How to Write a Sales Letter That Gets Results
Here's a simple eight-part formula for how to write a sales letter that gets results.
You must first realize that all products are created to solve a problem.
And you should have this problem -- and how it effects your prospective customer -- firmly in your mind before you start to write.
The pre-headline: If you wanted to attract the attention of your buddy in a crowded room, what would you do? I guess you'd shout his name.
And the chances are, he'd be alerted by his name being called and you two would make contact.
In just the same way, you make contact with your ideal prospect -- not by calling his name, of course -- but by using a pre-headline to say, in essence: "Hey, this is for YOU".
The headline: Once you've signaled who your sales letter is for, you need to rivet your prospect's attention.
Now there is a lot of misinformation about headlines.
Contrary to popular belief, headlines should not attempt to sell the product.
They are merely there to sell the idea of reading the beginning of the letter.
Have you ever seen that Oscar winning movie, "The Sting", starring Robert Redford and the late, great Paul Newman? It concerned a couple of guys getting revenge on some heavy duty gangster, who had killed their buddy.
The movie was conveniently split into several chapters and the part that starts it rolling is called "The Hook".
And that's precisely the purpose of the headline -- to hook your prospect.
Then once you have them on the hook, you can start to reel them in! The deck copy: This appears immediately under the headline and its purpose is to convince the reader to carry on reading.
It does this by enlarging on the eye-catching headline and telling the prospect why they would read on.
For example: "Read on to discover how this Atlanta housewife lost six stone in eight weeks without starving, going to the gym or giving up chocolate...
" Then you come to the most delicate part of the letter, where you need to get the prospect to start reading in earnest.
The opening paragraphs: I guess it's the herd instinct, but we humans always warm to someone we feel is like us.
You feel more comfortable with them and you are more inclined to trust them.
And trust must be created before any sale can take place.
So, you need to immediately show your prospect you are just like them and understand their problem.
And, as this is a letter, it's a good idea to start with a salutation.
So don't waste that salutation on "Dear friend" if you can put "Dear fellow investor" or "Dear fellow ___ sufferer".
You then need to build on that common ground, by starting the body of the letter with a statement the prospect will readily agree with.
For example: "You don't need me to tell you that if there was ever a time to protect your investments and savings, that time is now".
Then you move on to paint a very dark picture of what might happen if the problem is not remedied.
Then -- like a shaft of sunlight piercing the angry, black clouds you introduce your product as the perfect solution for the prospect's problem.
And the way to best do this is listing every single benefit you can think of as a bullet point.
Bullet points: These are one of the key elements of how to write a sales letter, because, if you get this right, you will really light a fire under your prospect.
We copywriters call bullet points "fascinations", because they are designed to fascinate the reader and give them an itch that can only be scratched by the sweet release of buying the product.
So, depending on the product, you might get as many as 20 fascinations like this: "Discover the amazingly simple way to video yourself in any location on Earth (or even in Space) and it's all laid out for you in six easy, paint-by-numbers steps in Chapter Seven.
" When you have the prospect really fired up by your bullet points you can introduce...
The price and guarantee: I have put these two together because I find it is very effective to deal with them together.
For example, just as I'm about to discuss the price I will say: "But first, let me make one thing clear -- I take all the risk on this".
And then go on to state the guarantee.
That way, when the prospect is weighing up your price in their mind, they are also very aware they can take a chance on buying it, because they can back out of the deal with no penalty.
And when you come to the price, you first demonstrate the awesome value you are giving them by telling them what the more expensive alternative would cost.
So, for example, if you are selling a course, explain the cost and inconvenience of traveling to meet the author, plus the astronomical hourly rate they charge for one-to-one consultations.
Then point out they can enjoy that very same wisdom, which they can absorb at their own pace -- and in the comfort of their own home -- by buying the course for a mere fraction of the high cost of a personal consultation.
And, if you are selling a book, compare that with the higher cost of a course, stressing that you get all the distilled wisdom of the course, but at the far lower cost of the book.
By "minimizing" in this way, you make the prospect really understand what tremendous value they are getting.
