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The Ultimate Sales Letter is Dan Kennedy's step-by-step guide to writing sales copy. It has stayed in print through several editions and is still widely recommended by copywriters, funnel builders and agency owners, because its process applies whether the "letter" is a mailed piece, a landing page, a video script or an email.
Magnetic Marketing currently offers the book in print together with a second Kennedy book, The Ultimate Marketing Plan. This review covers what the book teaches, what it can help you achieve, a practical summary of its process you can use right away, the offer details, and who will get the most out of it. It's most useful for marketers and business owners who already write copy and want a disciplined, repeatable method.
Disclosure: SEO-Serps is an affiliate of Magnetic Marketing. If you order through links on this page we may be credited, at no extra cost to you.
What You Can Achieve With The Ultimate Sales Letter
- Write sales copy using a repeatable process rather than relying on inspiration
- Research your buyer properly before writing, so the copy speaks to their actual concerns
- Write stronger headlines using proven structures
- Structure persuasive copy with Problem–Agitate–Solve
- Add the elements that drive response — proof, guarantees, urgency and clear instructions
- Apply the same method across formats: landing pages, emails, video scripts, proposals and printed mail
- Check copy before it goes out with a simple pre-send checklist
- Know when to write it yourself and when to hire a copywriter
At a Glance
| Book | The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan S. Kennedy |
| Included | The Ultimate Marketing Plan by Dan Kennedy |
| Format | Print paperback, structured for short daily reading sessions |
| Offer | See the offer page for current pricing and shipping |
| Guarantee | A satisfaction guarantee — if you're not happy you can request a refund and keep the books |
| Best for | Business owners, marketers and copywriters who write anything meant to sell |
Ready to order? Get The Ultimate Sales Letter → — includes The Ultimate Marketing Plan. Check the page for the current offer.
Why the Book Has Lasted
Most copywriting books are either collections of tips or memoirs. The Ultimate Sales Letter is a process: a sequence of steps from knowing nothing about a customer to a finished, tested letter. That's why it works for people who don't consider themselves writers. Kennedy's view is that effective sales copy depends far more on disciplined preparation than on creativity.
The media have changed since the book was first written, but the underlying questions haven't: who are you writing to, what do they want, why should they believe you, and why should they act now?
What the Book Covers
- Why the sales letter remains the foundation of selling in any medium
- The steps Kennedy takes before writing anything
- A three-step system for selling
- Customer profiling questions to answer before writing
- The most common messaging mistake, and Kennedy's research approach
- The reader's frame of mind when your message arrives
- Why copying competitors doesn't work
- Fill-in-the-blank headline structures
- The Problem–Agitate–Solve framework, in depth
- Positioning yourself as the authority
- Guarantees and how to structure them
- Urgency levers that prompt action
- A long section of example letters to study
- Who should review your letter before it goes out
- Testing, and when to hire a copywriter
A Practical Summary You Can Use Today
The book goes much further, but here's the core process in a form you can apply to your next sales page, email or letter.
1. Research the customer first
Before writing, answer these about your reader:
- What problem keeps them up at night?
- What are they afraid of, or frustrated by?
- What do they want most?
- What have they already tried?
- What do they believe about solutions like yours?
- How do they describe the problem in their own words?
Read reviews, forums and support emails, and talk to customers. Collect the phrases they actually use. Weak copy is usually the result of skipping this step.
2. Consider the reader's situation when the message arrives
Are they rushed, distracted, sceptical, reading on a phone? A letter read at a kitchen table and a page skimmed between meetings need different openings.
3. Build the offer before the copy
Write down exactly what they get, what it costs, what's included, what the guarantee is, and why they should act now. Copy can't compensate for a weak offer. (If your offer reads like a better version of competitors', see our Selling Opportunity review for Kennedy's approach to that problem.)
4. Spend the most time on the headline
Headlines do most of the work. Proven structures include:
- "How to [result] without [pain]"
- "[Number] ways to [result]"
- "Who else wants [result]?"
- "Warning: [mistake] is costing you [loss]"
- "At last: [result] for [specific audience]"
Write twenty options before choosing.
5. Use Problem–Agitate–Solve
- Problem: state it in the reader's words.
- Agitate: make the cost of ignoring it clear — money, time, missed opportunity.
- Solve: present the offer as the way out.
6. Provide proof
Testimonials, case studies, figures, demonstrations, credentials. The more unusual the claim, the more proof it needs.
7. Reverse the risk
A strong guarantee moves risk from the buyer to you.
8. Give a genuine reason to act now
Limited quantity, a deadline, a price change, a bonus for early response, limited capacity. Use only reasons that are true.
9. Make responding easy
Tell the reader exactly what to do and what happens next.
10. Edit, test and measure
Read it aloud, have someone from the target audience read it, then test it against your current version and measure the response.
A Pre-Send Checklist
- [ ] Written to one specific, researched person?
- [ ] Headline promises a specific benefit the reader cares about?
- [ ] Opening line makes the reader want the next one?
- [ ] Problem stated in the reader's words?
- [ ] Cost of doing nothing made clear?
- [ ] Offer specific — what they get, at what price?
- [ ] Proof proportionate to the claim?
- [ ] Guarantee that removes the reader's risk?
- [ ] Genuine reason to act now?
- [ ] Clear, simple response instruction?
