How to write a sales text?

Every copywriter sells something. Whether he writes about physical or virtual products and services. That’s why think about writing very broadly. Your texts can sell knowledge, services or a brand. Only in this context, it is not just about increasing revenue, but positively influencing the recipient’s trust in the company. So it’s no wonder that the ability to write sales texts is essential in the copywriting profession and often emphasized in job advertisements.

 

What is all this sales text?

 

The simplest definition could be as follows: .

You’ll find such an explanation everywhere, but – let’s face it – she really doesn’t explain much. It doesn’t say the content:.

• written in a convincing manner,

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• reliably describing products or services,

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• creating a competitive advantage,

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• emphasizing the benefits of purchase,

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• creating consumer awareness, that is, letting potential customers know that the product even exists.

 

And all this preferably at the same time. 😉

 

Sales text can influence the establishment of an understanding between seller and buyer and at the same time shorten the accompanying distance. If the content works, the customer thinks of the seller: “he’s the one who knows what I need” and begins to trust him. .

 

This all sounds very highfalutin. All this creating awareness and building a competitive advantage can be difficult to translate into concrete in text. At this stage, you need to be aware of the role sales text plays in marketing. It has:.

• tell customers about the product,

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• stimulate their imagination,

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• create or fuel the need for this product,

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and thereby increase sales. .

 

Creating an effective sales text, in addition to a good knowledge of the offer and the specifics of the industry, should be based on a detailed knowledge of the so-called buyer persona – the profile of the ideal customer and a model image of our target audience. It is crucial to understand the needs, behaviors or preferences of the target group and to tailor the message to the recipient, their expectations and the problems that our product or service can solve,” says Sandra Kluza, Head of Marketing at Harbingers.

 

To create sales content, it is essential to know what influences purchasing decisions and what drives us when we choose a particular product. .

 

I will now take a moment to understand the aforementioned buying decisions. .

 

Purchasing decisions are influenced by:.

• situational factors (the consumer’s level of involvement in the purchase, i.e. whether he or she wants and has time to browse the offers of different manufacturers, or whether he or she chooses the one he or she already knows – more often the latter – and the availability of offers in a given market),

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• personal (age, gender, living situation, etc.),
• psychological (motivation – this is what marketers use to show people their unmet needs),

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• social (the influence of culture, family and friends) and attitudes and beliefs (such as the belief that only the rich replace their phone with a newer model every now and then).

 

All this plus the fact that the most important things for consumers, are the price of the product, the cost of delivery and the time to wait for it, easy payment methods, previous positive experiences with a particular store, reviews, promotions, etc. need to be taken into account when creating sales content. .

 

Sounds like quite a challenge, huh?.

 

What is benefit language and what are its characteristics?

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And it’s not over yet.

 

Knowledge of the audience, the factors that drive them, their preferences and expectations is the base or, if you prefer, the foundation. It is from it that the copywriter starts, it is on it that he builds content. And at the same time, without it he is unable to create anything effective. After all, sales texts are written in the language of benefits, and the basic premise of benefit language is to focus on the benefits that the customer will gain if he decides to buy. If you don’t know who you’re writing to, what they might care about, you’re crossing out your chances of reaching your audience..

 

Benefit language is also sometimes aimed at achieving other goals, at specific conversions. These may include, for example: .

• downloading an e-book,

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• subscribing to the newsletter,

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• liking the fanpage

 

Whatever the focus of a sales text written in the language of benefits, it is supposed to simultaneously show the recipient which needs the product or service will satisfy and convince him or her to take a specific action. .

 

According to Sandra Kluza of Harbingers, sales texts should clearly show what value the customer will get from using the service or product, not just what features the offer has. It is not enough to convince the audience to buy, the text should also educate, as well as point out solutions to challenges or answer customer concerns. Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize not only the elements of the offer, but especially the added values for users, such as saving time, solving a specific problem or improving quality of life..

