I’ve been writing online copy for more than 15 years, and for the last 10, I’ve had a particular fascination with sales pages.

For services. For courses. For memberships and group programs.

I’ve written them, rescued them, critiqued them.

I’ve been interviewed on podcasts about them.

I’ve taught live workshops to hundreds of people.

Basically: I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what makes a sales page work.

So if you’re about to write (or rewrite) yours, here are 10 things I want you to know before you get started.

1. It doesn’t have to be a page on your website – it can be a Notion page, Google Doc, PDF, or a very long Facebook post. Sometimes that’s even better.

A sales page is just a place where someone can understand what they get in exchange for their money, why they would want that, and how to tell you it’s a ‘yes’.

That doesn’t have to be a fancy, gorgeously designed webpage.

A Google Doc or Notion page is often quicker to create and easier to tweak, perfect if you’re testing a new idea, selling to a small warm audience, or evolving your offer on the fly.

Bonus: Informal formats can feel more personal and human, which is a win if your audience is tired of slick-but-empty marketing.

2. The sales page is nowhere near as important as the offer you’re selling.

I’ve seen this play out so many times with copywriting clients.

They bring me in to rewrite a sales page they’re embarrassed about – scrappy, thrown together, not their best work – and yet it’s already made them tens of thousands of pounds.

Why?

Because they have a strong connection with their audience, which meant they were able to create an offer that their audience genuinely wanted.

(And if you want help building offers your audience is excited to say yes to, I cover exactly that in the Irresistible Offers course.)

3. It needs to sound like you.

Your sales page is just one step in the journey. If someone’s followed you on Instagram, joined your list, watched a webinar, and then lands on a page that suddenly sounds like a QVC commercial, it’s jarring.

It breaks the trust.

The sales page needs to feel like a continuation of a conversation you were already having with them, not like an interruption from a loud TV ad.

4. The goal of the sales page isn’t to convince someone they want a result, it’s to show them how you can help them get that result they already want.

I see so many sales pages doing too much. Pages that spend paragraphs trying to prove that the reader has a problem, should care about it, should want it solved, and should believe that a solution will change their life.

If you’re doing all that, the page is working too hard, and probably not working well.

The sales page isn’t there to generate desire from scratch. It’s there to say:

“I see you’re trying to solve [this problem] and move toward [this outcome]. I’ve got something that can help.”

That’s it. Clarity over convincing.

5. The top of the sales page is just there to get people to keep reading, not to sell your thing.

People get stuck on the first line like it’s got to be some lightning bolt of persuasion.

They can’t write the rest of the page because they can’t settle on the perfect hook.

Here’s what I do instead: I write the whole page first. By the time I’ve done that, the top-line usually reveals itself, something clear, simple, and relevant emerges in the copy and I borrow it for the top-line.

It doesn’t need to be magic.

It just needs to tell the right people why they should keep reading.

Who’s this for? Why now? Is there a deadline or time-sensitive detail they should know up front?

That’s more useful than cleverness.

6. The length of the page is not dependent on the price of the offer.

Sales pages for low-cost offers might actually need to be longer than high-cost ones.

It sounds backwards, but just because something’s only £9 doesn’t mean it sells itself.

Lower-cost offers are often bought by people who don’t know you well yet, so they need more context, not less. You’re earning their trust, explaining your approach, and helping them feel confident that even a small investment won’t be wasted.

Meanwhile, a higher-cost offer might be sold to someone who’s followed you for years, already loves your work, and just needs the basics before they hit “buy.”

Length isn’t dependent just on the price. It’s about how ready the reader is to say yes.

7. Put the price on if you want. Leave it off if you prefer.

This one gets people in a twist, but there’s no single right answer, only what works best for you and the way you like to sell.

If it’s a service, ask yourself:

• Do I want people to know the price before we talk?
• Will I dread the awkward reveal on a call?
• Do I have the time or energy to speak to people who might not be able (or willing) to pay my rates?

If it’s a course or digital product, hiding the price it just makes people click through to the checkout to hunt it down. And when they bounce off that page, you might think the checkout is broken… when really, they were just trying to find the cost.

8. You don’t necessarily want a ‘Buy Now’ button.

If your offer involves any kind of filter – application, discovery call, expression of interest – then your call to action should reflect that. A ‘Buy Now’ button can feel jarring or confusing if it skips steps your buyer expects to take first.

I’ve written a whole post about how to choose the right next step and make it crystal clear:

→ Read it here – What Should Your Call To Action Be?

9. FAQs are just the sales page content reflected in a different way.

They’re not a dumping ground for awkward details or random afterthoughts. They’re a chance to repeat and reframe the most important parts of your offer – the who, the what, the how, and the “but what if…”

Some people skim the top, scroll straight to the bottom, and only read the FAQs. So don’t be afraid to echo the key messages you’ve already covered – it’s not lazy, it’s smart.

10. If your sales page isn’t converting, it’s not always the copy – it could be the offer, the timing, or the traffic.

Are the right people seeing it?

Are they seeing it at the right moment, with enough context and connection to say yes?

Is the offer clear, relevant, and something they already want?

Your sales page might not be the problem – but it’s often the first place we point the finger.

I go deeper into how to figure out what’s really going on over here:

→ Sales Sleuth – How To Investigate A Sales Page That’s Not Converting