There is a science to writing a Sales Letter (or advert) to generate massive results. Following this simple 8-element structure gives you an impressive head-start to creating your own high-performing letter.
In this article you discover how using AIDA-A with these 8 elements in your letter could dramatically increase the response you get:
(AIDA-A stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action – Attention)
1) Headline – spend the majority of your time on this. It is the ATTENTION part of the AIDA-A acronym. Include attention grabbing words which have been proven to raise the positive reaction from readers. (Words such as You/Your; Who Else; Which; Now; New; Bargain; Free; How/How to; Hurry or Breakthrough amongst others).
2) Promise - follow up on what you promised in the headline to keep your reader’s interest. If you promised some key information, tell him (or her) what it is. If your headline offered a critical report – tell him what the report contains and how it can help him. This keeps your reader’s INTEREST.
3) Offer - Describe exactly what you are offering, what it does for him, how he benefits. If there are a number of steps to a process describe exactly what you are going to do for him – start to create his DESIRE.
4) Testimonial – people respond to other people’s experiences and recommendations. The human nature of ‘I want that too!’ comes into play. Make sure your testimonials are descriptive and identify the problem your customer had or the result he/she wanted and the solution or outcome you provided. You’ll keep your reader’s DESIRE high. He wants to know more.
5) Lose – It is your job to make sure your reader cannot possibly ignore your offer. You have to make absolutely sure he understands exactly how much less his life is if he does not respond to your amazing proposition. You are harming him by not doing everything possible to clearly show the loss he would experience. So tell him what he loses if he doesn’t respond. How he misses out on key benefits or results, how his life is never the same again…
OK, so I’m exaggerating, but I’m sure you get the picture. People buy on emotions and then use logic to justify their decisions. You need to appeal to your prospect’s emotional wants and desires – the detail you provide helps him justify the logic of buying from you.
If we didn’t buy on emotion, people would never buy expensive cars, designer clothes or larger houses. After all a small, cheap car gets you from A to B, just as a more expensive car would. “Ah, but” I hear you say “it isn’t as comfortable, reliable etc.”
That’s our logic justifying the emotion of owning and being seen in a high status, luxurious car rather than an old rusty tin-can. (By the way – I agree the more expensive car probably is more comfortable and reliable and is certainly a better status symbol).
This is still part of his DESIRE – his desire not to lose what you have already created an interest in.
So, having ‘depressed’ your reader with what he might lose if he doesn’t take your offer, now you must …
6) Repeat the benefits – raise the desire again to own or experience your service or product. Get your reader excited about the benefits he can expect.
And then…
7) Action – tell him EXACTLY what to do now. Tell him to send the completed request form in the envelope provided. Tell him to call the Freephone number and place his request NOW. Tell him to send the email confirming his interest. Don’t let him ‘cool off’ by not leading him through the steps he needs to take immediately.
8) And finally add the P.S. – your second headline (and the final ‘A’ of the AIDA-A acronym). Having spent so much time preparing your main headline you have already discovered your second strongest – and that is a natural P.S.
Your P.S. should draw them into your letter, so it too, must be compelling.
© 2004 Carol A E Bentley
Extracted from the book 'I Want to Buy Your Product... Have You Sent Me a Letter Yet' (How to create powerful sales letters, advertisements, flyers, brochures, web pages and newsletters that persuade hundreds, or even thousands, of additional customers and clients to buy from you!) by Carol A E Bentley (Rated 5-star on Amazon.co.uk)
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