Your sales letter is the way you let your readers know about what you can offer to them, in a way that is appealing enough for them to part with their hard earned cash.

Whatever way you choose to write your sales letter, you will agree that it’s purpose is to entice your readers to keep on reading and to buy your offer.

If you were selling in the offline world, you would have an opportunity to know your potential customer, to create rapport, to interact and to find out their likes and dislikes. You can ask them questions, judge their reactions and deal with their objections.

Online is a completely different world. As different as Earth is to Jupiter. In the online world, you can’t see your customer. You can’t see their reactions, you can’t ask questions and you can’t tailor your presentation to them alone. All you have is the carefully crafted words on your page. That gives your words a lot of power, doesn’t it?

There are dozens if not hundreds or more very successful, brilliant copy-writers on the web who can outshine my talent. But I write my own sales letters and it works.

Is it better to hire one of these copywriting gurus than try yourself? That depends if you’ve got the money. Successful copywriters don’t come cheap and neither they should.They are master craftsmen (and women) and their medium is in words. Just as a master sculptor creates an item of breathtaking beauty of stone, they have the same power over text on a page.

If you are going to have a go at writing your own copy, there are some basic tips you absolutely need to follow to have success. (Success is measured by sales.)

Firstly you must get your mind into the writers zone. All writers, poets, authors, copywriters all find it. What is it? It’s hard to describe. It’s a mood, an attitude, a place within your mind where your creativity takes over. Artists find it and writers find it. Your mind is focused on your work and nothing else exists. Your hands type (or write) almost without your conscious effort and you find amazing word pictures and phrases appearing on your screen.

It happens to me when I write articles. They just ‘come’ to me. If I find myself struggling on an article, I stop that one and start another based on notes I have written at another time.

The best way I find to get into this place is to go to somewhere without distraction and start reading through my material. Then I start typing an outline and from there I begin to flesh it out.

When you’re in the right place, you will find it’s not very hard to keep writing. So keep writing. Don’t stop until you are finished and put in anything that comes into your head. Don’t get stuck on grammar or spelling or how it looks, get everything down first.

Only after you’ve got it all out and on the screen (remember to SAVE your work regularly!) then you can sit back and read it from beginning to end, and start to edit your work. You’ll find all kinds of strange paragraphs and words.

If they don’t fit, rewrite them. Reread and rewrite until you are happy with what you have. Add in any new ideas that fit with your new copy and take out anything that doesn’t.

After it’s finished to your satisfaction, it’s time to write the headline. Some people start with the headline, but that doesn’t work for me, because often my writing goes in a different direction to where I thought it would.

It’s generally best to come up with several headlines before selecting just one. Some copywriters write dozens before they do anything.

Once you choose your favourite headline, spend some time editing and rewriting it up to half a dozen times until you’re totally happy with it.

If you are stuck, you can use a ‘swipe file’. For me, this is a collection of sales copy that really appeals to me. When I’m having trouble, I read through my file for ideas.

Make sure you use emotional keywords in your headline. You can create pain and offer the cure. You can create curiosity or fear or hope.

Ensure your headline has been continued into your copy and flows seamlessly. Your headline has created an emotional response in your reader; your copy must sell them hope. You need to tell them how to solve their problem with your product. You need to tell them how their problem will be solved with your product.

Your sales letter can be as long as it needs to be. If it’s short, that’s fine, as long as it’s laden with problem solving benefits for the reader. If must address their problem and offer the way out with your product. It must tell the reader how to fix their problem (ask for the sale).

With all of these ideas on how to write great copy, it’s your turn. Get into the writers zone and start creating your own mouth watering sales copy.