HOW TO WRITE A SALES PAGE – 4 QUESTIONS TO ASK FIRST TO AVOID CRAPPY CONVERSIONS

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Fact:?To motivate people to buy, you need to create?both?empathy AND incentive in your sales copy…

So how do you do that?

In this article, we’re going to talk about?the most powerful sales secret?there is…

And I’m going to share with you?4 questions you MUST ask?before?writing a sales page?to avoid crappy conversions.?

Coming at ya this week with another article on how to write a sales page that works in the modern age.?

But first, if you’re new to the crew – welcome!

If you’re ready to learn how to write compelling copy and sell your products & services on the Internet?without?selling out your integrity, then make sure to subscribe to my newsletter The Right Phrase Pays here on LinkedIn.

To motivate people to buy, you need to create both?empathy?AND?incentive?in your messaging.?

More specifically, you need to speak to the?logical?brain AND the?emotional?brain of your readers.?

The logical brain – the?Neocortex?– is the part of our brain that’s responsible for rational and analytical thought.?The part of your copy that speaks to this part of the brain would be things like?facts, figures, and features.

This is all about, “What?you’re selling” – it’s all the features and details of your product or service.

Now obviously, this is all?very important information?to include in your sales copy. You won’t have much luck making sales unless you include this information.?

Most people have NO problem including tons of logical brain information in their copy.?

But this?alone?does not make a great offer…

You also need to give proper attention to the emotional brain.?

The emotional, or?Limbic, brain is the part of our brain that’s responsible for all our?feelings.?This is where?likability, trust & loyalty?is felt by your readers.?

So if you want to get your audience to relate and respond to you…?

Then you NEED to create?emotional resonance.

And I would say that most people probably know that…?

But here’s where most people go wrong…

You need to create emotional resonance FIRST.?

Before?you address “the what”, dish out all the amazing features, or even bring up your offer?at all…?You need to address the underlying?emotional drives?of your audience…

Yes, you need to create?empathy.?

And you need to do that early on in your?indoctrination?– or lead-in – of your?sales page. ?Now for those of you who don’t know, the indoctrination is that meaty chunk of copy directly after your headline.?And this is arguably the most important part of your entire sales page…

It’s where you let your audience know – “Hey, I’m speaking to YOU.”

This is the section that will help your audience self-select as needing whatever it is that you’re offering… and simultaneously hook and interest them into finding out more.?

And you do that by?delivering value and communicating a compelling narrative.

Which means this section SHOULD NOT say?anything?about your actual product or service –?at all.?

I know it sounds counterintuitive…

But trust me, this is?the most powerful sales secret?there is.

You HAVE to convince the emotional brain before the logical brain has a chance to raise any objections.?

Remember: People buy emotionally and justify logically.?

So what does all of this mean?

How can you write a sales page that creates emotional resonance and gets the emotional brain invested in what you have to say…

And then helps them justify logically, that they are?making a great decision?buying from you?

Well, there are 4 questions you should ask before you start to write a sales page…

#1 – Is It Specific Enough?

One of the most important things your sales page needs to accomplish early on is helping the audience self-select as NEEDING to pay attention to what you’re saying…

You do that by?very clearly calling them?out and letting them know “Hey, I’m talking to YOU…

And the more specific you can be the?better.

Now, there are many different ways you could accomplish this…

You can do this by calling out a?specific problem?or?pain?point?with a compelling story…

Like?this example?from?Numerologist.com :

They are weaving a story to reader about their future – the uncertainties, the possibilities, and how to turn the tides in their favor.?

This is clearly talking to a very specific audience that’s worried about the future and wants to claim control over the direction of their life.?

Another way you can call out the audience is by speaking to a very?specific audience…?

Like?this example?from?Rising Woman :

Tired of attracting avoidant, unavailable or narcissistic partners??

They are calling out the audience by asking a rhetorical question that their audience can immediately self-select –?yes, of course, I’m tired of that, so I better pay attention!

And the last way you can call out the audience is by simply drawing attention to a?specific?benefit?of your offer…

Like?this example?from?MindValley:

They are clearly defining a?clear?and?specific?benefit right out the gate –?Learn anything in a fraction of time.

Remember, whether it’s problem, audience or benefit,?specificity?will make your sales copy?infinitely more relatable and powerful.?

Alright, next up…?

#2 – Does It Pass The Persuasion Test?

Blair Warren, TV producer, marketer and author of?The One Sentence Persuasion Course – 27 Words to Make the World Do Your Bidding, said:

“People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them throw rocks at their enemies.”

I teach this to all of my students in my programs.?I love this quote so much.

