Writing Killer Copy That Converts

Writing sales copy is both art and science.

A lot of people struggle with it, so I decided to write this so you can gain some clarity on how to give more oomph to your sales letters, sales pages and blog.

Step 1: Get Up Close and Personal With Your Audience

To get intimate, you must first have an intimate understanding of your market and your audience. Then you can construct copy that resonates with them in a personal way. Use the ‘you’ word often – that’s a given. But you must go further. Here are some ideas:

• Lead With Pain. Nothing motivates people more than pain and discomfort. Remind people of their pain and they’ll be more likely to want to do something about it. Sometimes opening a sales letter with the simple question ‘frustrated’ will do the trick. From there you can expand on it a bit then lead them into your story……….
• Tell Your Story. If it’s relevant to do so, I will often share my story with my readers. It makes it more real – and personal. No need to make it your life story, just a small slice that involves the reader early on and gives them a sense that ‘hey’ he’s just like me’. It’s called empathy.
• Use Empathy. Give people the impression that you know exactly how they feel and that you are here to solve a problem for them (assuming of course that you have correctly identified it). One idea is to borrow the classic sales pattern that goes something like this: ‘I know how you feel, and I’ve felt the same way myself’.

Step 2: Appeal To Self-Interest Everytime

People buy benefits – the ‘what’s in it for me’ factor. They don’t care about you and your wonderful business. So when you’re writing sales copy make sure you lay it on with at least half a dozen finely crafted bullet points.

Here is an example of some potent bullet points from one of my sales letters:

• How to create a simple info product in 10 hours or less
• How to use the product to create an authority presence in your niche
• How to find laser targeted hot buttons that totally resonate with your audience
• How to get people to open up and tell you what pains them (so you can create an info product that addresses the pain)
• The ‘no write’ method to create a potent top seller info product
• The best way to create a potent title for your product (I GIVE you my private list of my best titles)
• The one-hour info product – use this technique to create your first product in just 60 minutes
• The best traffic sources so you can get hoards of visitors to your site quicker than you can say ‘click, click, click’!

Got the picture?

Step 3: Check Other Copy

Do your research! Pretty obvious really, so what you need to do is to look at what other top copywriters are doing. Analyze their sales letters by deconstructing them – determine the killer phrases and power words they use, then create variations for yourself. Also, look at how they structure the page including the price and value building associated with it, and of course – the close.

Step 4: Let Your Ideas Incubate

I like this one because it works so well. I like to let my copy sit for a day or two before I look at it again. Invariably when I return to the piece I see things that can be improved, including flaws that often hit me like a sledgehammer, something that doesn’t seem to happen in the first instance. This tip works a treat – make sure you apply it!

Step 5: Be Ruthless With Editing

Keep the language informal, include stories and testimonials, use emotion where necessary, build the value, show them the cost of delay, and always give sound logical reasons as to why prospects should buy NOW.

When you’re writing copy make sure you break up the paragraphs and use bullet points and subheadings to give the page more visual appeal.

Also, use power words and phrases to add colour and potency to your sales copy.

Finally, remove all superfluous words. Words that don’t serve the objective of making a sale need to be expunged from your sales copy.

Step 6: Transfer Risk With An Iron Clad Guarantee

Reversing the risk is a tactic that any self respecting copywriter will use often (there are exceptions). The objective is to shift the burden of risk from the prospect to you. Here are a few guarantee ideas, all of which work well:

1. Basic Guarantee

“30 Day Guarantee. If for any reason you are not happy, simply return the product for a FULL refund, no questions asked.”

2. Double Your Money-Back…

“I KNOW we have the best product in the marketplace. But why should you believe me when you probably don’t know me from a bar of soap? That’s why I decided to go out on a limb with my ‘double your money back guarantee’. If at any time over the next 30 days we didn’t match your expectations, tell us. We’ll give you back DOUBLE what you paid us. No dramas, no strings!”

3. The Competitor Guarantee

“If you decide within 30 days that our product isn’t delivering value for you, I’ll not only refund your money I’ll ALSO buy the equivalent competitor product for you at my cost”

4. Guaranteed Result Guarantee

“We guarantee that you will get XXXXX result with our product/service. If, after XX days you are not getting this result, tell us – we’ll work with you at our cost until you do.”

5. Double the Difference Best Price Guarantee

“If you find the same product elsewhere at a lower price let us know. We’ll give you double the difference.”

6. You Do the Work Guarantee

“If you don’t get a result within XX days, show us you did the work. We’ll give you your money back”

7. On Time Guarantee

We guarantee to deliver on time. If for any reason we are late, tell us. We will pay you $XX for each minute we’re late.”

I hope this helps you in writing your future sales copy.

To your success,

Robert