A sales page is the pinnacle of your marketing. It’s where you’re driving all your traffic. And if it’s not written well, you’ll be falling at the most important hurdle. How do you write a sales page that’s designed to convert?
Let’s explore the 10 essential elements to include on your sales or landing page, so you can spruce up your sales page (or write a new one!).
10 essential elements to include on your sales page
1. Headline
Coming up with a headline for your sales page can be tough, and it’s so important that you get it right. After all, it’s the first thing that catches people’s attention and is often the make or break element of whether they stick around to learn more.
Focus on what you offer: The primary purpose of a headline is to tell a potential customer what you offer or what the outcome of a purchase might be. Keep your headline simple and clear and make sure it ties directly to the product or service you offer.
Be specific: Specificity sells! People want to know exactly what they get if they purchase from you, so make sure to be as specific as possible in your headline. For example, instead of ‘train your dog to come back,’ on Gemma Fisher’s recall course page we specifically state ‘ train your dog to come back the first time they’re called.’
Appeal to emotions: People make decisions with their emotions, not logic. Appeal to the emotions of your customers by highlighting how your product or service can help them reach their goals or solve their problems.
Keep it short: A good headline should be fairly short, so try to keep it as concise as possible. People usually skim headlines, so make sure yours makes an impact with as few words as possible.
Check out this example from Landing on Your Paws online puppy training membership.
TLDR – your headline needs to tell people what you’re offering, who it’s for, and the outcome/promise.
2. Intro
Using a copywriting formula can help you beat the blank page and write a compelling introduction to your sales page.
A great formula to call upon is Pain – Agitate – Solution – Outcome.
You begin by describing the problem your audience faces, and expand upon it a little. Then you introduce the solution (aka your product or service), and then you describe the outcome.
How will they feel after using your service or taking your course? What will life look like vs where they are now?
Here’s an example of a sales page intro from Becky at East Coast Dog Training’s loose lead training course.
3. Promise
Your promise is the biggest motivator for buying, so don’t skip it! This is where you clearly tell your reader exactly what they’ll get if they buy from you.
Try to keep it short and to the point. Here are two examples of different promise formats I’ve written for client’s course pages.
This one, from Edinburgh Holistic Dog Training makes 3 promises!
4. Features and Benefits
If you want to sell your product/service, then you need to outline the features of what’s on offer. But stop there and you’re missing a huge trick.
The benefits are the driving factor which will help you convert interested readers from on the fence, to scrambling for the debit card!
I like to think of these as the ‘so what’s’ of your features.
For example, if you offer access to an online vault of videos, why should I care? What’s in it for me?
What if instead you said ‘instant access to a video library so you can get started straight away, and return to watch whenever you need them.’
Finish off your feature with a benefit and your reader will immediately see the value in what you offer.
Here’s an example of features and benefits in action from a landing page I wrote for Becky’s puppy training course.
And another from Julia at All to Play For’s dog training membership.
5. Price
I’m often asked whether to include prices on a website or not. There’s no hard and fast rule here, but if you’re encouraging people to book online without a call, you need to clearly state the price.
The key is to put the price only after you’ve sparked enough desire within your reader to want to buy your offer.
Typically this will be after you’ve covered the intro, your promise, and your features and benefits. You may like to pop the price on after you’ve included a review for extra trust and credibility.
6. CTA
You need a compelling call to action to take the next step! That might be to book a call or to buy immediately on the page.
GRAB YOUR FREE CTA SWIPE FILE HERE 👇
I recommend having a cross-header above your buy button which encourages your reader to take action. Here are a some examples for inspiration! You can click the images to see the full sales pages.
7. Reviews
Reviews are your social proof, and they often say everything you’d like to, but feel too shy to verbalise! Your reviews are a powerful way to demonstrate the value of your products/services.
Make sure you include them on your sales page, and if possible use images or screenshots to add some extra trust!
Here’s an example from my own site! 😉
Get more tips on how to use reviews in your marketing here.
8. FAQS
Including FAQs on your sales page is a brilliant way to overcome objections that are holding people back from buying.
Think about the questions you get asked most and the reasons people give when they say no to buying. Cover these off on your sales page in an FAQs section, and help convert people who will otherwise leave.
Here’s an example from Gemma Fisher’s online recall course page.
9. Credibility
Sharing your credentials reassures your potential customers of your experience and trustworthiness, You might share qualifications or accreditation badges, press coverage or awards that you’ve won.
This all helps to build trust and break down barriers which may prevent people from buying.
Rachael at Forseti dog training and behaviour packs a double punch here, with a review and carousel of credentials all in one place.
10. Images
Using photos is an essential part of creating a cracking sales page. Often a sales page will have a fair amount of copy on it, so it’s vital to break that up with images and design.
Nobody wants to be confronted with a wall of text. And everybody wants to see your happy, smiling face! Add at least one picture of you to your sales page, plus some nice crisp and clear photos of dogs in action – and your sales page can sell the doggy dream!
Use photos to paint a picture of what life can look like after using your product/service, and help your readers envision the results that can achieve with your help.
If you’d like more help with your sales page, then I’d be more than happy to help! Simply drop me a line here, and let’s talk!
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