Tweet

10 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Sales Copy

Guest post by: Terri Seymour

Article Overview: You do not have to hire a professional to get good results from your ad copy but you do need to make sure you learn the basic strategies and mistakes when writing your sales page.

10 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Sales Copy

Writing effective sales copy is a skill and is vital to any business. Luckily, you can learn this skill by reading about it and by using common sense. Most of what you will learn is common sense and will go a long way in increasing your sales. Of course, all elements of writing sales copy cannot be covered in one short article but I have touched on many of the basic rules and strategies to remember and the mistakes to avoid. 1. Not knowing and/or believing in your product. You need to know as much as possible about your product so this knowledge will come through in your sales copy. Also, if you do not believe in your product, this can also show through in your copy. Research your product, if you have to, and be prepared when writing your sales pitch.

2. No sub-headings. Most people will scan over the sales page to see if the product would be something of interest to them. You need sub-headings to emphasize the important points of your copy so as to capture the reader's attention. A good sub-heading would be something like:

"Discover the secret to healthy fast weight loss."

Keep your sub-headings as short as possible but make sure they pack a psychological punch!

3. Not stressing the benefits. People want and need to know what is in it for them. Use a bulleted list to stress the benefits of your product. Pretend you are the customer. What would you want to know about the product you are selling? Let the customer know how your product will solve their problems.

4. Not using testimonials. Testimonials will show the reader that real people have used the product and it has worked for them. Be sure to use credible testimonials that detail what the product has done for the customer. Use something like: I have more energy now than when I was in my 20's, as opposed to something like: This product works great!

5. Not using a P.S. Adding a P.S. at the end of your sales letter can have as much effect as a beginning headline. It could add that extra punch the customer needs to make the decision.

For example: P.S. Order now and receive a free 2 hour consultation on how to use our product.

6. Not learning how to write an effective headline. Take note of headlines that grab and keep your attention. Model your headlines after those. A headline has to contain power words that will trigger a response from the reader.

For example: PainBGone gets Rid of Pain or

Free Yourself from Pain and Live a Happier Life

7. Not using the right words. A simple change like using the word "discover" rather than "learn" can make a big difference in the "feel" of your sales copy. Rather than "Get the Job Done", you should say "Achieve Your Goals". Using the right words can get a psychological response that the customer cannot ignore.

Here is a quick list of some effective power words:

Discover

Secret

Proven

Invest (instead of buy)

Innovative

Reveal

Success

Free

Save

8. Not making your copy believable. You've seen the ads that were so full of impossible promises and guarantees nobody could believe them. If the customer doubts the validity of the copy then your chances of a sale are next to nothing. Be straight-forward, honest and use simple everyday language. There is no need for using the language of a rocket scientist. If people can identify with what you are saying, they will be more apt to trust it.

9. No sense of urgency. Sometimes people will need a little push to get them to order. This is when you need to add phrases such as:

Limited Time Offer.

First 10 Customers Only.

Order Today for Your Free Bonuses.

Help get your customer in the "Buy Now" frame of mind.

10. Not proofreading your copy. Who would put any trust in an ad that reads like this:

by now to get you're free gift today. Limitedtime offer for all order. Clcik the link below to order know.

Be sure to check all spelling and grammar before publishing your ad copy.

You do not have to hire a professional to get good results from your ad copy but you do need to make sure you learn the basic strategies and mistakes when writing your sales page.

Related Articles
  Don't Mess Up Your Copywriting By Making These Mistakes
  Magnetic Marketing Copy; Writing from a Position of Partnership
  Instant Article Writing Template: The Top Mistakes Article Writing Template Explained in Detail
  Tips to Avoid Messing Up Your Marketing Message
  8 Quick Tips to Avoid Messing Up Your Marketing Message
  3 mistakes in selecting a right Web Development Company
  Learn Copy Writing - It will make a Huge difference in your Business
  Strategic Questions To Ask About Your Business Writing, From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach
  Psychological Tricks For Writing Sales Letters and Marketing Emails
  Are You Making These 5 Mistakes with Your Headlines?
  Search Engine Marketing - Why You Should Write Search Engine Friendly Copy?
  Sneaky Human Senses Copywriting Trick To Get More Sales
  6 Tips for Understanding Words that Trigger Behavior
  How to Write a SE-friendly Copy for the Web
  9 Elements to Help Your Copy Connect with Your Ideal Customers
  Lesson #1: “If you get knocked down, get back up again”
  5 Secrets of the Copywriting Masters
  Using Mistakes Successfully
  Tender Writing
  Home Based Business – 4 Blunders To Avoid That Make Your Home Based Business Fail

Article Tags: resell ebooks, sales pages, Terri Seymour, writing ad copy



Related Forum Posts
Top 19 Copywriting books - 1. Ogilvy on Advertising. David Ogilvy. Wiley. 2. Positioning: The Battle for your Mind. Al Ries and Jack Trout. Warner. 3. The New Positioning. Jack Trout. McGraw-Hill. 4. Tested Advertising Methods. John Caples. Prentice-Hall. 5. How to Make your Advertising Make Money. John Caples. Prentice-Hall. 6. Guerrilla Advertising. Jay Conrad Levinson. Houghton Mifflin. 7. Direct Mail Copy that Sells. Herschell Gordon Lewis. Prentice-Hall. 8. Sales Letters that Sizzle. Herschell Gordon Lewis. NTC Business Books. 9. Herschell Gordon Lewis on the Art of Writing Copy. Herschell Gordon Lewis. Prentice-Hall. 10. Romancing the Brand. David Martin. American Management Association. 11. The Art of Writing Advertising: Conversations with William Bernbach, Leo Burnett, George Gribbin, David Ogilvy, Rosser Reeves. NTC Business Books. 12. Confessions of an Advertising Man. David Ogilvy. NTC Business Books. 13. My Life in Advertising. Claude Hopkins. NTC Business Books. 14. Scientific Advertising. Claude Hopkins. NTC Business Books. 15. How to Become an Advertising Man. James Webb Young. NTC Business Books. 16. The Lasker Story as He Told It. NTC Business Books. 17. Advertising Concept and Copy. George Felton. Prentice Hall. 18. The Copy WorkShop Workbook. Bruce Bendinger. The Copy Workshop. 19. Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Ads. Luke Sullivan. Wiley. This should keep you busy for at least a year. Enjoy!
Need a book recommendation for writing better - I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing skills, so I was just wondering if anyone could recommend a good copywriting or copyediting book? I was actually thinking of reading "The Copywriter's Handbook : A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells" by Robert W Bly [u:w3cg00nn]OR[/u:w3cg00nn] "The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications" by Amy Einsohn. Would anyone know if these books are any good? Thanks
Re: 365 Foolish Mistakes Smart Managers Make - [quote="litekepr":2v18lglp]This morning's Google Alert held a pleasant surprise. WORTH MENTIONING A List of New Books Compiled by The Management and Government Information Center (MAGIC) Chinn Park Regional Library 703-792-4880Summer 2007 Indicates titles relating to the FISH Philosophy 365 Foolish Mistakes Smart Managers Make Every Day: How and Why to Avoid Them by Shri L. Henkel, 2006 interesting. Is anyone else here familiar with the FISH philosphy? i[/quote:2v18lglp] Congrats on the mention of your book! Hopefully it will drive up sales! For myself, I don't really care for their acronym... MAGIC. Gives people the subtle impression that good things happen at the snap of a finger instead of lots of hard work!
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing
Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz] I second the request...


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Adapting to Technology and the Internet

Inspiration for troubled times

Download a template or see a lawyer?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.