How To Write Attention-Grabbing Sales Letters, Emails, And Blog Posts That Influence People And Make Money

Whether you do most of your own writing or outsource it, your online marketing career is going to involve copywriting – there’s just no way around that.

First and foremost is website copy – traditional web pages or blog posts – followed closely by autoresponder emails – emails sent out automatically to your list – and sales letters, in which you try to convince visitors to part with their hard-earned money in exchange for your products or services.

Copywriting is a skill you really should master, or at least learn how to recognize good copy, so you can outsource your writing and be able to tell whether what you get back is good or bad.

Now, I’m no world-class copywriter, but I’ve had a few sales pages that convert in the 2-4% range, which is not bad for a rookie, thank you very much. And if you can hit 1-2% with a sales page, and you make a profit with it, that’s pretty much all  you need to launch a lucrative internet marketing career. From that point, just tweak, test, and duplicate, and you’re on your way.

So, let’s talk about the basic structure of a good piece of web or email copy. The elements of both are basically the same. In this post, I’ll talk about the overall structure and ingredients, and we’ll get into more detail in later posts. Here’s the way I think about it – maybe it will help your writing, too:

1. Grab their attention – in a web page headline, blog post title, or email subject line.

Each situation is a little different, so let’s talk about each one separately.

On a website, where it’s either a blatant sales page, or just a page on a business website, you need to quickly grab the visitor’s attention by identifying with some problem you either know or are pretty sure they have.

My favorite headlines are “How To…” headlines. For example, “How To Clear Up Your Acne In The Next 47 Hours Without Harsh Chemicals Or Prescriptions, Using 11 Simple Techniques.” This headline goes right to the heart of the problem, shouts out a benefit to the visitor, and builds some curiosity to read on.

Blog post titles are slightly different, since you generally aren’t selling anything (blatantly, that is), so think about the story you want to tell, or information you want to share, and make it sound “sexy.” For example, “If I Had Known These 5 Truths 5 Years Ago, I Could Have Retired A Wealthy Man Two Years Ago.”

Emails require a little different approach, since you also need readers to open your email first. In this case, email subject lines are not only a headline, but also something that will get readers to open the email, like, “[[name]] This could not wait another day…” or “Bad News…” (which is kind of a sneaky one, but has become a recent favorite of big name marketers.

2. The Lead-In

Now that you’ve got the visitor’s attention, or they’ve opened your email, you better do something to keep their attention fast! A story works nicely, or a detailed, emotional, heartstring-pulling description of their problem – really rub it in and help them experience the pain they’re trying to eliminate.

Have them saying, “Yes, it’s EXACTLY like that!” in their minds. Put yourself in their mind. Create a fictitious prospect and write as if you were talking to them over a cup of coffee.

You want people to really engage with the emotions behind the problem they want to solve.

3. The Body

Now, start to lead them towards a solution. “Thanks to recent research, there is now a very special ingredient, found in the Amazon tulip, that can eliminate acne within 36 hours and keep it away for as long as 6 months with just one application. So, where can you get this magic substance? Well, it’s not that simple…”

Tell a story of the discovery, your teaching approach, your personal success story, or whatever will lead people to believe and trust you. Throw in a testimonial or two…or seven!

4. The Offer

Build up the value of your offer first. “If you went out and purchased each of the components of my system separately, you would have to spend at least $3157.” Show them exactly where you got that figure – add up the individual values. Really point out the benefits of each feature and how it can help them quickly.

Next, make your offer. “Through this special online program, you can get your hands on this amazing system immediately for just $X” (huge discount over established value).

5. The Guarantee

Offer to refund their money for any reason after 30 days, or 90 days, or one year! Risk reversal guarantees are great, too: “If you follow these steps and do not make at least $100 in the next 60 days, show me your proof, and I’ll happily send you a check for double the amount you paid for this system.”

6. Urgency

“I will be raising the price on this system very soon, so if you want to lock in this special price, please act now.” “There are only X spots left.”

7. Bun Now Button

PayPal is probably easiest, but just use whatever graphics you’ve created or have been given by your payment processing system.

8. Restate the offer briefly

Restate the offer, your personal message, and close with your signature and maybe your picture.

9. P.S.

ALWAYS include a P.S. – many people read only that, so you want to be short concise, and point directly to your offer – pretty much like a headline.

That’s just an overview for now. In upcoming posts, we’ll talk about the specifics involve in each step of the process.

Stay tuned…!

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