elements from your last homework assignment and cut and stitch them
together.
3. You should also have a file of sales letters you’ve seen online you like -- and you
should also be saving your junk mail.
4. Pay attention to the headlines, openings, P.S.s, subheads, guarantees, transitions,
etc. (all the spots we talked about).
5. Also, be sure to read the article in the resource section about how to test your
sales letter before releasing it.
Today’s Resources:
Killer Covers – get an incredible visual representation of your product or service so
prospects immediately know what you sell!
How To Use Testing For Breakthrough Marketing Results
By Yanik Silver
Advertising is expensive. And it costs you the same amount of money to run an ad (or
mail a letter) that brings in 2 customers as one that drives in 20 customers. So that
difference is in your ad (or letter).
Let's say you've come up with what you think is a good ad (powerful headline, good
offer, sizzling copy, etc.), now you're ready to test.
Testing will help you:
1. Save yourself a bunch of money.
2. Improve any results you're currently getting.
3. Stop guessing about what works.
I'd say those are some pretty good reasons to learn all about testing and how to apply it to
your business. So before spending loads of money on your new ad you can (and should)
do a few low-cost/no-cost tests:
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The Sleep On It Test
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First, you should let your ad sit for at least a day. Then the next day you can come back to
it with new eyes and a fresher perspective. You can find errors that weren't apparent
before.
Also, your chances of writing a good ad are significantly improved with rewriting. (I will
rewrite an ad or letter 3, 4 or 5 times before I'm done.)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Reading Aloud Test
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I don't know what it is about reading something aloud versus reading to yourself, but
you'll pick up lots and lots of insight into how good (or bad) your ad really is by reading
it aloud. All the bumps and rough spots jump out at you.
Or a variation on this is to have someone else read it you. This is even better. As they're
reading it, you should take out a copy of the ad and make notes on it. One big advantage
of this is your reader is completely impartial.
He won't stress certain phrases or words to make the meaning clearer. And if the reader is
having trouble you know that's an area to edit.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Sneaky Opinion Test
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
This test is really great. Take your ad off your printer and make a xerox copy of it. Then
go around to a few people who should be in your target market and say something like,
"Take a look at this, I just found this in a magazine." Key point: Do not tell people you
wrote the ad because they'll be say how nice it is.
You're gauging their response. If they say something like "Did you write this?" or "This
is really good." What that really means is your ad stinks.
But if you start hearing "Do you know how I can get this done?" or "Do you do this?"
then you know you're on to something good and ready to spend money on your test.
Opinions are great, but the only votes that really count are the ones that are paid for. The
first thing you *don't* want to do is call every newspaper, magazine, throw-away, etc.
You need to start by testing small. And that means spending as little as possible to get
accurate results.
=-=-=-=-=-=-
Test Small
=-=-=-=-=-=-
Joe Sugarman (He sold millions of Blu-blocker sunglasses) tells how he would test all his
ads in the Southwestern edition of the Wall Street Journal. Because this was the cheapest
and smallest edition of the Journal to test.
That way he was able to read results quickly and then decide whether or not to 'roll-out'
to other editions. So how can you apply this information to your business?
Easy.
Let's say you've been running ads in your local paper. Well, usually newspapers have
zoned editions based on zip codes. So instead of paying for your ad to appear in the entire
circulation, you simply put it in one of the cheapest and most representative zones
available.
And by tracking the response (using a specific phone#, person, extension#, etc.) you can
safely predict what results you'll get once you go out to the entire circulation.
One more point: It's better to run your test ad in a daily paper instead of a monthly
magazine. Simply because you can ascertain information more quickly.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Don't Fall For Your Ad Rep's Traps
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
You cannot multiply zero. That means if there is no life in your ad -- kill it before it
drains more money and time from you.
Don't listen to your media rep's b.s. about repetition and getting discounts for multiple
insertions. Remember, these guys have no clue about how to create advertising that
works. If they did, they'd be running ads in their own magazines and making tons of
money.
Infomercial marketers realize this point. Imagine spending $100,000.00 to produce one
single 30 minute spot and then buying $400 - $1,000 in media to test it out. That's what
infomercial companies do.
They know if the phones aren't ringing after a couple of TV spots -- they're definitely not
going to ring if they throw tens of thousands of dollars in media at it, either.
Follow these tips and you'll be able to save a lot of money plus increase response. Just
test until you come up with a winner and then keep running it!
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