Start by asking yourself this question: What do my potential clients need to believe in order to purchase?
Ultimately, we want them to decide that: Purchasing X [YOUR product or service] is the BEST way to achieve Y [Desired Outcome].
Aristotle, in his work ‘Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasion’ suggests three components must be present for effective persuasion: Pathos – emotion, Ethos – credibility, and Logos – logical reasoning.
Combining all three of these elements in your messaging is essential in creating a compelling sales page. Your goal should be to create a sales page that meets the following criteria:
Stirs emotion (Pathos) – I feel like yours is the right path forward for me. Demonstrates credibility (Ethos) – I feel like you understand me and I think you are best-positioned and/or qualified to help (emotional connection and credibility factors). Delivers a compelling logical argument (Logos). I think this is going to work for me.
Aristotle teaches that above all, you must make your audience feel with you. This is critical since the decision to buy is made first with our emotions, with how we feel, we then justify the way we feel with rational argument.
Remember this as you craft your messaging and sales page copy. The primary purpose of your sales page is to stir emotions.
There is no hard and fast rule about the perfect order of sections, you don’t even need to include all of the sections, but you MUST satisfy the pathos, ethos, logos requirements outlined above.
Treat each of the sections as the building blocks for crafting beautiful and compelling sales pages for your business.
Here are some sales page examples:
www.livethefearlesslife.com/fearless-movement www.colinscotland.com/mastermind
The Building Blocks of Your Sales Page
Top Bar Hero Section Video with Caption Show You Understand - The Problem Imagine the Feeling... Ethos and Credibility Here's How it Works - The Solution Here's What You Will Get - The Deliverables Risk Reversal Bonuses Price Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ Urgency and Scarcity Social Proof Multiple Calls To Action (CTAs)
Top Bar
The Top Bar is used to display either your brand or product logo, and to utilise urgency (e.g. countdown timer) and scarcity (e.g. hurry only 10 slots left) and a CTA (Call To Action).
Hero Section
Pre-Header – Headline – Sub-Headline – Clear CTA (Call To Action)
Focus on the big outcome/transformation. Make it emotionally-charged. Make sure you have a CTA above the fold (it can be seen without needing to scroll down).
Regain Control of Your Mind and Body [Pre-Header]
RE-AWAKEN YOUR POTENTIAL [Headline]
Break Free. Take Control. Transform Your Life! [Sub-Headline]
>> YES! I WANT THIS << [Clear CTA]
Video with Caption
Video Sales Letter (VSL) that takes viewers on an emotional journey and guides them to conclude your product/service/program is the best way for them to achieve the desired outcome/transformation.
After watching the video, you want the viewer to feel hope and encouragement and be moved to take the next step with you.
Show You Understand - The Problem
Show you understand the problem by articulating the pains and issues in your prospect’s language, and ask ‘what if there was a better way?’
This is where research is essential. Forget your product or solution, consider how your prospects articulate the problem? What language and terminology do they use?
Reflect your ideal client’s words back at them in the copy.
Imagine The Feeling...
Use this section to paint a picture of what paradise (the dream outcome) looks and feels like. Use benefit bullets to sell the dream. What would life feel like if you had… or Imagine the feeling if you had…
Create an emotionally-charged section that sells the big outcome, the big transformation people can expect from purchasing your product or service.
Ethos and Credibility
Share your journey/credibility story – Why should I trust you? What do you know?
Craft an origin story that connects you emotionally with your audience.
You can bake in your professional credentials, and even use logos of places you’ve been featured and/or people/brands you’ve worked with.
But remember your story is NOT about you. I repeat, your story is not about you.
Your story is about the pain your prospects are in, it should show them you understand, you have been there, and instil hope and excitement that you can help.
Stir up the emotion for the desired outcome in potential clients, AND create a personal connection with you/your brand.
Your credibility piece should end with a battle-cry, a rallying call that evokes excitement and anticipation and puts fire in your prospects belly.
This section should make them want to leap out of their chair shouting “yes yes yes! I want this! And you are the best person to help me get where I want to go!”
Here is an example of a powerful Ethos/Credibility section written for a transformation coach:
———-
“You’re lucky to be alive!” I will remember those words for the rest of my life.
I can still hear the sound of the siren and smell the fumes from my smashed up car.
When I heard the paramedic’s voice something changed in me.
I had fallen asleep at the wheel driving home from another sixteen hour day.
It was 1 am, I was exhausted, overworked, stressed, and wallowing at the worst point in my life.
As I looked down at my broken leg in the aftermath of that horrible crash I realised, I had a broken relationship with myself!
My partner had left me, my job was unbelievably stressful, I was anxious and depressed. I honestly felt like I couldn’t breathe.
