6-Step Copywriting Formula For A Sales Page That Converts

I’m taking the overwhelm out of sales page copywriting with my proven 6-step sales page copywriting formula.

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Every small business owner has this moment.

After months of perfecting your offer, it’s time to sit down to put it into words. (Cue 80s horror movie soundtrack!)  

Ah, sales page copywriting. It’s the crux of online selling but figuring out where to start can be overwhelming. 

As a brand copywriter and content strategist, I’ve taken the overwhelm out of sales page copywriting. Using my proven 6-step sales page copywriting formula, you can quickly learn how to create sales pages that convert. 

Sales Pages vs. Landing Pages: What’s the Difference?

Before I spill all the copywriting secrets, let’s shed a little light on the topic at hand. There are lots of moving parts in copywriting, especially when you’re thinking in terms of content marketing and effectively converting your audience. 

As an entrepreneur, you’ve probably seen the terms sales pages and landing pages pop up often, but how do you know which one you need?

Landing Page

Landing pages are typically the first stop on your audience’s conversion journey. It’s often where you build trust and awareness by offering some sort of freebie.

Though landing pages are meant to inspire some form of conversion, they are different from sales pages in that they aren’t driven by monetary conversions. Instead, they’re typically a quick overview of how you can solve a more surface-level need in exchange for an email address. 

Sales Page

Sales pages are usually the last stop on your audience’s conversion journey. This is where they either click “buy” or bounce off the page. 

Sales pages are monetarily driven, and they’re where your audience gets a complete and comprehensive understanding of your offer and why they should trust you. 

How Long Should A Sales Page Be? 

Long-Form

Long-form sales pages are ideal for high-ticket offers, brands with low visibility, or complex products. These pages can be anywhere from 2,500 to 5,000 words. But the word count depends on the product.

For example, some health-focused products might require an in-depth explanation, and some high-ticket offers might need to showcase testimonials or transformations to help convert the reader. 

Short-Form

Short-form sales pages are ideal for low-ticket offers, but I’ve seen them work just as well for high-ticket sales pages. What can I say? People like to skim! 

There’s no industry standard for short-form sales page copy, but it usually clocks in under 2,000 words. How do you know you’re done? Basically, when you’ve gotten your message across! 

Now that you have a clearer understanding of sales pages, let’s get to the real reason you clicked on this blog post!

Swipe My Sales Page Copywriting Formula

Sale page copywriting is one tough beast to slay without a plan. You’ll want to begin with the end goal in mind: conversions. And reverse engineer an outline that takes your ideal reader on a journey. 

Make a note at the top of the outline that states the core elements of your message and why it’s relevant to the reader. Don’t write a paragraph. Two sentences are enough to be the guiding light of your sales page. Think of it as your north star for when your copy starts to go off track or you’re not sure what to write next. 

Before you write is also the best time to plan your sale page’s technical needs (Read SEO keyword research). It’s not glamorous but what keyword research lacks in excitement makes for with website traffic from people who are literally searching for the solution your offer provides. 

Now for the fun part! It’s time to write. Swipe my six-point sales page copywriting formula below.

Headlines

Headlines are the first thing a reader sees. It deserves your time and attention (and your SEO keywords). Crafting a headline that effectively piques someone’s curiosity and pokes at their pain point without bro-sales marketing boils down to two elements: Curiosity and Relatability. 

If you write a headline that makes someone think, “Oh! This is for me.” You’ve done your job. 

Here’s some inspiration for a sales page headline: 

• Ditch the 9-to-5 hustle and become your own 6-figure boss
• Grow your following without spending more time on social media
• Learn the skills needed to double your income in half the time
• Why spend hours creating content when you can spend minutes instead?

Persuasive Copy/Benefits, Not Just Features

Next up in my sales page copywriting formula is using persuasive copy to highlight the benefits rather than focusing on the features.

You may have heard this tip before. It’s a popular one but almost no one talks about how that’s done in real life. I’ll give you real-world examples in a moment. 

First, let me be clear: When I say persuasive copy, I’m not asking you to sound like you’re Bob the used car salesman. No one wants to sound like Bob. (Sorry, Bob.) What I’m talking about is having a conversation with your audience. Tell them their story. What they’re experiencing, what you might have experienced, and how your offer can benefit them.

Why does it work?

Here are some things you’ll want to think about when tweaking your sales page copywriting so it focuses on benefits over features:

• What problem(s) are your clients trying to solve?
• What’s one thing they’re trying to DIY that your offer can streamline?
• What are they ready for?
• If they could wave a magic wand, what would they have?

You’ll often find that the answers to these questions are benefits you can list on your sales page. Here’s a sales page copywriting example that shows you how to switch from features to benefits.

Feature: “This course comes with Voxer support.”

Instead, focus on the reason why Voxer support is a sweet deal for students. 

Benefit: “Stop wasting time Googling ‘How To Write A Sales Page.’ Get your answers so you can move forward in less time than it takes to make a viral reel with Voxer support.” 

The easiest way to define the benefits is by opening up a Google spreadsheet and creating a list of your offer's features. In a column next to each feature, describe the benefit. Details matter here. Personalize the benefits for your target audience, and mix in relatable experiences to illustrate the true worth of your offer. Do this for every feature on your list.