So your sales page should do one or more of those things early on…

Encourage Their Dreams

Put people into a dream state and imagine what their life?could?be like.?

To do this, you could utilize the concept of future pacing to?paint the possibilities.?

Here’s an example from Organifi.

They say “Six months from now when people come up to you and they ask ‘what have you been doing? I want some of that. Whatever it is. You look amazing!’ You can’t put a price tag on that feeling.”

Justify Their Failures

No one wants to believe that it’s their fault that they’re struggling! Reminding them that it’s not their fault is?a powerful way to establish trust.

Here’s an example from a supplement company.

They’re basically saying –?Hey,?it’s not YOUR FAULT that you’re struggling with bone loss. You’ve been told to take calcium. But calcium alone isn’t enough to maintain strong bones. You need 13 minerals!

Allay Their Fears

It’s scientifically proven that humans are hardwired to?avoid pain over gaining pleasure.?

So you want to address the pain or problem your prospect is feeling. Not by putting salt in the wound but by allaying their fears –?through empathy & understanding.

Here’s an example from ADT that reads,?“26% of burglaries happen while someone is at home.”

Did anyone else just get goosebumps??That’s a big fear that a lot of people have.

Then ADT goes on to say, “Feel safe now.” So they aren’t just sending a message of doom and gloom – they are sending a message of hope.?

Here’s this scary but true fact… BUT we can help you feel safe.?

Confirm Their Suspicions

When you confirm suspicions (or beliefs) you are giving your prospect?a sense of validation.

This is that?“Aha! I knew it!”?feeling.?

Here’s an example that talks about how many women know that hormonal imbalance can wreak havoc on their health…

Find A Common Enemy

To do this, you would create a sense of belonging on a larger and more societal scale by calling out “the other guys”.?

Remember – everyone wants to feel like they belong to a specific group or community.?

Here’s a good example from Mindvalley:

The common enemy here is society’s views on?money, which we have consequently internalized. Now it’s time we do something about it!

Now, of course, you don’t have to hit on ALL of these?in your sales page, but to pass the Persuasion test, I’d recommend using?at least?one.?

Okay on the next question your sales page needs to address…

#3 – Is Trust Established?

People will not buy from you unless they trust you. Period. This is especially important if the audience is new and hasn’t come across you or your product/service before.?One of my favourite ways to establish?trust, build?credibility?and create?rapport?is STORYTELLING.?

Storytelling is at the core of killer copywriting.?

It is the most authentic way to get your customers to?buy in?to what you’re saying at an emotional level.

Remember, people don’t like to be “sold” things—but everyone?loves to be “told” a great story.

Stories evoke ALL your audience’s?senses?and?emotions?in a way that no other form of communication can.?

When you tell a story the right way,?your copy practically writes itself.

That’s why I focus heavily on teaching storytelling in all of my copywriting programs.?

In my 8-week copywriting coaching program,?The Launch Files , I teach you?8 proven storytelling formulas?that you can use in your messaging and create your very own story structures for your portfolio pieces.

Alright, now onto the 4th question…

#4 Is Your Offer Unique?

You can tell a story all you want…?

But unless it GUIDES people towards believing in your?unique solution… a story is just a story.

In order to get your reader to believe that YOU are the one that can help them solve their problem, you need to clearly communicate what makes your product or service?different/better/faster than your competitors.?

You need to promise a unique benefit or feature that others can’t or don’t offer.

This is where your USP – or?unique selling proposition ?– comes in.

And here’s the hardest part?– it needs to be?short,?sweet, and to the?point. Ideally, you should be able to communicate your USP in 10 seconds or less.?

For example, here is the USP for my?Copy Posse Launch Files ?program.

The Copy Posse Launch files program helps brand new copywriters with no portfolio/ experience /idea where to start achieve highly-paid copywriting skills and build their portfolio from scratch through step-by-step video training, proven formulas and community accountability.

Now – if you want to learn?how to craft the perfect USP ?for your product or service click that link for a blog where I share my own USP Formula.?

I hope you enjoyed today’s article! Thank you for reading and subscribing.

Alex

Alex Cattoni is the Founder of the Copy Posse Agency and Academy. Since 2011, she has launched several successful brands and has proudly partnered with many of the hottest transformational brands and businesses on the planet, writing high-converting sales copy, scaling multi-million dollar brands, and crafting iconic promotional campaigns.

Today, she’s on a mission to mobilize the raddest, baddest crew of authentic copywriters with a passion for creating community, credibility and conversions with nothing but powerful and precise wording.

Through her weekly?YouTube ?videos, Alex helps copywriters, aspiring copywriters and entrepreneurs learn, write and ignite their businesses with words that work.