Five tips for an effective Promotional Feature

Here are five tips to keep in mind when writing your promotion.

1. A catchy headline

Your headline determines whether people will read your content and plays a very important role in the success of your feature!

It may only be half a dozen words or so (maximum 45 characters), but they are the most important words of the lot. Spend time to craft a headline that has impact, is relevant to soloists and communicates the single most important benefit of your offer.

2. An engaging teaser

The teaser is the first 30 words (up to 250 characters) that people read before deciding whether to click through to your full promotion. This is where you can start to detail your offer, explain its benefits and intrigue them to read on. The headline and teaser work together on the home page and in the email newsletter. Here is an example:

3. Main feature page

Remember, readers want to see just one thing: benefits, benefits, benefits! The feature page is where you outline your offering to prospects. The most important thing to remember is to put yourself in their position and focus on the benefits to them of what you are offering.

Short is sweet. You have up to 650 words, but aiming for 500 words or less can help keep the message punchy and focused. Some things to consider for the body of the promotion:

Summarise the key points in the introduction before detailing them

Use bullet points and bold text to highlight key information

Write in a style that matches the tone of regular Flying Solo articles

Balance valuable information with sales messages to engage the reader

Consider offering a special offer or discount for Flying Solo readers

4. Call to action

The above is futile unless you make the next steps clear. This is a sales promotion, so don’t leave people wondering what to do next. Finish with a direct statement asking people to act such as “Register online today for a 10% discount” or “Click here to download your free whitepaper” etc.

Also, be sure to include your website link in the copy. Before buying anything most people will want to check you out online. If you don’t have a website, this is likely to significantly lower response rates.

5. Add interest with images

You don’t have to include images, but they can be effective in adding credibility and making your feature look more like a ‘regular’ Flying Solo article. Your company logo and an image related to your offering can work well.

Our regular articles feature two versions of one image – a 120x90 pixel (approx) image within the article and a smaller 47x47 pixel (exact) version of the same image to go with the teaser.

Fast Track to the Top of Google is a very good example of a promotional feature businesses specifically targeting solo business owners or view examples of previous Promotional Features.