Laying it on the line: Now the prospect is fired up by your bullet points/fascinations and knows how much they must invest for the solution to their problem and is well aware they can try this out at no risk to themselves, you can turn up the heat to close the sale by spelling out exactly what is at stake for them.
People buy with their emotions, so here is where you need to play on both fundamental emotional triggers: "Fear of pain" and "Craving for comfort".
So you lay out the two choices they now have, one by one.
First paint a dark picture of what happens if they do nothing.
You've already alluded to this in the opening of your letter and now is the time to really rub salt into the wound.
Then, once your prospect is starkly reminded of their present unwanted situation, you apply the soothing balm by painting a rosy picture of how wonderful they will feel, once they own the product.
Tell them of the "Christmas morning feeling" of sheer joy and excitement that will surge right through their whole being, when they examine the product and realize -- at last -- they have the complete solution to the problem that has dogged them for so long.
If it's relevant, paint a glowing word picture of how their friends and loved ones will look at them with renewed respect for finally solving the problem.
And then end the letter by saying that, because the choice they have to make is so obvious, you are looking forward to welcoming them as a valued customer.
Post scripts: It has been proven that -- after the headline -- the most read part of a sales letter are the post scripts.
So you should have at least two.
The first one should stress that -- because of your cast-iron guarantee -- the only way they can possibly lose out is by not purchasing the product.
And your second post script should stress the scarcity factor to get them to buy now, rather than go away and "think about it".
You do this by mentioning scarcity factors, such as Early Bird discounts, an imminent price rise, limited quantities of the product or a very small number of bonuses throughout the letter and now you really highlight how they will miss out.
Always remember that fear of loss is a far better motivator than the promise of gain.
Think of a sales letter as a love letter and you'll realize its true purpose is to seduce.
That's why the extra elements now needed to be added to the mix -- such as "The Common Enemy" -- are called "Seduction Secrets".
They really make the sales letter an irresistible greased chute, right from the pre-headline all the way down to the "Buy" button.
If you use this simple, eight-point template you'll have a good basic knowledge of how to write a sales letter that works.
But, for sizzling success, you need to add the seduction secrets.
You must first realize that all products are created to solve a problem.
And you should have this problem -- and how it effects your prospective customer -- firmly in your mind before you start to write.
The pre-headline: If you wanted to attract the attention of your buddy in a crowded room, what would you do? I guess you'd shout his name.
And the chances are, he'd be alerted by his name being called and you two would make contact.
In just the same way, you make contact with your ideal prospect -- not by calling his name, of course -- but by using a pre-headline to say, in essence: "Hey, this is for YOU".
The headline: Once you've signaled who your sales letter is for, you need to rivet your prospect's attention.
Now there is a lot of misinformation about headlines.
Contrary to popular belief, headlines should not attempt to sell the product.
They are merely there to sell the idea of reading the beginning of the letter.
Have you ever seen that Oscar winning movie, "The Sting", starring Robert Redford and the late, great Paul Newman? It concerned a couple of guys getting revenge on some heavy duty gangster, who had killed their buddy.
The movie was conveniently split into several chapters and the part that starts it rolling is called "The Hook".
And that's precisely the purpose of the headline -- to hook your prospect.
Then once you have them on the hook, you can start to reel them in! The deck copy: This appears immediately under the headline and its purpose is to convince the reader to carry on reading.
It does this by enlarging on the eye-catching headline and telling the prospect why they would read on.
For example: "Read on to discover how this Atlanta housewife lost six stone in eight weeks without starving, going to the gym or giving up chocolate...
" Then you come to the most delicate part of the letter, where you need to get the prospect to start reading in earnest.
The opening paragraphs: I guess it's the herd instinct, but we humans always warm to someone we feel is like us.
You feel more comfortable with them and you are more inclined to trust them.
And trust must be created before any sale can take place.
So, you need to immediately show your prospect you are just like them and understand their problem.
And, as this is a letter, it's a good idea to start with a salutation.
So don't waste that salutation on "Dear friend" if you can put "Dear fellow investor" or "Dear fellow ___ sufferer".
