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I have visited several affiliate sites which sell a service or product which promise and promote something. I will pick the category of selling eBooks or electronic content.

A lot of these sites look similar and seem to follow the same format:

  • Large bold text in red
  • Several pages. At least 3.
  • Product image of a book or several DVDs
  • Testimonials and images of people
  • 100% guarantee badges
  • Bonus or limited time offers
  • Odd prices like $97 or $197 or prices with cents
  • Image of author smiling. 'Real' name used. Their guarantee and an image of their signature at the bottom.
  • Some text highlighted in yellow
  • etc..

Usually when I see a site which looks like that, my first reaction is that they are selling a 'scam' or scheme, like a get rich quick scheme.

An example. (Using them just as an example of the format I am mentioning)

Questions: Why do these sites look very similar? Is the format of their copy some proven format which gets higher conversions? Are they using a software which creates these pages?

I am interested to know more about this format because it's opposite of common Web 2.0 formats where most of the content is above the fold and it's very little which includes a large call to action button.

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2 Answers

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Direct marketing copy, direct response advertising, direct mail copy -- these are some of the terms used for the copy you are referring to.

The headline is meant to flag potential customers, saying "here is something you want." It has to stand out and catch the readers' attention before the eye wanders around the site.

Once the attention is held, the purpose of the following lines are to maintain interest and build up credibility. You will also notice that paragraphs have headings in bold. This is for the reader who will only scan the page looking for something specific.

Are familiar with Robert Cialdini's book, Influence? He mentions six tools that experts use to infulence perception which then affects motivation. Reciprrocity, commitment, social proof, liking, authority, scarcity. All of those six tools are put to good use in direct marketing copy.

All of these (the things you mentioned) tie together to present a strong case to potential customers that -- "this is the solution you are looking for and you gotta have it now."

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I looked at your link. It's called "long sales copy". Plus all of the attention-reinforcement techniques (aka gimmicks, if that is how one feels) that are known to direct response copywriters. Including the outright gimmick of rude Javascript that forces one to answer a message box to leave the page.

If you Google that phrase you will find an abundance of online material on the subject. The marketing writer Dan Kennedy is well known for a book called "The Ultimate Sales Letter" which describes essentially how to write this type of stuff.

Generally, this type of sales copy is an emotional plea and pushes buttons on the part of the visitor. It is used for direct response sales where you want a sale on the spot while the visitor is still on your page.

Will it work? It will, for consumer based direct sales, in my estimation. B2B users and professional visitors will find the technique repulsive and comically inept when applied to them, although many professionals in sales and marketing use the technique themselves for consumer based sales.

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