"4 Secrets To Sales Letter Conversion"

OK, let's get started with the four things you need to know about sales letters.

If you're making even one of these mistakes, you could be killing your sales without even knowing it...

1. Don't bluff!

There is nothing worse or even more pathetic than a writer who bluffs. True, many writers have written well-fabricated tales and passed them off as genuine but they were able to do so only because they backed up their writing with plenty of research.

If you were asked to write about thoroughbred handicapping right now, for example, how much would you be able to produce without doing some research? Probably not much. If you tried to bluff your way through it even the beginning handicapper would see right through your copy.

Even in cases where you already know quite a bit about your niche, you need to do at least some research in order to write really good sales copy. The more you know about the subject and your readers, the easier it will be to hit on the "hot buttons" of your niche and your readers will instantly relate with you.

Here's an example from my own copy. Since I help people make money online, I'm careful to point out that many "get rich quick" sites want one thing only, a sale. After you buy from most sites, it's impossible to contact the owner of the site personally for help or advice. That's a hot button with many people trying to carve out an income from the web.

I know this because I've been doing this for more than a decade and have a working relationship with many of my clients.

If I were new to this niche, I would have no idea it was a problem, so I would not know to touch on it in my copy. That is, unless I did some research beforehand!

2. Think carefully about who is reading your copy, and use "in-the-loop" lingo they expect to see.

If you do your research properly, you'll be able to speak the language your audience uses, and make them much more comfortable with what you have to say.

For example, let's say your niche is tips for playing the video game Halo. Then you'd better be well-versed in the game. When your readers come to your site and see terms such as "killing frenzy" and "no-scoped" they'll know you're genuine and trust your advice immediately.

Unless you play Halo, those terms probably mean nothing to you, but they mean a lot to serious gamers. And this is the immediate connection you need to make with your readers if you plan to earn their trust and their business.

And be sure to write like you're talking to your reader. That means it's OK to be grammatically incorrect from time to time.

After all, I know I'm not supposed to start my sentences with the word "and" but I do it all the time, on purpose. That's because I'm chatting with my readers, not instructing them. So incomplete sentences like this one are OK on the web. Just don't try to convince your English teacher it's OK!

Again, it's all about a comfort level you want your readers to reach when they're at your site.

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3. Tell a story!

All the best sales letters have one thing in common -- they tell a story. People love to read stories they can relate to. When people grab the free gift at my web business coaching site I share the story of how nervous I was when I was starting out on the web.

Most readers can relate to that because they know how it feels to be starting a business of their own and leaving the security of a job behind. I then go on to explain how I made it and what the keys to my success were.

You can apply this strategy to just about any product or service. Talk about the reasons why you got started in that niche. People will relate to you and you'll form an instant bond.

For example, one of my coaching clients is an expert on getting a college sports scholarship. At his site he shares the story of how his son came to him asking if he could get a college sports scholarship. He had no idea how to help him so he researched the topic in depth.

Using the information he uncovered, he was able to get his son multiple scholarship offers in the sport he loved. It's a nice story that people in the same situation can relate to.
 

4. Use short sentences, and really short paragraphs!

The last tip today has to do with actually writing your sales copy. While this may seem insignificant, trust me... it is VERY important.

You absolutely MUST use short sentences and paragraphs in your sales letter.

 Longer sentences not only bore readers, they scare them off! When someone arrives at your page and sees long paragraphs, their eyes tell their brain that there is work ahead. The brain then tells the finger to click away from your site. It all happens in a flash, but they're gone forever.

These days, more than ever, everyone wants EASY and FAST.

So give it to them.

This was a real problem for me when I was starting out. I tend to ramble a bit. Lucky for me, my sister is an editor and she showed me the error in my ways. In fact, she was able to edit some of my paragraphs to HALF the size without losing content.

If this is a problem for you too, you can manage your sentence length by looking at the number of lines they take up. An average handwritten or typed line consists of 10 – 12 words. Be wary of sentences which run more than 2 lines. Also, use short sentences between longer ones to break up your copy and keep a chatty style of writing.

To have short sentences, use shorter words. This is the rule that is oftentimes being violated.

• You should also use numbered points or bullets, like this.

As far as paragraphs go, try to limit them to 3 or 4 sentences at the most. Anything longer will be shunned by many readers no matter how great the paragraph content might be. It's perfectly fine to use one and two sentence paragraphs online, especially in sales letters.

Again, the whole idea behind this is to make sure readers will not switch off you.

OK, that's wraps it for today.

If you want more help with writing copy that sells like crazy, grab a free membership to my PowerCopyClub with audio and video tips on writing effective copy for the web...

That wraps up today's gazette. See ya in a few weeks...
Jim Daniels
JDD Publishing Co.

P.S. It may be possible for you to earn your living from the web, just like I do.

Come to my make-a-living-online.com website and see how it's done. There's no opt-in necessary. I'll explain everything you need to know at the site, for free.