Autoresponders are a set of automated email responses designed to engage the audience and create a positive feeling about a brand. They are a simple response to a simple request, but one that offers possibilities to upsell or convert even after the initial sale.

Writing autoresponders is a skill. They need a good subject line. Something intruiging and tempting, enough to make the audience want to know more. Next is the headline, which needs to grab attention, just like any headline does. The body copy is where we solve a problem. The product or service we're selling is the solution to a problem, the autoresponder is where we compound or expand that solution.

After the body, we generally place links to products. Actually we link throughout the autoresponder. Buyers need proof in order to beleive you. After the body copy, we add the testimonials or other kind of social proof to back up our claims. Then we add a call to action to prompt the response we want. This will often be a time limited offer, special offer or something to induce an instant response.

The formula is fairly standard, the difference comes with how you execute it.

Writing effective sales copy is a skill that is refined over time. As long as you know that customers buy benefits not features you should be fine. This is true in all but the most technological products.

In order to be a successful sales copywriter you have to know your audience. You cannot hope to convince or convert them unless you know their loves, fears, problems and desires. How do you expect to sell them something if you don't know what they need? As well as copywriting from a readers perspective, you have to offer the customer something new and original.

Unless you have a truly unique proposition, price and service counts for a lot, but are secondary considerations. To sum up, to write effective sales copy you have to capture the readers attention within seconds, identify them, identify with them, target a need, remind them of it, them convince them you're the only one who can satisfy it. Apart from all that, sales copy is easy...

Landing pages are website pages that target single keywords or phrases. They echo the main site copy, but is original, and writing them is a combination of standard website copywriting and sales copywriting.

Writing copy for landing pages is a combination of website copywriting and sales. The page is often created to be the first destination after clicking an advert or a search engine query. Therefore it must reference that advert or query so the visitor has a context that matches. This is the single most important aspect of writing landing page copy. Providing clear calls to action throughout the page is also essential in order for it to convert at an acceptable rate. A call to action is something like "Buy now before it's too late" or "Receive 20% off the purchase price today only." Write the sales copy tightly, don't use anything that shouldn't be there, or doesn't contribute to the aim of getting a sale. You can use long copy if you must, but keep it tight.

The other thing to remember about effective landing pages are they are mostly third person. Only if the client insists would we write landing page copy in the first. That said, the example I provide is in the first person, as the client did insist. I include it here just to show you it can be done.