Copywriting Tips - Where to Put Stuff

Salescopy is a complex piece of work. You have your headline, subheads, bullet points, testimonials, social proof, graphics, closing and so on. Outside of a few basic things that should come first and last, there is that gray area where you can pretty much do whatever you want. Unfortunately, that leads us to the problem of deciding just where to put each thing. Many a beginning copywriter goes bananas trying to figure this out. Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all solution to this problem. Therefore, what follows is just a guideline for placing elements of your sales letter in the proper places.

Let's start with the easy ones first. While it's not really written in stone, you should start your sales letter with your main headline. The reason is because this will capture your visitor's attention right away and usually results in 80% of your sales. Aside from the headline, you usually want to finish with your close, payment link and your signature, followed by a PS. This is because the last thing you want your prospect to see is your close. At this point, he's either going to click and buy or leave. So hit him with your best at the end of the letter. Don't go on much beyond that.

After those few "written in stone" items, the rest if pretty much up in the air and open to your discretion. However, this is what I do. I follow the headline with my next best piece of the puzzle. For example. Let's say I've got a killer testimonial. I mean one that practically sells the item itself. I'll put that testimonial right after the headline. Let prospects see how much customers really love the product. If however I feel that my story is one that will grab them right away, I will follow the headline with my story.

From there, you can pretty much mix and match things any old way you like. It doesn't matter. You can interrupt your story with some bullet points or maybe a few graphics such as social proof, income statements or whatever items you want to show. You can put some testimonials at the beginning and leave others for the end, breaking them up so as not to bore prospects with one after another. I find that no more than three or four testimonials in a row is fine. Beyond that gets a little much.

The key to all of this is having one section flow easily into the next. This can be done with subheads. So make sure you use your subheads wisely.

Copywriting does lend itself to the creative mind. It's not a black and white process so don't treat it as such. If you can do that, you're certain to write copy that will keep your prospect glued from beginning to end with no problem at all.

To YOUR Success,