How to increase conversions, connections, and improve your sales page copy
How do you write a sales page?
If you’re a copywriter, your process might look like this:
Settle into your little copy cave.
Start writing from scratch.
Type away until you’ve completed your first draft (and developed a wicked case of carpal tunnel).
And if you’re an online business owner, your process might look like this:
Pull up a blank document.
Do a brain dump on the page.
Rewrite and edit your new creation until it’s ready to be released into the wild.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
There’s nothing wrong with these processes.
Many best-selling authors were famously reclusive.
But it doesn’t leave a lot of room to learn from others.
And when we just focus on our own writing…
We don’t have a good feel for how people are writing their own copy, what trends they’re picking up on, and what is going on in their world.
And while you should DIY your copy, especially if you’re in the first few years of your business, it can be really helpful to follow some instructions. So lemme give you some direction…
Hi, I’m Brittany McBean.
Launch strategist, copywriter, and master of puns.
I write launch copy for online entrepreneurs, course creators, membership educators, coaches, and people launching online educational tools at scale.
I don’t just write a lot of sales pages. But I read a lot of sales pages too.
Working with six-figure & seven-figure entrepreneurs gives me a really unique opportunity to read sales page examples and copy that is already generating revenue.
After reading so many pages, you start to see patterns.
And there are a few things my clients consistently do that costs them big-time.
Today we’re going to dive deep and discuss the five most common mistakes I see on sales pages. So you can improve your copy, make deeper connections, and increase conversions…even if you’re DIY-ing it.
[I cover this topic in my latest YouTube video, so give it a watch if you don’t feel like reading.]
Mistake #1: Focusing on the Product, Not the Solution
When people are introduced to a new product, they typically ask themselves the same question: “What’s in it for me?”
When you jump right in and introduce your product and talk about all of its amazing benefits…you’re not answering that crucial question.
So you start to sound less like a guide that’s helping them make a decision, and more like a greasy car salesman.
When your readers don’t understand what your product is, why it’s a resource for them, or how it solves their problems…
You haven’t explained what’s in it for them.
Pro tip: Don’t start by positioning your product as a solution. Start by talking about the solution….without naming your offer.
First, dive into the problem they’re experiencing. Paint the scene for them and then future pace the outcome.
What does that pain look like? What is possible for them? What does their life look like after they’ve experienced that transformation?
Once you prove that you have a deep understanding of their problem and desired solution, then you can introduce your product…and position it as the answer to the problem.
Mistake #2: Listing the Features Instead of the Benefits
What’s the difference between a feature and a benefit?
A feature is the specific detail of something…like a deliverable in your product or offer. A benefit is what that detail does.
For example:
Think of a hydro flask water bottle.
The features include the straw top, the stainless steel, or the little handle.
But if you were to write up an ad that sells hydro flasks, you probably wouldn’t make a lot of sales by talking about the wonders of the bendy straw.
You would do much better by talking about the benefits of those features. (Ok, *sometimes* you need to talk about details a little further towards the bottom of the funnel, but that’s a different story for a different day.)
So you could write about how the straw makes it easier to drink water without spilling…
Or how the steel keeps the water cold for hours…
Or how the handle ensures you can carry the water even when your hands are full…
Those are the benefits.
Here’s a little secret:
People don’t really care about the features of your program or product.
If you just list that your program comes with 30 modules and 10 video lessons, you risk scaring the reader away.
Because they don’t really understand the value of those modules. (And, because who has the time to go through 30 frickin’ modules?!)
What sounds more enticing to you?
Joining a business course with:
- 13 downloadable PDF resources
OR
- Plug-and-play templates for pitching, proposals, and client communication emails
Sign me up for option B.
Pro tip: Lead with the benefits over the features.
If you have a differentiator in a saturated market, absolutely highlight that.
But remember to put the answer to the “what’s in it for me” question front and center.
Mistake #3: Shaming the Reader
If you’ve dabbled in writing your own copy, you know you have to write about the reader’s problem.
But there’s a big difference between calling out the problem and twisting the knife.
You see:
There’s nothing wrong with digging deep into the problem.
But you don’t want the reader to start thinking of the problem as a character flaw.
You want to call out the problem they’re experiencing so you can present your product as a solution. But you don’t want to cause deep shame.
When you write…
“You’re too stressed out to learn blankity blank.”
“You don’t have the skills it takes to blahbilty blah”.
The problem is about them. It’s a character flaw they have to fix…and you’re the person ringing the cowbell to remind them. (<– not a good look)
When their problem is a character flaw, the solution becomes a lot harder.
But when you write…
“You haven’t been taught how to blankity blank.”
“You haven’t been provided the tools you need for blahbilty blah.”
It’s no longer a character flaw. It’s an external problem.
So don’t play the blame game. Unless the blame is on forces outside the reader’s control.
Pro tip: Focus on what’s preventing them from getting the solution they want.
Whether it’s a lack of information, support, time, or any sort of external factors.
Position their issue as a result of a problem that you can solve with your offer.
Mistake #4: The Social Proof Dump Off
The next mistake is an easy fix.
A LOT of people take all of their social proof and put it in one spot.
So the readers get all of the testimonials, videos, screenshots, or case studies in one spot.
Pretty nifty, right?
Well…
It’s actually much more effective to strategically place social proof throughout the entire sales page than to dump it in one location.
Why?
Well…the point of social proof is to back up your claims.
So instead of shoving it all in random sections, it’s much more effective to put it in a place where it can back up a specific claim.
If you say, my program has everything you need to save you hours of your life…
Put in some social proof that backs it up.
Pro tip: Provide proof of your claims by inserting social proof strategically throughout the page — at the top, middle, the bottom, and everywhere in between.
Mistake #5: Forgetting to Write to The Reader
I saved the most important mistake for last. And it’s the mistake I see the most frequently.
When writing a sales page, it’s easy to forget to write to our reader.
It’s easy to write from our viewpoint. We write based on we want to say, what we’re thinking, and what we’ve experienced.
So many times I see people starting their sales page with the word “I.”
And it drives me bananas.
The word “I” shouldn’t be anywhere near the first half of the first page.
Because, again, you haven’t answered that one pivotal question…what’s in it for me.
I hate to break it to ya:
But your readers don’t care about you.
They care about themselves first. And when it comes to you, they really only care about whether you’re the right person to help them.
That doesn’t mean you can’t share your experience or expertise.
But when you lead with it, you’ve lost them.
They didn’t come here to learn about you. They came here to figure out if you have something worthwhile.
Pro tip: Make sure your copy is entering into the conversation that your reader is having in their head.
Avoid talking about yourself in the first 20% (if not the first 50%) of the copy.
Once you bring yourself into the story, always filter it through the lens of what’s in it for the reader.
How to Write a Sales Page
There’s no one-size-fits-all sales page copy template.
But if you can change even one of those mistakes in your sales pages, you’re going to see big results.
People will not only respond better to your copy, but your copy is going to have much higher conversions.
What do you struggle with the most with your sales pages? I want to know! Leave me a comment below.
