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Live From JV Alert: Does Your Copy Follow This Proven Sequence?

June 6th, 2008 by Mike Read more about Copywriting

iStock_000000570296SmallI am currently up in Philadelphia at JV Alert, and I am having a terrific time. Ken McArthur has really put together a tremendous event and I will be sharing some of my key learning’s and insights from this seminar.

One of my favorite sessions of the day was an open Q&A panel with 10 professional online copywriters… many of them are some of the leading online copywriters that money can buy.

One specific tip that was brought up during the session was the sequence that your online sales letter should follow as you are preparing for the close.

The question that was asked was:

“What comes first, the offer, bonuses, or the guarantee? Is there a specific sequence that we should always follow?”

The answer is YES! And the winning sequence is:

1) Present the offer:
  • Describe the offer, including the price

NOTE: In their mind, the customer should already be saying… to take my pain away and solve this problem… the price is not too bad.

2) Remove the risk:
  • Offer a risk reversal, the guarantee

NOTE: In their mind, the customer should now say… wow, there is nothing I could lose by taking action.

3) Pile on the bonuses:
  • Over deliver with additional bonuses that will further help the customer relieve their pain and take them to the next level
4) Recap - final summary
  • Of course you want to have a neat summary towards the end and also never ever forget to finish with powerful PS lines

According to extensive testing, the above sequence was consistently performing better than any other sequence. So, go back to your sales letters right now and check if your sequence is the same. If not, I suggest that you setup a test to see if you can further optimize your conversion rate by doing what the experts do.

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About the Author

Mike Prior to MindValley Media, Mike was the Head of New Ventures Strategy at eBay where he conceived of the strategies that led to the investment in Craigslist, the launch of Kijiji.com and the acquisition of Skype. Mike has an MBA from Stanford and previously worked for the Boston Consulting Group. He is also a certified Google AdWords Professional.

Check out other posts by Mike

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2 Responses to “Live From JV Alert: Does Your Copy Follow This Proven Sequence?”

  1. Million Dollar Mike Morgan

    Howdy Mike,

    Don’t you think you should give attribution to the source… ME?

    LOL

    Hey, great article… and great to meet you at JV Alert. May all your work turn to gold!

    Cheers,

    Million Dollar Mike

  2. Mike

    Hi Mike,

    You are absolutely right! I should given attribution to the source. Just forgot since I was typing this late at night and wanted to get it out before I forget.

    It was great meeting you at JV Alert Live!

    Take care,

    Mike

    PS: For anyone still wondering, the suggested tip regarding what offer sequence to follow came directly from Mike Morgan who also has a great copywriting course for those interested in becoming a better copywriter.

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