Pitch Perfect: How This “Simple” Opt-in Page Hits All The Right Notes

My last post looked at principles that great waitlist pages used to build excitement and anticipation for online courses. But there was one example I stumbled across a while back for a “learn to play piano” course. However, this page wasn’t exactly what it first seemed to be…

Ever wanted to learn how to play the piano?

I’m more a bass or guitar kind of guy. But as someone who appreciates good music (even if he can’t play it), I can see why you’d learn such a versatile instrument.

I’m still not 100% sure how I got onto the subject of learning piano (chalk up another one to the Google rabbit hole), I was scanning search results and noticed three videos…

The middle video caught my eye. Who wants to spend 5 minutes learning piano when I can do it in 4?

(As for 24 minutes… ain’t nobody got time for that.)

Once watching the video, I noticed an innocuous link in the description. Like all good lizard-brain owners, I naturally clicked, and it took me to this landing / waitlist / opt-in page.

My first thought: “oh, he’s building a complete course on learning piano. That’s a good idea”.

(Second thought: “21 days… didn’t I just learn it in 4 minutes?”)

Then my professional instincts kicked in and I started to peruse the page with an analytical eye. It took only a quick scan to realise:

This was a great waitlist / opt-in page.

While I don’t have numbers to back up that assertion, this page ticks off a number of boxes that drive demand, the big goal of an opt-in page. And, since learning from well-structured examples is one of the best ways to shape your own marketing, we’re going to dive deeper into the page to see what makes it so effective…

A FIRST-CLASS OFFER

That’s right: one of the biggest success factors isn’t really about the page.

But this is super-important to point out, because time and time again, I see businesses who want incredible copy for an offer that’s mediocre at best. And on each occasion, they would’ve been better served to pour their efforts into fixing their offer, rather than hoping the copy could paper over any cracks.

As maverick copywriter Ben Settle says, “copy is merely a sales multiplier”. Without the solid base of a good offer (and targeting the right people), you’re not going to have much of anything that the copy can multiply.

So, what makes this free 5-day workbook an outstanding offer?

It demonstrates the product: the best way to sell is to show, don’t tell. What better way to do that than to actually give your prospects a taste of the product?

It’s the perfect “teaser”: sure, waitlist pages can (and should) aim to drive demand by creating excitement and anticipation about what’s around the corner. But to actually give prospects a little piece of the product is arguably the best way to have them salivating at the thought of getting their hands on the rest of it.

(OK, “salivating” may be a little over-the-top for something like an online piano course… but you get the point.)

It reduces the risk: “try before you buy” works for a reason. People want to know the product is right for them before they open their wallets. By giving them the first few days of the course, prospects can see whether this is right for them, which helps them come to a buying decision that much faster.

Bonus! Notice the specificity in the workbook’s headline? 36 songs, 5 days. That’s a specific outcome that tells prospects exactly what they’ll “get” from this… which is another way of making the offer even more attractive.

The Not-So-Dark Secret Behind The Page

I don’t think there’s any terrible revelation behind this well-built funnel that looks like it really does help people master the keys, but here goes…

The full course already exists.

So, why has Jacques gone to the trouble to get you to opt-in and wait a week or so before giving you the chance to get full-scale keyboardy goodness?

Well, that’s how a sales funnel works. It’s super tough trying to sell courses to cold audiences, especially in this advertising-saturated world we live in.

Sure, you can buy someone’s momentary attention. And if you put out good content (like Jacques does: there’s over 1 million views on the video I watched), you can get them to stick around.

But if you want wallets or purses to open, you often have to prove yourself first. Give prospects plenty of value. Show them what they’ll become or what they can do with your help.

That’s exactly what this funnel does: give people a chance to try Jacques out before they commit.

(We’ll put the sales page under the microscope in Part 2 of the break-down.)

PILING ON THE PROOF

When you’ve got a rock-solid offer, promoting it becomes a lot easier.

