Video Sales Letter: Nail that Pitch Perfectly the First Time

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Video sales letters are a new-age method to reach out to clients in a way that screams your brand’s identity.

The days when producing a video required a hefty budget, studio, and camera crew are long gone.

Technology provides you with the ability to develop your own video sales letter in comfort, but knowing where to start or even how to start can be daunting.

Our easy guide will help you understand the concepts that make for a successful video sales letter. Let’s explore them now.

1. The Winning Formula

There's certainly a winning formula when it comes to creating a successful video sales letter.

With the average consumer watching hours of content, this kind of advertising has proven to be ‘insanely effective’ according to Jason Capital, best-selling author of “Higher Status,” a millionaire copywriter, and an Advisor in The Oracles.

Ultimately, the concept remains the same — the video pitches a product or service just with a richer media experience.

While a completely different medium than text, effective copywriting remains critically important when producing a great video sales letter.

Your aim is to capture a prospective client’s attention, addressing their objections and then persuading them to take action.

The following core principles of excellent copywriting will help you write an effective video sales letter script:

Understand your target market
Speak conversationally
Write a script that reads really easy and isn’t too complicated

1.1. Grab their attention

Hook viewers with a surprising opening by grabbing their attention and hinting about what is still coming.

Studies show that you’ve only got 10 seconds to grab a viewer’s attention, irrespective of how long the clip itself is.

By the time you hit the 30-second mark, you’ll have lost 33% of your viewers.

The pressure is on to ensure that your content is enticing from the start, or you’ll be losing audience members from the onset.

A hook, simply put, is something interesting that happens at the start of the clip which draws viewers in.

Kick the video off with an intriguing fact about your business, piquing interest.

This has the added benefit of building credibility and instilling trust in the eyes of your viewers.

Does your business teach people how to speak conversational English? Why not play off of the fact that the tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body and that your classes are the perfect workout.

Another way to hook your audience is to introduce a problem and offer up a solution, building the perception that your company is helpful.

Sell cat food? Well, many people believe that giving adult cats milk is the perfect treat.

They are actually lactose intolerant, give them something they’d want to munch on.

Other ways to hook your audience include:

Kicking off with a joke or pun
Invoking an emotional response
Introduce your viewers to a story, they’ll stick around to see what happens next

1.1.1. Focus on one key idea

Successful video sales letters center around a single key idea, and zoning in on this should be the main driving factor behind your script.

Identifying a focal point idea will prevent your video from being passed over by confused (or even bored) prospective clients.

When choosing a focal point consider the most interesting aspect of your product.

Ask yourself — Why would a customer choose my product or business over any other?

This can be a unique design, an unusual feature, or a more competitive price point.

The aspect of your product that allows it to stand out from alternatives will be what you would ultimately lean on in the video.

Remember, any additional information can be displayed elsewhere — in social media posts or on your website.

Keep the information in the video to the minimum, avoiding content that isn’t absolutely critical.

This will help viewers who aren’t interested in the bigger picture will remain intrigued and continue watching.

Make those first few moments count

The end goal is to translate the advert into sales, and when you’ve got bored viewers it’ll mean fewer purchases.

In written media, a flat introduction has the opportunity for redemption when a client skims the rest of the article, but a video has to pack a punch from the onset.

Aim to grab and maintain attention by addressing key issues head-on — remembering why people are watching the video in the first place.

Pull out all the stops with strong value-packed information, messaging, or visuals, and use the rest of the clip to dive deeper into the details.

A common mistake is opening up the clip with a logo or contact details.

Not only is this information usually available where the video is posted, but it makes for a pretty boring intro.

Rather spend time building interest in your product and business broadcasting how to get in touch later on.

1.2. Highlight the problem

Lean on the problem your audience faces that your product could help solve.

Keep in mind that customers will have pain points when expanding on the issue, including:

Financial
Convenience
Tracking and delivery
Product cost and availability

Your customer’s fears, beliefs, and past experiences are additional pain points to consider.

After all, you created your product or service to fulfill a need, so elaborate on the challenge it aims to solve.

Providing scenarios or real-life case studies in which the product will come in handy is a brilliant and fairly simple way to go about this.

Highlight the problem by emphasizing why this issue is one that needs to be solved.

An excellent example of this is an advert for a caffeinated drink, showing a worker running out of energy just before a big presentation.

This scene is relatable and highlights an issue that is remedied when the product is used.

