One common misunderstanding among new copywriters is that sub-headings aren't important. They believe that all a good piece of copy requires is a strong headline, a compelling introduction, and a powerful call to action. In reality, this couldn't be more incorrect.
So why are sub-headings important? The short answer is that they allow readers to skim your sales letter for important points. If your sales letter consists of one-paragraph after another with no well-defined structure, the only people who get through it are those who have a stomach for lengthy prose--and who have a very strong interest in your product or service.
Unfortunately, this means that a lot of people slip through the cracks. And when people slip through the cracks, their money slips through the cracks with them.
In short, making it easier for people to skim your sales letter, retain information, and use that information to make a buying decision is vital. And this is precisely why you must include sub-headings in your sales letters.
When it comes to using sub-headings, I personally recommend that you follow the short list of tips below:
1. Use a large, bold font that is smaller than your headline, but much larger than the body text.
2. State the most important benefit of the upcoming section in a sub-heading. For instance, you might say "I'll reveal one secret that push your profits into the six-figure category." In the immediately following section, you can then talk up that secret further.
3. Think of the sub-headings as a road map for your readers. With this in mind, try to convey the most important information about what's coming up without using too many words.
4. Put the most shocking and most powerful sub-headings first (along with the appropriate sections) and the less powerful bullet points later. If people see seemingly weak benefits first, they may not be compelled to go on. However, if people see strong benefits initially, but still aren't convinced, then they may at least be persuaded to continue on to the weaker benefits.
5. Try to fill your sub-headings with psychological triggers. Words like shocking, scientifically proven, powerful, explosive, secret, hidden, free, and limited will generate responses from your readers.
6. Keep sub-headings short. The goal is to make it easy--not time-consuming--for readers to skim through your sales letter; and to make the decision to buy. Help them achieve this by creating short, crisp sub-headings.
7. Try to emulate the style of famous copywriters, such as Michel Fortin, Gary Halbert, and others. See how they use sub-headings in their own writing; and attempt to import their methods into your own work.
In short, sub-headings are a powerful means of organizing your work. Use them wisely and frequently; and you will make your sales page more readable and skimmable.
Just as you created sub-headings to give skimmers a road map for getting through your sales letter, you should also bold, italicize, and highlight to give them additional information about your product.
In the list below, I will cover some of the most important things you should keep in mind when marking up your sales letter:
1. Don't mark up your sales letter until you have finished writing it. You should then re-read the entire sales letter at least once; and, along the way, figure out what items are most important. Be parsimonious and highlight only things that you think are truly important.
2. In order to create a stronger effect, try to bold or highlight words at the end of sentences.
3. Once you have done your initial mark-ups, read through the sales letter by reading only the sub-headings and the marked-up text. If you feel like this provides you with a sufficient amount of information to make a buying decision, then you probably did a good job. If not, it's time to re-work your mark-ups.
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