Video Sales Letter Cheat Sheet

21 pro tips for a killer sales video

Part 1: General Tips
1. Write for your ideal customer
Your sales video is not about YOU, it’s about the viewer who is on your website
because she’s looking to solve a problem or fulfill a desire.
Figure out who your ideal customer is, and write about their dreams, their
frustrations and their concerns.
Now, to do that, you first need to know a little bit about the type of people that are
going to be buying from you.
Also, at some point you’re going to have to talk about your own background (just
so people know why they should listen to you). When you do, make that story
about the same experiences your customer is having. Make it relatable.

2. Be authentic and easy to understand

You’re not writing a research paper or a novel. You want people to get to know
you and to understand you, so be authentic and write like you talk. Even if that
means it isn’t always grammatically correct.
I know, that sounds easy… You’d be surprised how most people don’t even
realize how different their written language is from the way they talk.
Use simple words and simple sentences, because they’re easier to understand.
Imagine somebody watching your video in a background tab, while answering
emails and surfing the internet. That’s how little of their brainpower you’re getting.

3. Keep it long enough

How long your VSL should be depends on multiple factors.
Do you know at which purchasing stage your customers are currently in? Are they
searching for solutions or researching a specific solution?
Do they know about you or your product? Do they know about your competitor’s
products?
All that + the type of commitment you’re asking for.
If there’s no risk and all they have to do is leave an email to watch the next video
for free, then a shorter video would suffice.

© Killer Sales Video

https://killersalesvideo.com
If you’re looking to sell a $500 coaching program… then you might need to
provide more details.
Oh, and don’t get fixated on a specific video length. Because there’s nothing
worse than having a long drawn-out VSL that lacks any substance.
You’ll be better off condensing it in a short and punchy video that is at least
exciting to watch.

4. Read it out loud

A great way to evaluate a video script is to read it out loud. Does it sound like a
script, or does it feel like somebody is just talking off the cuff?
For maximum sales, it has to be the latter.
Also, note any places where you stumble, or that are hard to read. You want the
video to flow smooth as silk. This goes back to point #2: be easy to understand.

© Killer Sales Video

https://killersalesvideo.com
Part 2: Script Writing
5. Start with your value proposition
The most important part of any video is the first 30 seconds because that’s where
you’re going to lose most of your viewers. In this short amount of time you need to
give them a good reason why they should keep watching the entire video.
That’s your value proposition.

6. State the problem and agitate it

Hopefully your product is solving a problem – whether that’s constant stress
about money, working long hours in a crappy job, or not having love in one’s life.
Funny thing is, sometimes your prospects don’t know they even have that
problem. Those are not the people you want to be selling to.
But even those who are aware of the problem, need to be reminded of how
serious it really is.
The old saying is that you need to describe their situation better than they
themselves can.
Because when your customer feels like you understand them… guess what?
They’re more likely to give you money for your advice.

7. Introduce your solution

If you said “I was broke and now I’m filthy rich” that would be a great story. It
would also light up your customer’s bullshit detector like a Christmas tree.
That’s why you need to tell your story and explain exactly what happened and
how you discovered the solution that changed everything for you.

8. Provide credibility
Your prospects will always have this one question in the back of their mind:
“Why should I listen to you?”
Describe your credentials, show testimonials, screenshots, photos, anything you
can.

© Killer Sales Video

https://killersalesvideo.com
If they don’t trust and respect you, they’re not going to want your advice. And if
they don’t want your advice, they most definitely won’t pay you for it.
Now… what if you have no credentials, no testimonials and no credibility?
Then be honest and explain how you’re regular person who just happened to
stumble upon a solution to your customer’s problem. It’s that simple.

9. Explain what they’re getting

At this point you’d talk about how you packaged your solution in some kind of
product they can get, and why the product costs money.
If it’s a book, tell them what they’ll learn from it. Talk about what they’ll discover
on specific pages of the book.
If it’s a program, you show exactly what it consists of. List out every module and
talk about the specific things they’ll learn in each one.
If you offer additional bonuses, talk about those.

10. Give a reason to act now

There’s gotta be some reason why somebody should make a decision right now.
Because if there’s no scarcity, they’ll put it off and never come back.
It doesn’t have to be something as extreme as raising the price or pulling the
product off the market.
Sometimes it’s enough to show your prospect how their life is going to look if they
don’t invest in your product. How it’s going to be exactly the same as yesterday,
the same as a year before. Or worse.

