Before we begin, I should clarify one point...
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS A BULLET POINT?
“…uhhh… It's one of those writing things with the big dot."
True.
It's also one of several items or lines in a bulleted list.
It's also an excellent way to convey information because people frequently skim the bullet points before reading the rest of the copy.
Here are a few reasons I discovered on the internet NOT to use bullet points (and I am NOT making this up, I swear).
'They' say don't use bullet points because...
1. People will read the bullets first.
2. Bullet points are boring.
3. Bullet points are too long.
4. Bullet points inform readers about what's to come.
5. Readers may only read the bullets and ignore the rest of the page.
And here's why those ostensible negatives are actually positives:
1. Anything that encourages people to read your sales copy is a good thing.
2. Bullet points are only boring if you MAKE them boring (duh).
3. Bullets can be as long or as short as you want them to be.
4. Effective bullet points entice your reader to read the rest of your copy.
5. Some people only need the bullet points to make a purchasing decision, which is fantastic!
Why should you include a plethora of bullet points in your sales copy? Because, well, bullet points...
• grab attention
• break up monotonous paragraphs
• create white space
• communicate key information quickly
• entice and intrigue
Another interesting fact is that if you're going to make a list, people look at lists with bullets more frequently (70%) than lists without bullets (55 percent ). That is why you should use bulleted points rather than lists.
How do you create outstanding bullet points?
• To increase persuasiveness, combine features and benefits in your bullet points.
• Begin with the benefit, then move on to the feature.
• Maintain consistency and concision by following the same pattern with each bullet.
• Incorporate a curious element into the feature and benefit.
• Keep them brief and simple to understand.
• Begin each bullet point with a verb
• Sell the emotion
• Punctuating bullet points is optional
• Remove the weakest bullet point(s), as each bullet must carry its own weight.
What are some good examples of bullet points?
• Five ways to entice prospects to buy before they even hear your pitch
• Why are some patients given favored status in hospitals... almost preferential treatment? This little-known fact may save your life.
• How to find out about medical breakthroughs before your doctor.
• How to use the Black Widow technique to get customers to call you instead of you chasing them.
• How to use a simple 36-word postcard to generate $37 for every dollar spent.
• How would you like to get hundreds of glowing and genuine testimonials from your customers for free... and what to do with them to increase profits even further.
• How to generate massive demand for your product or service by utilizing a 10,000-year-old secret that works every time.
• Sell the same product or service at up to 400% higher prices and your customers will thank you.
• How we received over US$40,000 in free products this year alone... and how you can do it as well.
• The precise words to use when writing a money-back guarantee that increases sales and decreases refunds.
Was I crazy to write almost the entire article in bullet points?
• Yes, because who in their right mind would do such a thing? (Perhaps someone who wants to emphasize the effectiveness of bullets?) Nah…;-)
• Perhaps because you're no fool and have realized the entire time that I've been using all of these bullet points to demonstrate that (GASP!) bullet points WORK.
• No, because if you've gotten this far, you've read almost the entire article, and that's my point... People read (and buy!) more when they use bullet points.
Bullet points are your secret allies in the fight against skimmers and attention deficit. They provide your reader with bite-sized information, pique their interest, and make your offer simple to understand.
Last but not least, if I had to choose between a salesletter with NO bullet points and a salesletter with ONLY headlines and bullet points, I would choose the latter every time. It would almost certainly out-convert the none bullet point letter by a factor of two or more.
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS A BULLET POINT?
“…uhhh… It's one of those writing things with the big dot."
True.
It's also one of several items or lines in a bulleted list.
It's also an excellent way to convey information because people frequently skim the bullet points before reading the rest of the copy.
Here are a few reasons I discovered on the internet NOT to use bullet points (and I am NOT making this up, I swear).
'They' say don't use bullet points because...
1. People will read the bullets first.
2. Bullet points are boring.
3. Bullet points are too long.
4. Bullet points inform readers about what's to come.
5. Readers may only read the bullets and ignore the rest of the page.
And here's why those ostensible negatives are actually positives:
1. Anything that encourages people to read your sales copy is a good thing.
2. Bullet points are only boring if you MAKE them boring (duh).
3. Bullets can be as long or as short as you want them to be.
4. Effective bullet points entice your reader to read the rest of your copy.
5. Some people only need the bullet points to make a purchasing decision, which is fantastic!
Why should you include a plethora of bullet points in your sales copy? Because, well, bullet points...
• grab attention
• break up monotonous paragraphs
• create white space
• communicate key information quickly
• entice and intrigue
Another interesting fact is that if you're going to make a list, people look at lists with bullets more frequently (70%) than lists without bullets (55 percent ). That is why you should use bulleted points rather than lists.
How do you create outstanding bullet points?
• To increase persuasiveness, combine features and benefits in your bullet points.
• Begin with the benefit, then move on to the feature.
• Maintain consistency and concision by following the same pattern with each bullet.
• Incorporate a curious element into the feature and benefit.
• Keep them brief and simple to understand.
• Begin each bullet point with a verb
• Sell the emotion
• Punctuating bullet points is optional
• Remove the weakest bullet point(s), as each bullet must carry its own weight.
What are some good examples of bullet points?
• Five ways to entice prospects to buy before they even hear your pitch
• Why are some patients given favored status in hospitals... almost preferential treatment? This little-known fact may save your life.
• How to find out about medical breakthroughs before your doctor.
• How to use the Black Widow technique to get customers to call you instead of you chasing them.
• How to use a simple 36-word postcard to generate $37 for every dollar spent.
• How would you like to get hundreds of glowing and genuine testimonials from your customers for free... and what to do with them to increase profits even further.
• How to generate massive demand for your product or service by utilizing a 10,000-year-old secret that works every time.
• Sell the same product or service at up to 400% higher prices and your customers will thank you.
• How we received over US$40,000 in free products this year alone... and how you can do it as well.
• The precise words to use when writing a money-back guarantee that increases sales and decreases refunds.
Was I crazy to write almost the entire article in bullet points?
• Yes, because who in their right mind would do such a thing? (Perhaps someone who wants to emphasize the effectiveness of bullets?) Nah…;-)
• Perhaps because you're no fool and have realized the entire time that I've been using all of these bullet points to demonstrate that (GASP!) bullet points WORK.
• No, because if you've gotten this far, you've read almost the entire article, and that's my point... People read (and buy!) more when they use bullet points.
Bullet points are your secret allies in the fight against skimmers and attention deficit. They provide your reader with bite-sized information, pique their interest, and make your offer simple to understand.
Last but not least, if I had to choose between a salesletter with NO bullet points and a salesletter with ONLY headlines and bullet points, I would choose the latter every time. It would almost certainly out-convert the none bullet point letter by a factor of two or more.
