WARNING: This series of posts may be hazardous to your preconceived notions of how to make money online. Reading it may save you thousands of dollars in pipe dreams and cause you to focus on the single most important aspect of running an Internet business. If you suffer from A.D.S. (Acute Denial Syndrome) or insist on believing that buying another product or service is the magic bullet that will cure all your financial ills, these posts will not be of any use to you and may cause severe anxiety. Read at your own risk.
I didn't get into Internet marketing to become an Internet marketing "guru."
I found a way to make money with Google AdSense and wrote an ebook to help others do likewise.
I never could have predicted what would result and still marvel at how many people I have been able to help over the years.
This path has led me to meet people from all over the world. Some of them are quality people who have done some very innovative things and some of them are nothing more than copycats who have never really succeeded on their own, but attempt to ride the waves created by others in order to make a name for themselves.
Frankly, there are a number of things in the Internet marketing space that I find appalling.
I want to share my thoughts on the current state of Internet marketing, not to name any names, but to point out where real opportunity exists and what you should watch out for. I'll be doing this over a number of posts.
There are some who will not be happy with me about this, but their disapproval only makes my point further.
With that said, it's time to reveal the hard truth about Internet marketing. Let's get started...
Why do marketers use those incredibly long sales letters with sensational headlines?
I know what you are thinking. What kind of people respond to those letters that go on forever and promise to be the answer to whatever ills you may have with those oversized headlines that scream for attention?
Here's the answer.
Regular people with a need and hope that the product or service in question will fill their need.
That doesn't mean that everyone responds to this format, but enough people do that it is a favorite for marketers to use again and again.
Before I offered products online, I didn't give long-form sales letters much credence. In fact, I often ran as fast as I could when I saw them. But when I had my own products to sell, I was easily persuaded to use the format.
Why?
Simple.
They work.
By combining urgency, scarcity, liking and a healthy helping of excitement in the presentation, it's been discovered that people are more likely to purchase.
The long-form sales letter is nothing new. They have been used as direct mail pieces for decades. The only difference now is people can read them online and the business can save on postage.
What is an infomercial but a long-form sales letter?
Think about why a company would prefer a 60-second commercial to a 30-second commercial.
It gives you more time to tell your story.
A long-form sales letter allows you to grab a prospect's attention, expose unmet needs, build credibility, demonstrate how the product meets a need and fulfill an urgency to have that need met right away.
It's marketing, plain and simple. And it's nothing new.
The problem comes when the headlines are more sensational than they can ever live up to. It's when the testimonials on the page are questionable and there is doubt about whether the product is really any good.
The problem is not the format. The problem lies in the marketers who use them.
Guns don't kill people... people do. Long copy is amoral. But the person or company behind the copy may be immoral.
It's never a good idea to throw away the baby with the bathwater or to lump all online marketers together. Some produce good products. Some do not. Some are ethical. Some are not.
I've seen courses priced at $1997 that are worth every penny. After all, if you can spend two grand to get information that you can build a business on, it's a great deal.
But I've also seen many courses priced at $1997 that provide little more information than may be found in a $30 book. Sometimes those products sell like crazy because the tactics create a feeding frenzy.
My parents spent tens of thousands of dollars so I could get a degree from the University of Illinois. While it was a great life experience, I can't really point to what I learned that has helped me with my business. I did get a nice piece of paper to put on my wall, but I couldn't even tell you where that piece of paper is.
I'm not saying a college degree isn't valuable. It could be incredibly important for you.
My point is that there is nothing wrong with paying for an education provided you receive real value. Of course, it then comes down to whether or not you are willing to do the work.
Many marketers are now exploring the use of video sales letters. I like these because I believe I can communicate my message clearly and succinctly in video format.
Check out what Charles Trippy did in our Viral Video Fever joint venture.
However, using video as part of a long-form sales letter can also be very effective. When we launched The Secret Classroom, we used long-form copy. But the highlight was the 10-minute promotional video placed at the top of the page.
Master copywriters can spin a great story using long-form copy. The goal is to get you emotionally involved in the story-telling process so that you make a decision to buy. But isn't that the goal of any effective advertising and marketing?
With any sales pitch online, I prefer to maintain a skeptical eye.
I would ask the following questions when you are considering purchasing a product based on a persuasive sales letter.
1) What is the background and reputation of the person selling the product. Are they a known quantity or did they just come out of nowhere? Do your due diligence by checking in with the Better Business Bureau or other consumer sites. (We are pleased to maintain an A+ rating with the Colorado BBB.)
2) Are the testimonials legitimate? Are their names and website addresses that you can check into as references?
3) Does the product or service promise to solve problems in a way that sounds too good to be true? (Hint... it probably is...)
4) Has the marketer actually demonstrated that their product or service works or are they just attempting to capitalize on a fad? When I hit it big with my AdSense ebook, copycats came out of the woodwork positioning themselves as experts. Sadly, many of them never made $100 with AdSense.
5) Is the sales letter persuading you or manipulating you? Don't just check yourself emotionally, but step back long enough to engage your brain and make sure you are being led towards a decision that makes sense for you.
6) Is the guarantee and refund policy clear on the page. If so, make sure you can locate an email or support desk in case you decide you aren't happy with your purchase.
Remember, it's not the length of the sales letter that determines whether or not a product is worth purchasing. Just know that all marketing is designed to tell a story and persuade you to take action. Make sure that you really need or want what is being offered and carefully consider your purchase before pulling the trigger.
These are just my extemporaneous thoughts, so I'd love to hear what you think.
Please leave your comments below.
I totally agree, I am not one to be persuaded by the long sales letter; hell I can't afford to be. I am a disabled vet, who makes 1124 a month; which is way less than a lot of courses. I am a newbie online but not to b.s. I liken alot of marketers to dope dealers and politicians; its a hustle. Thanks for the few who truly help, present company included.
Dear Sir,
What you just stated is very true, because I am a newbie in making money on the Internet and I have read alot of these long sales letters and I am tired of reading long wording letters.
I always come to think about how those people pruducing such long sales letters ever going to sell a product. I just can't believe it.
Earlier I have unsubscribed an email because of this. And have commented by telling the owner he should created a website espacially for newbies, which have options on them that people will click and press the go button, so that the website can take them to a money making program that best suites the visitor.
Right now I am looking for a program that can best suite me. Because I was thinking about joining clickbank to advertise a product but they only allow checks but I am not from the US.
You know things like that can stop you from joing such programs.
I've vistied IncomeBooster and AssociatePrograms but the thing they are missing out is that they place all those money making affiliate programs all over the Internet pages that creates alot of confusion. But if there is a welcome screen that states simple options that can carry you to a site that suites you, HEY!!! that site is 100% heaven for many people out there.
Thank You Sir
Thanks Joel...You hit the nail squarely on it's head,,,John
Joel,
I met you at a Peak Potentials event so I know you're the real deal. I've seen those long, seemingly endless sales letters from folks I know are already billionaires and world famous, great people. It really turns me off and so do the 3 or 4 daily emails some of these folks send promoting a webcast that I've already watched. It has caused me to unsubscribe from their emails. I prefer subscribing to a blog and having all the posts in one place rather than clogging up my email inbox. Thanks for the free e-book. You are the master and I enjoy reading all your posts. Tina
Do you know what i see when I read those long form sales letter? Only the monstrous alphabet "Z" which attacked me mercilessly! These sales letters made me sleep! LOL
If you've watched the "will it blend" videos in YouTube, you will learn very valuable lessons about wise marketing. The videos are entertaining and they clearly shows how powerful are their blenders. They even made use the popularity of iPhone to increase their video viewership (Yes! They blended iPhone too!).
Results? They have successfully increased their market awareness to the mass public and definitely a surge in their blender sales!
Hi, Joel. I manufacture and I have problems selling my products or don't know how to show them to my future clients.
Hope you can help me .
I have grat products if you can halp me it would be a revelation , I have been developping my products for 3 years now and the money is going away so is my energy.
Hope to ear from you soon.
Gio Curcio
aindustriemetaux@videotron.ca
P.S.
If you like to know what my products are just send me an e-mail and I could send you some pictures.
Excellent info as always.
I'm a cinical Brit and gave up on reading all that BS a long time ago.
Cheers
Darren
I have been following/participating in 'internet marketing' since 1997. A couple of things surprise me, the first being an echo of this post: the feeding frenzy that happens in what appears to be a very small pond of marketers who all know each other and vie for status as defined by referrals of buyers, money banked etc.
Some I've known to stay away from the instant they appeared - even their names and taglines just reek of self-serving interests. It's like they've all bit from the same apple or have ingested a voodoo potion at one of their real-world, self-congratulatory marketing events. We are merely the fodder with which they arm their arsenals in their own campaigns to top themselves and each other for money and recognition.
