A friend recommends a film that just came out: "You've GOT to see this movie! It's SO (funny, scary, suspenseful, etc.)." They start quoting lines, excitedly taking you through plot. You're hanging on their every word. Seems like cinema doesn't get any better than this! So you run out and plunk down $10 to see movie. And what do you discover? That this is “just another movie”... mildly entertaining, at best. Next time this friend starts crowing about another fantastic film, you're not so willing to listen. In fact: you’ll never go to another movie on their recommendation again.

What happened? Too much build-up. Someone “over-sold,” and lost credibility because of it. The same is true for advertising. Too much build-up can break sale. It’s what happens when your ads are “anticlimactic.”

What do I mean by advertising that’s anticlimactic?

Let’s say you came across an ad for a mysterious “something” that can give you same ecstatic feeling as being in love. The advertiser doesn’t mention what it is... he’s too busy painting a picture of how this thing can change your life. The ad goes something like this:

“Ahh, that blissful, lighter-than-air feeling of being in love! When you feel like this, you’re at your best... like you can do anything. When you’re in love, you’re on top of world! Now imagine if you could summon this feeling to life at any time you wanted. Just think of what it could do for your career, for your personal relationships, for your quality of living!”

How would you feel if, after reading paragraph after paragraph about this elusive euphoria that can be yours for just a few dollars, you came to learn that ad is about CHOCOLATE. You’d be a little annoyed, wouldn’t you? You might even feel like someone had played a dirty trick on you. How likely is it that you’d buy that chocolate (even if it happened to be Godiva-quality), knowing you were duped in such a way? Not very! In fact, you’d more likely buy chocolate from guy who told you outright, with minimal fanfare, that he was selling delicious, gourmet chocolate. Because he was being honest. And you, consumer, appreciate honesty. Don’t you?

Right now, hard-hitting ad copy is all rage. Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably seen those long sales letters that promise moon and stars, if you just BUY NOW. Looks like those internet gurus have become pretty darned successful, right? And you want what they have: persuasive skills that guarantee results for your business. You want it so badly you can taste it. That’s why when they dangle their secrets under your nose, you listen with rapt attention. And you think, well, if they’ve become millionaires with their hard-sell strategies, maybe I should follow suit. But should you? Or will it just come across as a big build-up followed by a letdown? How will you avoid trap of creating ads that are anticlimactic?

Powerfully persuasive, Long Sales Letter employs carefully targeted copy to draw reader in, emotionally identify with them, create a need for product, and incite them to make an immediate purchase. The Long Sales letter, in all its verbosity and sensationalism, gleams with promise. It appears surefire way to make sales come pouring in.

But is it? Should you fork your hard-earned cash over to a copywriter who will create a hypnotic and riveting sales letter that goes on for pages and pages hyping your product? Should you grab for your credit card and buy one of those comprehensive teaching packets that tells you everything you ever wanted to know about writing a Long Sales Letter yourself?

Answers often come in form of questions. Here are some questions I typically ask my clients:

What are you selling, and how much does it cost?

Does product you offer on your website fulfill immediate short-term needs?

Or is it something that might help someone reach a long-term goal?

Items that satisfy immediate yearnings for a low price don't require a rousing speech to attract buyers. What these products do require is visibility. How funny would it be to receive a letter in mail from CEO of Bubble Yum, urging you to buy his product! Totally unnecessary; Bubble Yum does a fine job of selling itself on "impulse buy" rack by supermarket check-out. Music CDs and clothing are things that don't cost huge amounts of money, and virtually sell themselves. Your customer will know in a matter of seconds whether they want what you have. In such a case, skip letter. Instead, showcase these items in a high-traffic area where they will be seen.

Who are you marketing to?

I did some work recently for an e-greeting company who had me writing a long and persuasive letter. I posed question: "How much do we really need to convince people to buy these e-greetings? Either people will like them, or they won't." My client in turn made a good point: sales letter wasn't needed to toute actual product on site. But it would certainly come in handy for potential affiliates and promoters. The sales letter was a handy tool that depicted us an intelligent group of people with a knack for selling - and that could very well be driving decision for those who might want to represent us. So yes, a sales letter may actually work to your benefit, depending on audience you plan to address.

Would your product or service be considered 'an investment?'

An investment is a possession acquired for future return or benefit. Items that offer long-term benefits cost more money. They promise a brighter tomorrow; an investment for future. They also require more convincing to get people to buy them. I recently met a career coach who features a goal achievement system, in form of an e-book, for purchase on her website. Her e-book is moderately priced for its category, and well-written in my opinion. Would I advise her to use a sales letter to pitch e-book? Yes, but I'd make letter an overview of her entire service offering and not just about e-book.