What proof can you use on a sales page if you have no testimonials yet?

My rule for every new sales page: do not invent client logos, ROI percentages or testimonials. If there are no client testimonials yet, use operator proof and sample visuals instead of fake quotes.

What counts as operator proof?

The true things you've done yourself. For my newsletter services, that's:

• 20+ local newsletters that I run.
• 160,000+ subscribers across them.
• Meta subscriber costs as low as about 40 to 50 cents, where that's true for my portfolio.

Only state the numbers that are actually true, and only in the context where they're true.

What else can go on the page?

• A big sample issue. Clearly labeled as an example, with placeholder images.
• A live demo. For my realtor newsletter service page, I want a working post-signup survey right on the page, so people try it instead of reading about it.
• What working with you looks like. If clients work directly with you, say so.

How do you write a limited-spots offer honestly?

Say exactly what's true. For one founding offer, the truth was 10 total spots, with 2 left at the founding rate of $1,000 a month and no startup fee.

"Only two spots left" would have been wrong. It suggests the whole program has two spots, and it implies eight are already sold. So the copy says: 10 total, 2 left at this rate.

Does honesty apply to ads too?

Yes. I won't run ads promising readers we'll keep them up to date on local events if the newsletter has no events. Check that the product delivers the promise before the ads go live.

How do you overcome skepticism in signup copy?

Write down the one thing this audience will suspect, then answer it in the headline in their own words. Let the person closest to that audience write or approve it. Change the language before you change the offer.

The case that taught me this was a big newspaper group's registration units, which reportedly converted about 10x better than normal newsletter pop-ups with the same value exchange. Only the language changed. Treat 10x as a ceiling seen once at newsroom scale, not a forecast for your local newsletter.