Are Long Copy Sales Letters Dead?
Ask for an view about long copy, and you’ll get it! People think that it doesn’t work, it’s old-fashioned and nobody reads it. Well, I’m here to tell you that reports of the death of long copy have been greatly exaggerated. Long copy sales letters are not dead.
There are some specific reasons why, which I spend a lot of time speaking about in my on the web copywriting course, which is our resource today. If you’d like to know more about how and why long copy works, check out my on the web course at WebCopyWritingExplained.com.
Here are three reasons long copy works:
People read about their passions. When you are interested in a certain product or service, you want more information – from websites, books, magazines, and more. My favorite bookstore is Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane. When I go there to read up on a topic, I can’t just purchase one book. I buy each book on the subject that I can find. My office shelves are bulging with books that reflect my passions – on marketing, web conversion, copywriting, and more. Everyone loves to read about their passions, and long copy sales letters are no exception.
Online is not like selling face-to-face. When you sell face-to-face, you can hear people’s questions, you can read their body language to get an idea of what they’re really thinking. On the internet, you have to try to figure out what questions (or “objections”) they’re apt to have. It’s your job to figure out and answer all possible objections in advance. This will require a lot of words. What you end up with is long copy!
Long copy grants you to tell a story. Stories sell. If you doubt this, I suggest the book All Marketers Are Liars by Seth Godin. It talks about the power of story selling and why it’s so important to your business.
Do I have you convinced? Try this simple formula to create a four-part long copy sales letter that can get you results if done properly. This formula is credited to John Carlton – I love his material, and highly recommend it to you:
Here’s what I have to offer. This clearly explains what you are offering to your readers.
Here’s why it’s right for you. Here you explain why this is the solution to your reader’s problems.
Here are some answers for you. Here, you answer any questions that they might have in advance.
Here’s what to do now. Purchase! Pull out your credit card! That’s what you want them to do! Right now!
Interestingly, you could even use these headlines word for word to begin each of the sections in your copy, and it would work great!
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