A video sales letter script follows five steps: a hook that interrupts the viewer's thinking in the first few seconds, a rapport-building story, the problem made bigger and more personal, the solution and why it works, then the offer with price, proof, guarantee and a clear call to action. For subscriptions, say how billing and cancellation work before the buy button.
Key takeaways
- Five steps: hook, rapport, big problem, bigger solution, grand offer.
- Most of your testing effort belongs in the first ten slides, or roughly the first 30 seconds.
- Start 'ugly': text slides and your own voiceover. Add production only after the script converts.
- For a subscription, state the price, billing frequency and how to cancel in the offer section.
- Every claim, testimonial and deadline must be true. Fake scarcity and invented results breach consumer law.
Jon Benson didn't set out to be a copywriter. He wanted to be a musician.
As he tells it in Feed a Starving Crowd, he'd been making YouTube videos to promote his fitness products and getting maybe ten sales from a video that took days to make. Then one Saturday night he read about a study suggesting people pay more attention when they read and listen at the same time.
So he put big black words on a white PowerPoint background, highlighted the trigger words, recorded his voice reading them, and emailed the video to his list.
It was ugly. Truly ugly.
By his account, a longer, 18-minute version split-tested against his text sales page converted at 6.1 percent. Ugly won.
(The full story, and Jon's formula, is in Feed a Starving Crowd.)
That's the video sales letter (VSL): a sales letter turned into a video. Jon says his VSL approach has generated more than $1 billion in sales for his clients. The formats have changed since I wrote that chapter. The psychology hasn't.
Here's the five-step script, ready to fill in. For the strategy behind it, read the guide to video sales letters.
The five-step VSL formula
| Step | Job | Share of script |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The hook | Interrupt their thinking and make them keep watching | 5–10% |
| 2. Rapport | Show you're like them, or understand them | 10–15% |
| 3. The big problem | Make the problem bigger and more personal | 20–25% |
| 4. The bigger solution | Show why the usual fixes fail, and what works | 20–25% |
| 5. The grand offer | Price, proof, guarantee and the call to action | 30–35% |
The script template
Write it as slides: one short line per slide, about 5 to 12 words. Read it aloud as you go.
Step 1: The hook (first 10 slides, about 30 seconds)
[Slide 1] If you're a [specific person] who [specific frustration]...
[Slide 2] ...this short presentation could change [the result they want].
[Slide 3] Because what I'm about to show you isn't [the usual advice].
[Slide 4] In the next [X] minutes, you'll discover:
[Slide 5] Why [common belief] is keeping you stuck.
[Slide 6] The [number]-step [method] that [result].
[Slide 7] And the one thing about [topic] nobody tells you...
[Slide 8] ...which I'll reveal near the end.
[Slide 9] But first, let me tell you how I found this out.
Slide 7 is an open loop. In the book, copywriter Alexi described seeing viewers replay and pause when a teased slide finally appeared. Close every loop you open.
Step 2: Rapport
My name is [Name]. And I'm not [the stereotype: a guru / a big agency / a tech person].
[Number] years ago, I was [where your viewer is now].
[A specific, true moment: what happened, what it felt like.]
I tried [the usual fixes]. [What happened.]
Maybe that sounds familiar.
The book called this the "reluctant hero." Keep it true and specific. A real story beats a dramatic one.
Step 3: The big problem
Here's what most [people like you] don't realize.
[The problem] isn't just [the obvious cost].
It's [the hidden cost: time, money, missed opportunities, stress].
Every [week / month], it's costing you [specific, honest estimate].
And it gets worse, because [why it compounds].
Step 4: The bigger solution
The reason [usual fixes] don't work is [the real cause].
What actually works is [your approach, in one sentence].
Here's how it works:
Step 1: [What happens]
Step 2: [What happens]
Step 3: [What happens]
When I started doing this, [real result].
And [name of a real customer, with permission] found [their real result].
Test your offer before you record
Run your VSL hook, offer and price past AI-simulated customer personas with the free Synthetic Customer Panel.
Step 5: The grand offer
That's why I created [Offer name].
It's [what it is] for [who it's for].
Here's what you get: [Item 1] / [Item 2] / [Item 3]
[Optional bonus, if it's real and always available, or genuinely limited.]
It's A$[Price] a [month] (including GST).
You're billed [monthly] until you cancel, and you can cancel anytime from your account in a couple of clicks.
[If there's a trial: "Your first [X] days are free. We'll remind you before it ends."]
