The Ultimate Guide to Creating a High-Converting Landing Page

If you are almost done with your book, it’s time to start thinking about marketing it. And if your book is a lead in to your business, you definitely need a landing page.??

What is a landing page?

A landing page is a standalone page on your website that is built for a specific purpose. It may or may not be the homepage of a website. A landing page could be for anything — from promoting a special product, or the offer to provide a service, or to talk about why people should buy your book. It offers a place for your target audience to “land” and follow through with action once they are convinced with videos, blogs, articles, social media posts, media coverages, and your author profile. It evokes the “buy me now” emotion, convincing your target audience to transform into your customers. You could even offer a giveaway in exchange for their contact information.

Why do you, as an author, need a landing page?

A landing page helps you:

1. Create a buzz around your book even before its launch and serves as an anchor for all your marketing efforts. So, for example, you are running social media campaigns, you can direct them to the landing page for people seeking more info.
2. Engage readers by showcasing sample chapters of your book, piquing interest. You can also offer interesting formats like audio, video, calculators etc. to get people to explore your offering.
3. Build credibility by featuring early reviews and media mentions.
4. Capture leads. You can have a gated freebie or a giveaway that people are interested in to collect their name and email ID. You can use the data from this page – captured through cookies or forms – for retargeting and email campaigns once your book is launched. ??

Note: Don’t forget to tie your contact form to a mailing software and create an auto-trigger customer journey. ?

Six must-haves for a high-converting landing page

1. Lead with pain points

No one cares what you have to say. Ouch! Hurts to hear that right? But that’s true, AND human nature. We care more about what matters to us, our problems, our causes, etc. If you make everything on the landing page about you, it’ll fail. Lead with the pain points of your readers. Walk a mile in their shoes. What interests them? What keeps them up at night? What are these pain points that your book is solving? ?

2. Showcase how you can solve those pain points

Once you have caught the reader attention with things that matter to them, give them a quick overview of how your book addresses these challenges. The key here is to get them interested so they look forward to the book.

3. Highlight your expertise with some great content

It’s not enough to just talk about your book. Give your readers a glimpse of who you are and why you are an authority on this subject. Give them something they can read, watch, or listen to, to get familiar with your approach. This could be a few sample chapters, blogs, some videos of you talking about a related topic, maybe a podcast episode, or a quiz.

4. Give social proof

Go beyond establishing expertise. Give people social proof in the form of testimonials, reviews, and media features. Get your past clients, readers of your other works, or early readers of the new book to share their experience. Work with a PR team or approach media houses for interviews and by-lines and build media mentions. Host these prominently on your page. ?

5. Provide bonus content and freebies

Everyone loves a freebie! Yes, every one! But make it valuable for them. It could be a downloadable PDF, a quiz, a tracker, or a tool — anything that gives your prospective reader a reason to sign up and leave you with their email address.

6. Wow people with a great UI/UX

A fluid and fast experience is now table stakes. Research shows that a one-second delay in page-load speed leads to a 7% drop in conversions, and users expect pages to open in three seconds or less. Once they are on the landing page, the visual design and usability needs to keep the reader hooked. An eye-catching image or attractive visual graphics can help improve conversion rates by 80%! So, invest in building a great landing page that makes your readers go “I like it!” And don't forget to make it responsive!

Make your landing page irresistible with great copy

People saw your ad, they liked it, clicked on it, and came to a landing page that was dull and boring. They are not going to stick around! Attention is the most important commodity today and great copy is your tool to capture it. Here are some copy elements that can make a big difference to your readers:

• Catchy headlines: Make the headlines interesting. Tell the reader why they need to read the next few lines on the page. Play on words, highlight pain point, give a counterintuitive statement. Example:

o??The way to build wealth is to save, right? WRONG

o??Are you ready to be your own boss? ?

• Juicy benefits: Why is your book the next best thing after sliced bread? What does the reader stand to gain by reading it (or lose by not reading it)? Highlight as many relevant and exciting benefits as you can. Example:

o??Want to retire in your 40s? This book is for you!

o??Stressed and unhappy? Unlock the secret to happiness in this book.

• Interesting call to action (CTA): This is the most important button on the page. This is where the reader takes the action you want them to. It should promote a life-changing solution, not a feature, and get the user what they want as they complete the registration process. Place this CTA button next to a ‘magic moment’ in the copy; after a revelation or a juicy benefit. Make the CTA text reflect their mindset in the moment. Example:

o??Read a sample chapter

o??Get me started on a happier life

o??Sign me up!

Note: Don’t forget to add relevant keywords to the copy to improve searchability.

Go Live!

Write, design, develop, test, and go live! Make sure you have a great team who understands landing pages and can help you create one that converts! If you want help with yours, get in touch @ [email protected].