If you want to know what sales letters are, read this article to the end.
If you’re a digital marketer or copywriter, you must have heard of sales letters.
And if you buy things online, you must have come across one. Even if you did not know that’s what it’s called.
Sales letters are mostly used in direct response copywriting.
Direct response copywriting is the type of writing that is geared towards action. It is written to make the customer take action.
This action might include signing up for a newsletter or buying something. But mostly, it is used to make people buy something.
Therefore, in this article, we will discuss what sales letters are, why they’re important to your business and career, and how to write a good sales letter.
Let’s begin:
What Are Sales Letters?
Sales letters are written content that has only one job; to get the reader to take action. This action can either be signing up for a newsletter or buying a product or service. Mostly, it’s used to compel people to buy.
Sales letters are typically used in direct mail marketing campaigns.
A sales letter typically includes information about the product or service being sold, its benefits and features, and any special offers or discounts available.
The goal of a sales letter is to convince the reader to purchase by highlighting the value of the product or service and addressing any objections or concerns the reader may have.
Sales letters are different from other forms of messages because they go deeper than what you are reading.
For instance, sales letters target people’s emotions and other primal parts of the human psyche to persuade them to take action.
That is why people spend years learning how to write an effective sales letter. And also, that’s why direct response copywriters are paid the big bucks.
Direct response copywriters can earn up to $1,000 per hour. For a single sales letter, some direct response copywriters are paid up to $35,000.
You may be asking yourself, “Why are direct response copywriters paid this much?” And that will be a good question with a simple answer.
Because a sales letter directly adds to your bottom line. That is, they are directly responsible for increasing your business and making it flourish beyond your wildest dreams.
A good sales letter can increase your business by over 1300%. That’s 1300 percent.
Imagine you are making 100,000 a year.
A good sales letter can bring in over 1,300,000 dollars in a year.
What Are Sales Letters & Why You Need Them
Below are reasons why sales letters are beneficial to your business.
1. Comprehensive: A sales letter is simple to understand and provides your prospect with all the information they need about your product.
2. Reachability: Your salesperson may not be able to contact every prospect, but a sales letter can! With a sales letter, you can capture the attention of any prospect. It’s like talking to 1000 people at the same time.
3. Saves Time: Sales letters can reach multiple clients at the same time, allowing you to complete more work in a fraction of the time it would take an average salesperson!
4. Economical: A sales letter is extremely cheap. You can be a small startup and easily generate a large number of sales using effective sales letters.
What Are Sales Letters: Important Elements
The most effective sales letters are concise and easy to read. Nobody has the time to read page after page of text. Your letter requires only five basic elements:
1. Personal Touch
Your customers do not want to feel trapped. Speak to them as if you were having a one-on-one conversation with them, rather than addressing a large group of people.
Even though many people will read this letter, you should write in a way that speaks directly to the prospect.
Consider your product and the ideal buyer. Then, create an authentic voice that matches both.
This is where a reliable customer avatar and persona come in handy. You can use your customer avatar to gain a thorough understanding of how your customers behave and what they enjoy.
This allows you to create sales letters that are highly personalized for each segment of your customer base.
2. A Story
Statistics and numbers are great, but people prefer stories. If you can tell a human-centric story, your readers will be much more likely to stick with it and keep reading.
The best approach is to paint two pictures: one of life without your product and one of life with your product.
Your customer should be able to identify with the story and imagine how much better their life could be if they made a change.
You must thoroughly understand your prospect’s pain points to tell stories about how your product has helped other buyers solve similar problems.
3. Simple Language
Simplicity is essential, even if your product or service is in a highly specialized industry and your customer base is extremely knowledgeable.
The challenge of selling a complex product is explaining it in a way that people can understand. Keep your letter simple, clean, and readable.
Make sure the language you choose is consistent with your brand’s voice.
Think about your online presence and try to emulate the most established voice.
It would look strange to a customer if your writing style clashed with the messaging in your social media or website content.
4. USP
At some point, you must state your unique selling proposition (USP).
Identify what distinguishes your product or service from your competitors. Because the truth is, your competitors are also sending out sales letters. They’re telling stories and sending personalized messages, but they can’t claim to have your unique selling point.
It’s the one thing that sets you apart, so include it in every sales letter.
5. A Call to Action
The call to action (CTA) tells the reader what to do next. If you have written an effective sales letter, the reader should be motivated to act immediately.