What makes it even easier is when you’ve got a bucketload of proof that shows people love your offer… and Jacques has got exactly that. Here are the two main types of proof he uses.

Authority Proof: “big name” endorsements from influential figures or well-known organisations. This page only has one logo strip based around this, but there are some impressive names on display.

Social Proof: often the more important type of proof, because it shows prospects that people “just like them” are fans. The “Piano in 21 Days” page uses social proof in two ways:

A list of testimonials from seemingly ordinary people
Intermittent pop-ups showing that others have “Joined the Waitlist and Got the eBook”

A FEW FINISHING TOUCHES

Offer: check. Proof: check.

Opt-in pages will often succeed with just these two elements, but this page doesn’t sit on its metaphorical hands and leave it at that. Let’s take a fine-tooth comb to Jacques’ page and see what other “persuasion principles” he uses.

Representing a digital product physically: Notice how the 3D-style workbook images that make them look like a book? That’s no accident. Studies have shown people value physical goods over digital, so introducing a physical element can subtly shift the perceptions of the worth of a digital product.

The call-to-action button: You can’t miss the size, prominence and bold red of the call-to-action button… and that’s exactly the point. They’re like flashing signs that scream “click here!”. Plus, with three instances on the page, you’re never far away from having a button on-screen, waiting for your tap or click.

Few secondary links: One thing you may not have missed was the lack of links throughout the page. That’s because there’s only one “next step” Jacques wants you to take. Secondary links are “leaky” and snatch people away from the page… which kinda defeats the whole purpose of the opt-in page.

(Note: the bottom of the page has a few links, but mainly to fulfil legal requirements.)

As this cleverly-crafted opt-in page unleashed all of its persuasiony wiles on me, I couldn’t possibly refuse to “download now”.

WELL, THIS WAS UNEXPECTED

After filling in my details, I arrived at a page that wasn’t quite what I expected.

Usually, it’s some sort of thank you page that gives a generic message or asks you to share on social media. Instead, I was greeted with a survey.

The opt-in page was clearly the work of someone who knew what they were doing, and the segmentation survey that stared back at me confirmed it.

(The “Optin Segmentation” browser tab title sorta gives the purpose of the survey away.)

Segmentation surveys are the realm of more sophisticated marketers. They sort prospects into different “buckets”, so that future emails and messaging can be customised based on the prospect’s answers.

After two low resistance questions that get you into the flow of the survey (gender and age), the survey goes to work, asking things like:

Do you already have a piano/keyboard you are happy with?
What is your piano experience level?
What is the #1 Biggest Reason you don’t know how to play piano today.
Do you want to be able to sing while you play the piano?
Is piano going to be the first instrument you learn?
What is your #1 piano goal?
Care to share a fun fact about you? (totally optional)

Answering these questions lets Jacques (or more likely, his team) scoop up a treasure trove of data to create content and offers that match what you answered.

Once you finish, you get a reminder about the workbook that’s winging its way towards your inbox.

JUST ONE EXAMPLE

Of course, there are so many ways you can build an opt-in page. If you’re struggling to capture attention — or more importantly, sign-ups — this is a model you could look at more closely, especially in terms of how they shaped the offer.

It’s also a fantastic example of how to segment your audience, so you can better engage with them moving forward. Speaking of moving forward, this was only the beginning of the “Piano in 21 Days” funnel… but you’ll have to wait to see how the rest of it unfolds in Part 2 (or you could just opt-in and see for yourself).

One Small Step For Your Funnel, One Big Step For Your Sales

The opt-in page is a small but oh-so-important part of your funnel. If people land then leave, you’ve lost any chance of getting a sale. That means you’ve got about 5 seconds to grab (then keep) their attention and interest. As you’ve seen here , it’s not just about kick-ass copy or head-turning headlines. Find out how to build irresistible opt-in pages like this one — along with any ads, sales page or emails — by simply having a free, no-strings-attached chat with me.