How To Write An Offer & Call for Action

Your offer, even if you've already stated it clearly in your headline and elsewhere in your message, must be re-stated at the end of your message. Be clear and be specific so there is nothing left to the imagination of your audience.

Essentially, your offer is "Pay X and this is exactly what you get." Of course, you need to say it more gracefully than that! So wording your offer is an art in itself.

A really powerful offer can and usually does make a big difference to the results. There's basically two parts and it's almost like another type of headline. The offer must make a massive promise, almost to the point of disbelief. Take your biggest promise of satisfaction and put that promise into the offer. That promise is why the person began reading and kept on reading, so it would be silly not to use it again when you're getting ready to ask for money.

Then you immediately prove it again. Then you make it scarce by limiting the time, or the number available, and restate that this exact result from this type of product can only be achieved from you (your USP). And you add more credibility...impeccable credibility by re-stating the guarantee.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

You should always ask for the sale. Give prospects more than one way to respond.

Call to Action

Your offer must include a call to action. This is where you tell the reader or listener exactly what to do. You can have them:

Order Today!
Respond By...
Send Now For Your Free... Call Immediately!

In your sales letter or ad, you could repeat the full benefits and descriptions of what they are getting and then ask for the order.

Carpe Diem - Seize the Day (and the opportunity to act now)

You'll notice that in addition to being a call to action, each of these statements calls for IMMEDIATE action. You want to add a sense of urgency to your call to action. Try these action motivators:

Rush the order...
Last chance offer...
Limited time...
Limited quantity...
To those who qualify...

No Risk/All Reward - The Guarantee

At this stage in your message, the element that needs to be considered very seriously is your guarantee. The guarantee can come after your bonus or as part of your reply mechanism.

The guarantee is a very effective closing tool and should be used to make the offer even more appealing. Your guarantee should be totally risk free and the business owner should assume full responsibility and full risk. This makes it much easier for a prospect to make a decision.

Offer a 60-day, 90-day, or a 12 month money-back guarantee. Give the customer two or three times the needed review period to ensure the purchase is non-threatening and non-intimidating. The direct marketing industry has studied this for years and has found that with a longer guarantee you get fewer returns.

Another trick is to include a just-for-trying-us bonus that has a perceived value that is worth more than the price of the product they are buying. Let the customer know they can keep the bonus even if they ask for their money back. In many cases this will triple response. However, it's always important to test to see if this works for you with your prospects.

Companies that adopt a better than risk-free guarantee find that it is a profit centre in itself. More sales are made with guarantees and the expense of returns is negligible

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