Here's a question I was asked today...

"How do you tell a story in your online sales letter so it increases your conversions?"

The biggest secret is to find the right story in the first place.

First think of your prospects.

What are their fears, their needs and their wants.

And what are their most likely objections to buying from you.

Once you've got that in your head you go story hunting.



If you have testimonials look at those first.

You're looking for a catchy before and after story that will appeal to your prospects.

If your prospects think they just don't have enough time to use a system you're selling (for example) you might use the testimonial of a guy who was working 3 jobs and raising 2 boys by himself.


You can contact the person who gave you the testimonial and see if he'll let you do the whole copy from his perspective (which can be very powerful).

But the main element of the story is to go from the pain, the fears and the desires I had and the real, proven success I got from this product.

If you have a good story of your own you can use that too.

There are several other ways of writing stories but this kind of story is usually the most effective.



A few more more vital tips on using stories to sell...

1. You can learn this one from many great novels...

In a sales letter the first line of the story must FORCE your prospect to read further.

Check some of these great opening lines from novels...
"The small boys came early to the hanging."

Once you've read that first line you HAVE to read the next line of that novel - the Pillars Of The Earth by Ken Follett.

Or how about this gem from the Foetal Attraction by Kathy Lette...

"Female friends had told me that giving birth was like ****ting a watermelon."

Gets your attention doesn't it!


Or this one from Barbara Kinsolver from her novel the Bean Trees...

"I've been afraid of putting air in a tire ever since I saw a tractor tire blow up and throw Newt Harbine's father over the top of the Standard Oil sign."

That last opening line also leads into another vital storytelling tip...


2. Compelling writing is specific.

Notice Harbine said the "tractor tire" blew up and threw "Newt Harbine's father" over the top of the "Standard Oil sign".

She didn't write "I saw a tire blow up once and throw a guy way into the air."

Using specific language in this opening line makes you think "who is this Newt Harbine?"

Which is a nagging reason to keep reading.

It also gives you a great mental picture of a gas station and someone's father (almost certainly a farmer if he's blowing up a tractor tire) getting blown up so high he goes over a Standard Oil sign.

You can see it in your mind because the detailed description calls in images of things you see every day.

So you can relate to it.



Use details in the stories in your copy. Rewrite and ADD detail.

Instead of "I made over $20,000 for this copywriting client with my first project" use "My emails and sales copy made Bill Jones $20,038 in online sales in just 48 hours first time out. And they were preorders for a golf product he hadn't even made yet!"

Or instead of "the home I was living in" how about "in my old panelboard home on West St Wilmington."

Being specific brings color and life to your stories and helps your readers relate (they might live in an old panelboard house too).


But the biggest key which is consistent with all the copy you write is to get into the mind of your prospect and think about what they want, what turns them on and write a story that appeals to them deep down where their pain and fear lies.

Deep down in the places where they have dreams they never dare to tell anybody.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

P.S. What is the most compelling opening line you've read in the story in a piece of sales copy?


Free 59 minute copywriting audio "How To Find A Hungry Market Online"

27 Copywriting secrets revealed in these samples of online copywriter Andrew Cavanagh

Also see the post...
http://www.copywritersboard.com/copy...ines-suck.html

For more on the power of opening lines.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh
Free online copywriting course

Also check out the statistical results of opening lines from some of the world's leading copywriters including Eugene Schwartz, Clayton Makepeace and Michel Fortin at... http://www.copywritersboard.com/copy...allenge-4.html

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

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