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- Steal These Thoughts 21.02.23 | How To Write Course Pages That Drive Value
Steal These Thoughts 21.02.23 | How To Write Course Pages That Drive Value
How To Write Better Course Pages
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What does this mean...
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The Big Thought
Most course sign-up landing pages suck.Sorry, but it’s true!Most read like an obituary with boring long intros and the dreaded bullet point list of “you’ll learn” blah, blah, blah.It’s the standard structure used in the industry. But, it sucks. Period.First, let's break down why the traditional course sign-up landing page doesn't work.
The headline is often dull or confusing ( a title of x workshop is not a title!)
The opening paragraph is either too long, salesy, or both.
There’s rarely a WIIFM statement (what’s in it for me, btw).
I’ve never seen one utilise social proof well.
Of course, outliers exist. But I’m talking about the masses here.I’ve been in the workplace L&D profession for 16 years. I’ve seen, written and grimaced at these things thousands of times at this point.Often, good experiences don’t succeed because they’re positioned poorly. I don’t want your course to fall into this dead zone.Let’s move from stating obvious problems to getting stuck into tactical solutions.Here’s how to elevate your workshop invites for maximum value.FYI, value is the keyword here.I don't want to help you promote sh*t. No matter how good your content copy is. If the course sucks, it sucks.This is about helping people get stuff of value on the radar.Anyway, back to our framework.
Part 1: The Headline
This is the Godfather to our Corleone family. Or for those who aren’t into films, it’s the key ingredient that makes everything else work.(side note, I had a massive man crush on Marlon Brando after watching the film and even started behaving like the godfather for a few days after. My family put an end to that though).I would say 90% of us engage with content based on the headline.So, a headline should provide 3 things - problem, promise, and outcome.
Problem = what is the problem I should know?
Promise = what are you going to teach me?
Outcome = how will I change?
As an example 👇“Feedback is tough? Let us show you how to be confident and drive value with your feedback”.A simple formula you can steal is problem + promise x outcome = awesome headline.Get this right and the rest is like falling dominoes.
Learn how to use ChatGPT as an idea generator for your course pages.
Part 2: The Opening Sentence
Our attention train moves to the next level.The opening sentence must hook in your viewers or it’s over. Here we want to not let our good work on the headline go to waste.We want to build on our headline by getting specific on what people can expect. You want to say what most do over 3 paragraphs in one line. As an example 👇“In 90 minutes our expert coaches will transform you into a feedback athlete. You’ll learn the tools, tactics and techniques that fuel great feedback and build high-performing teams”.Here we use a few tools to keep attention at peak level:
We’re clear on time commitment
We use social proof with ‘expert coaches’
We build upon our promise in our headline with ‘the tools, tactics and techniques’
We nod to a transformation in the attendees into a ‘feedback athlete’ and the ability to build high-performing teams with this insight.
Part 3: The Main Event
Ok, we’ve reeled in the audience. Now it’s time to get specific!(I’m not sure where this fishing analogy is coming from. I’ve never fished in my life, btw).Here we’re going to get specific by answering, how will they grow?I call this the main event because our headline is the trailer. The opening sentence is our moment of intrigue. The main event is where we deliver the goods.What we don't want to do here is rattle off a list of bullets about what’s in the course. Instead, we’ll position how it will change them for the better.Here’s a framework to help you out:
Focus on how they will transform after the experience.
Don’t sell it like a product.
Focus on 3 key insights they’ll take away.
And an example:“Building your feedback muscle is a marathon, not a sprint. This session will walk through key tools to apply in your daily routine for immediate impact.We’ll pay special attention to the psychology of feedback, why we need it and how to use it effectively”.How does that feel? I’m not going to hold it against you if the last sentence is formatted into bullet points. That can work too. Just ensure the context is clear and not salesy.Disrupting the traditional framework makes you stand out.
Part 4: The Closer
Ok, we’ve hooked them in, seduced them and now it’s time to close the deal.That sounds a bit odd, but anyway.This part is all about converting our viewers into a customer. Here we can use a clear and simple call to action to make this happen.Something like this hits the spot:"So, if you want to move from ‘I suck at this’ to ‘I got this’. Then come and join us to explore how feedback will accelerate your performance. 500 people have loved this so far."We want to cover 3 parts here:
FOMO: Lean on that fear of missing out on something great
Social proof: Including the last line makes the reader think twice about what others are doing. Individual testimonials are powerful here too.
Summarise the transformation: Our first sentence cements the transformation on offer.
You Did It!
Now you can go forth and write workshop signup pages that captivate your audience.The goal of all of this is to grab people’s attention so you can give them valuable opportunities. Use this knowledge wisely.
Content that has caught my attention and might interest you too.
Me in the project retro with the stakeholder who I told their 'interactive' learning experience wouldn't deliver value.
If you're curious, here's two ways I can help you 👇
1/ My L&D toolkit stack with 20 free tools.2/ Get 10 tools, templates and frameworks to level up your career in my How To Win In The Careerverse playbook. Available on Amazon too.Please do share your thoughts with me on these pieces or anything I share on the Twitterverse and LinkedIn. Chat to you soon.
"Always ask: What am I missing? And listen to the answer" Strauss Zelnick
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