The other surprise, however, is more innocuous and yet inversely damaging: the corruption of the phrase 'internet marketing', which is just one part of a small business' approach to engaging with their customer base. That's the one that really gets me - it only takes one or two people who truly can't afford it to blow their carefully accrued savings on internet junk to cause a raft of other business owners to avoid internet marketing like the proverbial plague.
There is one blogger I have followed daily longer than any other (and I won't name him here because I want to write him directly first) who has had such integrity as a writer and thinker, and has demonstrated over and over his commitment to simply helping people LEARN, and...
I recently got the same spammish email from him that I get from the pirhana pool around a 'product launch' that would revolutionize marketing, doors are closing soon, BLAH BLAH BLAH. Bye bye high regard. I went from raving fan to red flag, with one email.
I guess he drank the kool aid too.
I've been battling with this over the past year too. Personally, I "prefer" to read long sales letters before I buy something and I wish more would do it. Why? Because I get all my questions answered without having to waste time on a phone asking questions.
But, always hearing how much people hate sales letters, I've been toying with changing my sales letters to squeeze pages and then making the sales letter something they get a link to as a pdf. I then encourage them to print it and read it in detail so they have all the facts.
This has really helped as a lead generator and I think it's because I'm getting people past that "long sales letter" hatred even though it's the exact same thing when they print out 10 pages on paper.
People still won't buy if you don't give them all the information they need to make a decision right? And, 3 or 4 one liner bullet points 'aint gonna do it these days.
Joel,
Good insights here. Another key to long form sales letters is to format them for those people who like to skim sales letters and just read the headlines, subhead, offer, price, etc.
Brian
Long sales letters may indeed work but the real question is do they work as well as sales letters that have less red, less yellow, and less salesy talk on them.
I have absolutely no patience for reading long sales letter anymore. I get to about the 3rd paragraph and click away. I mean whose got time to read one huge, long sales page?
As for the use of videos my attention span on those is even worse. A fair number of internet marketers seem to think that if they simply talk and make a video of what they want to say that somehow I and others will be wowed into sitting here listening to their 15-30 minutes of glory in the spotlight.
Nothing could be further from the truth. I find most internet marketing videos absolutely boring. Long winded. A waste of my time. I listen to about the first 10 seconds if I even click on a video link and if the presentation is not to the point and absolutely compelling I click away.
Nothing is more frustrating to me with respect to videos than not being able to scan and read the parts I am interested in as opposed to having to sit through a long monologue before I realize that the internet marketer in question said nothing new or compelling for me to act on.
At the very least a transcript should be made available alongside the video.
There is one exception to my video antagonism...videos that are made to show me how to do something. Like GIMP tutorials or one's that show me step by step how to do keyword research at the Google Keyword Tool. That type of thing. Where it is almost a necessity to see an example of something being done.
Those I will watch front to back if they are well made. Those I find useful. But the rest? They go into the proverbial trash bin.
Carlos
I fell for the long letters at first. But it did not take me long to get the reg flag either. I don't have time to read the same thing put in different ways through out the page. And testimony after testimony of people I am not sure are even real.
Found the same few people were the ones putting them out the most. I soon grew not to trust them or anyone else that put those very very long letters or should I say sales pitch out there.
Now if I even have a little interest, I just scroll down to the bottom to see the price. Every time I laugh and say no way.
In my opinion this may work for some. But as a person who runs a business I would never do that to anyone. I feel I should treat my customers as I would want to be treated and not insult them with something that would turn me off.
Joni
My opinion based on personal experience is this: yes, long copy CAN sell, but only up to a point. More is NOT better.
I think it's wordiness and repetition CAUSING unneeded length that turn people off rather than length in and of itself if truly needed to fully present your product.
If you come on too strong, try too hard, and pull too hard on the fishing pole, you are going to break the line or the pole and LOSE the fish, and "pop" goes that blissful bubble of identification, trust, and helpfulness you were striving so hard to create.
Better to take more of an arms-length approach and let people be drawn to you on THEIR terms, thinking that it's THEIR idea to do so BECAUSE they are not being "sold", which people hate.
Take only as long as you need to present completely in a streamlined way, each point logically leading into the next, WITHOUT needless repetition, summarize/close, then STOP. This applies verbatim to video as well. Subheads ARE great for "skimmers", but if the whole letter's been done right, the less necessary they are for that reason.
I find repetition to be especially insulting to my intelligence. If you feel the need to repeat a given point, it's likely due to simply being misplaced - i.e., if your "flow" is correct, you wouldn't HAVE to repeat yourself!
