If you’ve ever created a course or some kind of digital product, you’ve probably tried your hand at writing a sales page for that offer before, my guess is the process may have gone something like this…
…You snooped around the internet to see what your competitors’ have written on their sales pages
…You poured a nice big glass of red wine and randomly pieced together bits and bobs inside your website platform
….And then you hit “launch”… to the sound of crickets…
If you’ve ever been there before, know that you’re not alone. In this blog post, I’m going to demystify the process of writing a sales page and show you the essential elements you MUST include on yours if you want it to convert.
But first, there’s one big reason why your sales page may not be converting:
Your Messaging
This is usually the number one culprit when it comes to your sales page not converting. Is your messaging based on your observations of your customer or is it based on language your customers actually understand and connect with?
Without research, your sales page simply won’t convert, no matter how great the structure is! So start your sales page writing process by gathering voice of customer data from your ideal clients. This will allow you to mirror and address your ideal clients’ desires, pain points, objections, and big questions. Copy that’s based on research will get your ideal clients’ thinking “it’s like she’s reading my mind!”
Got that?
Great. Now let’s dive into the nitty gritty of how to write a high converting sales page using my proven sales page method. Here are the 15 elements of the sales page structure that you can use to write a high converting sales page. Let’s dive into it!
15-Step Sales Page Structure
1. Qualifying statement
This is the first element and should be included right at the top of your sales page as a pre-headline qualifier. You need to start by actually qualifying who your offer is for and let your dream clients know that they’re in the right place.
So how how do they know if this offer is for them? You want to filter out the people who it’s not right for to filter in the people who it is right for. To do this, you need to get really specific who your offer is for and speak to the identity your dream clients resonate with. If there are any pre-requisites for working with you or joining your program, you need to include them here too. You will also want to touch on the transformation that they’re going to going to have via your offer.
I want to break down a qualifying statement I have written for a client, as an example. I included “established business owners” in the statement. What we’re doing here is we’re calling out this specific identity: established business owners. And then I included “who’ve already hit six figures.” So that’s a pre-requisite that they will have already needed to have achieved and will filter out those who don’t meet the pre-requisite. And finally, I included “who want to create a schedule they’ll actually stick to in just 90 days.” That’s the transformation, creating a schedule they’ll stick to in just 90 days, which gives them insight into what they can expect to achieve with the particular offer.
So as you can see, you want to start by really pre-qualifying this person. You want to let them know that they’re in the right place and that your offer is for them.
2. Headline
Next, you want to paint a picture of the transformation your client desires by asking them a big question or making a bold statement. You should frame your question or statement to find out if they are interested in what you have to offer.
I’ll show you an example from another sales page I wrote for a client with a make up program. The headline read, “If there was a predictable step by step system for creating a beautiful daily make up look in less than 20 minutes each day without needing a million different products, brushes or steps to get there, would you finally feel confident and actually enjoy doing your make up for work every single day?”
The headline should set the scene and paint a picture in their head. We’re getting them to imagine what life would look like if they had access to your offer, right? If they had access to a solution that created this transformation for them without all of these pain points that they’re currently experiencing.
3. Why it hasn’t worked before
Next, you want to speak to the current circumstance they are in. What does it look like? What does it feel like? What thoughts are going through their mind? Remind them that they are here, looking at your sales page, because everything they’ve tried before just hasn’t worked!
For example, in the makeup course sales page, I painted a picture of where they were at. Where they have to do their makeup every single day before running out of the door to head to work. And as much as it’s a task that they don’t like doing, it’s unavoidable. Ultimately asking them the question, “do you know what you’re doing?”
You have a unique niche, and a unique kind of dream client that you serve. So you want to take them on a specific journey, exploring what they’re facing right now and how they feel about the problem that they’re facing. What is actually in their head in, this moment? We want to address that.
4. Deepest pain
Paint a picture of the time they experienced their deepest pain point. You could list a few pain points, or you could share one tangible example in detail.
Right now, your dream clients are really stuck. But it’s not about painting a picture of the problem at surface level. You want to focus on the moment of deepest pain for them and then paint a picture of what their pain looks like at the end degree. You could do this by telling a story and saying, “I remember what this pain feels like…” Or, get them to think about a time when X, Y and Z happened, and paint a picture when the big pain point had a negative impact on them.
As an example, your dream client could be trying to design their website, and you sell website templates. The biggest moment of pain for them could be when they’d spent over 30 hours or a whole week trying to redesign their website in SquareSpace, trying to put together fonts and colours to compliment their brand. But they just kept making mistakes and couldn’t make it look like the websites that they were seeing on Pinterest. So they kept comparing themselves to all of their competitors and ended up feeling really, really bad about their website. The biggest pain point is then that they know that if they don’t have a beautifully designed website, it means that their dream clients are less likely to choose them. It means that they’re not going to attract the people they want to attract, and that really sucks.