Overcome Objections 

Overcoming your audience’s objections is a fundamental goal for a sales page. This is especially true if you’re tackling copy for a high-ticket offer sales page.

Depending on what stage of the buyer’s journey your reader is at when they find your page, you might be met with skepticism right off bat. Sometimes their jump straight into objection mode only when readers reach the “buy now” section. 

Of course, there is no “Objections” section is a sales page so the better approach is to subtly answer their objections through the copy. Good sales page copywriting answers these questions before your audience has the chance to even ask them. 

I preface this all by saying that good copy is just as much about eliminating people who aren’t the right fit as it is for attracting the people who are the right fit. 

There will be people who can’t afford it, aren’t in the right place to benefit from it, or don’t have enough time to execute it well. It’s your job to help them know if they’re in the right place. It’s not like you want a roster of unsuccessful students who can’t pay, keep up, or even have time to use your offer. 

Instead, your job is to crush excuses and make them feel confident in their purchasing power. This is accomplished by knowing your audience’s common objections and addressing them head-on. Here’s how:

Common Objections: 

•  “It’s too expensive.”
• “I don’t know if I’m at this level in my business.”
• “Now isn’t a good time.”

Excuse-Busting Write Arounds: 

●   “It’s too expensive.”

 → Explain WHY they’re worth this investment or how its offer can save them either money, time, or headaches. 

●   “I don’t know if I’m at this level in my business.”

→ Provide a THOROUGH breakdown. Who is this for? Who is it NOT for? Help them identify themselves. Bullet points work well for this objection. 

●   “Now isn’t a good time; I’m going on vacation soon.”

 → Explain WHAT could happen if they wait. How will waiting prolong their goals? What will they experience more of if they don’t act now?

Show the Transformation

Beyond answering your audience’s questions upfront, you’ll also want to build trust and authority. And the best way to do that is by showing the transformation they’ll undergo working or shopping with you.

That means providing them with testimonials highlighting a specific change your past customers have seen in their lives after working with you or purchasing from you.

This could be as simple and impactful as having more time to think about the bigger picture—or something more tangible, like seeing new customers click the “book now” button.

No matter what kind of business you run, sharing these transformations on your sales page will help readers understand why hiring you is worth every penny. 

Anytime I share sales page copywriting examples, I always have to bring up The Cinderella Story! It’s one of my favorite ways to showcase transformations. 

You’ll often see many entrepreneurs sharing testimonials like this: “Look what my clients had to say!” followed by vague comments that only mean something to the people involved. But when you highlight and SHOW the transformation, you walk the reader through what happened. That might look like this:

“Have you ever seen change happen before your very eyes?! When I first met X, she struggled with X. Six weeks later, she’s (desired outcome).”

See the difference?

Credibility

Toward the end of your sales page, include a straightforward section that clearly outlines your credibility and answers the question on your reader’s mind: 

Why should I even trust you?

You’ll most likely drop your bio here, but remember to make it offer-focused. Don’t just copy and paste from your resume or LinkedIn. That might mean you have to make a few adjustments!

Your bio should introduce you as an expert. Sure, you can repurpose bits of copy from your about page, but you want to devote a few lines to why you made THIS specific offer. Share a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the story behind the offer. Feel free to include quick sound-bites that lend credibility. Can you name-drop some A-list clients, fold in stats, or tell them what you studied?

Oh! And here’s a sales page copywriting secret: Make this section 4 to 6 sentences max—keep it snappy and short.

CTAs

The last step in my sales page copywriting formula is what seals the deal. Your CTA! 

A CTA, spelled out that’s a call-to-action, is what gives your reader direction. It tells them what to do and puts things in deliberate motion.

While you don’t want to litter your page with CTAs, you usually want three CTAs on your sales page: one below the headline, another midway through the page, and one at the end, typically with the investment information or soon after. 

A good CTA inspires your audience or excites them. It encourages them to invest in themselves.

So, while a “sign up now” or “join here” button might do the trick, you could see higher conversion rates with more specific CTAs.

In fact, one word makes all the difference. This super simple copy swap gets way more than typical results.

A split test conducted by Unbounce and ContentVerve compared two sign-up pages that were identical except for the call to action at the bottom of the page.

One page asked site visitors to “start your free 30-day trial period.” The other page asked them to “start my free 30-day trial period.” The results: the “my” page resulted in 90 percent more clicks than the “your” page.

That’s a game-changer when conversions are the goal.

Try these examples: 

• I’m betting on myself!
• Yes to restful nights!
• Let’s start the journey! 

Let’s Make Sales Page Copywriting a Breeze!

When you’re clear about what you need and are armed with a solid plan, sales page copywriting doesn’t have to be such a dreaded, overwhelming task. Use my 6-step sales page copywriting formula, and you’ll be well on your way to conversion rates that make you feel good (and profit!).

And if you’re still feeling a bit overwhelmed, remember you don’t have to do this alone! Learn more about how my sales page copywriting package can help make this critical launch task a total breeze!