A few weeks back, somebody asked me, “Jamie… I’m writing my sales letter but the product I’m writing about is more expensive than its competitors even though it probably shouldn’t be.”
Now, I’ve written about premium products before. Check out here and here.
I’m happy to say that the price is one of the least relevant things when it comes to a sales letter. It’s important in terms of the overall sale, sure, nobody is spending $500 on a Big Mac unless they’re very hungry and there are very few options… but in terms of how you address price in your sales letter, there are two things to bear in mind.
Firstly, You Mention Price Towards The End
Go and check your Swipe File and look through a few examples. From old-time newspaper coupon clippings right through to today’s massive internet-automation-sales-funnels, the following is always true:
The price is mentioned during the call to action. It’s mentioned at the end. (Some people don’t even mention the price until you click the buy button. I strongly advise you not to do this. But people do it.)
From a copywriting perspective, the price is mentioned so far down into the article that it’s a formality. If you’ve built up a comprehensive overview of the benefits and told the story about life-changing happenings, then you should be able to plop the price in as a formality. Here’s what I mean:
Do You Want A Life-Changing Magic Pill?
Literally, the Super Magic Pill ™ Is So Awesome…
So Easy To Use…
It Gives You EVERYTHING You Ever Wanted…
Imagine Swallowing A Single Blue Pill Before Bedtime…
…Waking Up In A Playboy Mansion
Beautiful Girls (Or Guys, We Don’t Judge!) At Your Feet
Willing To Cook You Breakfast…
…Make Love To You
… Run Your New Billion Dollar Business For You
You Get Up And Look In The Mirror
WOW!
You Have The Figure Of Your Dreams
You’re Ten Years Younger
All Those Imperfections You Worried About for Years No Longer Bother You
Or They’re Gone Totally
This Is Just A Snapshot
Of The Life You Can Have RIGHT NOW
If You Just Swallow That Pill
… The Price?
$995, Single Payment, 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
The example is absurd, but let’s face it; if there were a literal magic pill and you could convince people you weren’t a scam artist, then the price would be irrelevant. In the above example, you’re literally giving people a dream world where they can conjure up anything. Their problems are solved. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a single payment of $10,000 or a recurring payment of $1… the price is irrelevant when it comes to the solution.
If you follow the general rule of “broadcast the solution to the problem and state the price matter-of-factly” then you’ll probably do better than you think.
Of course, us evil copywriters don’t just write the price. We take “compare the solution to the problem and then add the price” to a new level.
The Price Of The Product Is IRRELEVANT When Compared To The Solution
“Jamie… Should I compare my product to other products when mine is more expensive?”
Woah, woah, woah… hold on there.
When it comes to price comparisons, you don’t need to compare the price of your solution to any other product. Remember, you’re selling a solution. The product is the tool to a solution.
Many people get stuck on, “How do I sell this weight loss supplement that’s $39.95 for a months’ supply when it has the exact same ingredients and is the exact same price as all the other weight loss supplements on the market?”
Don’t compare your supplement to other supplements unless you’ve got some super-obvious and hard to replicate unique feature. Something like a secret ingredient or free one hour shipping is good, but if you’re dropshipping from China like everyone else, then this is the wrong approach to take.
Instead, compare your product – and its price – to two things:
- The Price Of Not Solving Anything
- The Price Of Not Taking A Shortcut
Let’s take weight loss as an easy example.
You don’t compare your weight loss supplement to other equally-dubious pills. Ever. The comparison cost is never $39.99.
Option 1
It’s being 40 years old and having to have your leg chopped off due to diabetes. It’s having to buy new clothes every year as you add an inch to your waistline. Or having to buy a house with patio doors because your reader’s fat backside can’t get out of a regular one.
Or, if you want to cut a little less close to the bone. Go through
Door 2.
These weight loss pills will give you 10lbs of weight loss in 10 weeks…
Do you know how tough the cardio is? You’re probably doing some scary activity every day.
Plus you’re going to have to – god forbid – eat vegetables; hundreds of dollars’ worth. AND NO CAKE, FATTY.
You don’t know anything about this though, because if you did, you wouldn’t be fat. You’ll probably need a personal trainer and they cost hundreds of dollars if you hire one for an hour three times a week.
If you really want to understand weight loss like me, your sales guru and fitness genius, you’re going to spend years learning and thousands of dollars on courses, books and learning from the very best oriental mystics and so forth…
As You Can See
When you’re selling a product, you have to understand that people are getting their credit card out for a solution that’s pre-packaged and delivered straight to their door for a low, low price.
That’s your solution, and the problem is the thing that’s ruining their life. It’s the reason they type into Google, “How Do I Get Rid Of …” and the like.
Working everything out is expensive. Getting to a real solution is tricky and fraught with potential losses. You aren’t selling a product, you’re selling a tried and true recipe to them.
The alternative costs a lot in comparison.
Final Thoughts
Let’s quickly summarise:
- Your price is irrelevant
- The body of your copy is designed to convince them that the product is the best thing that’s ever happened to the reader
- When someone can fix your problems, price is an afterthought
- For an extra push… compare your easy solution to learning the hard way, or worse yet, never fixing their problem
- In comparison to the above, your solution is almost always better
Remember, when we’re writing copy, we’re getting to the heart of people’s fears and hopes for the future. We’re helping people leave their nightmare past behind and move forward into a world where they are happier, healthier and free of the big problems that haunt them.
That’s why price is an afterthought. It’s also why you should avoid working with terrible businesses where possible!