The Long Sales Letter
I have a love/hate relationship with the long sales letter.
You know the type: Lots of copy with the layout based on a forumla: headlines, testimonials, urgency, bonuses and so on. They’re very popular with the ClickBank type of product.
I love them because they have been proven to work. Done correctly, they hit the right emotional buttons and make the potential buyer want that product right now.
I hate them because they have been done to death. They have been abused and many simply are a parody of themselves offered up by shameless marketers who don’t understand how they work.
It’s all that and the fact that we are all so much more savvy to marketing techniques these days.
You know that the long sales letter page has seen it’s better days when you come across a site such as this - ClickHereYouIdiot.com
I still think there’s a future for the long(ish) sales letter. But maybe it’s time for a little tweaking.
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Further Reading:
- Do Long Scrolling Sales Letters Work?
- Are Long Copy Salesletters Scams?
5 Responses to “The Long Sales Letter”
By Mike on Jun 16, 2006 | Reply
I still like and use them when they fit the situation.
Those that think they don’t work often confuse their thoughts for those of the customer, who doesn’t have a marketing mindset.
Test them against shorter copy, but don’t just say they don’t work … or you’ll limit yourself unnecessarily.
By Stuart on Jun 17, 2006 | Reply
Martin - sometimes I think I must be a dinosaur but I don’t think I have ever read beyond the first paragraph of one of those sales letters.
As soon as I see one all I can think of is spin and bullshit and that instantly kills my burning desire to buy the product.
By Martin Neumann on Jun 19, 2006 | Reply
Hi Stuart … your comment is the exact reason why I have this love/hate thing with long sales letters.
You are correct: a lot of it is pure spin and BS. A lot of it is cookie-cutter stuff. But the fact is that they do work to a certain extent, on a certain type of person. It plays on the emotions - but it only works on someone who is really (and I mean really) into the topic being sold. There is a massive desire, a huge “want” already in the prospect and the sales letter panders to that want.
I’d love to see marketers try and tweak these sales pages - try new things out.
I do thing as the general population becomes more and more marketing savvy, info marketers will sinmply have to change their ways to stay in the game.
By Stuart on Jun 20, 2006 | Reply
Yes Mike - I guess I make the mistake of treating my customers like intelligent human beings.
By Martin Neumann on Jun 20, 2006 | Reply
Just a quick Note: The first comment by Mike was stuck in spam for a few days and I just came across it today - hence why it wasn’t seen till after a few comments.