Whether it’s requesting a demo, scheduling a meeting, or visiting an online store, you should provide your customers with a clear path of action so they don’t have to wonder what to do with the information you just gave them.
This may seem like a lot to fit into a single letter. However, the more effective your sales techniques are, the better you will be able to speak to your prospects’ pain points.
What Are Sales Letters? Writing Good Sales Letters
Your prospect needs a reason to buy. A sales letter provides that reason and supports it with examples and information.
This will help to sell the reader the idea of the product or service that a company provides.
Here are the components of a sales letter that you should include to increase your chances of closing a sale.
1. Craft a Catchy Headline
The headline piques your customer’s interest, so it must be a surefire hit!
Make sure your headline explains to your prospects why they should read the rest of your sales letter.
Use phrases like “Imagine….” or “Can you afford to lose…” to spark interest.
Keep your headlines concise, but use bright colors, large fonts, numbers, and so on! Try out many headlines before settling on one because the headline is the most important part of the sales letter,
2. Intrugue Your Customers More With a Good Lead/Hook
Before telling your customers about the offer, tell them the ‘why’.
Communicating their unspoken needs is an excellent way to connect with prospects. In other words, the trick is to explain how the product is beneficial to them.
If you can answer the ‘why’ question, you’ve got their attention and they’ll listen to you.
Addressing the sales prospect’s unspoken needs will help them connect with your product.
Your potential customers will pay more attention if you can explain how this product or service will benefit them.
3. Introduce Your Offer
It’s time to launch your product with a bang!
Explain to your prospects how your product solves their problems and more. Don’t be afraid to go into detail about the benefits of your offering; interested prospects want to know everything!
Use a bulleted list to help readers see the information you want to highlight. Not to mention that a bulleted list is also easy to read!
How Long Should a Sales Letter Be?
There is no specific length for your sales letter. Provide all the information the reader will need to make a decision. However, if this is your first sales letter, we recommend that you start with something shorter!
4. Use Testimonials
Customers want proof and assurance that your product works!
So give them exactly that with customer testimonials!
Believe me, testimonials work. Why?
- 72% of customers say positive testimonials and reviews boost their trust in a company.
- 88% of consumers believe reviews influence their online purchasing decisions.
When you use testimonials, you increase your brand’s credibility and allow customers to see the true value of the product.
Don’t overload your sales letter with too many or excessively long testimonials. Some of the most impactful testimonials are the shortest!
5. Add a Call to Action
The ultimate goal of your sales letter is to encourage your prospect to take action!
That is why you should use CTAs to motivate and persuade people to buy your product. If you’re sending an email, include a direct link or button. In print marketing, use graphics and font to draw readers’ attention to the action.
Use phrases like “Hurry now” or “Offer ends in…”
These will guide your customers to the next step and help you close a sale!
6. Add a Postscript (P.S)
A postscript (P.S.) is an excellent way to ignite your customers’ interest and motivate them to act!
A P.S. contains all of the important information, such as when the offer expires, that there are limited orders or any other final thoughts you want to leave your customer with.
Simply put, it’s another way to connect with customers and highlight the details of your offer in a scannable format.
What Are Sales Letters: Bonus Tips
Apply these bonus sales letter writing tips to write letters that sell.
- Clearly describe your offering and its benefits.
- Use words that have a positive impact on your prospects.
- Choose your words according to your intended audience.
- Use a convincing tone (mostly a conversational tone).
- Try not to create any confusion. Be direct.
- Mention accurate information about product availability and pricing.
- Maintain a consistent font, color, and theme throughout your sales letter.
- Include your name, signature, and additional contact information.
- Be sure to proofread and edit.
- Use psychological and emotional triggers.
What Are Sales Letters: Final Conclusion
Sales letters serve a specific purpose. For instance, introducing a new product or service. To capture your reader’s attention, your sales copy must be of the highest quality.
Effective sales letters use strong and persuasive language to achieve clear results in terms of conversions.
And, of course, you’ll need help to create such strong and engaging sales letters. We can easily take over that role!
With all the information and tips at your disposal, it’s time to try your hand at sales letters.
But if you’re busy and would like to outsource the sales letter writing to an experienced professional, we can help you.
Click here, and let’s help you create a sales letter that adds more money to your bottom line.