Long copy vs short copy for your course sales page

What’s the ideal length for sales page copy?

The ideal length of your copy depends on how much persuasion is needed.

The bigger the gap between where your reader is now and the action you want them to take, the more copy you’ll need.

If you’re asking for a small action like signing up for a free newsletter, a short amount of copy might be enough. But if your sales page is asking someone to make a bigger decision like purchasing a high-ticket course, they’ll need more convincing.

It’s not about hitting a specific word count. The more doubts or questions they have, the more time and information you need to address those concerns.

How long is the journey?

If you’re traveling a short distance, it doesn’t take much time or preparation. But if you’re traveling across the country, you’ll need more time, planning, and resources for the trip.

The same goes for copy. The distance between here and there determines how much copy is needed. If there’s a big gap, you need more copy to bridge it, otherwise you won’t get people to the target destination.

Cutting the journey short just leaves your reader lost with unanswered questions, making them less likely to take action.

Why are people afraid of long copy?

One of the most common objections any copywriter gets from clients is, “Is it too long?” So let’s explore where this widespread concern comes from when it comes to long copy vs short copy.

”People have short attention spans”

Many people worry that long copy will bore readers. The idea is that people have short attention spans and won’t read anything longer than a few paragraphs. This belief leads to the assumption that shorter copy is always better.

But the truth is, people will read as much as they need to if they’re genuinely interested in what you’re offering.

If your copy is engaging and relevant, length isn’t an issue. The key is to ensure every word serves a purpose and keeps the reader moving toward the decision you want them to make.

”People don’t read long content online”

With so much information available and a trend towards short video content, it’s easy to think that readers will skim or skip long copy entirely. This can make you think shorter copy is more effective because it’s quick and easy to digest.

But the reality is that people do read long content online—as long as it’s valuable to them and in the right context.

If your copy speaks directly to their needs, concerns, or desires, they’ll stick with it. It’s not the length that matters, but the relevance and quality of what you’re saying.

”Long copy is overwhelming”

Some people think long copy (vs short copy) will overwhelm readers, causing them to lose interest or feel burdened with too much information. The fear is that presenting too much at once will scare people off, leading them to abandon the page altogether.

But long copy doesn’t need to mean essay-length walls of text. It can still be easy to navigate and digest if it’s well-structured.

You can guide readers through the page by breaking up the text with headers, bullet points, and visuals. Then they can skip to the parts that matter most to them.

Pro tip

Check out Ramit Sethi’s sales pages for a masterclass in long long copy. Notice how the design and formatting makes it easy to keep moving through the page.

Costs of (too) short copy

There are real risks that come with cutting your message down too much: you might leave out important information needed to convince the reader to buy.

When you prioritise brevity, it’s easy to:

• Miss key persuasion points - Important details that could sway the decision might get cut, leaving the reader with doubts that prevent them from buying.
• Fail to address objections - Short copy often skips over potential objections, which can leave the reader unconvinced by the end of the page.
• Oversimplify your message - Complex ideas or products need more space to be explained properly. Shortening the message can make it too basic or vague.

Remember, short copy can work, but it takes skill and precision. It’s not the length that makes short copy effective—it’s the fact that every word is carefully chosen and fine-tuned to deliver maximum impact. That normally takes a very experienced copywriter.

Factors that should affect long copy vs short copy

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but here are the main factors that determine whether you’ll need long copy vs short copy to persuade people to convert on your course sales page.

1. Price

Lower-priced items usually need less persuasion, while higher-priced products need more detailed explanations to justify the cost, address concerns, and convince buyers that they’re making a smart decision with their finances.

Specific ways higher prices make your copy longer:

• More detailed product description - Explaining exactly what the buyer is getting for their money.
• Value justification - Demonstrating why the product is worth the price in terms of the outcome value.
• Comparisons to competitors - Showing why your higher-priced option is the best choice relative to competitors and alternative approaches.

For lower-priced items, shorter copy is often enough because the decision involves less risk and requires less reassurance.

2. Risk

When the perceived risk is low, readers feel more comfortable making a quick decision. But when the perceived risk is high, they’ll need more assurance and details to feel confident.

Where they might see risk:

• Product’s effectiveness - Will the product actually work as promised, or is there a chance it could fail?
• Feasibility of outcomes - Does the reader believe they can realistically achieve the promised results, or are there significant obstacles that might prevent success?
• Impact of buying - What are the potential consequences of making the purchase? Could it lead to regret, financial strain, or unintended outcomes?