So you really want to tell a super descriptive story of that specific moment when they experienced their deepest pain.
5. Biggest desire
Then you want to paint a picture of the perfect scenario for your dream clients. What would their life look like if they didn’t have their pain points, but instead had a solution?
If we continue on with the website design example, you would want to then paint a picture where your dream client could imagine if they did have a beautifully designed website that looked like it was off Pinterest. What would that mean for them? They might have been in business for five years already and deserve to actually have a website that does the selling for them instead of constantly having to hunt for clients on Instagram. Because that’s really time consuming. Or they could have already made six figures in their business and deserve to finally have a website that represents who they are.
So we’re painting this picture to describe exactly what it would look like if your dream clients did have this awesome thing that they really, really want. And that it’s going to be amazing.
6. Shift beliefs
For your dream client to hand over money and buy your offer, you need to shift some beliefs! There are probably some beliefs they have right now that are holding them back from action. And if they hold on to these beliefs, they’ll never be able to get the transformation they want.
I’ll use my client’s make up course example again. People often believe that if they had a particular makeup product, it would fix all of their problems. And that’s just simply not true. They also might believe that makeup is just so intimidating, and that they’ll never be able to do it. But really, they’re definitely capable. They might even think that they need a vanity mirror to be able to do their makeup well. When all they need is natural lighting.
Your goal is to explain to your dream client what isn’t true, and what the truth is. You want to help your dream clients to kick these beliefs to the curb, to make way for light and to open up their mind, but most importantly to see that this is possible for them. So you need to come in as the guide, list the negative beliefs, and bust them! That way, when it comes time to introduce your program or introduce your offer, they will think “I believe that this is actually possible for me.” Instead of having negative thoughts in their mind that they would have believed otherwise.
You should then include testimonials that specifically support the belief shifts you will have outlined. If you have someone who you’ve worked with before, or if you have someone who’s gone through your program, make sure you include a testimonial where they speaking to, how amazing that is.
7. Create buy in
Next, you want to create some buy in. You want to get your dream clients really excited and super ready for you to announce your offer, just before you make it. You want to remind them that the transformation they want is possible for them and so much easier to achieve than they think. And then let them know exactly how far away the transformation is for them as well, whether it’s a few steps or 30 days. Essentially, you want to make sure that if your dream clients have been reading all of the information so far on your sales page, that they now know that it is possible for them to have a transformation. You won’t need to remind them that it’s possible.
Throughout your sales page, you also want to drop hints that you have an incredible offer coming. You will include all of the details relevant to your offer without actually revealing what your offer is. Plus you will highlight the other amazing benefits (side effects) they’ll get when they take advantage of your offer and your system.
So you’re getting your dream clients really, really excited that all of this is possible for them. And these are all of the benefits that can be available to them when they take advantage and do things your way, essentially.
8. Your story
Next you want to include the right story (a relatable story!) that positions you as the go-to expert who is going to guide your customers to success. This is your bio where you can inject plenty of your personality! This section is really fun. It’s a place where you can really solidify the beliefs that you’re trying to help your dream clients adopt by sharing your own story.
Stories are so powerful. But you don’t want to tell just any story. Specifically, you want to share your story of how you changed your mind about things in regards to shifting your beliefs. It needs to be the right story that positions you in the best way possible for your particular offer and to relate to your dream client who’s going to be potentially buying your offer.
You also want to ensure that you inject some of your personality into this section so that your copy isn’t boring or generic. You should introduce yourself, tell people what you do and tell a little bit of a story that actually builds credibility and trust. Your story will either say “I’ve been there too” or “I have helped other people get to where you want to get and I’m really excited to help you as well.” Both stories will help you build trust with your dream client.
9. Testimonials
Include more testimonials that specifically speak to the points you’ve made above. These may be testimonials that speak to how much of an expert you are, or how you’ve specifically helped someone get the results they wanted.
Don’t underestimate the power of testimonials either. People are able to do the selling for you with these amazing things that they’ve said about you and your offer. So make sure you include them.
10. Offer reveal
Now it’s time to reveal and introduce your offer! Explain what your offer is and reiterate what the transformation is. Plus, remind them who the offer is for and why you created it (to help people like them!).
Whether it’s a course, service or digital product, you want to reiterate your expertise. For example, you may have spent the last ten years helping women like your dream clients who struggle to piece together their website and feel like they’re hitting the backspace button 100.
Regardless of what your story looks like, you want to speak to where your dream clients are actually at and let them know that, “this is exactly why I’ve created this program/ system,/ offer, so that I can help people like you.” Make sure your dream clients know that they’re in the right place and that your offer is for them.
11. Inside look
Once you reveal your offer, you want to give your dream clients an inside look at what’s included in your offer. If you have a course, this could be as simple as breaking down every single module. If you’re writing this page for a service, it could be breaking it down into the different steps that happen in your service. Make sure you outline what the transformation is for each section of your offer (blow their mind with the value!).
