· Venturi
You pay for every click on your ads. Most of those clicks come from people who have never heard of you. They were scrolling, they saw your ad, and they tapped. They are curious, but they are not ready to buy yet.
Then the click lands on your product page. A product page is built for people who already want the product. It shows the price, the sizes and the "Add to cart" button. For a cold visitor, that is too much, too soon. So many of them leave.
A presell page is one way to fix that. This guide explains what it is, when to use one, when not to, and how to check if it works for your store.
What is a presell page?
A presell page is a page that sits between your ad and your product page. Its job is to warm up a cold visitor before they see the price.
It does this by telling a short story or making a clear case. It names the problem your customer has. It shows why the usual fixes fall short. Then it shows your product as the answer, and sends the visitor on to buy.
So the path changes from this:
- Ad → product page
To this:
- Ad → presell page → product page
It adds one step. That sounds like it would lose people. But the visitor who reaches your product page from a good presell page already knows why they want it. They came to buy, not just to look.
Why your product page struggles with cold clicks
Think about what a cold visitor is asking when they land:
- What is this?
- Is it for someone like me?
- Why is it better than what I use now?
- Can I trust this store?
A product page answers some of these, but in small print and in the wrong order. It leads with the price and the buy button. A presell page leads with the visitor’s problem, and gets to the price last, once they care.
When a presell page helps
A presell page is worth trying when most of these are true:
- You run paid ads to cold traffic. People who don’t know your brand yet.
- Your product needs a little explaining. It solves a problem people don’t know can be solved, or it works in a new way.
- Your product costs more than an impulse buy. People need a reason before they spend.
- Your ads get clicks but few sales. The ad does its job. The page after it doesn’t.
- You have a strong angle. A story, a clear "before and after", or a big difference from the usual option.
When you probably don’t need one
A presell page is not always the answer. Skip it, or test it last, when:
- The traffic is already warm. People who searched for your brand name, past buyers, or people who added to cart. Send them straight to the product.
- The product is simple and cheap. If people get it in one look, an extra page just slows them down.
- Your product page is the problem. Broken images, slow loading or missing sizes will hurt you on any page. Fix those first.
- You can’t back up what the page says. A presell page needs real reasons and honest claims. If you don’t have them yet, start there.
The five main types of presell page
Most presell pages follow one of five shapes. Each suits a different kind of product and ad.
1. The reasons list. "7 reasons why people are switching to…". A short intro, then numbered reasons, each with a picture, a heading and two or three lines. It is easy to skim on a phone. It works well when your product has several clear benefits.
2. The "I tried it" story. One person tells their story. They had a problem. They tried other fixes that didn’t work. Then they found your product, and things got better. It works well when the problem is personal, like sleep, skin or pain. Use a real customer’s story, with their permission, or write it clearly as your own founder story.
3. Us vs them. A side-by-side comparison of your product and the usual option. A table, then answers to the main worries, then your guarantee. It works well when the difference is easy to see, like price per use, what it is made of, or how long it lasts. Compare against "the usual option", not a named rival.
4. The advertorial. A page that reads like an article. It has a headline, a date, a few sections and some quotes. It teaches the reader something first, then shows the product. It works well for products that need more explaining. It must carry a clear "Advertisement" label. More on that below.
5. The roundup. "We tested the top 5…". A ranked list of options, with pros and cons for each, and a verdict. Your product is number one. It works well in a crowded market where shoppers compare a lot. Keep it honest: the other options should be fair, generic placeholders, not real rivals you have made look bad.
Not sure which to pick? Look at your best ad. If it tells a story, use the story page. If it lists benefits, use the reasons list. If it compares, use us vs them. Matching the page to the ad matters more than the type you pick.
How to test it against your product page
Never assume a presell page will win. Test it. Here is a simple way to do it.
- Pick one ad that already gets clicks. Don’t change the ad. You only want to test the page.
- Make two copies of the ad. One sends people to your product page. The other sends them to the presell page. Give both the same budget and the same audience.
- Let it run long enough. Wait until each side has enough sales to compare. A few days with only a handful of sales is not enough to decide.
- Compare cost per sale, not clicks. The presell side may get fewer people to the product page. That is fine. What matters is how much you paid for each sale, and how much each order was worth.
- Change one thing at a time. If the presell page loses, try a new headline or a different type. If it wins, keep it, and test a new idea against it.
Add a tracking tag to each link (for example ?utm_content=presell) so your store’s reports show which page each sale came from.
Disclosure labels: keep it honest
Some presell pages look like articles. That is fine, as long as nobody is fooled. Readers should always know they are looking at an ad for your product.
- Label it. Put "Advertisement" or "Sponsored" at the top of any page that reads like an article or a review. Keep the label easy to see.
- Only use real reviews and real stories. Never write fake reviews or invent customers. If you don’t have a quote yet, leave the slot out.
- Don’t make claims you can’t prove. Be extra careful with health, supplement, money and weight-loss claims. These have strict rules in most countries.
- Don’t pretend to be a news site. No fake news logos, no fake "as seen in" badges.
- Check your ad platform’s rules. Each ad platform has its own policy for landing pages. Read it before you launch, and follow it.
Honest pages also protect your store. People who feel tricked ask for refunds, leave bad reviews and don’t come back.
A simple first plan
- Choose your best-selling product and your best cold ad.
- Pick the presell type that matches that ad.
- Write it with your real reasons, real reviews and your honest guarantee.
- Add the "Advertisement" label if it reads like an article.
- Run it against your product page with the same budget.
- Keep the winner. Then test the next idea.
The shortcut
Writing and designing a presell page from a blank screen takes time. Venturi gives you presell page templates for Shopify, one for each of the five types above. They work in any Online Store 2.0 theme. Each one comes with fill-in-the-blank prompts and a setting for an "Advertisement" label. The label is on by default in the reasons list, the story, the advertorial and the top 5. It starts off in us vs them, so turn it on if your page reads like an article. Pick a template, add your product, and send your ads to it. Then test it against your product page.