Are Long Copy Sales Letters Dead?
Many people that I talk to think long copy is dead. They state that nobody reads it, it’s not effective any more, that long copy is hopelessly old-fashioned and out-of-date. I think that the demise of long copy has been exaggerated. Long copy still works and lives.
There are some specific reasons why, which I spend a lot of time talking about in my on the internet 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 internet course at WebCopyWritingExplained.com.
There are three reasons why long copy is effective:
People love to read about what they love. Whatever your passion, don’t you love to visit websites or read books that tell you more? There’s a certain thrill in finding a great book on your favorite topic. Here in Spokane, my favorite bookstore is Auntie’s Bookstore. When I go there to research a topic, I find it irresistible. I don’t just buy one book on that topic – I purchase ALL the books on that topic! If you could see my office here, you would see hundreds of books on marketing, copywriting, and web conversion. That’s my passion. We all love to read about our favorite topics, and that certainly includes sales letters about our favorite topics.
On the web isn’t 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 web, you have to try to figure out what questions (or “objections”) they’re prone 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 helps you tell a story. In Seth Godin’s book, All Marketers Are Liars, the author discusses the power of stories to sell a product. Learn how stories sell, and how that can help 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’ve to offer. This clearly explains what you’re 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. Tell them what to do next. Purchase! Call now! Add a sense of urgency, and tell them to call you 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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