How Long Should a Sales Letter Be?

[The Writer’ s Life]( July 20, 2018 Hi {NAME}, It's the age-old question every new copywriter asks: How long should a sales letter be? Today I'm going to let Mark Ford give you the answer … Because in my experience, when you're learning a financially valuable skill like copywriting, you want answers from the Masters … the people who have honed their insights for decades. In the direct-response industry, Mark Ford is a rainmaker … He's helped generate over one billion dollars in sales via direct mail and the internet — and became a multimillionaire as a result. He's also a New York Times best-selling author and successful business builder. Today, Mark answers the big question, and also reveals a secret to success in this industry. The other question we get asked a lot is which program to start with when you're interested in becoming a copywriter … No matter what your writing path or financial goals are, it all starts with mastering the fundamentals of persuasive writing (i.e., copywriting). AWAI's [Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting]( has been the industry's gold standard for more than 20 years. Written by the industry's top copywriters, it will teach you the skills, tactics, and techniques you need to make great money as a copywriter. [And if you grab it today, you can save $200!]( You can also pick up the highly coveted [Masters Program for Six-Figure Copywriting]( while it's on sale (which rarely happens!) for an unbelievable 75% off. [(You can grab that deal here.)]( The Masters Program continues your copywriting training and helps you advance into the ranks of "A-level" copywriters with copywriting secrets taught directly by the legends themselves. If you don't have either, grab them now — it's a VERY limited opportunity to get two foundational favorites at the lowest prices of the year! Have a great weekend, Rebecca Matter President, AWAI --------------------------------------------------------------- How Long Should a Sales Letter Be? By Mark Ford [Stopwatch with the words Master Class] Sales letters — how long should they be? In this age of multitasking and the Internet, isn't it more sensible for marketers to send short ones to prospective customers? That's the question posed by Connie P., from Grand Rapids, Michigan. "As a decently educated busy parent and community volunteer trying to build a new career, I cannot, do not, and would not invest the amount of time in reading sales letters that often come to resemble written 'infomercials,' whether via Internet or direct mail. Only for this copywriting program do I suffer through as many as I do. MORE and more people must share this same perspective in dealing with increasing competition for our attention in this era of the 'information availability' explosion. "Even Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, advocates nixing newspapers and uninvited email completely in order to take control of productively scheduling your time. "Wouldn't a more effective style of copywriting concise the sales message to a page or two? Unless your intention is that more people base a letter's credibility (and thus, their order) on the amount of content rather than actually having to read the whole thing. "My gut tells me in order for people to read through them, effective letters will have to be shortened in the overall picture. You and your successful team know far more than I — but I can't be that wrong about this … or can I?" The answer, dear Connie, in a word, is yes, you are wrong. At least when it comes to want-to-know products. Let me explain. There are two kinds of information products that can be sold by mail (posted mail or email): need-to-know products and want-to-know products. The need-to-know products would include information about food, clothing, fertilizer (for gardeners), auto parts (for mechanics), labor law case analyses (for labor law lawyers), etc. The want-to-know products would include how-to information on becoming healthier, wealthier, and wiser. Do you see the difference? Need-to-know products don't need long copy because the customer needs them. In order to sell a need-to-know product, the copywriter has to do two things: establish the product's USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and make the offer irresistible. You can do those two things relatively quickly — usually in two pages or less. That's why need-to-know products are so often sold by catalog and by space ads — two direct-marketing methods that don't give the copywriter much room. To sell want-to-know products, you need more length. That's because you have to do something you don't have to do with need-to-know products: you have to stir up a desire for the product where none existed. People don't actually need another book or newsletter on negotiating or investing. But, when a good copywriter gets finished talking to them (via a long sales letter), they think they do. It's counterintuitive, but it's true: When it comes to want-to-know products, longer letters usually work better than shorter ones. That has always been true, and it's still true today — even with email or web sales letters. The feeling you have is based on logic and your own experience as a consumer. You are very busy. You don't have time to read long letters. You throw most of them in the trash or delete them. Like Tim Ferriss, you are annoyed by all this long copy. So, if you hate long copy so much, doesn't everybody? Well, yes! Everybody hates long copy. At least that's what everybody says. But the truth is that, though we think we don't like long copy, we respond to it. If you have bought any want-to-know products in the past, you probably responded to a long sales letter — even though you don't like them. (Even some of AWAI's promotions are over 32 pages!) I used to do focus groups with my clients' customers. I would ask those people which they preferred: short sales letters or longer ones. They all said they preferred shorter sales letters. Yet, they had all become our customers by responding to the longer ones my clients were sending out! I have personally overseen at least a hundred long copy vs. shorter copy tests. When the leads were the same, the long copy always did better. Here's what three of the top copywriters working today said when asked, "How long was your best-selling sales letter?" John Forde said: "My most successful promo this year, measured in subscriptions sold, clocked