- [ ] P.S. restating the main benefit and deadline?
- [ ] Read aloud and stripped of brochure language?
- [ ] Response measurement in place?
Want the full process? Order The Ultimate Sales Letter →
Adapting the Process to Modern Formats
| Format | What changes | What stays the same |
|---|---|---|
| Landing page | Shorter paragraphs, subheads for skimmers, visible buttons | Research, headline, PAS, proof, offer, guarantee, urgency |
| One idea per email; subject line does the headline's job | A single clear offer and call to action | |
| Video sales letter | The script is the letter, read aloud with visuals | The whole structure |
| Social ad | Very short; the opening line is everything | Specific market, specific benefit, clear next step |
| Proposal | Personalised to one client | Problem, cost of inaction, solution, proof, guarantee, deadline |
The Included Book: The Ultimate Marketing Plan
The Ultimate Marketing Plan complements the sales letter book. Where The Ultimate Sales Letter covers writing the message, the marketing plan covers who to send it to, what to say at each stage and how the pieces work together as a system — the message and market sides of Kennedy's message–market–media approach.
Offer Details
According to the offer page:
- Both print books are included. Check the page for current pricing and shipping, which differ for US and international orders.
- Delivery is by post; international orders take longer.
- Guarantee: if you're not satisfied, you can request a refund and keep the books.
- Optional add-on: the order form may show an optional digital product. Leave it unticked if you only want the books.
Expect follow-up emails from Magnetic Marketing about its other products after ordering. You're under no obligation to buy anything else.
Who It's For
- Business owners who write their own marketing — emails, ads, website pages, proposals
- Freelance copywriters and content marketers who want a reliable process
- Funnel builders and course creators writing sales pages and video scripts
- Agency owners who want a shared copywriting standard for their team
- SEO professionals who want ranking pages to convert visitors into customers
Who May Not Need It
- Experienced direct-response copywriters who have already studied it — although many reread it periodically
- People who want templates only; the book's value is its thinking process, though it includes plenty of examples
How to Read It Productively
- Choose one real project before starting — a sales page, a launch email, a mailing.
- Read a section a day and apply it to that project the same day.
- Finish the book with a completed piece of copy, not just notes.
- Test it against what you had before.
Related Dan Kennedy Resources
- No B.S. Direct Marketing for Non-Direct Marketing Businesses — the strategy behind the copy: Kennedy's rules for running any business's marketing as direct response
- Write Like Dan Kennedy Challenge — a free training on personality-driven copy in Kennedy's style
- Magnetic Marketing Challenge — a free multi-day challenge on the same principles
The Benefits in Practice: Four Scenarios
The owner rewriting a homepage. Instead of a page that describes the company, they research their buyer, lead with a specific benefit, use Problem–Agitate–Solve and end with a clear offer. The benefit is a page that asks visitors to act, and a measurable change in enquiries.
The agency standardising copy. An agency adopts the book's process and the pre-send checklist as its internal standard. The benefit is consistent copy quality across writers and fewer rounds of revisions with clients.
The course creator writing a launch sequence. The headline structures, proof and urgency sections translate directly into a launch email sequence and sales page. The benefit is a launch built on a tested structure rather than improvisation.
The consultant writing proposals. Applying the sales-letter structure to proposals — problem, cost of inaction, solution, proof, guarantee, deadline — turns them from price quotes into persuasive documents. The benefit is a higher proportion of proposals accepted.
Is It Right for You? Five Questions
- Do you write sales pages, emails, ads or proposals yourself?
- Do you start writing before researching the buyer? The book's first steps fix this.
- Does your copy describe your business more than it addresses the reader's problem?
- Do you lack a consistent process your team or freelancers can follow?
- Do you test copy and measure response? If not, the book's final chapters show how.
If you answered yes to any of these, the book is worth reading — and given the offer, the cost of finding out is low.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the offer include?
The Ultimate Sales Letter and The Ultimate Marketing Plan in print. See the offer page for current pricing and shipping.
Is it only about printed letters?
No. The process applies to any persuasive copy: landing pages, emails, ads and video scripts.
Is there an upsell?
The order form may show an optional add-on. It isn't required.
What if I don't like it?
The offer page's guarantee says you can request a refund and keep the books.
Should I read this or No B.S. Direct Marketing first?
If your immediate need is better copy for a specific page or campaign, start with The Ultimate Sales Letter. If you need to rethink how your whole business markets itself, start with No B.S. Direct Marketing. Many readers use both.
Is it suitable for B2B copy?
Yes. The research, offer and proof steps apply to business buyers; proposals and B2B landing pages follow the same structure.
Key Takeaways
- A repeatable copywriting process, not a collection of tips
- Research the buyer first, build the offer second, write third
- Works across landing pages, emails, video scripts and proposals
- Includes The Ultimate Marketing Plan
- Low cost relative to its practical value; check the website for the current offer
Bottom Line
The Ultimate Sales Letter is a practical, repeatable copywriting process that works across every format, and The Ultimate Marketing Plan fills in the strategy around it. For anyone who writes copy meant to sell — and particularly for marketers who want to tighten a process they already use — it's a low-cost, high-value book.
Get The Ultimate Sales Letter →
Printed from seo-serps.com — https://seo-serps.com/website-conversion/ultimate-sales-letter-dan-kennedy-review/ — updated November 5, 2026.