This is part 7 in a free online tutorial about writing a sales page.

Using details in sales copy isn’t just about giving people the facts. It’s about:

• Increasing the perceived value of your offer
• Overcoming objections
• Building trust
• Creating a visual picture of your product

An illustration of this is what happens when my mum leaves dad for the day, expecting him to complete chores while out.

On her return she will ask “what have you been up to (translation: have you been watching war movies and playing your ukelele all day)?”

To which my dad will reply along these lines:

Well, I went into the shed, after finding the keys which had been buried in a junk mail on the counter. There was a fair bit piling up, so I sorted through it, looked out for any useful vouchers and recycled the rest. Once inside the shed I saw that a few tools were lying around so I hung them up and then got out the lawn mower. It took a few attempts to get it going, but shortly after, I made a start on the lawn, making sure I was very careful to trim around the edge of the lawn and not disturb the frogs. After I’d made sure all the lawn was cut and level I neatly rolled up the cord, and put the lawn mower back into the shed, locking it as I left.

The short version?

He cut the grass

By including more details, my dad highlights ALL of his efforts that day, rather than sum them up into 1 job. (Mum has got wise to this now and is rarely impressed).

Now, this isn’t to say that you need to spin a long yarn, but more is definitely better than less when it comes to putting the details into your copywriting.

Instead of saying you have a 4 part course, break it down and show what people will learn in each section. If you’ve got an eBook, don’t just tell them what it’s about in general, let people know what you cover in the different chapters.

When you do this, your reader is able to:

• Visualise what it’s like to use your product
• Appreciate just how much value you are packing into your offer

The details that often go missing…

Quite often, the details I usually spot missing from sales pages include:

• How long it takes to see results
• How it is consumed / used
• Where and when it occurs
• How customers use it
• What it looks like (both physical and digital products)
• How to book / register
• What happens once a purchase is made

(If you want more help pulling out the key details of your offer, try out the Headline Shaker Maker).

2 exercises to remember your key selling points

When you’re writing your sales page, there are 2 things you can do reduce the risk of missing out important details.

The first one is to simply sit down with a piece of paper and brainstorm as many details as you can think of BEFORE you try and write your copy. Trust me, it is so much easier to write the copy when you have a reference sheet next to you with everything you need to include.

The other exercise is a little more interactive, and works best if you can use a friend.

Simply sit down with your good buddy and walk them through step-by-step what they can expect if they were to use your product or service.

And I mean step-by-step.

In fact, your friend should ideally know nothing about your product, and should be encouraged to ask any questions or stop you any time they feel you’ve skipped over information.

For example, let’s say you’re writing a sales page for a conference that lets students wander round different booths represented by universities they might be interested in attending.

Buddy: Tell me about your event?

Sales Page Writer: Well, you go to the convention centre…

Buddy: How do I get there?

Sales Page Writer: Oh… right, yes, let me note down public transport routes and directions to include, and maybe a map.

Buddy: Thanks

Sales Page Writer: Once you’re at the convention centre, you need to go to the main hall…

Buddy: Is there disabled access? (Potential objection)

Sales Page Writer: Oh… I’m not sure, I’ll check that out. Okay, once you register,

Buddy: Is it free or do I have to pay to attend?

Sales Page Writer: No, it’s free, but that reminds me, if you register online first you can jump the queue on the day when you arrive.

Buddy: That’s good to know.

Sales Page Writer: Once you’re inside you can talk to more than 30 universities.

Buddy: Do I need to book appointments with them?

Sales Page Writer: Nope, just walk up.

Buddy: What can they talk to me about?

Sales Page Writer: Well, in addition to the facilities of the university, they can also advise on the subject of scholarships and…

Hopefully this gives you a quick glimpse into how to pull out all of the details that are relevant to your offer. It’s good to do it with someone else because if you are familiar with your product, you’re more likely to skip over the little details that seem obvious to you, but could be make or break when someone’s considering buying. 

Once you have all of your details, pop them to one side as we’ll be coming back to these later on in the tutorial.

See you next time!

This article is one in a free online series about writing a sales page. If you’d like to start from the very beginning, simply click here.