One of the first questions beginners ask about sales texts is how long they should be. The honest answer is that it depends — but not arbitrarily. There are patterns in the data worth understanding.
Price point and copy length
Research from direct response marketing consistently shows a correlation between product price and the length of copy needed to convert. Higher-priced items typically require more text because they involve more consideration. A $15 impulse purchase and a $1,500 course are not the same decision.
Audience familiarity changes the equation
Cold audiences — people who have never heard of you — generally need more context and reassurance. Warm audiences, who already know the product or brand, respond better to shorter, more direct copy. Segmenting by familiarity is more useful than picking a word count arbitrarily.
Scroll depth data from landing pages
Heatmap tools like Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity show that most visitors to a typical landing page scroll past the 50% mark but rarely reach the bottom. This means the most critical information should appear in the upper half, regardless of total length.
What split tests actually show
Split tests comparing long and short versions of the same page rarely produce a universal winner. Results vary by channel, offer type and audience. The more useful takeaway is that testing both versions on your specific audience produces more reliable answers than following general advice.