A good example of a perceived high-risk product is a course about nonmonogamy. Deciding to open a relationship inherently comes with risk, so readers would need long copy vs short copy to address concerns and thoroughly explain what the course involves.

3. Ego-involvement

When a decision ties closely to someone’s ego or identity, it typically requires more convincing. If the purchase challenges their beliefs or self-image, they’ll need more reassurance to feel comfortable moving forward.

Examples of situations with higher ego-involvement:

• Switching to a plant-based diet - A course that encourages people to adopt a plant-based diet may conflict with their current identity as a meat-eater, especially if they’ve spent years justifying or enjoying their diet. They’ll need more copy to align this new approach with their self-image.
• Adopting a more traditional parenting approach - A course that teaches more traditional parenting methods might challenge someone already invested in child-led parenting. They’d need convincing that this shift won’t invalidate their past choices.
• Starting a new career later in life - Transitioning to a new career after years in a different field can challenge someone’s sense of identity. Longer copy might be needed to reassure them that shifting gears is okay.

For decisions with low ego-involvement, shorter copy is often fine because the reader doesn’t feel as personally challenged.

4. Skepticism

When people are skeptical, they need more detailed and convincing copy to ease any doubts. The more skeptical your audience is, the longer your copy needs to be to build trust and provide enough proof to overcome their concerns.

Examples of situations with higher skepticism:

• Products in a “scammy” niche - If you’re selling a product in a niche known for exaggerated claims or scams (like weight loss supplements or “make money” niches), your audience will naturally be more skeptical. You’ll need longer copy with plenty of evidence and testimonials to show your product is legitimate.
• Lesser-known brands - When your brand isn’t well-known, potential customers might hesitate to trust you. You’ll need long copy (vs short copy) to cover your background, mission, and why they should trust you over other options.
• Complex or unfamiliar products - For products that are complex or not widely understood (like new technology or products in emerging niches), readers might be skeptical about whether they need it or how it works.

You should always handle objections regardless of skepticism levels, but you don’t need to be as thorough if their natural skepticism is low.

5. Awareness

Your audience’s awareness level affects how much copy you need. They may be unaware of the problem; know the problem but not that solutions exist; know about solutions but not your product; or be ready to buy but need a final push.

The earlier they are in the awareness stages, the more copy it takes to guide them toward making a purchase:

• Unaware stage - Requires a much longer problem section at the top of the page to educate the reader about the issue and why it matters.
• Problem-aware stage - Still needs a problem section but not as detailed—just enough to bring the problem front of mind and remind them why they need a solution.
• Product-aware stage - Early sections (like the problem and desire sections) can be much shorter because the audience already understands these aspects.

But be careful. Even if you know a large segment of your audience are product-aware, you still need to be careful with short copy because it excludes people earlier in the stages of awareness.

This is where marketing funnels can be useful to guide people through segmented journeys that are unique to them.

6. Emotion

When the decision involves strong emotions or significant change, it usually requires more copy to ease those fears. The scarier the decision, the more reassurance they need with long copy (vs short copy).

Specific ways this makes your copy longer:

• Detailed explanations of outcomes - Clearly outline the positive outcomes they can expect, helping to ease anxiety about the decision.
• Empathy and reassurance - Use empathetic language to acknowledge their fears and reassure them that the decision is safe and wise.
• Stories and testimonials - Share stories or testimonials from others who faced similar fears and successfully made the decision—and gone on to achieve their goals.

A good example would be a course on overcoming public speaking anxiety. Public speaking is a common fear, so the copy would need to be longer, with plenty of reassurance, detailed outcomes, and testimonials from people who’ve conquered their fear.

7. Consequences

Unlike risks, which are potential negatives to avoid, consequences are certain outcomes that are part of the journey. The more serious or impactful these consequences, the more detail is needed to help the reader feel confident in their choice.

Specific ways this makes your copy longer:

• Thorough exploration of outcomes - You’ll need to clearly explain both the positive and negative outcomes of the decision, helping the reader understand what’s at stake.
• Risk mitigation strategies - You should highlight aspects of your product that reduce or eliminate potential risks associated with the decision.
• Testimonials addressing consequences - If you can, include testimonials from people who can acknowledge the consequences they faced and confirm that making the decision was worth it.

Think of a course on investing in real estate. Since the financial consequences are unavoidable, the copy needs to be longer to ensure the leap seems worthwhile overall.

