| This is an expansion of an earlier article – if you haven’t already I encourage you to read the original post first.
Rock Solid Scripts that Sizzle: Key Plot Points If you want to read the entire Video Sales Letter article series from the beginning, start here…
The First 5 Critical Steps to Creating Sleek Video Sales Letters |
There are two types of people in this world.
The people who carefully read and follow the instructions to assemble the IKEA wardrobe they just dropped $500 on…
And crazy, psychotic people whose sole desire is to watch the world burn!
That’s maybe overstating it a little. Especially since even people who like to jump in and figure things out on their own, usually like to have the instructions available, just in case they get stuck somewhere along the way.
Deep down, even if we’re the kind of person whose ego demands that we pretend to be a self-made being who emerged fully-formed from the womb, we’re always comforted by the idea of having some directions to follow.
Especially when it’s in an area in which we struggle.
No one SERIOUSLY wants to go back to the days of wrestling with giant maps to find their way around, when our helpful GPS robot can just walk us through the directions, step by step.
Your Video Sales Letter Customers WANT a Road-map
Marketers, for a long time, have been taking advantage of the comfort people get when they have access to a road-map or a system.
For example, when you ask your newly-subscribed customer to whitelist your email address, share your page on social media, AND watch your “Welcome” video, you have a far better chance of convincing them to do so if you label the requests as Step 1, Step 2, Step 3…
And guess what…
The concept of a friendly road-map is also going to do amazing things to your Video Sales Letter (VSL)!
It’s not just that a step-by-step guide is familiar and comforting (which, for most people, it totally is), it’s that a systemized process implies simplicity. It suggests that even if, on the surface, something seems complicated, the road-map will ensure that EVERYONE who follows it achieves the same amazing end result.
No kidding, peeps…
If you use this technique, RIGHT BEFORE revealing your product, the hunger for your offer is going to go through the roof.
Even the people that think, “Ah, I probably won’t need a road-map, I’ll be able to just figure out the components on my own,” will still be hungrier for your product simply knowing that a system is there should they need it.
Plot Point #13: It gets AWESOME – There’s a Road-map
You’ve been building up your VSL to the moment where you reveal your product. If it feels like you’ve been stretching it out, this is for very good reason. If you stage your big reveal too early, there’s always a risk that your audience will simply shrug their collective shoulders.
The whole point of gradually working towards the moment where you proudly display your product is to take your audience on a journey that reminds them of a specific problem, agitates their frustration, and then teases them with the prospect of a future freed from their misery.
* If you’re joining this article series late, I would encourage you to start from the beginning for a full explanation of VSL strategy
If you’ve followed all of the previous 12 Plot Points, your viewers should be clamoring to hear about what you have to offer. By keeping them suspended in this state, even for just a few minutes, your product reveal will be that much more impactful.
This final step before you showcase your offering will raise the tempo a final time. Don’t be tempted to skip it, worrying that it’s overkill. This formula has proven itself time and time again.
Plot Point #13 is going to jump back to your “peeking behind the curtain” story and divulge one more crucial detail that, so far, you haven’t shared.
This is what we call the “Discovery Moment”. You need to tell the story of how you stumbled on your greatest and most powerful discovery.
It doesn’t have to be a ridiculous, over-the-top concoction about Zeus visiting you in your dreams and thunder-bolting an idea into your subconscious. It’s important that your story be a truthful one, but present it from the angle of how “it” happened and allowed you to understand or accomplish something you couldn’t previously manage.
Maybe something you didn’t even realize was possible.
*Some products are harder to build stories around, so you may need to employ a little creativity. A good copywriter should be able to help you dress up your stories into something dramatic without having to resort to fabrication. Seriously – don’t be tempted to make stuff up. Once you get caught doing this, your reputation is shot.
This is only going to be a short story, compared to your original tale of success. The difference is, at the climax you’re going to reveal that you’ve developed a replicable system and that it wouldn’t have been possible without this “discovery”.
Your outline for this Plot Point will look a little something like this:
- Reveal the Discovery Moment: This is a short story about a significant moment that produced some extraordinary/surprising results.
- Describe the Benefits: Talk about the immediate positive effects that you experienced.
- Describe the Benefits of the Benefits: Talk about the long-term positive effects that you experienced (e.g. – if the Discovery Moment benefit was making more profits, the benefit of the benefit might be the ability to afford taking your whole family to Disney World).
- Connect the Dots: Explain how this Discovery Moment slotted into your journey and allowed you to complete your system of success.
- Sharing Your System: This is the critical part… Describe your realization that so many other people NEED the system that you discovered/created and that a lot of people would kill to have this information.
The last beat in this story should be the point where your viewers know, with absolute certainty, that you’re about to show them a product that will encapsulate your system and give them the solution that you’ve been hinting at for the last 15-30 minutes.
The speed and intensity of your delivery should be subtly ramping up. Your audience should FEEL that you’re coming to a climactic moment.
Plot Point #14: It’s Called…
This is the moment you and your audience have been waiting for. The big reveal is about to happen.
Your product is going to be unveiled in all its shiny awesomeness!
But you need to get this part right.
Having carefully laid all the groundwork, the last thing you want to do is fumble this crucial moment.
So, here’s how you do it…
Show a slide containing the name of your product.
And then…
Read out the name of your product.
The End.
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JUST KIDDING!
Of course, that’s not the end of it!
Announcing the name of your product is just the start of a whole new act.
In the next section of your VSL you’re going to describe your product directly (no need to be coy any longer), while using some smart marketing techniques to build an overwhelmingly positive impression of your creation.
Make sure you stay tuned for the next article in the series. We’ve got some pretty smart and effective formulas that will help you maximize the success with which you showcase your product.
Have you started implementing any of these plot point steps in your VSL creation? How’s it going? Let us know by leaving a comment so we can see your progress!
Fun Fact! You can use WebinarJam to record and practice your VSL presentation until it’s perfect. Get started for FREE today!