Marketers think that the longer they hold you captive on their page, the more likely you are to buy, when in reality, they are "distracting themselves" right out of the sale by trying to keep you occupied with a multitude of "stuff".
I see it this way: the QUICKER you can get someone through a complete presentation, the EASIER it is for them to wrap their head around it, see all angles of it at once, and make their decision.
Even if they don't buy right that moment, they are more likely to return later if they've already definitely decided to buy, rather than if they're merely thinking they need to read it again. The whole trick is to avoid putting them in this position, as we ALL know that many tentative "re-readers" never make it back.
Worse yet are the letters crammed full of dense blocks of small, thin-line type. No one wants to read a book, and too many of the letters I see are way too "busy" with too much "stuff" to wade through, when what is desired in today's environment is a "stress-free" appearance.
But of course, the flip side to all this is that you can go TOO far in this direction and not be saying ENOUGH. It's all about BALANCE!
Joel, if you're intrigued by what you've read here, how about giving me a crack against your next control? :)
I'll admit it, I have fallen for the long sales letters. I don't put much weight, if any, in the testimonials and things like that anymore. But I don't buy any tools or ebooks anymore. I have come to the realization that anything I want to know can almost always be found freely on the internet. The forums have been extremely useful in my opinion.
Joel, Joel, Joel. Are you the same man who was responsible for what is possibly the LONGEST sales letter in IM? Oh how we laughed about that one.
I'm of course referring to the 777 Firesale you ran in July 2007.
136,588 characters
23,102 words
2,246 lines of text
FIFTY testimonials (I just counted 'em)
I'm scared to see how many pages it would generate if I printed it.
And now you believe no sales copy and instead video is the answer?
That won't work as you can't skim video, and as Mike F will tell you, everyone has different styles of learning and absorbing information.
Approximately one third like audio / video (not me), and approx. one third like to read (that's me), so by using video only you're instantly removing half of your potential market. All of the video sales pages that have been surfacing the last 2 years have saved me a fortune as I just don't have time to watch them. ;-)
I understand where you're coming from, and as my personal bias is to read, that's the way I tend to do my selling. I know I'm missing out on a chunk of the market by not providing a video presentation, but that's just me. Eventually I'll convert, but when I do, I'll do both text and video.
So my advice? Don't do one at the expense of the other. Do both and let people choose.
As for your numbered points, your 777 sales letter fails your criteria on points 3 and 6 and possibly 4 & 5 too, but it's debatable.
I tell you what though, it's so much nicer to see a better Joel in 2010. I may even come to see you at another seminar. ;-)
-Frank Haywood
P.S. Is "amoral" really the word you meant to use, or did you mean nonmoral? It caused me to stop and stumble over that thought is why I ask.
i am a complete newbie at internet marketing including computer skills and dont have the money to purchase e books .at the moment i am researching the mechanics and principles of internet marketing and have been using free newsletters and down loads to do my research .a friend of mine has bought some e books on internet marketing subjects and i find them varing from poor to bad .they only give part answers on any area and certinly dont cover the subject much at all .most of the contents are padding and fluff .
i am quickly becoming convinced that the longer the sales letter the less useful content in the e book .
if some one cant convince me to buy something in a few paragraphs im not interested .
OMG
I am such a sucker for just about everything. But I have learned so much in that process. I even learn from the garbage. Sometimes learning not what to do can be just as meaningful as learning what to do.
If it is total trash, I ask for my money back... some times I get it back and sometimes I don't.
If I don't, I know that I bought something from someone who is not paying attention... not a real marketer. Now you know they are going to get their Karma adjusted.
Thanks for the great post Joel!
I read a lot of long form sales letters and am amazed how many words are used in may cases to say absolutely nothing. This with spurious use of testimonials is one of the real frustrations of the internet. Invariably I scroll to the bottom of the page, determine what it costs before deleting. Another thing that amazes me is the worth of offering bonuses. Why, if the product is good enough, would bonuses be offered that in many cases upstage the product being marketed? Bonuses v=can work against the product being offered and cause confusion. If the product is good enough, why bother. I did something last night that I don't usually do. I read viewed and listened to every single word, videotape and audio, promoting the secret classroom. I am going to purchase the product and I know I won't be disappointed. Your long form sales letter just raised the bar and other internet marketers should take note. Everything stated was backed up and presented in a way that was compelling. The testimonials were genuine and there was no hype or oversell eg. no threat that this won't last or the price is going up ...................! All of these could and probably will happen but it wasn't part of the pitch. I loved it as indeed I enjoyed the blog above. I'm still exploring and learning and am beyond retirement, but you have given me both belief and hope. We pride ourselves in New Zealand as being number 8 wire " DIY'ers." You've helped unravel some of the mystery with your wisdom and your generosity and I am fast becoming a devotee.
