Short Versus Long

In truth, long paragraphs are just as good as short paragraphs for sales letters.    What you should focus on is writing good paragraphs.  That means:

1. It focuses on one main idea.
2. It’s as concise as possible.

Sometimes, achieving those two things will require nothing more than a short three-sentence paragraph.  Other times, though, it could take ten sentences or more to accomplish.   Whichever the case, the “long paragraph” isn’t necessarily a devil to be shunned.

Aim For Tight Paragraphs

Sometimes, writers can end up falling over themselves trying to shorten a paragraph that discusses a topic deserving of adequate exploration.   As a result, they end up with a paragraph whose subject isn’t fully fleshed out.

Instead of going for short, aim for tight.  While it’s smart to avoid overly long paragraphs, don’t avoid it when necessary.   Write as much as you need to sufficiently make your point clearly and persuasively, but keep it to as short as you can manage.

Have a strategy going in. Don’t just sit down and write from the seat of your pants.  Selling requires more work before you write than he actual writing.  Define who your audience is, what problems they have that your product can solve and how you’re going to communicate that in the most effective way possible.

Establish credibility. Persuasion requires that your audience respect your opinion.  If they don’t, no one will pay attention.  More than writing well with the help of your favorite grammar software, you’ll need to show them that you understand their problems and that you’re qualified to offer the solution.

Talk to your audience. Knowing your audience means being able to speak in their language.  Show them  you’re coming from the same place with your choice of words and phrases.

Always back up your claims. If you claim something, back it up with evidence.  Your opinion doesn’t matter.  Prospects want cold, hard proof if they’re going to trust you.  Give it to them.

1. Be informative without being persuasive.

Sales copies are supposed to sell.  Sure, informing the reader is an important goal.  However, you must never lose sight of the end goal.  Persuade while you educate and you’ll be fine.  Of course, for the fastest copy suicide, remove all traces of trying to sway your readers’ minds.

2. Be a wallflower.

Copy that doesn’t grab attention will not be read.  The purpose of a title is to get readers to start perusing the introduction; the introduction’s purpose is to get readers interested enough to peek at the next sentence; that next sentence’s goal is to get the reader to read the one after it; and so on.  You should be generating interest all the time.  Unless you want your copy to die, that is.

3. Make claims without demonstrating them.

Every idiot can claim they’re the smartest man in the world.  Whoever can demonstrate it, however, will be acknowledged by everyone as such.  That’s the same with your copy.  If you tell people how great something is, you have to demonstrate the proof.  Back up your claims with logical reasoning, statistics, testimonials and other supporting proof.  If you don’t, then your copy might as well drown in the toilet.

4. Try to sell to everyone.

Who are the prospects that your copy is trying to reach?  If it tries to sell to everyone, it’s never gonna sell to anyone.  It might as well kill itself and that’s the truth.  The more specific the target is, the better it can communicate to the potential customer.

P.S. Make sure to never use a proofreading software to correct any part of your copy. Leave it as you drafted it – no easier way to die than that.

Regardless of how you decide, there’s one thing certain.  It will hinge upon whether the game you have going is compelling enough to ignore environmental distractions.  If you logged on the Xbox Live out of boredom, playing with whoever happened to be available, there’s a good chance the phone call might prove a more interesting option.  If you’re in a tournament with money at stake, on the other hand, it’s highly likely that the game is more compelling.

The same holds true for the copy that you write.  If a housewife is reading it and she suddenly remembers her dentist appointment, will your piece have her so engrossed that she will be willing to forego her schedule?  Or will she decide that finishing the letter isn’t as important as missing her root canal?

When you compose your copy, it pays to imagine that scenario, attempting to produce a piece that will compel her to stick with it to end.  How you achieve that will hinge on many things, from your subject matter to how well your piece reads (hint: use a writing software) to emotional hooks to how well you are able to trigger her desires.

During the editing and revision phases, as your read through your copy, always ask yourself if it is compelling enough to avoid missing an appointment for.  Is it engaging enough to make me want to ignore the ringing phone?  Is finishing it worth the hassle of having to put off my root canal for another time?

Every business will have plenty of information and statistics about their product or service.  However, all of that material can never sell anything on its own.  Dry facts don’t convince prospects to buy – that’s where effective sales writing comes in.

Before even beginning to write the sales letter, you’ll need to be acquainted with two things: your product and your prospects.  Once you get to know these two components inside out, then get your grammar check software handy – you’re ready to begin writing.

Drawing Them In. A strong headline and an enticing introduction are two of the most crucial parts of a sales letter.  If they can’t persuade the reader to dive further, you’ve already lost the game.  Chances are, your letter’s ending up not being read at all.  Intrigue is your best friend.

Reaching Out. The rest of the material involves reaching out to your prospect and selling them on the product.  Accomplishing this involves making the conversation feel personal (thus, the value of knowing your prospect beforehand),  interesting (by arousing their interest) and necessary for their situation (by laying down the benefits they can derive from it).

Closing The Deal. Of course, you’ll have to seal the deal with an action call.  Make it urgent, so they’re compelled to act in the moment.  At the same time, make it sound as easy possible – complicated things will just turn most people off.

Naturally, you can dig down into the details of each of these phases even further.  In fact, you can write an entire book about it.  Generally, though, you can use this brief list as a guideline from which to begin building your sales letters, researching each smaller aspect as you see fit.