Keeping these two elements in mind – a detailed understanding of the audience and a focus on benefit language – a sales text becomes more effective because it reaches the recipient in a personalized way and focuses on what is most important to them.

 

Read also: texts vs. reader attention, or how should a copywriter write texts?!.

 

What qualities should a good sales text have?

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A good sales text is distinguished by:.

 

1. Benefit language

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Writing this particular article is so much fun because everything weaves together beautifully and naturally. A good text written in the language of benefits avoids trite platitudes, elaborate sentences and descriptions, a million adjectives and constant most, most, most. It focuses on showing the gains. It answers the question “what will I get out of this?” which customers love to ask. .

 

And yes… in the context of a sales text, the language of benefits can be talked about until wearying..

 

 

2. Tailoring to the target audience

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Without this, it really won’t work. If the stripped-down method doesn’t work for you, consider for a moment whether you would write the same way to, say, young mothers and men who hobbyist train cycling. .

 

Wrong.

 

Different people, different needs, different expectations. You won’t reach them using one established scheme. .

 

3 References to experience

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What else is worth knowing? An effective sales text may or may not refer to positive experiences. Some people use fear in their content, but with this you can’t overdo it. In the end, the point is not to scare your audience, but to show them that you have a solution to their problems. And at the same time do not bore them..

 

4. Dynamism

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Sales content works better when it is dynamic. Ignore your desire to write elaborate sentences. The shorter ones feel better. Ask questions, throw in bullets and quotes, add headings. Cut paragraphs into smaller ones, because the long ones are read much less readily. Take care of the flow..

 

5. Storytelling

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For this purpose, you can use storytelling and screw people into your story. .

 

Make them read it with blazes on their faces. Ok, maybe without exaggeration, but telling where the brand came from, what inspired its creators, how they came up with the idea for a particular product is effective. .

 

I checked..

 

6. SEO principles considered

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Memorize also the call to action and show the possibilities that the product you are describing offers. Refer to specifics, if you know any. .

 

Consider SEO principles, too – add keywords. Make your text both search engine friendly and audience friendly. And you know, a text that can’t be found has little chance of supporting sales..

 

An essential element of a good sales text is the use of a call to action mechanism. Such a text should clearly indicate what the recipient is supposed to do after reading it – buy a product, complete a form, sign up for a newsletter or read the full offer on the site. This part of the message is essential to turn the recipient’s interest and gained attention into a concrete action. It is also worth remembering the technical aspects, especially in the context of online publishing. A good sales text on a website should meet the needs of two extremely demanding audiences – real readers and Google’s algorithms. Optimization of the text, the use of appropriate keywords, its structure or linking, help to increase the visibility of the content in search results – adds Sandra Kluza.

 

How to write good sales texts?

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I’m not going to give you step-by-step instructions here on how to write a sales text, because there is no such thing. There is no single recipe for good content, because each customer group requires a different approach. What works for some will not work for others. Therefore, keeping in mind the tips posted above, focus on your audience. .

 

I won’t leave you with only generalities, however. You can use well-known sales techniques and psychological tricks in your texts. In this way you will influence the emotions and behavior of your readers. .

 

What techniques are we talking about? .

 

Selling techniques in copywriting

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An example would be a simple appeal to imagination. Then, when you say, “imagine” or “think,” people involuntarily do it. They actually begin to wonder what if… And they consider whether they will actually benefit from it, whether they need it, etc. .

 

Another technique is the principle of social proof. The idea is to show that others are already using the product and are satisfied, have purchased access to the course or subscribed to the newsletter. It’s best to base it on specifics – numbers – and trigger the thought in your audience, “since others have it, maybe I should have it too?”. .

 

A common technique based on the unavailability rule is the FOMO effect. FOMO, from “fear of missing out,” or the fear that we are missing out on something, is exploited by limiting the time availability of an offer. Have you seen the counters that measure how much time is left on a sale? The customer fears he won’t make it, so he quickly finalizes the deal. As a copywriter, you can use slogans that emphasize the duration of the offer and thus convince them to buy right now. Not tomorrow, not in the evening. Now..

