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For many, writing sales letters is more than just another project – it is a lot of fun. There are many types of freelance writing jobs, but over the years I have enjoyed sales articles the most. There is something about writing compelling copy that is meant to “draw in” the reader that gets my blood flowing.

Of course, writing a successful sales letter is not something you will do on a whim. In fact, it takes a lot of practice to get good at this. Again, you are doing more than writing basic content that is meant to inform. Instead, your job is to sell the reader on whatever the target product or service may be.

Here are several tips for writing effective sales letters that convert:

1. Ask the client for details. When writing web content the client may say something like, “give me an article on anything that has to do with green living.” The same cannot be done with a sales letter. You need to collect the minimum amount of details to at least start the job.
2. Know the product or service you are trying to sell. How can you write about something if you do not know what it is? Try this tip: ask the client if you can test out the product or service for free. You will be surprised at how many are willing to do this. In fact, I have only been turned down a few times.
3. Hard or soft sell? There are two types of “sales tones” for the most part. The hard sell is when you go over-the-top and do everything you can to push the buyer into making a purchase. The soft sell is when you are more subtle with your words. Both can be effective, but only your client knows which one they are looking for.
4. Format. A sales letters can be formatted in many different ways. You should never assume that your next client wants the same format as the last one. For instance, some will ask for many headers followed by bullet points. Others, especially those who are not using an online letter, may opt for more of a paragraph form. If the client does not know what they want you are free to get creative.
5. Web or print? This goes along with the collection of details. Writing a sales letter for the web is much different than one that will be sent out via direct mail. Web pieces are often times very long and full of titles, bullets, images, and much more. On the other hand, print sales letters are straight to the point and “clean” in most cases.

These five tips should help you successfully write sales letters, no matter what the client is looking for.

Related posts:

1. How Can I Write an Effective Sales Letter?
2. Weekly Writing Challenge: Write a Letter to the Editor
3. 14 Day E-book Writing Challenge – Day Eleven
4. How to Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Freelance Writing Business
5. How to Write Newsletters

About the Author: Chris B

Browse all posts from this author.

Chris is a full-time freelance writer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He specializes in web content, sales copy, and many other forms of writing. Chris has two books in print, as well as hundreds of articles in local and nationwide publications.

TAGS: chris bibey, Copywriting, hard sell, how to write, sales letter writing, sales letters, soft sell