Hi ,

Southern California in NY. The refurbished pier that extends way out from Riverside Park and about 71st St. in Manhattan into the Hudson river is part of the effort to make better use of the city's waterfront. Reminds me a bit of some of the piers in Southern California.

It's a good place to stroll and think. It's where I thought of this week's article - a checklist that can help you improve your sales pages and letters.

This issue’s article:
36 Questions and Suggestions to Improve Your Sales Letters. It's list to keep handy when you're editing (or reviewing) sales copy.

Much Success

Leon Altman
Your Marketing Roadmap Guide

36 Questions and Suggestions to Improve Your Sales Letters

The best sales letters are made truly effective during the editing process. When you have a first draft take a close look at it. Here are some suggestions and questions to ask yourself to make you sales letter more effective:

1) Does the headline command attention?
2) Does the headline make me want to read the next sentence?
3) Is the headline credible?
4) Does the headline present any news?
5) Does the main subhead (“deck copy”) elaborate on the headline and make me want to read the next sentence?

6) Is your unique selling proposition evident?
7) Do you address the readers problem/pain?
8) Is your offer clear?
9) Is your offer irresistible?
10) Use intriguing bullet points

11) Use a story to engage the reader
12) Use cliffhanger sentences (I’ll tell you shortly….)
13) Make it sound like a personal letter written to one person (the target audience)
14) Is your guarantee convincing?
15) Use credibility indicators (track record, bio, testimonials, etc)

16) Use active tense instead of passive tense
17) Help the reader either avoid pain or get pleasure
18) Use compelling details/facts/statistics to support your case
19) Use a protagonist and a villain to make your story more compelling
20) Bring up and overcome any possible objections

21) Show that you are an advocate for the reader - “I am on your side”
22) Don’t state your call to action too soon or too late
23) Is there a sense of urgency to act now?
24) Don't wait too long to inject a sense of urgency
25) Answer the implicit question “so what?” throughout the letter

26) Do people gain any useful information from reading the sales page?
27) Is there a powerful reason to act now – deadline, scarcity, etc.
28) What will the reader lose or miss if they don’t act now?
29) Make sure subheads are compelling and easily scannable
30) Delete all unnecessary words (e.g. “that”)

31) Make copy bullets intriguing
32) State your call to action a number of times
33) Leverage news and popular topics to make your story more interesting
34) Do you have a compelling message that sets you apart from your competitors?
35) Keep in mind the 4U's of effective sales copy: Urgent, Useful, Unique, and Ultra-specific
36) Have you told the reader to order or call now?

Leon Altman has been helping companies and entrepreneurs exceed their marketing goals for over 25 years. He worked as copywriter and creative executive for top agencies, including Wunderman; Young&Rubicam; BBDO;and DDB/Needham. His clients have ranged from blue chips like IBM, Merrill Lynch, Apple, Ameriprise, Autodesk, to Internet powerhouses such as theStreet.com, quote.com and shipwire.com, and many small businesses. To find out about his consulting or coaching services, go to>> http://www.yourmarketingroadmap.com/coaching.php

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