Marketing

How to write sales copy

- September 11, 2012 3 MIN READ

In order to write sales copy that turns readers into buyers it’s important to stir certain feelings in your reader. Find out why this technique works and how to do it.

Wouldn’t it be nice to influence people to buy your product using just a few words? This is the very definition of good copywriting – using words to convert readers into sales. And the key to doing that is using words in your sales copy that have an emotional connection with the reader.

People don’t buy products and services, they buy outcomes

When you write about your products and services it’s important to write about the benefits as well as the features. The features are the facts about your offerings while the benefits are the positive outcomes that come from using them. (The benefits are more persuasive than the features).

Some of the outcomes are ‘feelings’ – ignite them!

Another positive outcome that people buy is the ‘feeling’ they get when they use your products or services. Here are some examples.

Example 1: Toothpaste (you’re buying confidence) 

Features: 170g tube, peppermint flavour.

Which means that you get…

Benefits: Strong teeth, healthy gums, fresh breath.

Which means that you feel…

Feelings: Confident, fresh, clean and happy.

I derived the benefits and feelings by simply putting the words “which means that you get” after the feature, and “which means that you feel” after the benefit.

Example 2: Housekeeping Services (you’re buying freedom)

Features: All types of housework including cleaning, cooking, washing, ironing, vacuuming, mopping etc.

Which means that you get…

Benefits: More time for yourself and your family, better health due to a hygienic environment, more enjoyment from your fresh, clean home.

Which means that you feel…

Feelings: Happier, free, more energetic and relieved.

Want more articles like this? Check out the sales strategies section.

Here’s how Tetley tea do it

The other day I saw a new Tetley herbal tea on the shelves. The copywriter who wrote the Tetley copy used the ‘feeling’ technique really well. When you read the below copy, notice they haven’t written anything about the tea itself, they’ve just written about the feelings you get from drinking it.

Tetley Forest Fruit Tea is uplifting. Uplifting like a spontaneous dance with a friend in your living room. Even up on the couch. It’s just the right ‘pick me up’ to colour your afternoon. Choose the right tea for the right moment. Sooth. Warmth. Refresh.

Here’s how a micro business owner can do it

With example two in mind, let’s use some of the features, benefits and feelings to write a small amount of web copy.

Break the shackles of housework and feel alive and free again

Are you sick of the never-ending cycle of housework that steals your time and makes you feel frustrated?

With MJ’s Housekeeping Services:

You’ll enjoy more freedom.

Want to grab a coffee with friends? Take the kids out? Or relax after a hard week at work? Well now you have the time.

You’ll feel a huge sense of relief.

We know the feeling: you’ve got a million things to do and only a limited time to do it all – the perfect recipe for stress!

You can now breathe a huge sigh of relief because the burden of housework no longer has to rest on your shoulders; it can now rest entirely in our hands.

You’ll feel energised, happier and more creative.

From now on you can channel your energy into the things you really want to do rather than the things you really have to do.

Have more fun and less guilt with MJ’s Housekeeping Services. Your freedom is just one call away, so phone MJ today on 123 4567.

Once more, with feeling!

Next time you write some sales copy for your business, consider writing about the feelings your prospects will get from using your products and services. It could just help to boost your sales, and that’s a very nice feeling! 

Do you ‘feel’ this technique for writing sales copy could work for you? Or does it already? 

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  • Andrew Caska

    Caska IP Patent Attorneys

    'Flying Solo opened up so many doors for us - I honestly don't know where I'd be without it"