10 Powerful Secrets for Dazzling Sales Copy

Hot sales copy tips and strategies on how to write sales copy that draws attention and brings in sales

Elizabeth McGee

April 14, 2008

	Not rated
	Rate:

Writing good sales copy is an art. Unless you're a professional copy writer it takes a bit of crafting to compose a sales letter that drives huge sales.

That doesn't mean it can't be done. The craft of writing sales copy that sells means effectively relating to your visitors, properly selling them on your product's benefits and creating trust.

Here are 8 secrets on how to write sales copy that's sure to draw plenty of interest:

1. Use an Attention Grabbing Headline & Sub-Headline
You sales copy must grab attention immediately or you can kiss them goodbye. Web surfers are skimmers so you need to draw them in quickly if you want them to continue reading. Your headline should be in bold fact type with words that create curiosity that persuades them to read further.

Follow your headline with a sub-headline that highlights the best benefits of what your product is about. Use color to stimulate the reader's senses by creating your headline and sub-headlines in different font colors.

Test your headlines often. Changing just one word can increase a reader's interest by over 1000%. Do this by creating a few good headlines and test them to find out which ones create the most interest.

2. Create a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Your USP is your angle or sales position that you use to help your products stand out from the rest. For example, offering free delivery, a money back guarantee or a bonus offering can make you stand out among your competition. Offering something that helps you make your business 'special' is what you need to find. Once you find it, emphasize it in your sales copy.

3. Prove Your Credibility
The internet is full of false claims and untrustworthy scammers, so internet surfers want peace of mind that you are a trustworthy business and are going to make good on your claims. Additionally you will want to move out ahead of your competition. To accomplish this, your sales copy need to include the following:

- Brief explanation of your background along with how and why you are knowledgeable in your field
- Include testimonials from existing customers

4. Emphasize the Benefits
Display proudly the benefits of your products. Do this with concise and to the point bullet points. There are items that convey how your product or service will benefit your potential customer.

For example, let’s say you sell a running shoe that has a special arch support, the feature would be the arch support and the benefits might be more comfort and longer endurance. Effectively communicating the benefits will give you the edge over your competition.

5. Instill an Element of Fear
Here's where emotion can make an impression. Your reader has arrived at your sales letter because they need help. It may be to resolve a problem, make life easier, find more time, earn more money, whatever it is; they are looking to you as a possible solution. Determine what it is the reader will face if they don't resolve their problem and spell them out in bold letters.

6. Include a Guarantee
Always offer a guarantee. A buyer is much more likely to make a purchase if they know they can recover their money if not satisfied. It eliminates the risk to them. This means offering a 100%, no-hassles, no-questions asked, money-back guarantee. If you offer a quality product and project confidence in its value, you won't have many returns.

7. Offer at Least one Good Bonus
If you can over-deliver in value your customers are more likely to buy. Seal the deal by including a few good bonuses that make your product offer more appealing.

8. Initiate a Call to Action
Make that call to action. Tell your visitors what to do. People want to be directed on where to go. For example, use phrases like:

"For more information click here"
"To get your free trial click here"
"Order here"

If you simply make a suggestion or make it hard for them to figure out what they should do next, you could potentially lose sales.

9. Include Your Personal Handwritten Signature
In closing your sales letter, add your own personal handwritten signature. This adds a personal touch and projects a sense of sincerity. You can do this by scanning in your signature to a separate file and adding it to your sales copy. It's also a good idea to include it on your website and/or blog.

10. Use a Postscript (P.S.)
Below your signature include a P.S. that restates your main offer and add to that a 'special bonus'. Your special bonus should include a time limit. This adds urgency to your viewers buying decision.

Studies have shown that after reading the headlines, a viewer will often skim to the bottom of the sales letter and read the P.S. first, so displaying your offer information along with a time sensitive bonus is not only appealing, it will also capture the skimmers.