Here we go again with the long sales letter thing again! This subject has turned into a few heated arguments over the years.
Yes I run down the page to the bottom and skip most of what is in the middle to see what the damage is first. If I'm interested in the headline and subject i will scroll back up to see if there is anything new to steal for my own projects. If it is a pretty good piece I will file it in the swipe files.
Why do I do this Because they work!
There is no deputing the fact that no matter what your feelings about the subject, or if you read them or not Long Sales Letters just plain work.
Brad West ~ onomoney
Couldn't agree more on point #4. The fundamental of Adsense earning is all about traffic. This is what most people never understand.
If they were making $100, no matter how they tune-up the Adsense, it wouldn't affect much of the earning. Tuning up a website with earning of thousands dollar make significant difference.
Always wondered whether those long, sensational sales letters actually converted more than a short to the point sales pitch
How TRUE Joel. Thanks for setting people straight. I hope to do a heroes interview on you soon.
Ralph Zuranski
Dear Joel
My name is Bohdan Vovk, 2-years online. First of all, thank you
very much for your sincere desire to share your rich experience
and honest readiness to help.
And now back to the topic. Statistics proves that the long sales
copies run better. Some time ago, I made a test to understand
why it is so. And the following is my findings.
The average user reads the top headline and see that the copy is
long. I think it is the human psychology and curiosity: The copy is
long, but I do know that the download link is at the bottom.
I quickly run to the bottom to find the link. I found - I click...
I think that the copywriter may even embed at the middle of the sales
letter a few chapters of Tolstoy's War and Peace, and effect will be the same. Maybe even better...
to be honest, i have very mixed feelings about your businesses, but i'd like to offer my sincerest congrats to you on reaching this milestone.
it's truly TRUE Joel. A very sensational offer in the salesletter will be help to improve more sales and income. thanks for sharing a good tips
Mario
Dear Joel,I am really appreciating for your kind sharing your own experience!
As an average user I can say that using Video as a Sales Letter, probably, doesn't have future.Why? Because the time you missed something you have to go back to the very beginning and try to catch the missed part.On my opinion the written sales letter is the best! If to chose between long and short, I prefer short and explanatory.If I see a long sales letter I suppose it is selling a High Priced Product and scroll it down to check the price.And almost never read.
Aha! A mirror to see myself in. How many times have most of us "bit" on the latest and easiest internet marketing release, only to get on a mailing list that pitches us again using the same tactics.
Seems like may you are reformed. By the way, Joel, the easiest money I ever made was when one of the companies sent me one of your checks by mistake.
Of course I forwarded it on to you but feel badly I didn't write a long letter on how to receive internet marketing checks in the mail with no effort. I really missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime!
Onward with purpose,
Chaplain Paul Slater
Joel i agree all those long sales letter bore a person and make you just want to skip to the bottom. we need to get right to the point, that is what people will appreciate.
I've had a resistance to the long sales letter for some time, but I've been told time and time again that they work so I use them. But, I have not thought about combining video with long copy. That is something to test. Thanks.
Hi Joel,
I disagree with the video sales letter. In fact, I hate them. They always promise to give me information, but instead spend 90 minutes bragging about a product with no intention of showing me the product so I can make an informed decision.
Some of the biggest names in personal development and internet marketing have turned me off completely, as they have wasted so much of my time. They (or an affiliate) send an email promising to solve X problem via the video, but it tells me nothing.
If the video provides 80 minutes content, 10 minutes sales pitch, that's Ok, but it is a rarity.
I prefer the long form sales letter, cause I know what I'm looking for - what the product promises, the price, and confirmation that there is a guarantee if the product fails to deliver, which allows a reasonable time to use the product & get results (ie 7 days is a joke). If I'm not convinced, I can quickly disregard it.
Video salesetters ideal length is just 12-25 minutes, not 90 minutes like Damian is saying.
I created video salesletters with Mike's help from http://videosalesletterguru.com/ - he teaches how to create a script with 20 step formula, how to record the converting video and gives the templates.
Great post, great comments!
As a long form copywriter, I plan to use your "skeptic's checklist" to tighten up my sales letters. Thanks!
Question: When you write a long form sales letter do you use Word or an HTML editor? Or better yet, let me simply ask, what do you use?