6 Secrets to High Converting Bullet Points

Hi Guys, Today I'm writing about one of the most important, yet underrated aspects of copywriting... the bullet points.

You use bullet points when writing email marketing copy, sales copy, copy for email capture pages and many other kinds of promotional pieces.

Many people don't realize that there is a HUGE difference in the conversion rates that you receive depending on how you word your bullet points.

Here are a few tips for you to spice up those bullets so that they increase your conversion rates, rather than decrease them!

1a. Sell the benefits, and don't give away the 'How'

Selling the benefits means, write about how the information (assuming it is an info product) will help make the reader's life better (the benefits for them). As opposed to telling them exactly what they are going to learn (the feature).

What I mean by not giving away the how is, you don't want people to be able to predict from reading your sales copy exactly what is going to be in the information. If they can predict this, then there is less intrigue and less reason for them to want to know more or make a purchase.

For example, an inexperienced writer might come up with the following bullet point to try to sell a product:

• "Learn the most effective ways to be content with yourself, and not pinning all your hopes and dreams on whether or not you are in a relationship. Delve into the paradoxical truth that not needing a man to make you happy is in fact the best way to attract one!"

But me as a marketer would word it as something like:

• Discover most important secret to attracting a GREAT man.  This is a secret so powerful, that if you apply it right now, you’ll practically guarantee yourself that you‘ll soon be in a happy and mutually rewarding relationship with someone you love.

1b. Even better, add numbers (see the number 5 below):

• Find out 5 effective secrets about how to be happy and content with yourself RIGHT NOW, whether or not you have a man in your life. I guarantee you’ll find that this will make you more attractive to high quality men as a result too.

2. Don't get too fancy with your language.

Here's another example of a bullet that was written by a good writer (who is inexperienced at marketing):

• “Too much, too soon” in all its forms will quickly snuff the flames of attraction as we'll teach you in a section dedicated to the art of discretion and appropriate timing.

"Snuff the flames of attraction" isn't really every day colloquial language and isn't simple enough to read. This whole bullet could be better worded as:

• The one thing that a LOT of women do (possibly you included) that will quickly kill attraction in a man. Find out what it is and what to do about it so that you will be seen as highly prized catch!

Or it could be worded as:

• You’ll discover how to let a man know that you are selective and that not any man can have you. There is a certain way of doing this that doesn’t doesn’t involve game playing and he’ll feel you are an amazing catch that he absolutely MUST have!

Does this make sense to you?
I hope it does.

3. Create an enemy

This is a powerful tip to be used in your bullets. What you want to do is create for yourself an "us" vs "them" situation and position yourself as the "us" who is providing the solution to the "them".

For example:

• What the drug companies don't want you to know about xyz!

or

• Many drugs have harmful side effects! Find out what they are. PLUS I give you more powerful natural alternative remedies!

4. Add a time factor

Create a sense of immediacy in your copy by adding time elements, such as:

• You'll start having your very first full conversation in Spanish in just 30 minutes!

5. Use "You" a LOT more often than "We"

For example, instead of:

• We're going to give you the most powerful secret available for doubling your income from eBay.

This is better:

• You're about to discover the single most powerful secret to double your eBay income in less than 7 days.

Notice how I used the time factor in that bullet point too?

6. Use formatting to bring life to your bullets

For example:

• You're about to discover the single most powerful secret to doubling your eBay income in less than 7 days!

Well that brings me to the end of this blog post, have any of you got anything more to add? Comments?

All the best,
Mark

Photo: Rick