Copywriting Tips – The Pros And Cons Of Using WordPress For Sales Letters

This is not a subject that gets discussed often but with the increasing trend of everybody and their grandmother turning to WordPress for, well, just about everything, I think it is important that we discuss the pros and cons of using WordPress for sales letters. If nothing else, I think this article will give you a lot of food for thought.

Let’s start with the obvious pros of using WordPress for sales letters. As you know, aside from the actual written copy, you need the sales letter to actually look good. Well, designing in HTML can be a real hassle. And if you’re really bad with coding and graphics, you have to hire somebody to do it for you, thus cutting into your profits. With WordPress, all you have to worry about is the actual written copy. The design is all built right into the theme that you decide to use.

Unfortunately, that’s where the pros end. At least in my opinion as a copywriter. There are more cons to this than you can even count. I’m not going to go over them all but I will go over a few of them.

At the top of the list is the fact that you have absolutely no control over the internal workings of WordPress. If a plugin changes or breaks, your sales letter goes down the tubes until you get the plugin either fixed or replaced with a new one. And if a new one doesn’t exist, you’re really up the creek. With HTML you are in control of everything. Let’s put it this way. I’ve never seen an HTML sales letter break.

Another huge con to using WordPress is when it comes to making changes in the the most simple changes. With HTML, all you need is a WYSIWYG editor. And these you can even download for free online. With WordPress, you need to actually understand the structure of WordPress itself in order to make any change at all. If you’re technically challenged, this can be a monumental chore.

Finally, and my no means is this the end of the cons, split testing your sales letter while using WordPress is a real pain in the butt. With HTML all you need is a simple script to do the job. With WordPress, not so simple. And again, if you’re a technical idiot, you’ll need to hire somebody to get it done for you.

And the above only scratches the surface. Bottom line for me is simple. If you’re a beginning copywriter or thinking of doing copy for your own product, PLEASE stay away from WordPress. I love it for blogs and even membership sites, but for sales letters, it’s a royal pain in the butt.

I want to thank Paul Hancox for the inspiration for this article as he brought this topic up over at the Warrior Forum just recently. Paul is a super smart guy and it HE’S against WordPress for sales letters, you can bet your bottom dollar that there is something to it. And I agree with him 100%.

Take that for whatever it’s worth to you.

Say NO to WordPress for sales letters.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim