Do you feel like you hit the jackpot when you land on a mound of content on a brand’s page? Probably not, if you’re being completely honest with yourself. That’s because we live in a world where we look to quickly consume content to kill time at work. Or, even while we’re waiting for what seems like an eternity at the doctor’s office. 

And, we’re even forced to squeeze all we have to say on Twitter into a measly 140 characters. Not to mention, we often use abbreviations and acronyms for text messages, which seem to integrate their way into in-person conversations nowadays.

So, when you look at your sales copy in comparison, you might be thinking the best bet is a “less is more” approach. Well, SURPRISE… it’s not. You need to go with a “more is more” approach, instead. For starters, long form sales copy gives you more wiggle room to entice, build awareness, and answer your audience’s objections, significantly helping bring in an influx of conversions.

In fact, the Conversion Rate Experts tested it out for themselves when assisting their client Crazy Egg. They redesigned a page to pit long form copy against short form copy in an A/B test. The result? The longer page, which was 20 times lengthier than the original page, boosted the company’s conversion rates by 30%.

It’s obvious long form copy can still beat the pants off short form copy, and do wonders for your business. Hooray! But, not so fast with the celebration. In order to do it right, you need to avoid burning out your reader with lifeless content, preventing them from scurrying away from your page.

How the heck will you ever do such a thing? Well, I’m here to save the day! That’s because I’m about to give you the six elements your hearty sales pieces must have to liven up your audience to take action.

How great is that? But, you’re probably groaning at the thought of locking yourself in a room after this for hours upon hours just to pound away on the keyboard, while crossing your fingers and toes that it sells.

Lucky for you, I have just the answer to your time sucking copywriting habits. It’s a tool that will craft your sales pieces at the click of a button. Does that interest you at all? Thought so. Keep your eyes open for it below.

6 Elements Your Long Form Sales Copy Needs to Survive and Thrive

1. Strong hook—attention-grabbing headline.   

Man, the GOAT (aka Greatest Of All Time…in the copywriting arena), John Caples, really hits the nail on the head, doesn’t he? Go ahead and save yourself from committing a serious copywriting crime and pay attention to your headline. Give it the love and attention it deserves. After all, it’s what lures your readers in to take the bait.

Let’s put it this way. Consider it your filter to weed out those who are outside of your ideal customer circle, only catching those who are on the inside. It’s the moment your reader decides you’ve got something for them they need and want, or they get up and walk away. Now, I’m sure you have some great information, not to mention a solution, to offer up. Do you really want to deter your readers from your magical copy thanks to a crummy or annoyingly cute headline? Didn’t think so.

Simply focus on being clear and concise, and use it as a cliffhanger of some sort. Your reader will definitely want to stick around as they anxiously wait to hear what it is you have to say.

2. Navigational cues—enticing subheads.  

Yes, I know Mr. O. is talking about headlines in general. But, subheads apply in this case, too—they’re just as important. Why? Well, we’ve adapted to the quick-natured environment we live in today. We want what we want, and we want it now. Thus, when it comes to getting lured into a page only to be left to read heaping piles of paragraphs, we become content scanning pros.

What does this mean, however, for you and your sales copy? Well, don’t overlook your subheads. That’s for sure. These are a great way to break up your text-heavy page. And, these will help you navigate the reader towards the ultimate goal—snatching up your offer. But, that’s only if they’re injected with some life.

For example, the subhead of this section in particular could’ve simply been “Subheads.” Bleck. Borrrrrring. It’s merely a label. Instead, I teased you just a bit and threw in some crystal clear verbiage, “enticing subheads,” to help explain what the heck I’m about to share.

When it comes to this element, isolate each subhead. Think about their overall mission individually, considering what the headline would be for each one if they all stood alone as single pieces of content. From there, you can craft these with ease as you drizzle in some curiosity while steering clear of any cryptic messaging.

3. Nuts and bolts—quality, engaging body copy.

At the heart of great conversion numbers lies solid gold long form copy. If your content attractively provides an answer to your prospect’s biggest battles while tending to any objections they may have, they’ll grab hold of what you have to offer. It can be absolutely terrifying, however, staring at a blank canvas waiting to be filled with nothing but quality, engaging copy. You might feel there’s no other choice than to throw in hyped up garb and filler words to stuff the page.

Oh, but there is. Avoid that garbled, ugly mess that could become the mind of your prospect while reading your content. Paint a pretty picture instead—expand the dialogue and connect with them. All while only sharing what it is you need to share, versus adding in random sentences to up your word count.

Ask questions, throw in cliffhangers (ex. rewind to the end of the fourth paragraph of this blog post), tell personal and relatable stories, and even inject a little humor or personality into the mix. When you do, you’ll find your copy is incredibly less stale and still accomplishes the overall objective: conversions.

4. Conversion boost—personable sales video. 

Today, video marketing is changing the game for marketers. And it’s not just a fad—it’s here to stay. We have Facebook videos ruling our News Feeds more so than static posts. Not to mention, Instagram stories, and even live streaming capabilities available across multiple social platforms. So, you better believe it’s time to harness the power of video and incorporate it into your long form sales pages.

ConversionXL tested two long form sales pages—one with all text and an image above the fold and one with text and a video above the fold. The result? The video version drove 46% more sales.

Ultimately, people like watching video to see the human face behind your brand. Take advantage of this tool and test it out for yourself. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy and something you spend buckets of money on making. Simply consider teasing a bit of your offering in the video to get your audience to linger a little longer.

5. Dose of credibility—rich testimonials.

I ask this of you often, but put yourself in your audience’s shoes. As they’re scrolling down your sales page and reading all about your product or service, do you think they’ll click the “Buy Now” button if you don’t ever provide proof of helping people just like them? Most likely, the answer is a big, fat NO.

I’m sure you’ve got at least a handful of happy customers—utilize their rave reviews and weave them into your copy. And if you don’t, all you have to do is ask. You’d be surprised how willing your current customers are to give you some verbiage to use on your site. After all, they help build trust and show your target audience that your offering is the solution for them because it works.

Now, don’t go absolutely ham and start loading in an avalanche of testimonials. Instead, focus only on a few that are meaningful to help get the job done. Maybe one explains their before and after experience—ex. Before, I was spending hours struggling with A, now I have so much more time on my hands to focus on B. And, maybe another speaks to a specific feature-benefit highlight of your product or service. Take a look at this example of FreshBooks successfully incorporating reviews.

Whatever testimonials you choose to use, just be sure they include a customer name and even a photo of them. This helps make it easier for the reader to trust what you’re sharing. And, it’s even better if you’re serving them up in a video format. Supplement those with a text-based taste so the reader is motivated to click and watch.  

6. Rock-solid closing—strong, standout call to action (CTA) with scarcity.

Well, if that’s the case, you better make your call to action a good one, right? Absolutely. It’s essential to your long form copy. After all, you put in some serious elbow grease to maneuver your reader down the entire page. Now it’s time to clearly tell them what to do next, persuading them to mouse over your link and click, converting them into a customer.

That brings me to my next point. Consider turning your CTA into a button versus a link. This will help it stand out on the page against a massive amount of text. And, keep it brief with a couple of action-oriented words at most. All while still staying strong and relevant to the high-value offer you’re directing your audience to.

Take a look at this example of a CTA used to generate leads:  

(source) 

Not only does it do all of the above, but it also includes a sense of urgency. Even if you can’t dispense this scarcity tactic each and every time, you can still throw some time-related words into your CTA. Now. Fast. Hurry. You’ll find it’s a lot harder for your audience to ignore what you want them to do when you’ve got a solid CTA.

Cringing at the thought of actually writing all your long form sales copy from scratch?

Well, cringe no more. That’s because I’m about to share a one-of-a-kind tool that’ll give you ready-to-use sales copy at the click of a button. You ready? Meet your new copywriting companion, ScriptDoll.

It’s a sales copy engine dedicated to assisting you with composing persuasive sales content in minutes. Once you create your product portfolio and answer a handful of painless questions, ScriptDoll drops those answers into thoughtfully crafted content scripts that sell—sales letters, email sequences, you name it.

Here’s why ScriptDoll is so beneficial to entrepreneurs like you:

• Increases your productivity level while saving you writing time—simply complete your product portfolio, answer a handful of straightforward questions, and voilà. ScriptDoll turns your answers into enticing, concise copy that drives sales. Best thing is, it’ll free up your time—fewer hours spent wrestling with the writing process and plenty more spent focusing on what matters most (understanding your customer and offering).
• Helps you avoid sounding like a broken record—new templates are added on a monthly basis, ensuring your audience doesn’t get tired hearing the same thing over and over again. At the touch of a button, fresh sales letters, email sequences, video sales scripts, native ads, and much more can be crafted just for you.
• Allows you the opportunity to keep your copywriting in house—there’s no need to spend thousands of dollars outsourcing your video marketing writing to copywriters. ScriptDoll crafts its effective templates thanks to its connections with some serious first-class copywriters around the world!
• Decreases your workload to almost nothing with pre-made product profiles—are you a puppy trainer, dentist, plastic surgeon or graphic designer? If so, you’re in luck because your product profile has already been completed for you. There are many more waiting to be used within the software engine. It’s that much easier to push out content that converts.   

It’s time to wave goodbye to spending your days, nights, and weekends pounding away on the keyboard while struggling to master the art of copywriting. Take the first step towards regaining control of your time and capturing optimal conversion numbers. Get your hands on these benefits today!

Get Your Conversion-Worthy Copy in Minutes—Join ScriptDoll Now!

It can take a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to actually sit down and craft long form sales copy that brings conversions to the table. But, the key is to combine just the right mixture of elements to make it engaging and delightful to read. Thankfully, you’re leaving this post today with the essentials necessary to write meaty pieces of content from here on out. Plus, a tool to handle the rest—producing content your audience can’t help but notice.

So, what’s holding you back? Go ahead and join entrepreneurs like you who are raving about ScriptDoll—helping serve up some seriously powerful, captivating copy that sells. You’re just a click away.  

Have questions or something to share on this topic? Let us know in the comments section below.