And if it's not right for you, [your real guarantee, in plain words].
Here's what to do next:
Click the button below this video.
Enter your details on the next page.
And [what happens straight after: instant access / first box ships / welcome call].
[Restate the main result in one line.]
Click the button now, and I'll see you inside.
The 3-minute version
For a low-priced subscription, or a cut-down for social video:
[Hook, 2 lines] If you [frustration], watch this.
[Problem, 3 lines] The real reason is [cause]. It's costing you [cost].
[Solution, 3 lines] [Offer name] fixes it by [how], in [timeframe].
[Proof, 1 line] [Real customer result or number.]
[Offer, 3 lines] It's A$[Price] a [month], cancel anytime. [Guarantee.]
[Call to action, 1 line] Tap the link to start.
What I'd change from the 2013 advice
In the book I passed on the tested advice of the day: hide the player controls, autoplay, and show the buy button only once the pitch starts. Some of that has aged.
- Captions on every video. Many people scroll with the sound off.
- Keep the controls. I'd rather earn attention than trap it, and people who feel trapped don't buy subscriptions.
- Delaying the buy button is fine. Hiding the price or the subscription terms is not.
- Cut vertical clips of the hook and problem for Reels, Shorts, TikTok and LinkedIn.
- Start ugly. Jon's advice still holds: get a text-slide version converting before you pay for animation.
Keep it legal
Under the Australian Consumer Law, every claim, result and testimonial in your VSL must be true and not misleading. That means real customers, typical results, and deadlines or "limited spots" that are actually real. From 1 July 2027, subscription offers must also disclose that they're a subscription and their key terms close to where people agree, and a new ban on unfair trading practices targets digital design that puts people under unreasonable pressure. If your VSL leads to a subscription checkout, read Australia's subscription trap laws and check your offer with your adviser. This is general information as at October 2026.
When a VSL is the wrong tool
If people already know what they want and just need the price (a coffee subscription, a car wash club), a clear subscription landing page with a short video beats a 15-minute presentation. The principles in landing pages that convert apply either way. VSLs earn their keep when the offer needs explaining or the price needs justifying.
What to do next
- Fill in the template, step by step, in a doc.
- Read it aloud and cut anything that sounds like an ad.
- Test your hook and offer on the panel below before you record.
- Record the ugly version this week, then check the page it sits on with the Website Subscription Audit.
For the copywriting behind each step, see copy that makes people buy, and for honest urgency, scarcity without being slimy.
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Download it freeFrequently asked questions
How long should a video sales letter be?
As long as it takes to make the sale, and no longer. A low-priced, easy-to-understand offer can sell in two to five minutes. A higher-priced or more complex offer often needs ten to twenty minutes, because buyers need more information. Jon Benson's own breakthrough came from an 18-minute version. Write the full script, then cut every line that doesn't move the viewer forward.
Should I appear on camera in my VSL?
You don't have to. The original 'ugly duckling' VSL is just text slides with a voiceover, and it can outperform polished video. Appearing on camera helps when you're selling a service where trust in the person matters, such as coaching, accounting or health. Try both and let your conversion rate decide.
Can I use AI to write or voice a VSL script?
AI tools can help you draft hooks, tighten sentences and generate captions quickly. But the story and the proof need to be real and specific to you, and AI drafts tend to sound generic. If you use an AI voice or avatar, don't present it as a real person or customer. Read the script aloud yourself before you record anything.
Where should I put my VSL?
On a focused landing page with the video near the top, a clear headline above it, and the order button and key terms below it. Use the same script, cut into short vertical clips, for Reels, Shorts, TikTok and LinkedIn to drive traffic to that page. Email the full presentation to your list with a 'free presentation' subject line.
Do VSLs work for B2B and software?
Yes, though the style changes. B2B buyers want a demo and proof sooner, so a short problem-and-solution story followed by a product walkthrough and a clear next step, such as a trial or call, usually suits them better than a long emotional story. The five-step structure still holds; the tone becomes calmer and more specific.
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Robert Coorey, MBA
Robert is the author of The Subscription Playbook and Feed a Starving Crowd and a Director at BPAG Accountants in Sydney. More about Robert.
Sources
- Feed a Starving Crowd, Robert Coorey (2013), Chapter 9: Playing mind games with video sales letters
- business.gov.au, Australian Consumer Law and your business
- Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026 (No. 64, 2026), Federal Register of Legislation
Facts and prices checked 27 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.