Sales copy = words that sell.
Sales copy is any copy (words) used to convert visitors into consumers. It’s the email pitching your paid offer after your free download, the sales page inviting followers into your new program, even the upsell after someone buys your product is considered sales copy.
If the intent is to directly sell—it’s sales copy.
What’s The Difference Between Sales Copy and Web Copy?
Sales copy is designed to sell and is delivered through any medium. It might be copy on Instagram, a page on your website, or an email in your sequence.
Web copy is designed to convert (and can also be sales copy, especially on a services or ‘work with me’ page)—to get your visitor to take action, which isn’t limited to selling. Web copy could be encouraging subscribes, sign-ups, or otherwise bringing your visitors further into your online space, but it’s solely on your website (hence the name “web” copy).
If you need a quick guide, these four main pages—home, services, contact, and about—are web copy and sales pages, sequences, and campaigns are sales copy.
How to Write Sales Copy
I said sales copy is any copy written with the intent to directly sell to your reader, and that’s still true, but writing sales copy is a bit more than having an “intent” to sell. Sales copy should sell; it should actually convert visitors to buyers (and if it’s not, it’s time to regroup and redo).
If you want to write sales copy that actually sells, you should:
- Tap into consumer neuroscience and sales psychology—the literal sciences of selling. I highly recommend this masterclass for the basics or the Selling Series for a more in-depth breakdown.
- Be strategic. Don’t just flood your copy with sales psychology; step back and map out what’s going on, where, and when.
- Bring in emotions and positivity; no one loves to get beaten down before buying. Get vulnerable, be transparent, and put yourself at their level (not above).
- Consult a professional, and it can be through a resource or full-on consultation if you’re not outsourcing it altogether. Some sales copywriters even offer copy audits to show you exactly where and what to improve.
- Keep it ethical. Don’t bully your audience into buying—and don’t make them feel like the only way to succeed is by investing in your offer (you’re playing into their desperation for success and stability, and I promise you, it’s not cool).
Tweak your process depending on what platform or medium you’re writing for. If you’re writing an email sequence, consider how many emails you’re writing and the intent of each one. If you’re writing a sales page, consider your length and structure (or follow this free guide).
Do You Need a Copywriter to Write Sales Copy?
No, you don’t need a copywriter to write sales copy (at least not with the templates available in the Reveal shop). But you can hire a copywriter at any point—and depending on what you’re writing, you may want to.
A copywriter has the experience needed to write sales copy that sells without needing to spend hours learning the craft and honing their sales skills—they already have everything they need and are ready to apply it to your offer.
TL;DR, they save you TIME (because you’re not doing it all yourself) and MONEY (because this is their literal job, and they’re ready to get you results) while driving more CONVERSIONS to your offer.
Ready to book your copywriting project? Let’s chat and see if I’m what you’re looking for.
