There's been some talk about sales copy in Chrislingle's big PPC->AM thread. He mentioned NAIDA, which I'm not gonna cover here, but instead present a few basics around writing a good sales copy foor PPC -> Affiliate Marketing. How and what you write will have an effect on the conversion rate of your landing page, and could mean the difference of several %.
So, here goes:
- Know your target demographic!
Who is your audience and what expectations do they have?
Writing for the right demographic or audience is important. This should affect your writing style, the language used, the use of "bells and whistles", and the whole attitude and approach of your letter. Let us picture two examples;
- Niche/offer A, you're promoting an offer for an ebook on "SEO Blackhat
techniques"
- Niche/offer B, you're promoting an offer for a "Spring Break Beach Resort"
Obviously - we have here two totally different target demographics we want to adress. For niche A, we need to be aware that the people looking for such a book will be a very technically savvy, male (ages 18-45) dominated group. These guys already know the ins and outs of what you are trying to do (which is presell them an ebook through an affiliate link), and naturally they are gonna have a skeptical attitude.
The other group (niche B) however, is of course represented by both genders, ages 16-25, may have limited money to spend, but doesn't care so much how or who they are sold their vacation - as long as they're not smelling a scam.
They probably won't even know that you'll get paid by the lead / sale If you feel your demographic is "no particular demographic" and very broad, focus your attitude around what YOU would want to read if you were the reader. Put yourself in the general reader's shoes...
So for niche A, do your research, and present facts and features they CARE about. Cut the crap. For niche B, you can allow for a more relaxed approach. Your language and sales copy attitude will change accordingly. Maybe you even wanna test it with some colorful or flashing graphics in there. This audience is more likely than not gonna know what you're trying to do. This also goes with what Mike previously suggested: Take a look at what your well-ranking competitors are doing for the niche. Chances are that they are onto something that works.
- Your neutral and objective sales copy
It's a good thing to convince the reader early on that you are on their side. That you are one of them, but would like to present or recommend the offer in question. Don't try to convince them that you are not trying to sell them something. Instead, make it clear that you want them to go through with it - but give good reasons why they should, and how it will benefit them. You do not want to come across with a salesy attitude, and don't appear affiliated with the merchant. (Some may disagree on that last part, but I firmly believe appearing unbiased will build more trust). Gain their trust, and present your reasons for the recommendation.
Speaking of trust - it also helps to write as if you really know the topic/niche/product. Do a little research (hey, this isn't free and easy money after all!), get a basic understanding of the product or service and how it works. Also check out competing products / services in that niche and find reasons why the one you are selling is BETTER. Throwing together a quick sales letter based on zero product knowledge and guesswork will result in SHIT conversions...
- Reverse psyhcology.
Sounds lame I know, but it can work for *some* types of offers. Be sure you know who you're writing for though. More likely than not, the ones that fall for this trick aren't always the sharpest knife in the drawer
So how use reverse psychology in a sales letter? It's basically saying shit like "Don't try this offer. Go ahead and try my competitor instead. And I will laugh at you when you realize it was wasted money. Then come buy from me". That kinda crap.
- How come the best deals always expire first?
Almost all the Clickbank sites do this: "This limited time offer is only valid for X more days/hours! Hurry! Supplies won't last. <insert # of limited copies left in stock here>. Or, the price will go back up to double on <insert TODAY's DATE + 1>". Cheesy? Sure, but it works surprisingly well with many people. Because people are always afraid of
losing out on a great deal. Who doesn't hate the feeling of missing a huge sale where you could have saved 50%?
- The obvious, but easily forgettable
Read, re-read, and then read your page again! It is SOO easy to forget things. If need be, have a friend or family member (preferably someone resembling your target demographic) read your sales copy and have them give you a 2nd opinion.
Things like;
* Spelling, grammar, and typos. Enough said.
* Breaking up your text with indentation, paragraphs, and bulletpoints
for readability
* Checking if your page AND text is well SEO optimized. And yes, you
should care about this even if you're just shooting PPC traffic at it.
