Elements of Persuasive Online Copy
November 28, 2007
Maybe you started thinking about what to cook for dinner or about the business task you needed to tend to. Whatever thoughts were in your head, they had nothing to do with the sales copy you were reading a few seconds earlier.
Here are 5 elements of persuasive online copy
- Attention getting headline. An attention grabbing headline is imperative. An easy way to craft a headline is to make it a “How to” headline. For example, “How to increase your conversion rate by 10%.” Brainstorm headlines and create a list of possibilities. The ideal headline will come to you as your creative juices start flowing. If you’re not 100% certain of your headline, ask associates what they think of the head line and test it to see if it converts.
- Specific promises and benefits. One element of persuasive copy that is often forgotten is that the compelling copy focuses on the customer. You can list all of the features in the world and your prospect won’t blink an eye but tell them how the features will benefit them, make their lives easier, make them happier, better, richer, wiser, or more attractive and they’ll pay attention to what you have to say.
- Facts to back it up. Promises and benefits are all wonderful, however today’s customer is a skeptical one. Back up your promises with testimonials, reviews, statistics, and facts about your credibility or the credibility of your product.
- What is your USP? How are you different from your competition? What makes you unique? Your Unique Selling Proposition can be included in almost every piece of sales copy you write. M&Ms used “Melts in your mouth not in your hands for years.”
- Remind them of the benefits and if you can, add more benefits. Build value. Before you write your call to action, which is also an element of persuasive online copy, take a few minutes to summarize and build value. Recap all they have to gain and then top it off with one or two more benefits to compel them to act immediately.
Last 5 posts by mila
- How, and Why, to Avoid Sexist Language in Your Writing - March 4th, 2008
- Creative Writing Tips You Can Use In Your Copy - February 28th, 2008
- 5 Tips To Beat Writer’s Block - February 24th, 2008
- What Is Your USP? - February 20th, 2008
- Is Your Call To Action Working? - February 16th, 2008
Mila, that was a really good breakdown of what good online sales copy should include. I’ve seen quite a bit of it lately that hasn’t fit those points. Makes me wonder how people ever make money on some items. ;)
Mila,
Would you consider posting this fun indoor gardening activitiy on your site. Thank You
Mark Chipkin
Ever Grow The Plant That MOVES When You Tickle It?
Now you and your family can grow your own TickleMe Plants™! I have been growing TickleMe Plants™ with my sixth grade students and family for over 30 years. Imagine the amazement of your friends, family or students when your living TickleMe Plant™ closes its leaves and lowers its branches as you tickle it.
Materials:
• TickleMe Plant™ Seeds
• Flower pot or cup with hole on the bottom
• Soil
Directions:
1. The day before you plant your seeds, soak them in warm water overnight.
2. Fill a flower pot or cup ¾ of the way with soil.
3. Plant three to five seeds by covering them with 1/8 inch of soil.
4. Water your seeds gently.
5. Place your newly planted seeds in a room that receives bright light or sunlight for part of the day.
6. Temperatures in the room should be above 70 degrees.
7. Water before the soil dries out.
8. That’s it! Your plants will begin to grow in less than a week.
The first two leaves will not be ticklish. In about three weeks, the second set of TickleMe Plant™ leaves will appear and they will move when you tickle them. TickleMe Plants™ are best grown as house plants and can even be placed in a bright location outside during the warmer months. They are frost sensitive, so be sure to bring them inside before the cold weather arrives. The sensitive plant seeds of the TickleMe Plant grow to produce beautiful pink cotton puff ball flowers.
TickleMe Plants™ can live for a year or more and grow to about one foot plus in height.
Native to Brazil, TickleMe Plants can be found growing wild there and in other tropical areas. The scientific name for the TickleMe Plant™ is Mimosa pudica. It also has been called shy grass, sensitive plant and other names throughout the world.
To learn about the natural history of the TickleMe Plant™ go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitive_plant
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself and your children developing a greater sensitivity to plants. When my students first tickle their plants, they often scream “It’s ALIVE!”
Even students that are sometimes hard to motivate, can’t wait to take home their pet TickleMe Plant™ to show off to their friends and family. I grew my first TickleMe Plant™ when I was 9 years old and I never looked at plants in the same way again, nor have I ever forgotten the experience. Neither will you!
To learn more about growing TickleMe Plants™ or to order seeds go to http://www.TickleMePlant.com
Seed packets start at $4.95, Growing Kits and TickleMe Plant Greenhouses with mini flower pots available.
TickleMe Plants can be found online, in science catalogs, at science museums, botanical gardens and toy and gift stores.
Mark Chipkin is a middle school Science Teacher and an Educational Project Director for the TickleMe Plant™ Company. He has sent hundreds of students home with their own Pet TickleMe Plants™.
Great post Mila. I’ve read several sales pages where I’ve totally drifted to ‘la-la land’ and other sales pages where I was so engrossed I couldn’t of thought about anything else if I wanted to.
And now that you’ve broken it down into different points of what makes good sales copy I think back to the ones that kept my attention and just about all of them had most of the points that you mentioned.