The 7 keys to success with long copy sales sites

13/04/2007 - By Zack Preble

Much has been written defending the use of long copy sales letters. You’ve seen them before — sales pages that begin with a compelling headline then require scrolling way beyond the fold to read the full content.  

The long copy sales letter seems counter-intuitive. You might ask yourself, “Who would read an 1,800-word letter that’s trying to sell something?” The answer is simple: a serious buyer.

The difference between the short, bullet-style copy and the long copy is the difference between a machine-gun and sniper’s rifle. Both approaches are successful, but the latter is often dismissed as too time consuming and ultimately inferior.

Put simply, there are many reasons long copy works and some rules you must follow if you wish to use it effectively.

Research confirms that sales pages convert mere interest into sales. Before exploring the rules of good ‘long copy’ letter writing, let us see how and why this type of marketing works.

David Ogilvy — perhaps the most notable personality in the advertising industry — explains in his book, “Confessions of an Advertising Man” that although readership drops off quickly in the first 50 words, it drops off very little between 50 and 500 words. Ogilvy confirmed this principle by gradually increasing the length of a sales letter with each publication and seeing sales increase proportionally.

According to Ogilvy, when compared side-by-side in split-run tests the long copy outsells the short copy. One of the reasons long copy works is because it qualifies the reader. It is true that not everyone will read the entire copy, but you can be quite certain that the people most interested in your offer will. In fact, these readers will buy your product if you give them enough reasons. Think about this, people don’t buy newspapers for the ads — they buy them for the news! Therefore, disguising your ad as news will get prospects to pay attention.

The rules for long copy aren’t set in stone, but there are some guidelines that you can follow. Many Web sites have adopted long copy styles so you may have noticed some commonalities. They all seem to have a big headline in quotations, some highlighted text, testimonials, and a big ‘order now’ button at the very bottom of a long page.

Accordingly, we have outlined the important features a successful long copy page should have:

Include a prominent and captivating headline

An attention-grabbing headline is the first step to successfully engaging prospective buyers. News headlines attract readers and lead them to find out more about the story. Try writing your headlines in a ‘news’ style by including words such as “Introducing”, “New” or “Announcing.” Dates and time-sensitive terms also give headlines a “news” quality and foster a sense of urgency among readers.

Another approach to writing a captivating headline is to offer the reader valuable information that will give him or her an edge. A headline should create interest by appealing to the reader’s self-interest or provoking his or her curiosity. Start your headline with “How to” or offer the reader “secrets,” “advice” or a free offer. In addition, be sure to give your headline prominence at the top of your site, and most importantly, keep your headlines dynamic and provocative.

Write your page in letter style

By keeping the page in a letter style you will speak to the reader in a more direct and personal style. Let the reader feel the page was written specifically with him or her in mind. Remember to include the date and your signature, too. The letter should have a single column and be contained on one page. When you write your copy, pretend you are writing to a friend or someone you have met who could really benefit from your product or service. Finally, write in first person and in simple English.

Center the content of your letter on the benefits and not the product

The more benefits you offer to the reader, the better your chances — don’t leave any stone unturned. Itemize all the benefits and rewards, as well as think of the questions the reader may have and answer them in a question/answer format.  Summarize the benefits in bullet-style.

Introduce elements that will capture the reader’s attention

There are ways to keep a reader engaged and break the monotony of the letter without being too flashy. Highlight important text with bright colors, include boxes, post-it notes, or ‘hand-written’ notes throughout the page. Use different colors, as well as font styles and sizes, to stress key parts of your letter and never underestimate the power of illustrations and photographs.

Add credibility to your letter

You can write all you want about your product, but ultimately the decision to act will hinge on the credibility you transmit. Be sure to add testimonials from real people who have used the product. Make sure you obtain all the rights to use the testimonials and, if possible, include the original copy or photos of the happy customers. Naturally, include as many third-party endorsement and quotes from the press as you can. Some examples of long-copy sites even include “photos” of payment checks or bank statements. Others include photos of themselves.

Wrap up your page with a call to action

Once you feel you’ve done your job writing your copy, it’s time to sign the reader up. Use large graphics with a strong call to action — free offers are very compelling. Make the buy button as specific as possible, for example, rather than a simple “order now” use “start your free weekly subscription now.” This is your last opportunity to get the reader to act.

Test, test and test

This is the most important step of all. Once you have finished your page, create alternate versions using different headlines, colors and graphics. Test each version for a week, keeping track of the changes you made. Only through testing will you find out exactly what works for you.

Follow these steps and you will find that long copy sites will bring you solid conversions.If you have questions or comments please e-mail Zack Preble at zpreble@foreclosure.com.