5 Things I Always Do When Writing Sales Pages
Writing sales pages might seem intimidating, but I promise you can TOTALLY write your own. These five tips are my favorite to share with people who want to give it a try. They’re little things, but I think they make a huge difference.
P.S. If you want a little more help, be sure to check out my Sales Page Template for Courses + Workshops! It lays out the sales page writing process in an easy-to-follow format, with examples that will bring it all to life!
Okay, let’s get to my top five tips for writing your own sales page!
#1 - Pick One Focused Goal For Your Sales Page
This is the single most important “rule” that I will share when it comes to writing your own sales page. Even though you might understand how all of your services and offerings fit together to solve your target customer’s problems, to them it just sounds like noise and noise = confusion.
So, pick one offer and focus on that. If you’re launching a mastermind program but you also have a success planner that you’re going to be releasing in a few months, resist the urge to even mention the planner. Focus ONLY on the mastermind, what problems it will solve, the value that it will add to your buyer’s life, and why they need it.
Ideally, your sales page should not include navigation to any of your other pages. It’s typically a standalone page without a menu at all. There’s a reason for this: you want them to stay on that sales page and do the one thing you are hoping they will do on that page: click the buy button.
If you have other “shiny objects” on the page like a link to your blog or a portfolio of your past work, you might see people hop off the page and when that happens, it’s unlikely they’re going to come back. Keep them on the page with focused copy and a single funnel that leads them to that checkout page!
#2 - Show You Understand Their Pain Points
It’s important to understand that investing in something — like your offering — is an emotional decision. People tend to buy things that will make their lives easier (duh) but also things that will make them feel more successful. We all want to feel like the best version of ourselves, like we’re kicking ass at life.
But, it’s not enough to just say, “this thing will make you a badass rockstar at life.” You have to first show that you really get what’s standing between them and that version of themselves. Because unless you know what the pain points are, how the heck are you going to solve them?
You want your sales page to speak to your ideal buyers like a non-judgmental best friend who is really rooting for them to win. Don’t overthink it; keep it conversational and kind. Use the same language you would use with someone you want to help in your real life!
#3 - Include Social Proof, Like Testimonials
Social proof is so powerful and so many people are under-utilizing it because they don’t want to come across as “braggy.” I get it. It’s hard to talk about yourself, but with social proof, you’re letting other people do the talking for you. You’re just putting it out there for people to read!
We all like to make sure we’re making a good investment. It’s why we scroll down to the reviews before buying something on Amazon. It’s why we ask friends and family on Facebook if they know of a trustworthy electrician instead of just randomly picking one off Google.
According to Nielsen (the people who study all the things), 66% of buyers trust customer reviews, which means this strategy is a must-use. Put at least three testimonials on your landing page. If you have more than that, create a slideshow so they’re not taking up too much of the page, but they’re easily accessible for those who want to read them.
#4 - Make Sure Every “Buy” Button Looks the Same
This is a tip that I picked up from Donald Miller’s incredible book, Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen. I do not typically get all gushy about business books, but I’ve read this one three or four times and it always teaches me something new.
When all of your “buy” buttons are the same color and have the same text on them, it removes any extra barriers between you and your potential customers. They don’t have to do the work of figuring out which button does what. They can very clearly see that all of the buttons on your sales pages lead to the same place.
It’s also a good idea to make the call to action language on the button super clear. I know it can be tempting to get really cute with the copy, but this might actually create confusion where there doesn’t need to be any. Let the rest of the copy on the page show off your fun personality but when it comes to the “buy” buttons, it’s best to stick with what works, for example:
Buy Now
Sign Up Now
Click Here to Sign Up
Start Now
Join Me/Us
One final word on buttons: make sure they are actually buttons. As in, a block of color with some contracting color text on it. Yes, hyperlinked text will *technically* work but your buyers are used to looking for the button, so make it easy for them to find and read it.
#5 - Speak Their Language… Literally
If you’ve ever been on a sales page and thought to yourself, “Wow! This person really GETS me!” then listen up because I have a hot tip for you! You can easily speak your target buyer’s language by literally using their words on your sales page.
Sure, you can outline how your offering can change someone’s life, but your customers have actually experienced it first-hand. Pull up those testimonials and reviews you’ve received and look for concrete examples that you can add to your page. These real-life stories will add so much “color” to the page and it will really get people to start visualizing a better version of their life, too!
So, instead of saying, “My product will save you hours in the morning” you could pull a line from a recent review that says, “Before I had this, I was scrambling, forgetting my lunch, and showing up late for meetings. Now, I feel like I’m more on the ball than ever. My boss noticed and I’m feeling so much less stress in the morning.”
Now, you might not want to put all of that on your sales page, but you might say something like, “Stop showing up late for your early morning meetings.” The right person will feel like you’re speaking directly to them, which is a huge win!
One more time, you can grab my step-by-step Sales Page Template for Courses + Workshops for just $37, which is a steal when you consider how many times you’re going to use this bad boy over the life of your business!