11. Close the deal

End the video by reiterating your offer, your guarantee and any reasons why they
should make the decision now. Explain exactly what’s going to happen when they
click the order button. Explain how they’re going to get access to your product.
Finally, ask for action.
If you want to be sneaky, you can use a “fake ending”: pause for a few seconds
after the call to action, then continue to address objections, followed by another
call to action.

© Killer Sales Video

https://killersalesvideo.com
Part 3: Video Production
12. Choose your video style
For video sales letters a simple white background and black text is a good place
to start. You can get fancier than that but the biggest difference is still going to be
in your script.
For your fonts, use a legible bold font with enough contrast between text and
background. That’s common sense design, basically.

13. Use images

Images can provoke emotion, and that’s exactly what you need in your sales
video. They also help make the video more interesting as opposed to just plain
text.
Quick word of warning – stay out of trouble and get legit stock images for your
sales videos. Unsplash.com is a good resource for free hight quality stock images
that don’t look “stock” at all.

14. Get a voiceover

If you already have a strong personal brand, it’s always best to record the
voiceover yourself. But if you’re just starting out, there’s nothing wrong with
getting a professional to record your script.
The problem with voice actors is that they sometimes have a hard time keeping
things sounding natural. You want your audio to sound real and authentic, so
that’s definitely something to look out for.
The pace of the narration is also important. If it’s too slow, the video is going to
get boring really quick. That’s why it’s better to be on the fast side – not only you
cover more information in a shorter amount of time, it is also more engaging.

15. Use a spokesperson

Another thing you can do to break up the video, is use a video spokesperson
throughout parts of the video. That basically means hiring an actor who will record
your script on camera in front of a white background.

© Killer Sales Video

https://killersalesvideo.com
Part 4: Video Setup
16. Set up your video player
Wistia.com is the best option when it comes to a video player for your VSL.
The reason I say that is because of their amazing in-video analytics. They can give
you insight in your video’s performance and help pinpoint times when viewers are
leaving.
Now, when setting up the Wistia player, all you really need is the play/pause
button. Everything else is a distraction.
Because one of the benefits of using video sales letters is that you can present
your offer in a sequential order. Instead of viewers jumping directly to pricing, you
can show the value before revealing the price.
Don’t give that up by allowing people to fast forward.

17. Write supporting copy

Even for a pure video-based sales page you still need some supporting elements
like a headline, a call to action and maybe some teaser copy next to the video.
The job of your headline is to get people to start watching the video. In it don’t talk
about the product, talk instead about the benefit they’ll get from watching your
video.
Use a big and bold button for your call to action (not a “flat design” button that
just looks like a colored block). Further, consider using a timed CTA so it shows at
a certain point in your video.

18. Create a text-based version

There are people who will not watch your video. Maybe they’re at work, or they
forgot their headphones at home. Or maybe they just hate video.
For those people you can invest a little bit of work and turn your video script in a
text-based sales letter. If they leave without buying – BAM show the text based
version.
I mean, they’re going to be leaving anyway. So that way you at least give yourself
another chance to close the sale.

© Killer Sales Video

https://killersalesvideo.com
Part 5: Sell More Stuff
19. Test, test, test
Split testing is one of those things that you absolutely need to do if you want a
high converting sales page.
Thankfully, you don’t need to create multiple sales videos to do a split test. In fact,
the easiest thing to test is the headline and other elements of your sales page,
which can have a dramatic impact on conversions.
Another easy thing to test is a different intro to your video. Because if you can find
a way to keep more people engaged at the beginning, you’ll get more conversions
at the end of the video.
Finally, you can do price testing, which is a little bit harder since you need to set
up different payment links.
A good (and free) A/B testing tool is optimizely.com.

20. Raise your prices

Look, people will complain about your price no matter what you charge.
Be warned: contrary to popular belief, price is almost never the real issue. By
saying that something is “too expensive” what people are really saying is that in
their mind it is “too expensive FOR WHAT IT IS”.
So if you’re hearing that objection, you need to look at your video and make sure
it is presenting the true value of your product. Not cost of your product, but the
actual monetary VALUE it can have in somebody’s life if they used it.

21. Build a sales funnel

Let’s be real for a moment. You’re not going to make a lot of money selling a
cheap ebook online.
Every successful information product business has a sales funnel with other
higher priced products, coaching, memberships or services. That’s how they can
boost their customer lifetime value and afford to spend money advertising.
If you’re not building out your sales funnel with upsells, downsells and cross sells,
then you seriously need to consider doing that.

© Killer Sales Video

https://killersalesvideo.com