Image by Horia Varlan via Flickr

When you’re ready to launch a new product, you’re pretty excited.  You’ve been living and breathing this for a long time.  You want everyone to love it as much as you do.

But how can  you share that excitement?  And how do you get others excited too?

The formula for effective landing pages is actually pretty simple.

1. Fascinating headline

Something that makes them stop and take a second look.  Pull them in with a headline that seems strange, such as Marketing Lessons From My Cat. Or, try the curiosity approach: Celebrities: See Them Bare All (thank you Bill Jayme), or those “one weird old tip” ads.

2. Bond with your readers

Show them  you understand their problems.  “Have you ever struggled with….?”  “When my computer broke…” If you had a problem (and solved it), talk about how frustrated you were, and your joy when you discovered the solution.

3.  Offer solutions

Remember that problem  you had in step two?  Tell them what happened when you fixed it.  How you saved time. Or earned more money. Or got more sales on your web site. Have a specific audience in mind.  Don’t write a job search guide for everyone, create one for older workers looking for a new job.

4. Prove it works

Get some testimonials.  Make them easy to spot in your copy (bold or quote). Add photos if you can.  Or, highlight how many other people have already used your product (if it’s not new).

5. Ask for the sale

Don’t be shy. Ask straight out. Make it absolutely clear what you want people to do.  Call.  Click here.  Fill out this form.  Use a big button that’s easy to see and stands out from the rest of the page.  The harder it is (the more friction) the fewer sales.  There’s a reason why paypal and amazon buttons are bright orange.

P.S. This works in print too. Shhh, don’t tell the online marketers.