This is part of a free online tutorial on writing a sales page.

Your sales page is a persuasive, rousing speech that your reader will hear in her head. Do you want it to sound flat and monotone? Or lively and spellbinding?

Exactly.

Well, in the same way the greatest orators have tools to add rhythm and emphasis to their words, there are copywriting tools you can use to do the same.

One of those tools is the much underrated bullet point. I say underrated because they can transform the feel (and the effectiveness) of your sales page, and yet they’re often overlooked or misused. The following article is to help you use bullet points to the best of your ability in your sales page.

Why use bullet points?

Bullet points make your copy easier to read, they add emphasis to important points and they stand out and grab the attention of your audience.

Or, to illustrate better, bullet points will:

• Make your copy easier to read
• Add emphasis to important points
• Stand out and grab the attention of your audience

See what I did there? 🙂

Bullet points tell your reader to stop and take notice (perfect for people who like to skim-read, or scan copy). They can also be used to break long lists of information into bite-size pieces of copy that are much easier to read, digest and remember.

But when to use them? Well, to get the best use out of this tool when writing a sales page, use bullet points to:

1. Highlight Introductory benefits

Within seconds your reader is going to make a decision. Keep going with your sales page, or click away.

Bullet points can get that attention quickly. You might decide to start your sales page talking about the problem, in which case you could use bullet points to highlight your customer’s pain (see point 2), or you might want to highlight the big benefits of your offer.

For example:

This eBook can help you:

• Create beautiful, inspiring rooms without hiring an interior designer
• Buy jaw-dropping furniture on a budget
• Discover which colours and styles will leave you feeling invigorated every time you come home

The idea is to sum up the main points of interest, and pop them together at the start of your sales page so that your reader is intrigued to find out more.

2. Emphasise pain and danger

Apparently, we’re more motivated and drawn to negative ideas than positive ones. You might decide that while your customer really wants the benefits of your offer, they’re more motivated by a fear or worry about NOT solving their problem.

If so, you can use bullet points to emphasise and agitate this pain or fear:

• Are you sick of competitors having the phone ring constantly while your order book is empty? 
• Do you know you need to change your marketing, but don’t know where to start? 
• Are you wary of companies promising results, but only after you make a large investment? 

In this particular example, I’ve also used questions. This is another copywriting tool for increasing engagement because it mimics a conversation between 2 people (and encourages the reader to come up with an answer).

3. Show them the results

Similar to the benefits of your product, you might want to share the results of other people who have used your product to build trust and social proof:

Some of our customers’ accomplishments include:

• Created a professional looking website from scratch (including content) in just 9 days
• Designed a site that grows as the business expands
• Set up a site to sell products directly to customers
• Managed multiple blogs and static content without the site looking cluttered

What results would you like to share?

4. Define your target market

When your ideal customer reaches your sales page, they’re looking for information to see how suitable your product or service is to their needs. As a result, you can make a faster connection with your audience, by using bullet points to highlight this:

This is for you if:

• You’ve been in business less than 12 months 
• You have no more than 5 employees
• Your turnover will be less than £75,000 a year

If you have specific criteria that helps your reader identify if your offer is for them, make it pop out with bullet points.

5. Show them what they get

One of the common questions a customer has when reading a sales page is: “what’s in the box?”

If you’re asking for an investment from your customer, they are going to want to know what that investment gets them, and I don’t just mean the benefits of your offer, I mean the important product details.

When you register today, you get instant access to: 

• Your 72 page full-colour eBook on how to dress fashionably when trying to lose weight 
• 32 page workbook with practical exercises for revamping your wardrobe
• 4 video tutorials files showing you how to find the best bargains, stay motivated and enjoy the process
• 1 x 60 minute private coaching call for advice and help tailored to you

Remember, separating what you have to offer in this way also helps customers fall in love with your price and realise your true value.

6. Tell them how it works

The more you can get your customer to visualise the experience of working with you or buying your product, the more confidence they will have about the purchase.  One way to do this is to use bullet points to show them the process:

Working with me as your designer is simple: 

• First we get together and talk about your ideas, goals and objectives
• Based on listening to your ideas, I’ll offer feedback and create an outline of ideas for you to consider
• Once you’ve chosen an idea, I’ll create the design within 1 week
• We’ll get together to discuss the results and any changes you’d like
• I’ll complete the changes, send it to you for final approval and then put it live!

And here’s a tip, even if what you’re describing seems obvious to you, don’t forget it could be completely new to your customer.

7. Prove your method is better

There’s a good chance your customer will have tried other methods before to try and solve their problem. In your sales page, you might decide to use bullet points to  show your reader why they were unable to get results, and lay the foundation for why your offer is different (and of course, better).

If you’ve been struggling with time management in the past you’ve probably experienced the following: 

• Hiring a low-cost VA, only to spend even more time explaining jobs and giving feedback
• Devouring time-managment books only to feel confused about their systems at the last page
• Attending productivity seminars, feeling inspired and then finding nothing seems to stick

If so, I’ve got good news, there is another way…

If you want more tips on this technique, read about the “Until Now” method here.

2 Final tips on using bullet points

Don’t use too many

If you try to make everything stand out in your sales page, nothing stands out. If every section you write is just another list of bullet points, it doesn’t become easier to read, it means people are more likely to skip over reams and reams of lists.

Pick your priority areas and make sure they pop out. As you glance through your sales page the bullet point lists should be easy to see and read, rather than cramped and stuck between more bullet points.

Make sure they flow

Usually, you will have a sentence that leads into your list if points. It’s really important that this sentence flows with each line on the list. For example, the following shows a clunky list:

When you use our product, you’ll find that:

• You have more energy for longer
• Jump out of bed in the morning
• Experience a more positive outlook

Why doesn’t it sound right? Well, the first point is fine, because if we put the introduction sentence with the first point, it reads:

“When you use our product, you’ll find that you have more energy for longer”

This flows just nicely. But what about the other 2 points?

“When you use our product, you’ll find that jump out of bed in the morning”

“When you use our product, you’ll find that experience a more positive outlook”

It doesn’t work. As a result it interrupts the flow of your list. Make sure when you use bullet points that you can read the introduction sentence and any point in that list and it makes sense.

This article is part of an online free tutorial on writing a sales page. To start the first lesson, click here. For tailored help with your sales page, check out my sales page coaching package.