Even in this changing world of advertising and marketing where user-generated opinion is increasingly influencing users' decision to purchase products, a strong sales letter is still important.

Two important points that need to be made first:

1. Ideally you have a sales letter (however short) per product - especially in the case of book, seminars or other information products.

2. Rather than getting caught up in the long-copy versus short-copy debate, think in terms of the most efficient way to incorporate all 8 elements into your sales letter, length can then be dealt with in the editing process. I do have this recommendation - if you are new at writing sales copy, then tend toward shorter and simpler rather than long and verbose. You may lose a few sales for missing a key benefit or two, but you will lose many more by being long and boring.

CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF SALES LETTER

You need enough copy to accomplish the following:

1. Attract your reader and pull them into the first paragraphs of your sales letter. The great copywriter Joe Sugerman put it best by saying that the job of each element on your sales page is to get the reader to the next element. For example, the job of your headline is to keep your reader's interest enough to look at the sub-headline, who's job it is to get your reader to read your first paragraph, and so on...

2. Re-create the pain they are experiencing - creating a sense that you really "GET" where they are emotionally. Placing your reader in the emotional and visual description of "life without" your solution is a superb technique to instill urgency in your reader. Suddenly, a passing interest in your material can change to a desperate, rabid desire. Most purchase decisions are based on emotion, understand how emotions such as fear, greed, and the desire for prestige and flattery fit into the desire for your products and services

3. Establish credibility through case study, credentials, testimonials, accomplishments, or any other way you can. Your reader must trust you, like you and feel that you really have what they desire. They must feel they are making a bigger risk by not purchasing your product than by purchasing from you.

4. Briefly - tell them about your solution and why it's unique which leads directly into....

5. Benefits! And lots of them. Your sub-headings should contain benefits. You should have benefit bullets with strong statement of how their life will change once they have read and applied your material.

6. Guarantee. Your guarantee is all about taking risk out of the decision. Remove the objection of risk can pave the way for a quick sale.

7. Your Offer. After your headline and first paragraph, your reader will often jump directly to your offer. So, a great offer reiterates your most compelling benefit and unique value proposition while adding value (through bonuses, future commitment, etc..) and where possible, creating a sense of urgency that can push your reader over the hump and make them buy today.

8. Final compelling benefit in the form of a P.S. Readers often jump to your P.S.; I have found a strong P.S. statement can have a very significant impact on conversion rates. You want to be sincere and re-state your top 1 or 2 benefits, again painting a picture of what your prospect's life will be like when they apply your information.

This is largely the structure of all successful sales letters - of course there are techniques to improve design and layout as well, but the key is the words structured around the 8 elements above.

Concern yourself with having all these elements, without any filler and you will have the right length of sales letter.