In partnership with

THIS WEEK’S LESSON

Why Your Landing Page Fails to Convert

I had a call with a Former Educator Founder this week about her landing page for a summer program launch. She made a classic mistake. One that you and I have both done countless times.

Jumping straight to the solution without warming up the audience.

Having classroom expertise doesn't automatically translate to business success. And you don't stand out in a crowded marketplace by jumping straight to your solution.

The Fatal Landing Page Mistake

Her page started with: "Here's my product!"

No warming up. No curiosity. No interest built.

It's like when my wife walks in after a long day of work and there I am, standing in all my glory. It always seems like a good idea at the time. It never works.

The AIDA Formula for Landing Page Success

Gary Halbert, arguably the greatest copywriter of all time, explained AIDA perfectly:

• "First, get the reader's attention.

• Second, get him interested.

• Third, make him desire what you are selling.

• Fourth, compel him to take whatever action is needed."

Despite his questionable life choices (he landed in jail for selling millions of a product he never shipped), his copywriting wisdom remains unmatched.

You can read how Gary explains AIDA in this letter he wrote to his son from jail.

From Solution-First to Story-First

We changed her headline from product-focused to this attention-grabber:

"The Day I Lost a Kindergarten Teacher... In December."

Makes you want to keep reading, right? That's the point.

We then built interest with a story.

A story where she made a massive mistake. It felt embarrassing to share. But it's going to work.

Why? Because it's relatable.

Every principal reading her story will nod their heads. "Yup, I've done something like that."

By starting with a real story she is following a key tenet of Category Design: Start with the problem. Not the solution.

And because of this honest retelling of a big mistake. They will trust her. Her story says: I get what you are experiencing. I've been there too.

This trust will lead to desire for her program. Now she can talk about her solution. Then close the deal.

Creating Clear Action Steps

When it comes to the Action part of AIDA, clarity beats clever every time.

We wrote:

"The application takes 90 seconds to complete. Write your name. Share your contact details. Tell us why you want to be in the program. When you're done, make sure you hit submit.

Then, we'll follow up with a call to answer any questions you have and make sure we can overdeliver for you."

Former Educator Founders make common marketing mistakes - waiting for the perfect moment, misunderstanding their business priorities, and doing everything but money-generating activities.

The truth is: an average idea that's implemented beats a brilliant idea that exists only in your head.

The Bottom Line

You can never be too clear. And clear is always better than clever.

How might this change a landing page you're working on right now?