 

What other sales techniques does copywriting use?

 

The expert principle otherwise known as the rule of authority. This is when customers perceive someone as an authority in a particular field, they don’t question the opinions he expresses. If he or she speaks well about a product, encourages its purchase and emphasizes its strengths, it may actually be worth having it?.

 

Psychology versus sales text

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It’s no secret that sales texts use psychology. For example, they focus on positive framing, showing advantages and disadvantages at the same time, presenting logical sequences or repeating key words. .

 

But one step at a time.

 

What is positive framing? Exactly what you thought of. When creating content, use phrases with positive overtones instead of negative. Do something instead of not doing something. Recipients respond much better to: “write to us” than to: “don’t forget to write to us”. .

 

What’s the point of showing advantages and disadvantages at the same time? Why talk about the disadvantages? The answer is very simple. Virtually no customer will believe that a product has only advantages. To make the text more credible and thus more convincing, it is better to mention the disadvantages right away. Only without exaggeration. This is where sense comes in handy..

 

Other psychological trick is the use of the word “because.” What’s unusual about it? It shows the logical result of one thing from another. And audiences really like to see correlations, as well as the broader context. .

 

There is also the issue of keywords – not to be confused with keywords in SEO. Keywords are, for example, the name of a brand or product that scrolls repeatedly in a message. This method is used especially by radio commercials to make names memorable to listeners, but it also works well in written texts..

 

Emotional marketing

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Creating effective sales content is also based on influencing your audience. You evoke certain emotions in them and urge them to take specific actions. I know, it’s easy to say, but much harder to translate into practice. However, I have no doubt that emotional messages reach people better than informational ones. .

 

But what emotions can you evoke? Actually, all of them, although not all will work and not all are worthwhile. Most copywriting is based on joy, curiosity and fear. Joy is evoked by memes and entertaining real-time marketing, curiosity is aroused by thoughtful stories or by slowly building tension, for example, by announcing a new product. Fear, on the other hand, you can arouse with the aforementioned FOMO effect. .

 

If you do it right, your content will engage and motivate your audience to buy..

What mistakes to avoid when writing sales texts?

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What is definitely better to avoid when writing sales texts? Here’s a list of the biggest mistakes:

• pouring water – because people are looking for specifics,

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• overextending – let’s say it again, long descriptions and long-winded sentences will not work here,

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• writing to everyone – to everyone, that is, to no one, and the recipient must be specific,

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• complicated language – your content is supposed to be clear, and if you use specialized language, you are likely to discourage some potential customers,

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• boredom – lack of a catchy title, mid-headlines, long paragraphs or poured text at all is the wrong way to go,

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• unfamiliarity with your product or target audience – or both, which your audience will immediately sense and not continue reading.

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Practical tips for copywriters

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What else can I advise you? Try to attract the reader’s attention and keep it for a long time. Constantly try to shape your own unique style that will set you apart from other copywriters. .

 

If you want to see if your content works, test it on your fanpage or blog. Check the reaction of your readers and create further texts based on that. Don’t be afraid of criticism, as it can sometimes really help. .

 

But also don’t set yourself up for failure right away. There are copywriters who have an uncanny ability to create sales content – they do it basically without thinking, but there are also those who have to work it out. Do you belong to the latter group? Don’t get discouraged, just keep writing. .

 

Summary: how to write texts that sell?

 

The foundation is knowing your product or service and your target audience. This is where you need to start. In addition, it will be useful for you to know about buying mechanisms and benefit language. Whenever you want to write good sales content, don’t focus on its length. Focus on specifics, show assets, appeal to positive experiences, act on emotions and present dependencies. Don’t pour water or write to everyone, because then you won’t reach anyone. Peep experienced copywriters and see how they do it. And then practice, write and don’t give up. To create one effective sales text, it usually takes many attempts. So keep trying!.