Best Sales Letter Formula to Improve Conversion & Sales

Here’s the sales letter formula I use in creating high-converting sales letters for products and services.

The thing is,

There are many copywriting formulas any copywriter can use to bring in an unholy amount of sales.

And the old but effective ones are:

• AIDA = Attention, Interest, Desire, Action
• PAS = Problem, Agitation, Solution

The 2 formulas still work.

But after a while, every copywriter starts to come up with his/her sales letter formula for writing effective copy.

And here is mine.

It’s a modification of the PAS formula and I have found that it works like magic.

You can steal it if you want.

Let’s break down this sales letter formula individually:

Pre headline qualifier

This is the mini headline before the main headline.

The job of this headline is to pre-qualify the reader to be sure they are the best fit for the product.

If you’ve done your marketing well, you won’t need a qualifier headline because everybody coming to your site has already been prequalified by targeting the right person in your advert.

But, to ensure that the person who is about to read your sales letter is the right fit, you should pre-qualify them.

Again, this is not a must especially if you’ve hit the nail on the head with excellent targetting.

Here’s an example of a pre-qualifying headline:

Headline

This is the message that should capture the attention of your reader.

More people read the headline of a sales letter than they do the body of the copy.

And if your headline does not capture their attention and arouse curiosity in them to read the second line of the sales letter, you would have lost that sale.

Now, for your headline to be effective, it should have the following elements:

• It should be big and bold
• It should make a huge bold promise
• Should arouse curiosity
• Should be emotionally compelling
• It should grab your attention
• Must be specific
• Must create a sense of urgency

An example of a good headline is:

Opening Sentence

Since the job of the headline is to read the first sentence (which is this one)

The job of the second sentence is to read the third…

And so on.

Therefore, the first sentence in your sales letter should answer the question your reader is asking, “what is this letter about“?

And to make the first sentence of your sales letter more persuasive, (getting them to read the next line) include the words “you” or “your” or both words in your first sentence to focus on your reader and your reader’s needs.

Big bold promise

This is where you tell the reader what they will get from the sales letter.

Here, you will not reveal the product or service,

You only tell them that this letter will show them how to get rid of blah, blah, blah.

It could be only one line.

But that one line should be able to get them invested emotionally.

This is why you should know how to write an emotionally convincing sales letter.

Using emotions in your sales letter boosts the effectiveness of your copy.

Statistics from a credible source

Adding a stat from a credible source boosts the reader’s trust in you.

It could be from a source that has nothing to do with you.

But it could also be a stat that shows how much you make (If you’re in the money-making niche)

Whatever stat you use,

It should be authentic and believable.

Also, don’t forget to add the source if it’s external.

This is for skeptics who would like to see if what you’re claiming is true.

Remember, don’t add a link.

Instead, mention where the source of the stat came from.

The only link on your sales letter should be the “buy now” link.

You don’t want people clicking away from your sales letter, getting carried away, and forgetting to come back to the sales letter.

An example of this is:

Have I mentioned that it must be a credible source? (1)

Problem

State the problem.

People know what they’re going through but restating it brings the problem in front of their face.

And when that happens, the unpleasant memories associated with that problem bubble back up to the surface.

Understand, you’re not a sadist and you don’t enjoy showing people pain.

But your job is to provide a product or service that solves the prospect’s problem.

So, the reason for bringing the problem back to the surface is to offer them a lasting solution to that problem.

Agitate

Blow out the problem.

Look at weight loss for example,

Right now they are only a little overweight and have not crossed over to the lane of obesity.

Here, your job is to tell them what will happen if they continued this lifestyle.

The negative impact it will have on their health and family members.

How they may end up being dependent on their family members due to weight issues like diabetes and heart attack.

Give them all the negative side effects of not taking care of their bodies right now.

This is the “agitation” method.

Some of your ideal clients might not have thought about this before.

That is why it is your job to bring the adverse effect of continuing that lifestyle to their faces.

This will make them understand that they need to do something about their issue right now.

Story

Story sells.

People connect with stories because we’ve been told stories since we were infants.

And who doesn’t love a good story?

Write a story that resonates with your audience and the product you’re trying to sell.

The reason for this is that:

It will remain with the reader for a long time, especially if they don’t order immediately because they don’t have the money or for whatever reason.

Learn to tell a good story to captivate your reader and plant a seed in their hearts to never forget you.

Solution

Here, you introduce the product.

This is not where you sell or offer them pricing for the product.

You only tell them that you have a solution to their problems.

And you introduce the product.

Credentials

People prefer to work with experts in their fields.

At least, show that you have experience in that field and that they can trust your knowledge.

That’s why you tell them about your credentials.

By the way, you don’t have to do this all the time.

Especially when you’re targeting your audience and they already know you.

But if you’re selling to a relatively new audience who might not have heard of you before, then you should tell them about your credentials and why they can trust you.

Benefits

Remember the statement, “Sell the sizzle, not the steak“?

This is where you do that.

Here, you tell the reader about the immense benefits they get when they try your product or service.