You then need to build on that common ground, by starting the body of the letter with a statement the prospect will readily agree with.
For example: "You don't need me to tell you that if there was ever a time to protect your investments and savings, that time is now".
Then you move on to paint a very dark picture of what might happen if the problem is not remedied.
Then -- like a shaft of sunlight piercing the angry, black clouds you introduce your product as the perfect solution for the prospect's problem.
And the way to best do this is listing every single benefit you can think of as a bullet point.
Bullet points: These are one of the key elements of how to write a sales letter, because, if you get this right, you will really light a fire under your prospect.
We copywriters call bullet points "fascinations", because they are designed to fascinate the reader and give them an itch that can only be scratched by the sweet release of buying the product.
So, depending on the product, you might get as many as 20 fascinations like this: "Discover the amazingly simple way to video yourself in any location on Earth (or even in Space) and it's all laid out for you in six easy, paint-by-numbers steps in Chapter Seven.
" When you have the prospect really fired up by your bullet points you can introduce...
The price and guarantee: I have put these two together because I find it is very effective to deal with them together.
For example, just as I'm about to discuss the price I will say: "But first, let me make one thing clear -- I take all the risk on this".
And then go on to state the guarantee.
That way, when the prospect is weighing up your price in their mind, they are also very aware they can take a chance on buying it, because they can back out of the deal with no penalty.
And when you come to the price, you first demonstrate the awesome value you are giving them by telling them what the more expensive alternative would cost.
So, for example, if you are selling a course, explain the cost and inconvenience of traveling to meet the author, plus the astronomical hourly rate they charge for one-to-one consultations.
Then point out they can enjoy that very same wisdom, which they can absorb at their own pace -- and in the comfort of their own home -- by buying the course for a mere fraction of the high cost of a personal consultation.
And, if you are selling a book, compare that with the higher cost of a course, stressing that you get all the distilled wisdom of the course, but at the far lower cost of the book.
By "minimizing" in this way, you make the prospect really understand what tremendous value they are getting.
Laying it on the line: Now the prospect is fired up by your bullet points/fascinations and knows how much they must invest for the solution to their problem and is well aware they can try this out at no risk to themselves, you can turn up the heat to close the sale by spelling out exactly what is at stake for them.
People buy with their emotions, so here is where you need to play on both fundamental emotional triggers: "Fear of pain" and "Craving for comfort".
So you lay out the two choices they now have, one by one.
First paint a dark picture of what happens if they do nothing.
You've already alluded to this in the opening of your letter and now is the time to really rub salt into the wound.
Then, once your prospect is starkly reminded of their present unwanted situation, you apply the soothing balm by painting a rosy picture of how wonderful they will feel, once they own the product.
Tell them of the "Christmas morning feeling" of sheer joy and excitement that will surge right through their whole being, when they examine the product and realize -- at last -- they have the complete solution to the problem that has dogged them for so long.
If it's relevant, paint a glowing word picture of how their friends and loved ones will look at them with renewed respect for finally solving the problem.
And then end the letter by saying that, because the choice they have to make is so obvious, you are looking forward to welcoming them as a valued customer.
Post scripts: It has been proven that -- after the headline -- the most read part of a sales letter are the post scripts.
So you should have at least two.
The first one should stress that -- because of your cast-iron guarantee -- the only way they can possibly lose out is by not purchasing the product.
And your second post script should stress the scarcity factor to get them to buy now, rather than go away and "think about it".
You do this by mentioning scarcity factors, such as Early Bird discounts, an imminent price rise, limited quantities of the product or a very small number of bonuses throughout the letter and now you really highlight how they will miss out.
Always remember that fear of loss is a far better motivator than the promise of gain.
Think of a sales letter as a love letter and you'll realize its true purpose is to seduce.
That's why the extra elements now needed to be added to the mix -- such as "The Common Enemy" -- are called "Seduction Secrets".
They really make the sales letter an irresistible greased chute, right from the pre-headline all the way down to the "Buy" button.
If you use this simple, eight-point template you'll have a good basic knowledge of how to write a sales letter that works.
But, for sizzling success, you need to add the seduction secrets.