Sales page copywriting is not like other types of writing, and it’s far different from anything you may have learned in English class. 

When someone decides to make a purchase, it’s because they are convinced what they are buying will help them in some way. That the offer they’ve chosen to spend their hard-earned dollars on is going to make a positive impact or transform their life in one way or another. 

So how do you ensure your sales page hits all the right points of persuasion without crossing any lines? 

Sometimes, it simply comes down to trial and error. Other times, it comes down to reading the right material beforehand and preparing yourself to avoid the biggest conversion rate-crushing mistakes of all.  

Here are the top five sales page mistakes that will make or break your next sales page:

1. You Don’t Do Your Research

There’s always a successful way to let your audience know they need what you’re offering so you can sell out your offer and make a bigger impact and income at the same time. 

The secret to uncovering this successful messaging lies in your research.

Here are a few key elements you should be researching prior to writing your sales page:

• Ideal client or customer
• Level of awareness
• Market sophistication 

 

If you’re diving into your sales page without doing any research to determine the details behind what makes your target audience tick, understand their level of awareness, and access the market you’re in, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.

To kick off your research, you need to first understand the process of how your buyers become “sold.” 

Create an ideal client avatar or buyer persona and take note of things like demographics (where they’re from, how old they are, gender, etc.), their pain points (what problems are they trying to solve), their goals, and even their day-to-day activities and routines.

Next, assess the market sophistication level. Market sophistication is basically a measure of how new people are to your product, based on products or ads they’ve seen before.  

Determine how many other brands are marketing a similar product, and what you do in particular that makes you stand out from the rest. 

When assessing the market sophistication level, consider the following questions:

• What makes you unique and your offer unique?
• How does your offer make customers feel?

 

Use these answers to amplify your offer’s impact and help your audience recognize why they need what you’re selling to improve their life or business. 

 

 

2. You Let the Features Do All the Talking

Your sales page goes on and on about everything you offer: “a detailed report,” “a full year’s worth of blog topics,” “24 customizable graphics,” etc.

And while you DO need to clue people in on the value they’re getting by mentioning the features of your offer, they also need to be told about the benefits of each of those features. 

Rather than keeping the main focus on your sales page on the features of your offer, elaborate on the benefits your product or service offers. 

How does your product/service improve your audience’s life or biz? What transformation will take place?

Why is this a big conversion crusher? Because the benefits are what will ultimately persuade your reader to buy. Not the number of customizable graphics that come with it, but how those graphics benefit them. 

For example…

“A detailed report” → “We bring you peace of mind with detailed weekly reports.” 

 “A full year’s worth of blog topics” → “You’ll no longer be sitting there thinking ‘What do I write about today’ with our full year’s worth of blog topics!” 

“24 customizable graphics” → “Graphics you can customize to your business specifics to save you time and energy.”

 

 

 

3. Your Headline is Just the Name of your Offer

The headline of your sale page should not simply be the name of your offer in big bold letters. 

 

For instance, if you’re selling planners, you don’t want to leave your headline at, “Penelope’s Pretty Planners.” 

You need an attention-grabbing headline that gives context and evokes a powerful emotional reaction. 

The headline of your sales page CAN include the name of your offer. But, it should also include the primary benefit of your offer, allowing readers a glimpse of what they can achieve with your product/service.

Here are a few other elements to consider embedding your sales page headline:

• Curiosity
• Resourcefulness
• Implied promise
• Awareness of the problem

 

For example, Penelope will sell more of her oh so pretty planners with the following headline: 

“Finally, a planner to keep you organized and sane. Go from frazzled & frantic to ticking items off your checklist and simplifying your life in no time!”

 

4. You Don’t Give Readers a Reason to Act NOW

Urgency increases conversions. Telling someone they can only get something for a limited time increases that feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out) and inspires people to make a purchase.

Create urgency or scarcity on your sales page to encourage readers to whip out their cards and submit payment immediately.  

Incorporating urgency or scarcity into your sales page gives people a reason to temporarily forget their objections and get your offer while it’s HOT. No more, “I need to think about it,” or “I’d rather shop around.”

Cause let’s face it. Those folks ain’t comin’ back.

You see this all the time on TV. I hate to use infomercials as an example, but they are a solid example of this sales tactic. 

Think about it. How many times have you heard, “This is a limited-time offer, so call now!” “The first 20 callers will receive a FREE ____,” “Don’t wait! There are only a few left in stock!”

Make sure customers know they could miss out if they don’t make a purchase right away. Here are a few ways to do that:

• Tell readers your offer is limited to the first [number] people who sign up.
• Let them know your offer is available (or available for a certain price) until [date]. 
• Include a countdown timer—“This offer is only available for the next 20 minutes”
• Offer a bonus incentive.

 

 

5. Your Sales Page is Too Long (or Too Short!)

As a copywriter for coaches, a common question I get is, “how long should my sales page be?”

Unfortunately, there is no solid, fool-proof answer for that. The truth is, the length of your sales page will depend on two things:

1. Your offer
2. Your audience

 

Ya see, every single section and even every single sentence on your sales page should have a very clear and defined purpose. 

Add too much, and you risk overwhelming your reader with info overflow. Include too little, and you risk leaving your reader with too many unanswered questions, pushing them to leave the page without making a purchase. 

For example, if your product isn’t something people absolutely need to live, you’re going to have to write a little more to stir up the desire. But, you also don’t want to cross the line of going overboard if your product is a very minimal expense. 

Say you’re selling a $45 masterclass on how to increase your social media engagement. You likely won’t need to write up a drawn-out 5,000-word explanation to describe what people will gain all on the sales page. Save all that for your class. 

Instead, tell people what you’ve got, why they need this masterclass, how it will help them, how it’s helped others, and why they need to act now.

When deciding if you need a short-form sales page or long-form sales page, ask yourself the following questions:

• Are your prospects already aware of your product/service or brand? 
• Is your product/service straightforward?
• Is your product/service low-cost? 
• Is your product/service low-risk? 
• Is your product/service low-commitment?

 

If your answer to the majority or all of these questions is yes, you likely can get away with a short-form sales page. 

Use your best judgment, and look at it from a customer’s point of view. Would you buy what you’re selling?

 

Want to ensure your sales page isn’t riddled with conversion-crushing mistakes and is instead, ready to sell out your offer? Let’s chat!