You mention the benefits your product or service offers the buyer.

Don’t skimp on this section, pour it all out for the reader to see that they need your product.

Testimonials

This is also called social proof.

People like what other people like… especially if that thing has something to do with them.

So, including testimonials of people who have used your products and sang their praises will boost conversion.

But what if you don’t have any testimonials?

Send a free copy to a section of your email list in exchange for a testimonial after they’ve used it.

Now, what if you’re new and you don’t have an email list.

Gather your friends and get them to try the product and send you a genuine testimonial.

And I’m sure you have friends.

But what if you don’t have any friends?

Do the same for your family.

What if you’re alone?

Place an opt-in form on your site offering the product for free. And in your welcome message, tell them to write a testimonial for the product.

All I’m saying here is that you should have a testimonial on your sales page.

It makes people trust that your product delivers on its promises stated in the benefits section.

Future pacing

This means showing them what their future will look like when they try your product.

Paint a picture of that future for them.

Make it clear.

Invoke all their senses.

Let them feel, smell, taste, see and hear everything that’s going to happen to them when they try your product.

I’m sure you’ve come across those “make money online” sales letters where they tell you about the huge mansion you will live in on the beach with your laptop.

Then they’ll show a picture of a man or woman sitting in front of a mansion, with a laptop, and the sun shining, with a glass of pina colada next to them.

That’s a good example of future pacing.

Offer/pricing

After whetting their appetite by showing them what their lives will look like, it’s time to mention your offer/pricing.

Give them the price of the product and move on.

You don’t want to make it seem like you’re desperate for the sale.

If you’re making a sales call and you get to this point, do the same thing…

Tell them the price and keep quiet.

Scarcity

FOMO = The fear of missing out has been ingrained in all humans and it’s not going away anytime soon.

That’s why every sales letter you come across induces scarcity in their sales pages in one form or the other.

Either it’s for price increment or days before the offer closes.

Scarcity boosts conversion for any sales letter.

Also, when you use this tactic, make sure you keep to your promise.

Because if you say in 2 days the offer goes up to its original price, increase the price in 2 days.

This is so that the reader knows that you’re not joking.

And the next time they come across your offer, they’ll know not to take your scarcity tactic for granted.

Bonus

Greed!

People want more… even if they didn’t work for it.

That’s why all great copywriters use this tactic in their sales letters.

Offer them more incentives when they make a purchase.

It could be a free book with their purchase or a free sales consultation.

Whatever it is, make it so valuable that their greed sensors are activated and they want it immediately.

Guarantee

Nobody wants to lose money.

That’s why you should offer a guarantee anytime you write a sales letter.

And studies have shown that the longer the guarantee the better.

If you offer a one-year guarantee, your conversion will be higher than when you offer a 30 days guarantee.

This is to put the customer’s mind at ease and they know that if the product does not deliver, they can request their money back.

Most people won’t.

But there are those who will use the product, and even after it has worked for them, they still ask for a refund.

Give them their money back.

Plus, you don’t want to do business with such people anyway.

Your product is for people who benefitted from it and are appreciative.

Although, there’s a simple way you can reduce the number of refunds.

Tell them that when asking for a refund, they should include proof that they used the product and it didn’t work for them, including pictures of them using the product.

Most people won’t go through the trouble of doing all these.

But, if you still get lots of refunds, then maybe your product is the problem.

Recall your marketing and make the product better.

Everything you get

Some people would have forgotten most of what you said in the sales letter.

But they won’t forget how you’re making them feel in the sales letter.

And by this time,

Most will already be persuaded to make an offer.

That’s why you should use emotions in your sales letter.

But, for the sake of clarity, you’ll tell them everything they get in a summary.

In this section, you tell them about the product, the bonuses, and the guarantee just to refresh their memory.

CTA

The call to action!

Here, you tell them to make the purchase.

Use a BIG, BOLD BUTTON so there’s no mistaking what they’re supposed to do.

P.S.

The postscript!

After the headline, this is usually the most read part of a sales letter.

After reading the headline of your sales letter, some people read the P.S section to see what the sales letter is about and if they like it, they go back and read the rest of the letter.

That is why you should include a P.S in all your sales letter.

And at the end of the P.S, include a BIG BOLD BUTTON telling them to buy.

F.A.Q

Frequently asked questions!

This is where you address all objections your reader might have.

This is an important section to have in your sales copy.

It’s like you’re in your customer’s head and joining in on the conversation going on there.

This puts the mind of your reader at ease.

That’s it

Use this sales letter formula when writing your own sales copy.

Note that it works incredibly well.

Final tip

The thing about this sales letter formula is that, although it works well, you won’t convert as well as you want if it’s not emotionally compelling.

I have shown you the sales letter formula, but what I did not do is write the sales letter for you.

And even though you can pull in a considerable amount of sales with this sales letter formula, you should also learn how to pull at the heartstrings of your prospect.

This is called emotional copywriting and you can learn more about emotional copywriting here.

Use persuasive copy to make the sale.