Die, Sales Letter, Die!!!

If I see another 30 page sales letter, I just might freak. What's with them, anyways? Does anyone actually read every word of the letter? I'd venture to say no.

Yes, selling your product is important. I only ask that my eyes not be sacrificed for your sales tactic. What many Internet marketers don't realize is that writing for the web is different that writing for print. Sounds simple enough, right? Apparently, the line isn't so obvious in the IM field.

I've always said that you can see a sales letter a mile away. You know, the white background and yellow highlights that make you want to grab a pair of sunglasses. Let's not forget the ever-popular, "Dear Friend," or "From the desk of."

I'm a huge Ingrid Michaelson fan. Her song lyrics are simple and concise. When asked about her song writing style, she said that she likes to get her point across in as few words as possible. The little light bulb in my head flashed when she said this. Web readers don't want to spend hours reading my pitch.

My point is this: if you're truly targeting the right audience, you don't have to give them a hard sell. If your target audience is hungry enough, they won't require much bait (certainly not 10-50 pages of bait). Quickly, and clearly, outline why and how your product fulfills a need. Use bullet points and bold font where appropriate.

Besides, sitting there for 45 minutes reading why I should buy your product is kind of ruining that whole "instant gratification" thing.