8. Decision-making

The way people make decisions affects how much copy they need. Some people need more detailed information, while others base it on gut feel or are more spontaneous.

Specific ways decision-making styles affect copy length:

• Analytical decision-makers - They want thorough explanations, data, and case studies to support their decision. Your copy would need to be detailed and logical.
• Emotional decision-makers - They respond to storytelling, imagery, and how the product aligns with their values. Your copy would focus on creating an emotional connection.
• Spontaneous decision-makers - They make quick decisions based on immediate impressions. Your copy could be shorter, with strong calls to action and a focus on the product’s immediate benefits.

It’s rare to have an audience made up entirely of one type, but you can make some general assumptions—for example, engineers might lean more analytical, while yogis might be more emotional. Just be careful that your copy doesn’t exclude some buyers.

9. Complexity

The complexity of your offer affects whether you need long copy vs short copy. A straightforward video course needs less explanation, while a more complex offer with multiple components needs detailed copy to ensure the reader understands everything they’ll receive.

Specific ways complexity should increase copy length:

• Detailed breakdown of components - If your course includes lessons, live sessions, community access, group coaching, and more—you’ll need to explain each component clearly.
• How it all fits together - It’s important to show how the different elements work together to provide value, so the reader sees the full benefit of the offer.
• Time commitment and structure - Explain how the product is structured, including the time commitment and how each part contributes to the overall experience.

The more complex your product, the more care you’ll need to take to make the value of each element completely clear.

10. Trust

Established brands with a strong reputation often need less copy because the trust is already there. New or lesser-known brands, on the other hand, need more detailed copy to build that trust and credibility before people will buy.

Specific ways lower trust would increase copy length:

• Story and mission - You’ll need to provide more background on who you are, your mission, and why you can be trusted to deliver results.
• Social proof - You’d need to include plenty of testimonials, reviews, and case studies to show that others have had positive experiences with your product.
• Transparency and guarantees - It’s extra important to be open about your product’s benefits and limitations and offer guarantees to reduce perceived risk.

Established brands might get away with shorter copy because the trust is already there, but unfamiliar businesses need to do a little more legwork.

Aside from longer copy, you could also build trust with more “face to face” sales formats like webinars. These can build trust and rapport with newer brands much quicker than written copy.

11. Experience

A customer’s past experience with similar products impacts how much copy is needed. If they’ve had positive experiences, they might need less convincing through your course funnel. But if they’ve had negative experiences, you’ll need more detailed copy to rebuild trust.

Specific ways negative past experiences increase copy length:

• Addressing previous disappointments - You’d do well to acknowledge common issues they may have faced before and explain how your product is different.
• Extra reassurance and proof - Provide more testimonials, case studies, or data to show that others who were skeptical ended up satisfied.
• Clear and honest communication - Be transparent about what your product can and cannot do, setting realistic expectations to avoid further disappointment.

For example, if you’re selling a Facebook Ads course and your audience has previously burned money on FB ad campaigns that didn’t work, your copy might need to be longer to persuade them this time will be different.

Importance of making long copy skimmable

One of the biggest challenges with long copy vs short copy is keeping readers engaged from start to finish. By making your content easy to scan, you let readers quickly find the information that matters most.

• Use headers and subheaders - Break up your text with clear headings so readers can jump to sections that interest them most (or skip ones they don’t need).
• Format with bold, italics, underlines - Use text styles to draw the reader’s attention to specific words and phrases (ideally the key persuasion points).
• Use bullet points - Bullet points and numbered lists can break up walls of text so the copy is easier to read.
• Include plenty of visuals - Images, decorative graphics, and colours need to be used all the way through the page so it’s engaging to read.
• Navigation links - For extra long pages, you can add a scroll menu. When someone clicks one of the links, the page would scroll down to that section.

Skimmable copy works because it respects the reader’s time and attention—whether they want to read every word or not.

Key takeaways

The main points to remember about long copy vs short copy are:

• Ideal length varies - The length of your copy depends on how much persuasion is needed. The bigger the gap between where your reader is now and the action you want them to take, the more copy you'll need.
• Short copy can be risky - Cutting your message down too much can leave out important information needed to convince the reader to buy. Short copy can work, but it takes skill and precision.
• There are 11 factors to consider - The ideal length of your copy depends on factors like price, risk, ego-involvement, skepticism, awareness, emotion, consequences, decision-making, complexity, trust, and experience.

Remember, it's not about hitting a specific word count. The more doubts or questions your reader has, the more time and information you need to address those concerns.

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