1.3. Connect on an emotional level

Show your audience that you can relate to their issues.

Do this by sharing your personal experience dealing with the problem — this will help you come across as sincere and trustworthy.

Even the most finely-tuned pitches will fall short if you don’t know how to deliver them in ways that speak to the needs of your audience.

A sure-fire way to become great at being in front of a camera is to practice being on camera, and the more you do it, the more comfortable you’ll be.

Body language, facial expressions, and the tone of your voice are all important when delivering your pitch.

Change aspects that you feel fail to hit the right marks — and a way to find out what works and what doesn’t is to listen to what your customers say in the comments of your content.

1.4. Gently introduce your solution

Show that you have the answer without being too pushy about it.

Coming across as too forceful will reduce the likelihood that you come across as believable.

You’ve already identified the issue that your product addresses, now it’s time to detail how your product will effectively solve it.

This persuasion can be achieved by deploying a number of simple techniques when discussing your product or service, including to:

Know the difference between a benefit and a feature
Use simple, but vivid language
Avoid jargon and complex terminology
Keep the list of benefits short
Emphasize what makes your product unique
Make sure your benefits are concrete

Don’t present yourself in an imposing manner — come across as confident, but not overbearing.

Avoid forced smiles and carrying yourself in a way that comes across as tense or stressed.

1.5. Establish credibility

Prove that your business, and the products or services you’re selling, are trustworthy.

To build trust with your clients your business needs to be reliable, transparent, proactive, and (most importantly) authentic.

Flex those credentials without coming across like you’re bragging.

The aim is to establish yourself as a credible source for this kind of product or service, not a fly-by-night who’s trying their best to sell a gimmick.

Build trust by explaining why you’re qualified to discuss and sell this product — and cut out gloating and embellishing.

1.6. Bring those receipts

Avoid expecting viewers to just take your word that your solution works from the onset.

Sure, you think your product is the bee’s knees but that doesn’t mean that your customers are immediately convinced.

Back up your pitch by demonstrating why your product is the solution to your audience’s problem.

Using social proof such as testimonials, case studies, and reviews all serve to enhance your credibility.

Examples of social proof that you can obtain include:

Celebrity endorsements
Creating and sharing the results of surveys
Testimonials from experts in your industry
Visually demonstrating how the product works
Displaying customer reviews

1.7. Calls-to-action

You’ve explained the problem, provided a solution, and proven that it works.

The next step is to encourage viewers to take action by offering them bonuses, discounts, and hinting at scarcity when it comes to limited-edition offers.

Instill a sense of urgency in your clients, encouraging them to jump at the opportunity to support your business.

Ideally, you'll instill FOMO (fear of missing out) in the customer if they don’t take action in a hurry.

Make it simple for clients to connect with your business and to convert by buying the products or services you have to offer — you can do this by adding links to your website in your content.

Make sure that your business is easily identifiable — so that interested viewers can connect directly with you after watching your video.

This way they’ll know how to get in touch if they want to buy your product or connect with your business.

After all, even the best pitch becomes meaningless when the consumer doesn’t know where to go to purchase your product.

1.8. Resist the ramble

Summarize the perks of your offer to reinforce the reasons why your viewers should buy your product.

The golden rule for writing the script for your video is to keep it as short and sweet as possible while still conveying a clear and compelling core message.

Streamline your script to make it catchy, complete, and fluff-free.

Video sales letters that work have the following components:

Value — If the video doesn’t tell your audience how the product will help them in a way they’ll easily understand, then they won't watch the rest of the video
Authority — Focus on gaining the viewer's trust by showing them that your product can solve their problem so you can elbow your competitors out of the way
Proof — Turn your viewers into customers by showing them social proof that your products work

2. Conclusion

While the idea of using a video sales letter to advertise your business may seem intimidating at first, it’s clear that it follows the same rules as all digital marketing.

Identifying your target market, their challenges, and proving to viewers that you hold the answer to their problems will ensure your clip checks all the boxes.

Remember to pack a punch during the first few seconds of your video.

This will keep your audience interested, and pretty soon clients will be lining up to support your brand.

Much like fine wine, your skills will improve over time, so don’t quit after just one video — keep perfecting your pitch.

Your clients will appreciate the constant contact with your brand, and the chances that they’ll fork over their hard-earned cash will just get better with time.

Now that you know how to sell using a video sales letter, click here and explore more on how to make the best out of video email marketing.

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