I’m not sure who came up with the very first VSL (Video Sales Letter).

But one of the first was definitely an offer called Fat Burning Furnace:

At the time, it was a breakthrough because by taking its high quality script and turning it into a PowerPoint presentation video, the conversion rate soared.

Then the floodgates opened as one marketer after another scrambled to add video sales letters to their business.

These days, VSLs are more sophisticated.

They look more like infomercials, soap opera scenes or news channels.

Yet, however they’re produced, in order to create a VSL that sucks up sales, profits and income…

You need a script that compels prospects to hammer that order button.

Here then, are Seven VSL Secrets that have helped my team and I here at Conversion Gods generate over $100m in sales for our clients:

 1. The Grabber

If there’s one thing that makes the difference between a VSL’s performance flatlining or it becoming the envy of every other online marketer... it’s the very first minute (often the first few seconds) of your video.

Why so important?

Think about it like this:

Unless your introduction pulls your prospect in, captures their attention, grabs their eyeballs and tickles their curiosity...

Your prospect is NOT going to keep watching.

They’ll click away immediately.

Remember, they’ve got 15 other tabs open, a Facebook chat window and a conversation running on Skype or Slack.

So if your grabber is weak, it doesn’t matter how good the rest of your video is, barely anybody is going to see it.

You see, that’s the good and bad about VSLs.

They give you the ability to control the sale, but that comes with the RISK nobody will ever see 99% of your sales copy.

2. Primal Emotions

The fastest, easiest way to inject life into a flat-lining VSL is to give it some emotion.

Always remember… people buy on EMOTION and justify their purchase with LOGIC.

Women don’t buy weight loss products because of the price... they buy because they feel ashamed of their belly fat and the product gives them HOPE they can be slim and slender.

They buy on emotion, and they use price as justification for their purchase.

One thing I like to do is jolt people awake with emotional stories.

For instance, I write a lot in the health market. In order to tap into my prospect’s dominant emotions, I’ll find the most gut-wrenching story I can from my client’s testimonials.

And I’ll amp up the emotion even more.

I make it as moving as possible.

So if in the story they’ve struggled with their weight for a long time (something which, of course, the prospects have ALSO struggled with)...

I’ll taunt them with the painful emotions of what it’s like to lug around stubborn, ugly fat with stories and experiences.

The best way to do this is to create some kind of highly emotional scene.

Play it out like in a movie. A scene where our protagonist thinks his life can’t get any worse... and then it does.

Really take your prospect on an emotional rollercoaster. And of course, salvation is found in the form of your product.

As long as you can grab your prospect emotionally you can hold their attention, persuade and compel them to BUY.

3. Be BOLD

Fortune favors the bold. And nowhere more so than in sales copy.

Your copy needs to be forceful, strong, audacious. Don’t hold back.

Now, I’m not suggesting you SHOUT to get attention.

You’ll see that a lot in business opportunity/internet marketing sales copy where folks think shouting the loudest pulls in the most attention.

In some cases that’s true, you WILL stand out... but for the wrong reasons.

The trick is to be bold in your IDEAS.

Think big and cut through the noise and this will spread throughout your copy.

Boldness communicates confidence.

Confidence in your message, in your sales pitch, in your product or service.

4. Mind-reading

“Nobody understands me! I wish somebody would understand my situation!”

That’s the thought looping around your prospect’s mind.

They feel misunderstood, unloved, unappreciated.

When your prospect lands on your video sales letter, they’re in PAIN.

And they’re looking for something to ease that pain. Cue: your sales presentation.

You need to enter the conversation going on in the prospect’s mind.

5. Curiosity

Want your viewers hanging on every word of your VSL?

Pique their curiosity.

Make it so they absolutely MUST know what’s coming next. How?

My favorite way is with open loops.

Now, you’ve probably come across a ton of these in VSLs before.

They can sometimes be clumsily put together and clearly sign-posted (big mistake). For instance...

“I’ll tell you all about my brand new money-making shortcut in just a sec, first...”

That’s called opening the loop.

And now your audience is silently begging you to close that loop and complete their knowledge.

6. Give Them HOPE

Now you’ve got your prospect feeling safe and secure that you understand them... that you know all about their problem because you had the same problem too…

It’s crucial to offer up some hope.

The answer. The solution.

You’ve got it and they want it. However…

Don’t just give up the goods right away. That would be a mistake.

Give them hope... paint a picture of their ideal outcome... get them juiced up about the solution they’re about to receive and all the cool things that go along with it.

7. The Hollywood Blockbuster Secret

Think of a really great popcorn movie.

For me, as a child of the 80’s, it’s stuff like Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Jaws or Indiana Jones.

Stories that take you on a journey, on a rollercoaster ride.

If you look at the structure of blockbuster movies, you’ll notice they punctuate the storytelling and plot developments with action scenes.

The more explosive the better. Why?

Because it holds your focus, it literally JOLTS you to attention.

You’re reasonably absorbed by the story, the characters and then -- wham! -- something blows up, somebody dies, something major happens and it blind-sided you.

There’s a rhythm to these kinds of movies so the pace never lags. You don’t get time to doze off or think about your shopping list.

And when you tell a story in your VSL, you’ve got to think the same way.

In fact, it’s even more critical because you don’t have special effects to fall back on. Just pure Hollywood-style storytelling.

No pressure, right? 🙂

Now It’s Your Turn

A VSL that compels, converts and pulls in the cash can transform a struggling business into a 7 or 8-figure giant.

I’ve seen it happen! Working with clients like Natural Health Sherpa, Paleo Hacks, SunCoast Sciences, Social Man, Jason Capital and Ramit Sethi… I’ve seen how a business can transform when it’s powered by video sales letters.

Right now we’re offering the VSL Total Package where we can help you launch a complete sales funnel, optimize it, AND get traffic to it.

Want to know more?

🎧 Catch me on Skype, mattoconnor1
📧 Email matt@conversiongods.com

Or click here and fill in the form.

To higher conversions,

--Matt O’Connor