In my desperation to survive, I had almost lost everything.
In the paramedic’s words, I heard a message of hope for the first time in my life.
At that point, I knew things had to change. I knew I was worth more.
My journey, like yours, is littered with failures, fears and anxieties.
Like you, I read all the self-help books and searched for answers anywhere and everywhere to no avail.
But along the way, I discovered something that changed everything for me.
I discovered how to fix the broken relationship with myself.
I learned how to transform from the inside.
I learned how to repair the damage from my past.
I discovered that my journey could inspire others who feel broken and filled with despair to do the same. To transform into the fullness of being.
I had finally found my purpose!
I am a work in progress. Transformative coaching has taught me that.
But I know from experience that you can change.
You can transform into the person you know you are meant to be. To live a full and rich life.
Are you ready to make that change?
Are you ready to take the first step?
Let’s transform together!
———-
Here's How it Works - The Solution
At this point in your sales page, you have stirred an emotional response.
You have used your story of connectivity and credibility to connect emotionally and position yours as the best solution to the problem.
There should be a heightened sense of hope and anticipation.
Now you can explain how your solution works/what the solution looks like.
What are the steps you will take them along to get from their current prison state to the paradise state where they experience the dream outcome?
What are the features and benefits of your solution?
Features and Benefits
Features – Characteristics that describe your product. Benefits – What benefit or value does the feature bring? Why does it matter? What will that feature do for me? How will it make my life better, easier? How will it make me feel? Function What the feature does for the prospect. Emotion Spell-out how the benefit is going to make the prospect feel. Copy Combine the functional and emotional aspects of the benefits to paint a vivid picture of what experiencing the benefit will look and feel like. Bring the benefit to life
Feature
Benefit – Function
Benefit – Emotion
Benefit – Copy
Blueprint and instructions to create a compelling Sales Page.
Save time and make more money by creating compelling sales pages faster.
Wake up every day filled with confidence and excitement, knowing that your sales process is on point and working for you.
Your sales pages will captivate and compel more people to buy from you. Your sales AND your confidence as an entrepreneur will increase!
Here's What You Will Get - The Deliverables
This is where you list out everything that your solution delivers.
Risk Reversal
What guarantees do you offer? Can you guarantee results? Can you guarantee transformation? Can you guarantee specific outcomes? Will I get my money back if I don’t like it?
We all get a sense of regret and question ourselves when we make a big decision.
Is this the right choice for me? That butterflies feeling in your stomach when you ask yourself ‘have I made the right decision?’ This is called cognitive dissonance (or buyer’s remorse).
In your risk reversal section, you are seeking to reassure and stop this feeling from creeping in and putting prospects off.
Bonuses
The bonus section is where you are able to layer on the value your solution brings to make the decision to buy a “no-brainer”.
You should create emotional benefits copy for each of the bonuses AND assign a monetary value to each bonus item.
The value of the bonuses create contrast and helps to pre-frame the reader for the price section that follows.
As a general guide with bonuses, use the 10x rule. For example, if your product price is $100, then you should try to include bonuses worth $1000.
Think about it, if you FIRST show the huge value of just a small piece of your solution, paying a fraction of that then becomes a much more attractive proposition.
Price
In the price section, you need to summarise all of the deliverables, including any bonuses.
If there are multiple price options then it’s a good idea to utilise price tables.
You can also show total program value, cross it out and show the discounted price to emphasize the value.
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
What questions do people ask before they purchase? Can I afford it? Will it work for me? Why is this different?
What might put people off?
Address the common questions and objections in your FAQ section.
Don’t shy away from the difficult questions. This is your opportunity to tip someone over the edge who may be sat on the fence about purchasing. Use it wisely.
Urgency and Scarcity
Urgency is used to create a feeling of hurriedness – I must do this now, combined with the fear of missing out – If I don’t do this now they will be all gone and I will miss out forever.
Use this sparingly, authentically, and only where appropriate. NEVER try to trick or cajole people into purchasing by over-emphasising these kinds of tactics.
You want people to feel in control of the decision, bursting with confidence that this is right for them. Used correctly, the urgency/scarcity element is a mechanism that can create momentum and energy that tips prospects over the edge and towards purchasing.
Social Proof
Sprinkle social proof liberally throughout the page to prove that you can deliver the transformation or outcome you promise.
Showcase the successes other clients have experienced.
Have past clients describe the before and after they have experienced. You are looking to highlight words that echo the outcome your prospects desire.
Multiple Calls To Action (CTAs)
Your reader must never be far away from a CTA (Call To Action).
The option to take the next step should be present throughout your sales page. Don’t make them scroll and scroll to find it.