This will get your dream clients really, really excited, and not just about the offer as a whole, but the different parts of the offer and how the different parts of the offer will create an amazing transformation for them. And this is so important because you want to show them that even if they just got access to one part of your offer, it is going to be well worth their money.
You’re also going to include any bonuses that they get with your offer. If it’s a course or program or membership, you might have a members only Facebook group or a bonus training or workshop.
Then you want to outline the payment options. Be sure to answer these questions. How do they pay for your offer? Is it a payment plan? Is it a one time payment? Make sure you include this information with check out links so they can buy from you.
12. Guarantee
Disclaimer: Throwing a guarantee onto your sales page will NOT solve all of your problems. It can actually create more problems. 😉
Guarantees are one of the most widely read sections of a sales page, and they will help if they are done well (key words: done well!).The trick to a successful guarantee section is to get really specific with the details of your guarantee and how it benefits your customer. What can they expect? Why is your guarantee special? How is it different from any other old 30-day guarantee?
You don’t want your guarantee to be generic. You don’t want to just say, “hey, if you want a refund after 30 days, just email me and you can get a refund.” Saying that won’t help your dream clients buy your offer. What you want to do is say something really specific about your offer. For example, it could take your dream clients seven days to go through the first module of your course. So you would outline what they do in the first module and let them know that if they work through the module and don’t see the results you have mentioned, they can get a refund.
It could be that if after they research their dream client or they identify their skin type and build their makeup bag, they don’t feel like they have clarity or have taken steps towards achieving a particular information that you invite them to email you and you will refund them.
The goal of this section is for you to be super specific so that your dream clients actually understand what to do, in order to ease any objections that might have crossed their mind. They will know exactly what tasks to complete in the 7/ 14/ 30 day timeline that you have set for them and will be reassured that if after completing the tasks they can request a refund if they need to. Your dream clients most likely won’t require a refund, but including this guarantee will help them to alleviate any mindset blocks they may have and help them to feel more confident in purchasing your offer.
Lastly, I want to clarify that you do not have to include a guarantee for your offer. It can help if you do, but only if you do it well.
13. FAQs
This is NOT a section for you to include all of the random questions you’ve received about your offer. This is your opportunity to bust any objections your customer has about buying your offer. Of course, you can address frequently asked questions, but the key here is to get inside their head and bust those objections!
Perhaps your dream clients think there a prerequisites to achieving the transformation they’re after. So you can let them know that they’re capable of having this transformation now. Or, they might really want to purchase your offer but feel that they are too busy and won’t have time to use your offer. So you can tell them that your course only requires 2 hours of work per week, whether that’s on a Saturday afternoon or 30 minutes before work some mornings, it is totally possible for them.
You really want to crush any objections that they have. As well as addressing any frequently asked questions that you get asked all the time that might help to resolve some objections.
14. Who this is perfect for
List out all the reasons why your offer is perfect for your reader, or why it’s not. If there’s a particular customer you want to attract, speak to them! But if you want to repel others, make it clear that your offer isn’t the right fit for them. This is also an opportunity to highlight any prerequisites to finding success with your offer.
If we use copywriting as an example, I don’t take on clients who aren’t very clear on what their offer is or very clear on who their dream client is. So on my services page I make it very clear that my offer isn’t for someone if they aren’t clear on these things.
Your prerequisite for clients might be that they need to make over six figures. So you need to make it clear that if they don’t have that income, then your offer isn’t right for them.
These prerequisites don’t just have to be about finding your dream clients that are perfect for you to work with. You can also have them in place to make sure you don’t work with people who aren’t perfect for you. You may have had a past client who was a pain to work with and you’d like to never repeat that situation again, so you want to make sure you filter out those kinds of people.
15. Final appeal
Lastly, remind your dream clients that the transformation IS possible for them, and that your offer is the PERFECT solution for them. And the solution simply comes down to having access to your system and your offer.
You should again call out to the identity of your dream clients and where they are currently at. Then you can reiterate the transformation they’re after, and that your offer will give them.
With the makeup course example I’ve used in this post, the identity of their dream client is a professional woman. And so this section would read, “If you’re a professional woman who wants to cut down the amount of time it takes to do your makeup each morning without using a million brushes, products or steps, then this course is for you and I’m super excited to support you.” And don’t forget to include the name of your offer!
In this section, you really want to emphasise that if these are the things that your dream clients want, then your offer is the one that they need. And then you can tell them that if they are ready to start, you are ready to help them, with your offer. Lastly, you can include a finally call to action and link for them to join your offer!
By structuring your sales page this way, you will be able to take your dream clients on a journey of shifting their beliefs to help them realise that your offer is exactly what they need. Now it’s your turn to start implementing some of these pointers into your sales page.
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I’d love to hear your thoughts
Thanks for reading this post! I hope you found it valuable. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment below and let me know what you found most helpful or surprising about writing a sales page.
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