By Carole Nickerson
Expert Author

A sales page is only as good as it's ability to keep a person's attention. Promoting affiliate products presents some unique obstacles and pitfalls which people fall into every day without realizing it. Sales copy is everywhere and as more people compete to promote a single product, the harder it gets.

It has become well known that writing articles, reviews and personal recommendations are good methods for generating traffic and sales to both your website and affiliate products, but more often than not they all have the same tone with nothing unique or eye-catching. Unfortunately, just saying "this is great" or "this is the best I've seen" has become so common that it's right up there with 'banner blindness', which I guess we could call 'hype blindness'.

People have likely seen ads or articles about the product already from other sources, so may already have an impression about it and just need that extra nudge to buy. Some people don't buy until they've seen it a few times. So, at what point do they suddenly decide to buy? What is the determining factor?

I believe that the key motivation lies within your ability to focus their attention, not just capture it. You can greatly increase the chances of them biting onto your hook instead of the other guy's - simply by fishing with better bait.

Here are 5 simple strategies you can use to get people interested in reading a sales page, before they even see it:

1. Relate to their doubts, fears, needs or wants

People don't start out trusting you (unless they know you), so it's something you must build through every sentence to convince them that you're on "their side". One way of doing this is by relating to their situation. You are essentially mirroring their own problems in the context of "I" and then showing them that there is a solution. When you mention specific areas of the sales page casually that left a big impression on you, it gets them interested.

Here are some examples:

"I thought it was just another scam at first, but when I read the part about. . . . "

"I was getting desperate to find a way to get traffic to my site, so when I read. . . . "

"I had invested so much into my web business already but when I saw. . . "

"I thought I knew everything about super widgets until. . . . . "



2. Tell people to look for hints and tips on the page

There's nothing like a little mystery to get people interested. It's just human nature. Tell them that if they pay close attention, they'll pick up on some tips.

For example: "If you read carefully, you'll easily pick out some of the secrets from this ebook. . . . "



3. Tell them what to read!

Instead of just listing benefits, focus on key areas that make the product stand out and address the reader's interest. You could actually write a number of articles based on a single products different features. (More on that concept later)

Example: "The part that got my attention was. . . . . " and "Read the part about . . . . . . . and you'll see what I mean. "



4. Tell people they can get something for free

They don't know there's anything free on the page until they either get there or you tell them. This is compelling way to get them to click and start looking for the goods!

Example: "Don't forget to look for their free widget tips newsletter. . . . . " or "When you visit, look for their free magical widgets guide. . . . "



5. Promote time-sensitive offers

This is usually good at the bottom of an article or review as an extra push in the right direction. I wouldn't make too big a deal out of it though. You don't want them to feel pushed by you, you want them to push themselves to a conclusion.

Example: "Right now they're offering the big book of super widget success up until next week, so I grabbed my copy yesterday. . . . "

It all comes down to writing in such a way that it compells them to read the sales page and pay close attention to what it offers. If I can sell them on the sales page, I know I have a better chance of selling the product.

About the Author:
Carole Nickerson has been a web developer and internet marketer since 1998. She now spends her days actively filling up her new blog with all she has learned. To find more free articles, tips, and resources like this visit: http://www.CaroleNickerson.com