044: How to Create Your First Information Product in 30 Days | Writing the Sales Copy [Podcast]

This is part 2 of the series called How to Create Your First Information Product in 30 Days where I promised to let you look over my shoulder as I create my own information product. At this point I have decided on the product I will create. Today I will write the sales copy, or at least most of it. And, in case you are just joining in, I hope you too will take the challenge and create a product with me. I will walk you through it.

 

Attention Getting Sales Copy – Photo courtesy of Flickr/Creative Commons/Brett Jordan [/featured-image]

I will admit, this is the hardest part for me. Creating product is easy, writing sales copy is always my hangup, so I am ready to get this out of the way. Join me!

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The previous posts can be found here:

• Intro of the topic – How to Create Your First Information Product in 30 Days
• Part 1 – How to Create Your First Information Product in 30 Days  | Finding Information Product Ideas

 

Topic of the Week: How to Create Your First Information Product in 30 Days  | Writing the Sales Copy

In the last post, we did part of creating an information product – defining the product and the market. Now comes the part I am alway reluctant to do. So, with you as my accountability partner, I now have to create the sales copy.

In the last post on creating an information product, I decided to create a product called “Networking for Introverts” and release the product by February 13, 2014.

First, as a place to put the product and the sales copy, I have created a page on my website called Networking for Introverts. You might choose to release your product as a webpage also, on Facebook, or via a page like Etsy etc. But keep it simple. Do not get hung up in the page creation. Instead focus on the simple and getting things moving.

Second, I floundered. Yes, you heard me. I went from one model to another on how to write good sales copy. Listed below in the Episode Resources are some great places to learn about sales copy, but do not do like I did and get caught up in learning how to be a great copywriter. Instead, get some simple points down. Below I will share with you my 11 steps.

Here is what I finally focused on.

Two Key Principles of Writing Sales Copy

1. Make sure you relate to the customer in everything you say. Speak in their language. Think about benefits instead of product features.

2. Be specific, not abstract. Get specific and deal with the benefits or emotions. For example, an abstract way to talk about my networking product would be to say

“networking is an important skill in personal career development.”

While this is a true statement, is has no meaning or relation to the person I am talking to. Also it sounds corporate and loaded with  jargon.

Instead I might say

“the difference between getting a decent job and getting a great job that you love and that pays you a great salary is your ability to connect with the right people who share your passion and see how you can help them solve their problem.”

Now I am talking the same truth, but I am getting specific about the value and benefits of networking to them. So when you write, get specific and talk about pain, emotions, and avoid jargon.

 

11 Steps to Sales Copy

The second thing was an outline of good copy. Here is what I came to for good copy.

1. A powerful headline. Nothing is as important. This must make them want to read more.

2. Definition of the problem. You now have to address their problem. You have to tell it in a way they feel the pain and are nodding their head saying “Yeah – that is my life.”

3. Develop your expertise. Show why you understand. Have you lived their problem and overcome? Are you an authority who has credibility in their area of need? You need to sell them that you are the expert and you have a solution. You do NOT have to have a PhD, just a credible story of how you solved the problem. They have to believe you have something to offer.

4. The Solution. You have to tell them you have the solution. You might even give a hint as to what it is and what it does.

5. Testimony. If someone can testify to your expertise, great. If not, use a quote that relates to the problem. Something to add credibility to the problem.

6. Tell them what they will get. Remember to talk about the benefits they will get from using the product. They are less concerned with whether it is video, audio, or written on stone tablets than they are about what they will get from using the product.

7. Show them the value. Put a dollar value on solving the problem. In my case, networking sounds like perhaps a $20 problem. But instead I want to show that with networking properly you can get a much better job with a much better salary. A $10,000 increase in pay is not hard to achieve. And if you are out of work and it can get you to work faster – how much is that worth? (Your salary per week times the weeks you were out of work.) The point is, you want to show them that what you offer solves problems that relate to real dollars. Put a dollar value on it.

8. Tell them about extras you are throwing in for free. What else will they get? Worksheets? Photos? Other related stuff? Give them something else that is easy to give away and somewhat related to increase the value.

9. A great price for the value. Show them an incredible value. For instance, a network can easily increase their salary by $10,000. I would easily charge $6000 for what I teach as others do. But I am offering for $98 for a limited time and then the price will increase to $198.

10. How to order. Make sure you make it easy to order.

11. Your guarantee. Offer to take the risk by offering a money back guarantee.

 

My Sales Copy

You will find my sales copy as a work in progress at my sales page for Networking for Introverts. Since this page will be a live sales page in a few days, if you are reading this after February 13, 2014, the roughed-in sales copy will be at the old page where I drafted up my notes. 

 

Your Turn: Write Your Sales Copy for Your Information Product

I wish their was a nice magic formula. Just take the steps I took and create copy. Simply fill in the blanks. You can just take each of the 11 points above and make a sentence out of each and be done. But, find a place to put your copy, begin to draft it out, and then do not get caught up in perfection. It is easy to start reading all the blogs and books on the subject and come to a screeching halt in productivity. I know, I did. Get to it, write something.

And, when you do, share it with me. I love to see new ideas and how people do sales copy.

 

Episode Resources

• Copyblogger “How to Write Magnetic Headlines”
• Writing Riches: Learn How to Boost Profits, Drive Sales and Master Your Financial Destiny With Results-Based Web Copy
• RayEdwards.com
• Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich
• AskDrCallahan.com – Our company we started with one product and zero customers.

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[reminder]What challenges do you find in writing copy?  [/reminder]