10 Elements of an Online Course Sales Page That Converts

You poured your heart, soul, and a helluva lot of your time into creating your online course. Now, you need to make sure it sells with an online course sales page primed for conversions.

Rather than devoting even more hours on end to pitching your course to prospects, you can choose an equally effective route—to write a killer sales page to do the selling for you 24/7.

Your first steps to writing your online course sales page should involve research and planning. Once that’s covered, it’s time to whip up an outline and begin writing. 

Here are basic 10 basic elements your online course sales page should include if you want it to do its job (convert!):

1. HEADLINE & SUBHEADER 

At the top of your online course sales page should be a compelling headline and subheadline to capture the reader’s attention. This section is absolutely crucial to the sales page’s success.

Your sales page headline should be benefit-focused. Either your headline alone or the headline anchored with the subheadline should include the primary perk of investing in your course.

Keep in mind, the next section of the sales page—the opening—needs to connect to the headline and subheadline and should flow naturally.   

2. THE STORY INTRODUCTION 

Following the headline and subheader, introduce the story behind your offer and the pain points that surround it. This is where you’ll give your readers a closer look at what they have to gain and how your course will bring them closer to where they want to be in their business, fitness journey, personal life—whatever it may be. 

Sometimes referred to as “teasers,” sales page introductions should provide just a glimpse of what the reader wants to see—not enough to give everything away, but enough to make them want to keep reading.  

Here, you’ll want to touch on your ideal prospect’s pain points and the struggles your reader may be dealing with. Let the reader know you get it—you can relate to what she/he is feeling and facing, and you have the solution to fix it. 

Focus this section on helping your reader visualize their pain. But, stop there—we don’t want to turn this into a sob story. Instead, the introduction should also help your reader realize the possibilities to overcome their struggles (all with the help of your course, of course). 

3. COURSE DESCRIPTION 

In the course description, you’ll introduce your offer and provide more in-depth details about your course. This is where you’ll dive into how your offer fixes the problem that you have been agitating up until this point. Make it obvious how the course and comprehensive solution work. 

Focus on being clear and concise in this section. Get straight to the point of why and how your course will relieve your prospect’s pain. To do this, include a bulleted list that showcases the benefits of your course and any features.

Quick Tip: Always start your bullets with an action word.

Additionally, this is where you’ll also want to address common potential objectives. As you work through your product’s story, be sure to anticipate reasons why prospects would say no to your offer. Then, address each objective in a way that provides assurance to help relieve their concern.

4. INSTRUCTOR BIO

After detailing your offer, introduce yourself. This is where you’ll need to explain your expertise and why you’re the best person to teach this course and, ultimately, help your prospect overcome their specific pain point.

When introducing the expert—you—showcase your credibility in a way that positions you as the expert. This will help your reader trust you.

To keep readers engaged, rather than simply listing your qualifications, share your story. Let them know not only how you gained the knowledge and experience to teach this course, but also why you want to help them specifically. 

Write this section in the first person while speaking directly to your ideal prospect. 

5. SOCIAL PROOF

Include case studies, testimonials, or other examples of social proof to support your claims in your online course sales page. Providing social proof will prove that your online course brings real results to those who have purchased it and build your credibility. 

Ask previous users of your course for a sentence or two about the impact your course had on their life or business. Or—better yet—ask them to record a quick video. 

If your course has yet to launch, consider including any of the following as a form of “proof”: 

• Number of people you helped or data regarding their specific results
• Logos of brands you’ve previously worked with
• Certificates, awards, or seals

6. PRICING DETAILS

Know what your course is worth. Then, present it in a straightforward, easy to understand section. List the price of the course clearly and include different tiers of pricing if applicable. 

Make sure you include a CTA button in this section as well.

7. FAQS

Don’t give prospects a chance to get skeptical about your offer. Provide an FAQ section with the most commonly asked questions or those you assume readers may have that would prevent them from signing up.

FAQ sections generally contain five to 10 questions that help readers further overcome common objections and concerns.

For instance, you might want to address any or all of the following:

• How long does the buyer have access to the course?
• How long does the course take?
• Are there payment plan options?

Quick Tip: Don’t raise expectations that the prospect doesn’t actually have—keep the frequently asked questions to actually frequently asked questions. (Don’t put any new ideas in your prospect’s head.) 

8. GUARANTEE

Add a guarantee that removes all potential risk for your prospect. There are a few different names your guarantee can go by such as a money-back guarantee, the risk-free guarantee, 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. 

In general, your guarantee should cover the following:

• Addresses the issue of if the customer isn’t satisfied and assuage people’s fear that it would be difficult.
• Remove all potential risk for your prospect.

Adding a guarantee will not only remove all risk weighing on your prospects, but it will also demonstrate the confidence you have in your course, yourself, and the results your offer will produce. 

9. CALLS TO ACTION  

A huge part of any sales page is actually asking for the sale. Use your call to action (CTA) to tell your reader what their next step is (to buy!). Then, make these next steps to confirm a purchase stupid easy.

Include multiple calls to action on your online course sales page. The amount of calls to action will depend on the length of your page—whether it’s a short-form sales page or long-form sales page. 

Multiple calls to action will make it easier for readers to buy at whatever point it is that they become convinced. So, place CTAs at the beginning, middle, and end of your online course sales page. 

Here are some sales page CTA best practices:

• Create urgency, scarcity, or exclusivity—make sure the prospect knows what they’ll lose if they don’t say yes now. 
• Keep button text short and upbeat (example: “I want a spot!” “Yes, I want to _____!” “I’m ready for_____”) 
• Use colors that pop for CTA buttons so they stand out.

10. HIGH-QUALITY VISUALS

Your sales page won’t be complete without some high-quality visuals. Visuals communicate info much faster and easier than text, and they provide an additional way to captivate your audience. 

So whether that’s images, videos, screenshots of testimonials, an instructor headshot, etc., make sure you have something to appeal to your readers visually on your course sales page as well. 

BONUS: A P.S.

Have you ever written a letter and included a P.S. at the bottom? This same “postscript” note can be used in a sales letter as well.

In the P.S. section, add an element of urgency or exclusivity. Make sure your prospect knows what they’ll lose if they don’t say yes right now. For this reason, you might want to set a deadline and mention it here.

Focus on what the prospect has to gain, but keep the P.S. compact and compelling for maximum effectiveness.

WHAT NOW?

Here are your three next three steps to put the info we just covered into action:

1. Kickoff your research. Interview prospects, previous buyers, and get to understand the awareness of your course and where it fits into the market. Once you have a thorough research doc, put together an outline of the page based on that research.
   
2. Spend some time focusing on brainstorming your “big idea” behind your sales letter. Compile a list of 25+ big ideas and choose the one that you believe will be the most compelling and resonate the most with your specific audience to move forward with.
   
3. Start drafting! You’ll likely have multiple drafts of your sales letter before settling on a final one, so give yourself plenty of time to write. If you decide you’d rather have a sales copy pro like myself handle your online course sales letter, let’s chat! Shoot me an email at mack@mackenziebfleming.com or reserve a free 30-minute consult call. On the call, we’ll discuss your objectives and goals, and see if we’re a good fit.