You will thank yourself for this later.
Needless to say, there is a lot more to writing a good sales copy. Hopefully, these tips will still be useful to some of you though.
So, here goes:
- Know your target demographic!
Who is your audience and what expectations do they have?
Writing for the right demographic or audience is important. This should affect your writing style, the language used, the use of "bells and whistles", and the whole attitude and approach of your letter. Let us picture two examples;
- Niche/offer A, you're promoting an offer for an ebook on "SEO Blackhat
techniques"
- Niche/offer B, you're promoting an offer for a "Spring Break Beach Resort"
Obviously - we have here two totally different target demographics we want to adress. For niche A, we need to be aware that the people looking for such a book will be a very technically savvy, male (ages 18-45) dominated group. These guys already know the ins and outs of what you are trying to do (which is presell them an ebook through an affiliate link), and naturally they are gonna have a skeptical attitude.
The other group (niche B) however, is of course represented by both genders, ages 16-25, may have limited money to spend, but doesn't care so much how or who they are sold their vacation - as long as they're not smelling a scam.
They probably won't even know that you'll get paid by the lead / sale If you feel your demographic is "no particular demographic" and very broad, focus your attitude around what YOU would want to read if you were the reader. Put yourself in the general reader's shoes...So for niche A, do your research, and present facts and features they CARE about. Cut the crap. For niche B, you can allow for a more relaxed approach. Your language and sales copy attitude will change accordingly. Maybe you even wanna test it with some colorful or flashing graphics in there. This audience is more likely than not gonna know what you're trying to do. This also goes with what Mike previously suggested: Take a look at what your well-ranking competitors are doing for the niche. Chances are that they are onto something that works.
- Your neutral and objective sales copy
It's a good thing to convince the reader early on that you are on their side. That you are one of them, but would like to present or recommend the offer in question. Don't try to convince them that you are not trying to sell them something. Instead, make it clear that you want them to go through with it - but give good reasons why they should, and how it will benefit them. You do not want to come across with a salesy attitude, and don't appear affiliated with the merchant. (Some may disagree on that last part, but I firmly believe appearing unbiased will build more trust). Gain their trust, and present your reasons for the recommendation.
Speaking of trust - it also helps to write as if you really know the topic/niche/product. Do a little research (hey, this isn't free and easy money after all!), get a basic understanding of the product or service and how it works. Also check out competing products / services in that niche and find reasons why the one you are selling is BETTER. Throwing together a quick sales letter based on zero product knowledge and guesswork will result in SHIT conversions...
- Reverse psyhcology.
Sounds lame I know, but it can work for *some* types of offers. Be sure you know who you're writing for though. More likely than not, the ones that fall for this trick aren't always the sharpest knife in the drawer
So how use reverse psychology in a sales letter? It's basically saying shit like "Don't try this offer. Go ahead and try my competitor instead. And I will laugh at you when you realize it was wasted money. Then come buy from me". That kinda crap.
- How come the best deals always expire first?
Almost all the Clickbank sites do this: "This limited time offer is only valid for X more days/hours! Hurry! Supplies won't last. <insert # of limited copies left in stock here>. Or, the price will go back up to double on <insert TODAY's DATE + 1>". Cheesy? Sure, but it works surprisingly well with many people. Because people are always afraid of
losing out on a great deal. Who doesn't hate the feeling of missing a huge sale where you could have saved 50%?
- The obvious, but easily forgettable
Read, re-read, and then read your page again! It is SOO easy to forget things. If need be, have a friend or family member (preferably someone resembling your target demographic) read your sales copy and have them give you a 2nd opinion.
Things like;
* Spelling, grammar, and typos. Enough said.
* Breaking up your text with indentation, paragraphs, and bulletpoints
for readability
* Checking if your page AND text is well SEO optimized. And yes, you
should care about this even if you're just shooting PPC traffic at it.
You will thank yourself for this later.
Needless to say, there is a lot more to writing a good sales copy. Hopefully, these tips will still be useful to some of you though.
