How to Write Great Promo Responses

That Facebook group you joined to learn how to transition out of teaching or making the right parenting decisions for your toddler is bustling with energy. The admin have even given you a chance to promote your business in a thread occasionally. You're super excited to get your new friends to your website — but you're not getting the response you want. Crickets are chirping. And you've realized that you need to learn how to write great promo responses.

Most of those groups have rules against self-promotion — because, after all, they are run by people who are also stepping out of the classroom and trying to earn a living providing a place for us to connect — but they often have an exception. Once a week or so, they'll have a promo thread in which they will encourage you to post a link to your website or your latest blog post.

This is a great opportunity to get your stuff in front of an audience, particularly if you're wanting to provide products or services to teachers who are leaving the classroom. But I see a ton of teachers who aren't taking full advantage of this opportunity.

Perhaps you're one of them? You know I'm talking about you if you've ever posted your link and then had zero engagement. I know. We're teachers and we're used to spending hours working on a lesson that our students want to snooze or surf Instagram through. But this is the real world and it doesn't have to be that way.

I see teachers dropping a link in their response — and that's it. We have no ideas what the link goes to. Or maybe the teacher tells us that she is a mom and has 12 years experience in the classroom. And we're not sure why we care and what that has to do with the link to her candle sales page.

Check out this example:

This promo has an audience of one: ME. I'm definitely not the only person I want clicking my link, so I seriously need to revise this attempt at a promo. First rule. NEVER start with the word “I.” Second rule? Well, I decided to write a guide to responding to promo opportunities and I'm calling it the PSA Promo Response.

Let's learn how to write great promo responses

The PSA Promo Response stands for Problem, Solutions, call to Action. This is the format you'll use so that your response is focused on your ideal customer's problem, the solution you have for them, and the action that they need to take.

Let's take a look at a promo I revised based on the offer I made above. The offer, for the record, is for a journal I wrote, and am selling on Amazon, that will help teachers record their progress as they transition out of the classroom. You can check it out here if you're curious.

PROBLEM

The first thing you want to do when you're writing a promo is identify who the promo is for. And remember, it's not about you. So if your promo starts with “I,” you've already lost everyone except for you. Instead, identify the problem that your ideal customer is facing. Once you've identified your ideal customer, you then need to target their problem, the thing that is causing them pain and making them scour the internet looking for answers at 3 a.m.

Take a look at my example.

• Who is it for?
• What problem does this potential customer face?

You know immediately — and whether or not you're one of those people, right?

SOLUTION

You have your ideal customers attention now. You've hit on their pain point, that thing that has driven them to the forum you're both in and to the post that you've written. Now, you have to tell them what you can do for them. What solution are you offering?

• What solution am I offering in this promo?
• How does this solution benefit your customers?

You will want to make sure you're specific and confident in making your offer. One common promo problem I see is writers saying things like, “Check out my blog. I hope you like it!” or “Here's my post on raising chickens. It might help you. Maybe.” Instead, you need to be brave and put it out there just like you do when you're telling 12-year-olds they're going to need to read when they grow up.

Call to ACTION

Finally, you need to tell your customers what to do. This section is called the call to action. Keep it super simple — and make sure you send them to a page on your website or your resource that is also simple and guides them to make the purchase. Or sign up for your email list and download the free report you're offering.

Your call to action should tell them succinctly what to do and include a link to your website or another resource you control.

Here are some specific call to action ideas:

Remember, each promo you write should include a PSA: Problem, Solutions, call to Action. This format will help your readers identify themselves as your ideal customers and determine if your solution is one they want to explore further, and then take action to accept your offer.

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