Copywriting and Sales Letters: 6 Must-Haves in Order Pulling Sales Copy

7 "Must-Haves" In Order Pulling Sales Copy

by Alan Saltz

I don't care whether you're selling $2 glow-in-the-dark shoe laces, or a $20,000 piece of machinery.

If you want your sales letter to park wads of cash in your bank account, make sure you've included these 7 must-have ingredients.

Each one is vital to the process (yep, it's a process) that takes your targeted prospect and encourages them to dig deep down into their wallet to give you their money.

Ingredient 1: A Kick-Ass Headline

Whether your letter is in print or on the internet, a prospect won’t read it unless you make them WANT to. You have one shot at grabbing their attention and compelling them to take time out of their day to read what you have to say.

Because as good as you are at what you do... as smart and witty as you might be... as much as you can offer me... I’ll never know it if you don’t grab my attention.

That's where your headline comes in.

A good headline will be so compelling that I can’t possibly look away. It pulls in me in to the rest of the letter. It plays with my emotions, arouses my curiosity, and agitates a problem that I need solved.

“The 7 Questions You Must Ask Your Eye Doctor Before You Consider Laser Surgery.”
“Local 27 Year Old Woman Loses 46 Pounds in 6 Weeks. Here’s the Easily-Duplicated Method That Made It Happen”
“A Patented 2-Step System That Leaves Your Carpets as Clean As The Day You Bought Them or Your Money Back.”
“The 4 Costly Mistakes Car Owners Make When They Trade In Their Used Auto.”
“Here’s How to Spend 42% Less on Your Next Cruise, Without a Single Restriction”

Notice that a good headline is specific. It agitates a common problem that they face, and hits at a quantifiable and specific solution.

Naturally they have to read on to find out more.

Ingredient 2: A Compelling Opener

If your headline draws a prospect in, you don’t want to lose them with a dull opening statement. Never focus on you, your company, or your history or background.

None of that... "for the last 25 years we've been impressing our clients with superior craftsmanship, value, and..." I'm yawning just typing that.

People care about themselves, and they always want to know “What’s In It For Me.”

The opening of your sales letter should address the particular want or need of your target market. Or it should get them to imagine what life would be like if this need is met. Or it can even tell a story that (somehow) relates to the problem your reader faces.

People love stories. Well... you can literally take any story that's ever happened... and dream up a way to relate it to your sales pitch.

Here's this strategy in action...

Let's say you're a local carpet company looking to sell more of your new stain-resistant carpeting. Perhaps you buy a list of new home-owners in your area so you're dealing with "ripe" prospects...

Dear Mr. Smith,

Last night at about 7:30 PM I had just sat down to a delicious meal that my wife cooked.

I don't think I made it past the third bite before I had splattered my shirt with tomato sauce. You know as well as I do, tomato sauce stains are practically impossible to get out... and...

I had just bought the darn shirt!

I feel like I do this all the time. Now, the truth is, it's no big deal. I can buy a new shirt and its not going to break me.

These things happen right?

But there's a big difference between staining a shirt, and staining a carpet that goes wall to wall in your family room, your bedroom, or your brand new living room.

Now you get into what you have to offer, and...

Ingredient 3: Benefits, Benefits, and More Benefits

In every sales letter you write, you need to focus on the benefits of your product or service. Spell out how you make your customers lives easier, how you eliminate stress, increase confidence and pleasure, etc...

A great way to do this is with a bulleted list. Let's continue with the example we started below.

Why you shouldn't set foot into a carpet store until you've seen our stain-resistant carpeting:

Our product is proven to last 2 1/2 times as long as most alternatives, saving you money while you furnish your new home

It's softer, more durable, and retains less moisture (ever notice your basement carpet start to smell?)

With over 185 styles and colors you're guaranteed to find carpeting that matches your decor

We'll come to you for a no-obligation, zero-pressure demonstration, and show you samples of our product

We can install next day, and our work is 100% guaranteed

And so on...

Do you see how I've outlined specific, emotionally charged benefits? How I give a prospect real and identifiable reasons to prefer a product over other options they might be considering?

Ingredient 4: Testimonials

Unfortunately, you lack credibility.

Many claims that you make about the products or services you offer are met with sheer skepticism. Why? Because every day people are bombarded with marketing messages from companies who claim to be great at what they do...

and yet... what we think about most are all of the times we've been dissatisfied, mistreated, or lied to. (It's a shame honest folks get lumped in with the scumbags, but it happens!)

One of the greatest ways to bypass this skepticism is with comments from your satisfied customers. The more specific these comments are, the more they build your credibility. Naturally, if you have received comments from well known sources (publications, well know businesses or personalities) highlight them, but honest testimonials from anyone will do.

A few well placed comments will build your credibility, and capture your reader's interest.

Ingredient 5: A Compelling Call to Action

Each sales letter needs to have one and *only* one goal.

That can be to generate a sale, an acceptance of a free trial offer, to have a prospect request more information, to generate a phone call, etc. Don’t confuse your reader as to what they should do next.

Whatever it is that you have decided you’re looking for from your reader, make sure that it’s 100% clear to them. Be certain that you tell your prospect what to do, and how to do it.

“To schedule your no-obligation demonstration and receive your free set of knives, call XXX-XXX-XXXX.”

"To take advantage of our never to be repeated 50% off sale, be at our store between 8AM - 12PM on Friday, June 22nd with this letter!"

“To invest in the ‘Stock Market Secrets’ Newsletter, fill out the form below, and mail it with payment in the postage paid envelope that came with this letter.”

Get the drift?

A good offer will create a sense of urgency as well. Use expiration dates, and limited availability (we’ll accept only 27 clients at this introductory rate), to get your prospect to act immediately.

Ingredient 6: Iron-Clad Guarantee

The more risk-free of a proposition you create, the more likely someone is to respond. Whatever it is you offer, come up with an iron-clad, 100% money back, value loaded guarantee.

The more specific and bolder the guarantee, the more confidence you exude that your product or service is worth owning.

Plus, you'll overcome the skepticism of many prospects who would otherwise turn you down.

Ingredient 7: A P.S. or Two, Or Three!

Aside from the headline, a post-script is the most read component of a sales letter. Use a P.S. to highlight the most important components of your offer, your deadline, the guarantee, the biggest benefit, etc. Often times, a prospect will read the P.S., and then decide to go back and read the letter itself.

P.S. You can include more than one P.S. in your letter to highlight the points you definitely want your reader to see. Include those things that you think would bring a prospect back into the letter.

About the Author

Alan Saltz is a the foremost expert on effective Yellow Pages Advertising content. He teaches advertisers how to boost their response and return on investment using simple, but extremely powerful techniques. For unbiased Yellow Pages Advertising advice and "tricks" that any business owner can implement, visit: http://www.YellowPagesProfit.com.