If you’ve got an online biz, you’ve probably heard the term “landing page.”
But what does it actually mean?
I just recorded an entire podcast episode explaining this in depth…
check it out here.
A landing page is a simple webpage designed to get people to opt into receiving emails from you.
Because email marketing is absolutely critical for a stable, long-term biz.
It’s on Wednesday, April 6 and free when you RSVP and let me know you're coming.
An “opt-in” or “registration” landing page often offers something of value in exchange for an email address, like:
- A webinar or online training.
- A freebie (ebook, cheat sheet, checklist, or some sort of downloadable guide).
- A free multi-day online challenge.
- A virtual summit.
The cool thing about landing pages is… because there’s only ONE action to take, you can keep it pretty short and direct.
But even though the page is quick, there are a few critical components you absolutely need. And if you don’t have these things, your landing page likely won’t perform well for you.
So let’s put on our scrubs… and dive into the (Grey’s) anatomy of a landing page.
(Sorry, I’m still super obsessed. LOL)
Landing Page 101: The 4 Key Aspects You Need Create a High Performing Landing Page + Grow Your Email List
1. A compelling hook.
As in, a short punchy statement right at the top of the page that makes the reader think, “Yes I want that.”
What you’re offering should address a problem they’ve been having or something they desire.
For example, one of my most popular online challenges teaches busy women how to get back an hour or more in their day. And because I have a lot of moms and working women in my community… I know this is a pain point they have.
Maybe your audience feels stressed and anxious all the time. So they want to learn how to manage that better.
Or maybe you have more of a business audience… and they want to learn how to improve their email performance
A compelling hook addresses what they want… and makes a strong promise as to what they’ll get out of handing over their email address to you – in under 3 seconds.
We all have squirrel brains now… so you gotta hit ‘em with the razzle dazzle if you want them to take action.
Pro Tip: Want to see masterful hooks in action?
Go to Amazon. Look at the Bestseller List.
Or, grab a magazine. My fav ones are tabloids and women’s magazines like Cosmo. LOL
They’re FULL of eye-catching hooks right on the cover.
2. A transition to benefits.
A huge mistake many landing page writers make is focus on the features right away.
But the fact is… People don’t buy features. They buy benefits. They buy emotion.
And by “buy” I mean buying INTO an action with you.
So right after your compelling hook… your landing page needs to get into the BENEFITS.
What they’ll get out of engaging with you.
Here’s an example.
Let’s take a food delivery service – like Uber Eats or DoorDash.
Benefits would be:
You get to eat from your fav restaurants – without ever leaving the house.
You don’t have to hunt for a menu… get on the phone… place your order… put on real pants (which is honestly the worst part of picking up takeout LOL)... get in the car and go get it.
Then drive BACK home to enjoy it.
Nope, with DoorDash, you get to stay home in your joggers with ratty hair on top of your head… and still enjoy your fav sushi or pizza or salad – from the comfort of your home.
Which saves you tons of time and effort.
See how that’s about the benefit?
If DoorDash focused on the features, they’d be talking about their actual app
Like, you download an app on your phone.
You can search for restaurants, choose pickup or delivery, and see your past orders.
BORRRINNNNGGGGGG.
Remember… no one cares about features. They care about BENEFITS.
AKA: What they’ll get out of it.
3. Freebie facts.
This could be where your features go… but I suggest you include benefits here too.
Including facts on your landing page helps people understand what they’re actually signing up for.
And I’ll be honest with ya… a lot of people (even super successful entrepreneurs) suck at this part.
Why?
Because they stay fluffy.
Lots of big words and promises… and they miss the mark on grounding it into a practical reality for the reader.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to landing pages like this and had NO idea what I would actually experience if I signed up.
And I live this stuff day in and day out!
I can only imagine how many people are bouncing off pages like this because it sounds like a lot of promise… and not much substance.
Which I don’t want to have happen for you.
Here is an example of how you blend features with benefits.
Let’s say you have an ebook guide.
And in your features section you turn: 10 kid-friendly recipes into… 10 kid-friendly recipes… even the pickiest of eaters will love.
See how that little tweak blends features and benefits into one bullet?
Why is this important?
Because wasting food and money trying new recipes for kids is often a concern parents have.
When you add a bit of benefit to a feature, it actually helps calm the parts of the brain that try to throw up red flags about making a change.
You see, as much as we think we want change… it can be uncomfortable. And we tend to default to comfort.
So if you can keep bringing in benefits, you can use that to overcome potential objections.
Just keep those benefits short and direct.
4. A call to action.
A call to action is a very specific action you tell them to take.
Which for you could be:
- Download now.
- Sign up here.
- Join the workshop.
The truth is… people want to be told what to do.
I know that sounds counter-intuitive (especially if you have kids LOL) but it’s true.
Your landing page should have ONE call to action on it.
In my experience, the more options you offer people… the less likely they are to do ANYTHING.
So be very clear about what you want them to do… which is to give you their email address to receive whatever it is you’re offering.
Everything on your page needs to be leading to this ONE call to action.
And it’s specifically intended to build your email list.
Fun fact: did you know that when you add email marketing to your social media efforts, your chances of getting someone to work with you – or buy from you – jump from 12.5% to over 60%?
Yep.
That alone is reason enough to prioritize building an email list.
And the easiest (most scalable) way to consistently build that list is through a high performing landing page.
I’ll explain how landing pages work in more detail – with actual visuals to show you where things go and why.
As well as (and this is the part I’m actually most excited about) a live demo of a landing page being built – so you can watch it be done in real time.
I’ve done similar tutorial style workshops before and they are ALWAYS popular… and people walk away feeling like they know what to do right away to see results.
So if YOU know you need a strong Landing Page to build your email list… but don’t exactly know what to do or what to say or where to even start… this workshop’s for you!
It’s on Wednesday, April 6th from 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern.
It’s normally $97 but I know this will really help your biz so if you show up live, I’ll cover the cost for ya.
See ya there!
XO,
Hayley