I think I have lost a lot of potential opportunity to collect an email from interested people.
I know I should probably have: a headline, maybe a sub headline, a call to action, some features, some testimonials, and a second call to action at the bottom.
I am curious if there is one thing that would make a real difference on a landing page.
What is your best tip based on your own experience with landing pages?
Other than that, I compiled a list of tips a while back that should help you get a better intuition of what you need beyond the mechanics (sure, you need a headline, but what makes it good?):
http://yourlandingpagesucks.com/startup-landing-page-teardow...
If I tried to boil it down to the basics, it's mostly about trying to put yourself in the shoes of a potential customer with very little time to waste:
* What's in it for me? => Value proposition / claims
* Prove it => Proof
"I've rewritten 300+ websites for startups from pre-seed to unicorn. Here are my top learnings"
https://twitter.com/maiale/status/1419687196311752704
A follow-up twitter thread from the same author:
"..there's a template I recommend to almost every startup. Here it is"
https://twitter.com/maiale/status/1420413778592628741
The related Hacker News thread - only 6 comments:
- What pain are you solving for? - What's your solution to this pain? - What's the proof that your solution works?
Just look at kickstarter campaigns. There's the actual idea, which I'm interested in, or not. And then there's backup of how good the idea actually is, benefits I may not have thought of, and then a ream of validation; the team, how much work they've spent developing the idea, the execution plan, future direction, etc, etc, ad nauseam to be honest.
Personally, I prefer to just see the minimum; the idea, perhaps some surprising use-cases, and plausible execution plans, but clearly the kitchen-sink approach also works.
Sounds like you are doing it right.
When I see a "landing page" collecting email addresses, I assume that there is no product, there is just someone doing some half-assed marketing. On the other hand, when a page shows an actual products, demos, and a way to create an account and start using the product, I'll take it seriously.
The audience cares much more about themselves than you. So talk about the audience first, then introduce yourself by connecting to their interests. Like other comments mentioned, the audience's problems/pains is a good place to start. (Then introduce yourself by showing how you provide benefit by solving that pain.)
Also prefer a casual, friendly tone (talking in 2nd person) over a formal, official tone (talking in 3rd person.) People think a formal, official tone makes them look more prestigious, but people tend to trust the casual friendly tone more. The best, strongest recommendations are from your closest friends, so use the same tone you would use talking to one of them.
As for the headline, it is probably the most important component because none of the other content matters if the headline doesn't grab their attention. The best headlines get the audience to ask themselves a burning question in their head.
The main call-to-action should be to exchange something of value for contact information. Most people will need more information before they are converted. You can't continue the conversation without contact information. Those who are really interested will find a way to sign up/buy even if the CTA for that isn't directly in front of them.
This type of writing is called direct response marketing. It has been used successfully long before the internet was a thing: mail, newspapers, radio, tv, etc... The landing page is just another medium/communication channel.
So, one thing that would make a real difference to a landing page. An appreciation of the foundational blocks of a landing page, which are:
1. The contextual factors: business, market, your solution, target audience, positioning, tactic, financial.
2. The Key Narratives: basically where they are now, and where they will be in the future with your solution.
3. The Overall Narrative:
a. What Are You?
b. Who Are You For?
c. What Do You Know About Me?
d. What Do You Do?
e. How Do You Do It?
f. What’s In It For Me?
g. Why Should I Believe You?
h. How Do I Get It?
I'll share the link now, but like I said, this is just v1, not had a chance to put up v2 yet: https://startizer.com/blog/startup-landing-page-guide
Everything else is superfluous.
Just spend few day here at this curated and inspiration platforms:
1. SinteInspire
2. Land-Book
3. Lapa Ninja
4. GodlyWebsites
5. SaaSlandingPage
After that you will understand what type/structure/design/features/texts you need for your own product.
Good luck!