You’ve heard of Sunday Scaries… but have you heard of “Sales Page Scaries”?

I made it up, but it’s backed by research. In a recent survey, I asked 49 participants to rank various forms of copy from “FTS” (f*ck this sh*t) to “ILISM” (I love it so much!). You can imagine my surprise that sales pages came in at the top FTS spot. (Sarcasm.)

And for good reason. A lot of the sales pages you’ve read –or skimmed– are long, feature-heavy and repetitive.

“Are you…”

“Have you ever…”

“Imagine if…”

It’s almost as if there are a few “universal” sales page templates circulating the Internet, and people think it’s easier to use them rather than to face the Sales Page Scaries head on…

In this article, you’ll learn: 

• The 3 most important questions your sales page should answer
• The unskippable first step before you write
• My best tips to assemble your first draft

In their purest form, sales pages are basically infomercial scripts. See our Brand Beat Sheet. That whole sales page is a parody of an infomercial!

Bottom line: they’re effective. Infomercials move unaware consumers from “why am I watching this?” to → physically getting out of bed to fetch a credit card and dial a 1-800 number all before the sun comes up.

How? Billy Mays’ (may he RIP) booming voice is not the answer. 

It’s by focusing on a consumer’s 3 biggest questions:
1. What is it?
2. Why should I care?
3. How do I get it?

The What

The “what” is what most people “fluff up.” And I do mean “fluff.” When you’re introducing your offer, call it what it is. Put a very concise statement at the top of the page that will meet your reader’s expectations. Let me be very clear– no one– NO ONE— trips and falls onto your sales page. They have to intentionally click a link from somewhere else. That means they’re already a warmer lead than anyone who has ever purchased anything “As Seen On TV.” Meeting their expectations above the fold is critical to keep them from bouncing!

The Why
Commit this copywriting formula to memory: FAB. Features-Advantages-Benefits.

Use the FAB formula on your sales page so you’re never leaving the benefits up to interpretation!

Notice how I finished the sentence above: “so you’re never leaving the benefits up to interpretation.” That is the benefit to making sure you’re never personally victimized by the Regina Georges of the online space.

The How
Although it seems like the easiest, the “how” is arguably the most critical piece of the puzzle. But the “how” here isn’t just “how do I buy?” it’s “how do I get the results I came here for” too.

Ta-Da! The rule of three! I’ve already used this subtle copy rule on ya 4x in this article alone. 

It’s not just my favorite number, and birthday (12/3!), it’s a concept that’s been studied for centuries. Our brains love processing information in groups of three. Mmm patterns. ❤️

Think about it: 

• Father, Son, and The Holy Ghost
• Blood, Sweat and Tears
• Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll

That’s a line up you won’t see together ever again.

In your sales copy, this rule could look like: 

• Step 1: Choose your membership tier
• Step 2: Check your email for login information
• Step 3: Login to get the goods

Make this applicable to your offer, but never add a 4th step! 

BUT WAIT!

Did you read that in Billy Mays’ voice? 

Before you start to draft your sales page, actually do some research. I know you’re thinking “Ew David,” but it’s going to make writing your sales page SO much easier. You don’t even have to talk to people. You can lurk. The best research, IMO, comes from lurking. 

Make a list of some ideal clients/customers for your offer. Create a “collection*” of ideal clients on Instagram. Schedule some time to go through that “collection” and write down anything that elicits a response from you. This could be anything from an “ooh, that’s interesting” to an “OMG yes!” Notice their nuances. What do they have in common? Do they watch any of the same shows? Laugh at the same jokes? Wear the same style? All of these little things can be peppered into your copy to add flavor and personality while still making it feel like you’re writing to ONE person directly. 

*not being weird or insinuating that you should collect people… that’s actually the IG terminology. Just for clarification.

The Work
Once you’ve clarified all the messaging for your offer, and finished collecting research, it’s time to put some words on the page. The time it takes to write a well-written sales page will save you SO much time during your launch. Each section of the sales page can be expanded into its own email or social post. And you can recycle the page so you only have to make minimal edits the next time you’re launching the same offer.

So, tips. How do you write an engaging, fun, effective sales page?

1. Write the headline last 
2. Think about the risk level (how much $$$?) for your ideal client when determining how much information they need to buy
3. Break down your lessons into bulleted micro topics
4. If you’re relaunching something, reach back out to past purchasers for testimonials
5. Consider putting a form on the page to keep ‘em hot while they’re hot (if applicable!)
6. Submit a draft to me for feedback 😉