This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Why? Well, it is a well

Whether that statistic is actually true or not is neither here nor there, the point is that when someone picks up your sales letter, they are more than likely focusing on something else rather than your sales message.

How can you get your reader interested in something if you don’t know what makes them tick?

You have to get to know them intimately.

Stop right there. I am not suggesting for one moment that you dash out and romance every member of your target audience. You’d be far too knackered to write anything.

But you do need to understand their idiosyncrasies, their motivations, their innermost fears and desires.

Work out a psychological profile of your

Let’s suppose your reader has a problem – they could be feeling stressed, bored, unfulfilled, ambitious…your job is to find a way to tie your product to their problem as the

Show them you understand how they feel, then promise to take the problem away. All they have to do is buy your product. Make sure though you write about the solution not the problem.

If you answer that question in the first sentence or paragraph you’ll have them hooked.

If you are not entirely sure what your reader wants, bring in as many

Read out a line of your letter that you think is selling the

Now imagine your reader’s response. If you can hear them saying ‘so what?’ it’s not a benefit. When they would feel stupid asking ‘so what?’ you’ve cracked it!

They are anything the reader perceives as valuable or worthwhile: