How to Write a Free Preview Area That Drives Sales on note: Insights from Analyzing 100 Paid Articles
The free preview area is a crucial source of information for readers to decide whether or not to purchase an article. By focusing on this section, you may be able to increase the number of sales for your articles.
In this article, I will introduce "how to write a free preview area," based on an analysis of 100 popular paid articles in the business and IT categories. Please use this as a reference when writing your own paid articles.
3 Common Elements of Articles That Sell Well
The analysis revealed that many articles that sell well include the following three elements in their free preview area.
(A) Empathy and Questioning: Articulating and sharing the worries or discomforts that readers are facing
(B) Story of Change: Drawing interest by mentioning your own experiences or Before/After scenarios
(C) Presenting Benefits: Clearly stating the value or results that can be gained by reading
Let's take a closer look at each.
(A) Empathy and Questioning
"Are you struggling with XX?"
"I used to have the same problem myself."
We saw many elements that ask questions to the reader and show empathy, such as these. This has the effect of sharing the same challenges between the writer and the reader, and making the reader feel interested by thinking, "This article is for me."
(B) Story of Change
"It's like a lie that I was struggling so much; now I can work with a clear mind."
"Last year I only had one order, but this year I've already exceeded ten!"
We also saw many elements that mention the writer's own experiences or changes. Such "stories" are easy for readers to empathize with, and at the same time, they help form a detailed image of the benefits that can be gained by reading the article.
(C) Presenting Benefits
"I've summarized the actions that led to work and those that didn't in my first year as a freelancer."
"I'm sharing prompts to turn ChatGPT into your highly capable secretary."
We saw many elements that clearly state "What can I gain by reading this article?" Such descriptions guarantee the content of the paid part and are thought to lead to increased peace of mind and purchasing motivation for the reader.
So, what kind of text is actually created when you include these three elements in your free preview area?
In the next section, I will introduce "three patterns for free preview areas" that combine these elements.
3 Patterns for Free Preview Areas
In practice, these three elements are almost always used in combination. For example, you can use the following combinations as "patterns."
1. (A) Empathy/Questioning x (C) Benefit Presentation Pattern
2. (B) Story of Change x (C) Benefit Presentation Pattern
3. (A) Empathy/Questioning x (B) Story of Change x (C) Benefit Presentation Pattern
We will consider what kind of structure each of these results in, and what the key points are, while looking at examples.
1. Empathy/Questioning × Benefit Presentation Type
"Are you struggling with XX? / In this article, you will learn about ~."
Example:
Are you struggling with the feeling that you're studying Web marketing but not seeing any results? I have hit the same wall myself.
In this article, I will share the three traps that marketing beginners often fall into and how I overcame them.
Key Points
Voicing the reader's concerns at the beginning and sharing the challenge.
Showing empathy for the reader by saying, "I have hit the same wall."
Clearly stating the benefits to be gained from the article with "three traps" and "how I overcame them."
2. Transformation Story × Benefit Presentation Type
"I used to be ~. Now I am like this. / In this article, I will introduce ~."
Example:
When I first became a manager, I couldn't delegate work to my team members and ended up taking everything on myself, leading to painful days of constant overtime.
However, now I am able to practice management that allows the team to run autonomously without me having to intervene.
In this article, I will share the "delegation techniques and systemization" that I have acquired.
Key Points
Sharing personal experience at the beginning so that readers can empathize.
The Before/After change from 'couldn't do it' to 'can do it' gives readers hope that they might be able to do it too.
Clearly stating what can be gained with "delegation techniques and systemization."
3. Empathy/Questioning × Transformation Story × Benefit Presentation Type
"Are you struggling with XX? / I was the same. Now I am ~. / In this article, I will introduce ~."
Example:
Do you ever stop working on a presentation deck because you don't know where to start? I used to be the same. I couldn't decide on the structure of the materials, and it would take me over two hours to make just three slides...
But now, I can put together an initial outline for any content in 15 minutes and finish persuasive slides in a short amount of time.
In this article, I will introduce the "template-based design technique" that I have acquired.
Key Points
Voicing the reader's concerns at the beginning while further increasing empathy with the description of "taking over two hours to make three slides."
Increasing expectations for the article by describing the Before/After change with specific numbers, from "over two hours" to "15 minutes."
Clearly stating what the reader will gain, as seen in the 'Template-based document design technique'
I have introduced three templates above. Can you see the characteristics of each one?
Of course, there is no need to be overly fixated on these templates, but I hope this helps those who are currently struggling with how to write their free preview area.
Please use this article as a reference to turn your unique experiences and know-how into paid articles.
Summary of key points
The free preview areas of popular, high-selling note articles share three common elements
These three are 'Empathy and Inquiry,' 'Story of Change,' and 'Presentation of Benefits.'
When writing a free preview area, it is effective to use a structure based on these three combinations: 'Empathy x Benefit,' 'Story x Benefit,' and 'Empathy x Story x Benefit.'