in at 32 pages. And this, by the way, is a promo I actually wrote seven years ago and have been revising and updating ever since. It's added thousands of readers to a resource-investing newsletter, and it's made me a pile of cash. I have a 24-pager that's done about $1.3 million since the start of 2008. This one, I probably could have written shorter, but not by much." Mike Palmer said: "The best package I wrote in the past year was a 52-page bookalog, which translates to at least a 25-page letter. You know, I hear this all the time from new copywriters — 'Why can't we write shorter copy?' One important reason, I tell them, is because good copy must 'startle' your reader with an idea he's never heard before. That's the only way to have a breakthrough promotion. And, an idea that truly startles your reader takes a lot of explaining … proof … answering objections. You simply need a lot of space to get your point across." Paul Hollingshead said: "My best mailing recently was a financial package that ran about 22 pages. In fact, when I look back at most of the financial packages I've written, they typically fall within the 20- to 24-page range. The main reason, I think, is because that's how long it takes to get in all the needed elements of a strong financial sales letter — your promise, your credibility, the track record, the offer, bonuses, and whatnot. Also, I tend to write in a more conversational 'chatty' tone, which can lengthen a letter. And, I make an effort to keep paragraphs very short, so there's a lot of 'white space' in my copy for easier reading." You see, direct-response marketing is not about fitting your sales pitch into the small amount of space most people will read. It's about finding the one person in a hundred who will give you the time you need to sell him. Have you ever walked down a city street and seen people canvassing for some charitable, political, or religious cause? What do they do? They say something — a short, catchy sentence — to get you to stop and listen to their pitch. In most cases — perhaps 99 out of a hundred — passersby won't give them the time they need to make the sale. They listen for a few seconds and then shake their heads and go on. But those canvassers are pros. They don't worry about the people who don't have time for them. They focus on the ones who do stop and listen, because those are their prime prospects. Imagine if, instead, they tried to fit their entire sales pitch into the 10 or 15 seconds they could get by following a prospect partway down the block. What chance would that strategy have? It all boils down to this fact: the internet has changed the world, but it has not changed human psychology. If you are going to convince someone that he needs something he really doesn't need — you need time to do it. So, don't resist this part of the copywriting program. Go with it. Later, after you've proven yourself as a master of long copy, you can try shorter copy and see if it works. By the way, you should know that copywriters who can write long copy (i.e., want-to-know copywriters) make about twice or three times the money that need-to-know copywriters make. Do you have any questions about getting started as a direct-response sales letter writer? Please share in the comments [here]( so we can guide you. Countdown to Bootcamp — 89 Days to Go! The Copywriting and Marketing All-Stars Are Getting Ready to Make This The Best Bootcamp EVER Come Meet Ryan Levesque In Person! We were so excited to see this Facebook post below by marketer Ryan Levesque. His enthusiasm is contagious and we're thrilled to be working with him, too! When you come to Bootcamp, you get to mix and mingle with "A-list" all-stars like Ryan and a few dozen more. They're not just on stage and then out of sight … Instead, they attend Bootcamp events too. Dinners, cocktail parties, presentations, and often Job Fair. Plus, you can talk to them in the hallways, Lobby, and the very popular Marriott Bar and Lounge. They're all as friendly, open, helpful, and enthusiastic as Ryan, and one conversation could change your whole career. [Screenshot of Ryan Levesque's Facebook post] As Katie Yeakle recently summed up for AWAI Members … If you're coming to Bootcamp, you're in for a treat! Ryan is an amazing marketer and copywriter. As soon as he steps on the stage, you'll know he's an amazing teacher who loves what he does … loves helping others succeed too. If you aren't signed up yet, please hurry. I fully expect Bootcamp to be fully sold out soon. And, with "A-List" all-stars like Ryan, Clayton Makepeace, Carline Anglade-Cole, Nick Usborne, Aaron DeHoog, Bob Bly, Andrew Davis, Ben Settle, Heather Lloyd-Martin, Marcella Allison, Kevin Rogers, Ilise Benun, Jennifer Stevens, Steve Slaunwhite, Will Newman, Pam Foster, and Joshua Boswell … all sharing their latest and greatest insights with you … all there to help you start living the writer's life of your dreams … you can see why it's going to sell out so quickly this year. You don't want to miss this!! [Click here to save your seat.]( Get Paid Writing Projects in the Next 30 Days Follow our simple 30-day roadmap when you join Wealthy Web Writer and you can land paying projects this month. Quickly set up shop, then use the tools and templates to start connecting with clients. You can earn $2,500 or more from just a few projects. Then repeat the process and watch your income increase month after month. [Test drive membership for a whole month for just $1.]( The Most Recommended Path to the Writer's Life No matter what path you want to take to the writer's life, knowing how to write persuasively is at the heart of it. AWAI's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting gives you everything you need … from learning the skills to getting great clients … and everything in between. Join the thousands of writers who have already launched their careers with The Accelerated Program. [Special $200 savings inside > Get all the details here.]( TODAY: 75% OFF AWAI's Masters Program Transform your copy into A-level quality with AWAI's Masters Program for Six-Figure Copywriting. Learn the secrets that countless master copywriters use to produce winning sales copy and techniques that will increase the fees you command for every project you take on. More than any pure writing program we offer, it has the power to transform pedestrian copy into blockbuster controls. 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