4 Time Tested Steps For An Effective Sales Letter

AIDA: The Copywriting Template

One of the most popular and time tested formulas for a successful sales letter is the AIDA formula. AIDA is acronym for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. Once you get the hang of it, you're on your way to a more effective sales letter every time.

Here’s how to use it in your own copy:

Attention

The first thing you want to do when you start writing copy is grab the attention of your visitors. In 1926, a copywriter named John Caples used a simple headline to hook his readers. His headline was: "They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano - But When I Started to Play!"

The reason it was so effective is because he tells a story and asks a question at the same time. His story starts with sitting down at the piano only to be laughed at but it leaves readers asking the question, “What happens next?”

A question is the best way to get attention from your visitors. Try rephrasing the next headline you write as a question and see if you can turn it into a compelling one. For example, your headline might be: 7 Secrets Your ER Doctor Won’t Tell You.

The question that readers will ask is, “What isn’t my doctor telling me? Can I trust my ER doctor?” You always want to turn your headline into a compelling question, so your visitors are engaged with your copy and eager to find out the answer.

While you want to get your headline noticed, you have to make sure that the headline can deliver on what it says. Don't use misleading claims or data that has nothing to do with what comes next. Do that, and you'll have lost the opportunity to present your offer.

Interest

Once you’ve gotten your readers to pay attention, you want to keep them focused by making your topic interesting to them. If the topic is going to be interesting, it has to touch on a deep desire or need in the visitor’s life.

For example, if you sell digital planners, it might be tempting to tell readers how organized and efficient they can become with one; but, that’s not terribly interesting.

However, if you start talking about Dana, a mom who feels constantly disorganized, has household chaos and regularly misses appointments, readers will start to relate. This shows the need for your product.

Desire

Now, it’s time to plug your product or service as the answer to your visitors’ problem. Using the example above, you can talk about one two-hour hack that Dana discovered that now helps her organize her whole week.

You may go on to mention how Dana’s stress has decreased, her house is now organized, and she’s always on time for appointments. Then you explain that these changes are the result of using the digital planners you sell.

Always keep in mind that the visitor to your sales letter is looking for something that will benefit them. You want to show  and tell why making a purchase is going to benefit them. 

Action

After you’ve shown how your product or service meets a need for your target market, it’s time to ask them to take action. This might be telling them to purchase your digital planner (if you’re creating a sales page) or simply asking them to sign up for your newsletter filled with organization tips (if you’re trying to build your mailing list).

A guarantee is a great way to let them know that you stand behind your product, and that their money will be refunded if they aren't satisfied. Let them know that their payment information is safe and secure.

Keep in mind that during the action section you may want to offer an extra incentive to make the offer even more appealing. For instance, if a customer purchases now, you could share a coupon code for 15% off the purchase price. If a customer signs up for your newsletter, you could give her access to an exclusive webinar where she learns your best planning secrets.

If you offer bonuses, make sure to recap what they are, the value they bring to the offer, and if it is a time-limited offer, have a count-down timer on the page as an incentive to buy now.

There are a lot of other things you can do to make your sales letter pop. If you start with the foundation of Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action, you'll have the foundation you need to ensure that your sales letter will give you the results you're after.