In the last installment, we talked about the single most important component of any landing page, be it your sales page, a squeeze page, or any other “action page,” the Headline.

The purpose of a headline is to grab your readers' attention and get him to read your sales page. Of course, this is essential. However, you will need to keep your reader's attention throughout your sales page. You want to present your offer in its best light by providing compelling benefits to your visitors; if they leave before you're done, you've lost the sale.

So today we will talk about keeping your readers' attention. How do we do this?

We create curiosity. Here's how.

It happens without fail. If there is one thing that you can count on happening over and over and over again, it is this simple fact…

…the average person's curiosity will get the best of them.

One of the things that will, at a minimum, get your readers into the actual meat of your sales letter is to suck them in with a hypnotic first sentence. You just read a great example (in my opinion :o) of how this is done. Go back and re-read the opening sentence of this “basid”…

…”It happens without fail.”

Voila. From the very first sentence, I had your attention. If not for long, for at least a few seconds, you were going to read on. Why?

Because you wanted to know WHAT “happens without fail.” You wanted to find out what the “one thing that you can count on happening over and over again” is. So, you kept reading. Right?

I could have played that along as far as I wanted to, and within reason, you would have kept reading until I finally revealed what it was that I referred to in that opening sentence.

The power of curiosity is very compelling. People want to know. It is almost hypnotic, like waving a watch before someone's eyes and saying, “Look at the watch go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.” If you can use some kind of hypnotic opening sentence and/or opening paragraph to make the reader think, “I've got to find out what this is all about,” then you've got them glued to your sales letter for basically as long as you want.

(Provided you keep them interested once you've piqued their interest!)

With well-written supporting paragraphs, you'll have them reading until the very end.

Consider using these kinds of opening sentences that draw people deeper into your hypnotic trance…

• “I bet you would have never guessed it either.”
• “I just couldn't believe that it really happened.”
• “No one could have predicted this.”
• “All of the experts finally agreed on something.”
• “99% of them were wrong when I asked this simple question.”
• “I shouldn't be telling you this.”
• “You've been lied to and now the truth is coming out.”
• “Are you making this mistake in your business?”

Here is an example paragraph:

Opinions online are as varied as the noses on our faces…we've all got one. And opinions on how to succeed online are even more varied than that. But, if there is ONE OPINION that virtually EVERY NETREPRENEUR AGREES on it is this: You've got to have your own email mailing list in order to achieve maximum success online. There is just no way around that. You simply must have one.

This opening works well because it not only got the reader involved and wondering “what is the ONE OPINION that EVERYONE agrees on,” but it also emphasized a point that sets up the offer: “You've got to have your own email mailing list in order to achieve maximum success online. There is just no way around that. You simply must have one.”

Now, the stage is set. Not only does the reader know what everyone agrees on, they are now faced with the reality that they need one themselves!

And one such offer is ready for them (yours).
All you need is a simple “look at the watch go back and forth” opening sentence to pull them in.

Anything at all that triggers that psychological response to find out more.

Human beings are curious by nature. All you've got to do is trigger that curiosity with a well-placed sentence. It doesn't have to be a paragraph. No fancy words or flowery phrases. It doesn't have to rhyme.

It just has to say, “Wouldn't you like to know this?”

I can guarantee you that if you can master this essential, you'll at least have readers diving a bit deeper into your sales letters.
And once they go deeper, it's time to “reel 'em” in.

Next up: Build Interest