In this article, I will show you how to instantly hook your audience into buying by creating an ultimate spellbinding Video Sales Letter. More of that later. First, let’s understand what a Video Sales Letter is.
What is a Video Sales Letter?
In simple terms, a Video Sales Letter(VSL) is a sales page in slide format. But in reality, it’s much more than that. Let me explain.
A VSL applies the same principles as a written sales letter but in a video format. Jon Benson first created a VSL to fill the void that written sales letters had. According to him, only about 12-14% of people read an entire written sales page & that’s why he felt the need to have something like a Video Sales Letter-to increase more watchers & listeners.
VSLs should be designed in such a way that they compel users to read every single word or at least listen to it. Until they hit the stop button, that is. Ideally, people should stick till the end of a VSL & I will explain to you how you can do that.
Start by Writing a Script✍️
Start with a pen & paper to prepare a script for your video. You can create either a storyboard or a simple table that states what words will go with which script. Basically, match your script with what people will see on screen. When you roughly figure it out, it’ll give you an idea of which illustrations, animations, sounds, voiceovers, etc., to put along with the video.
If you find doing this difficult or time-consuming, don’t worry. I’ve mentioned some of the top platforms/softwares that can do the job for you. I’ll reveal those further in this article. So keep on reading to find out.
I’ve mentioned below all the things you need to include in your script. So, keep the following things in mind when writing the ULTIMATE Video Sales Letter.
Grab Attention!🧲
Capture your audience’s attention in the first 5 seconds. If you fail to capture people’s attention, all your efforts will go in vain. Give a hint of what they’ll discover in your Video Sales Letter.
You can open your VSL with a nice hook. It grabs people’s attention right away & that way, you can further persuade them towards your CTA.
Highlight Pain Points🥲
Many people make the mistake of talking about themselves & what they provide in the beginning. Now, why I think it’s wrong is that people don’t recognize themselves as having those problems most of the time. So, you must highlight pain points right after your hook to make them see that.
Your audience will more likely listen to you if they understand their problems & if they can find a solution for them in your VSL. So they’ll more likely stick around till the end.
Provide a Solution👆
Here, you’ll be talking about how your product/service solves your user’s problems. You can start by providing actionable tips & advice, which can be a bit incomplete. Remember, you don’t want to give everything in your VSL itself.
The point that I’m making is that your audience must know that you have a solution for their problems. You can give about 60-70% of the solution in your Video Sales Letter & then lead the audience to find the remaining solution in your product/service.
Build Credibility📈
Now, the question arises of why people should buy from you & not from other similar services. After all, this might likely be the first time they are hearing from you. That’s why you need to show them your capabilities & build credibility.
A great way to do that is by talking about the companies you’ve worked with & how you helped them overcome their problems. You can even provide social proof such as stats, customer reviews, before & after images, etc. By doing this, you’ll gain your audience’s trust.
However, I’d suggest you not to brag too much about yourself. Show your competence, yet project yourself as humble & eager to help.
Encourage Action🎬
Once you’ve built credibility & authority, you need to encourage your audience to drive action. Don’t let the end of your video be the end of the road for you. Make sure you have a clear goal(CTA) & directions for the users to go where you want them to.
You can include a signpost which can lead users to a contact page, a number to call or your website to visit. You can even make a different VSL if you are targeting a valuable lead. Trust me, if you do it right, it is definitely worth the investment.
Equipment Required for a Video Sales Letter
Don’t get the wrong idea that you can’t make a VSL with just slides. There are tons of 7-8 or even 9-figure businesses using just slides for their VSLs, but if you want to step it up a notch, you can use animations, voice-overs, etc., for that added zing. So, what things are required to require for making such VSLs? Find out below.
Camera📸
Having a quality camera can make a difference if you want to demonstrate your product. However, you don’t have to spend too much on buying a high-end camera. You can easily record with a decent quality web-camera or an iPhone.
Microphone🎙️
Use a quality microphone. Creating a VSL with just good video & poor audio is a shame. Audio is equally important when describing your product to the audience. Phones can pick up audio & you may think it’s good enough. But if you really want a VSL to work, get a good microphone. They really don’t cost that much either.
Automation Tools⚙️
In this digital age, tons of automation tools/platforms can significantly speed up your tasks. There are many video creation & editing softwares & tools you can use to make your look professional. I’ll walk you through those tools further in this article.
Tips & Best Practices to Create a Video Sales Letter
Don’t Overdo it!
People often tend not to read long sentences. Since Instagram & TikTok came along, people’s attention spans have been ever-decreasing. Since there are so many options to consume video content these days, I suggest you not overdo your VSL. Don’t make it any longer than you need to. There is no fixed duration for how long a VSL should last, but try to keep it short, clear & simple. I’d suggest you not exceed more than 1-2 minutes. However, some industries may require longer VSLs that last even for 30 minutes or more-which is perfectly fine as well. Just don’t bore anyone.
Pattern Interrupts
A great way to create an exciting VSL is by including pattern interrupts. They create an open loop & keep your audience enticed by what you will reveal to them next. They hold on to the thought of you telling them something immensely valuable later, so they watch your entire VSL. You can do that even in traditional sales letters; however, it’s more doable in a video format. I highly suggest you try this option.
Example: I’m going to tell you how to create the ultimate Video Sales Letter, but first…
This is an example of an open loop. People’s brains hang on to the thought of what’s coming next.
Using Relatable Voice
If you are thinking about using voiceovers in your Video Sales Letter, I suggest you make it sound relatable. Don’t sound like a robot or someone who is forcing sales. Use a normal conversational voice & avoid sounding like a professional salesperson or a radio jockey. If you are conscious about using your voice, you can hire someone to do that job for you. Hiring an inexpensive voice actor for a few hundred bucks is a great way to do that without breaking your bank balance.
Promote your Video Sales Letter
Once you’ve created your VSL, you then need to promote it. Try to reach as many people as possible. Some of the best ways to do that are by using paid ads & running email campaigns. For that, you need to have a landing page for your VSL. That’s how you gain more eyes on your VSL, thus opening a big potential pool of fresh leads.
List of some Online Video Sales Letter Software
As I said earlier, I’ll tell you a few top VSL-making tools. Here’s the list.
Hubspot
Hubspot is not just a normal CRM platform. Here, you can create & share videos with your potential customers as well. You can also track your VSL performance & modify it as per your needs.
Wyzowl
Wyzowl lets you create interactive videos. Use this platform to create your VSL & educate your audience.
PlayStory
PlayStory also lets you create interactive Video Sales Letters. With this, you also can increase engagement & is a very handy tool for many marketers.
Hippo Video
Using Hippo Video, you can create interactive & personalized VSLs. It also allows you to track user actions. Use this tool to upscale your video-making process.
Biteable
There are tons of high-quality templates for you to create your VSL using Biteable. It allows you to create videos to share them with your team & customers. Biteable is really easy to use.
Get Your Video Sales Letter Up & Running!
I’ve given you the foundations that are required for creating the Ultimate Video Sales Letter. Now it’s up to you to leverage these aspects into making your VSL that gets the highest conversions.
So what are you waiting for? Get started today itself!
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