VSL landing page design: what goes above the video, what appears at the pitch and what to leave out

A VSL landing page is the page that hosts your video sales letter and turns its pitch into orders. A sound default: a headline above the video, the video at the top on mobile, nothing that leads away, and an offer block, guarantee and FAQ that appear when the pitch begins. Below them sit real proof, references and a legal footer.

What makes a VSL landing page different from a normal landing page?

A normal landing page argues in text. Visitors skim, and the call to action is visible from the top. On a VSL landing page the video carries the argument, and the page's job is to support it, then change state at the pitch. That changes almost every design decision.

Typical landing page vs VSL landing page

Typical landing page

• Main content: Copy sections
• Call to action: Visible from the start
• Navigation: Often present
• Proof: Throughout
• Success metric: Conversion rate

VSL landing page

• Main content: The video
• Call to action: Revealed at the pitch
• Navigation: Removed
• Proof: Mostly after the pitch
• Success metric: Pitch reach and revenue per visitor

The player itself, from muted autoplay to the timed reveal, is covered in the VSL player features guide. This guide is about the page around it.

What should a VSL landing page look like before the pitch?

Before the pitch, everything on the page exists to get the video started and keep it playing. Here is the wireframe for a phone, top to bottom:

The phone wireframe before the pitch, top to bottom

1. 1No header bar, or a logo that doesn't link anywhereA clickable logo is an exit.
2. 2The headlineOne promise, written for the ad that brought the visitor, two or three lines at phone width. The VSL headline guide covers formulas and testing.
3. 3The videoFull width, directly under the headline.
4. 4One optional line under the videoA sub-headline that adds a reason to keep watching. Never fake urgency.
5. 5Nothing else until the pitchExcept the legal footer at the very bottom.

On desktop, keep the same order, centered, with the video taking most of the content width and no sidebar.

Check the first screen with arithmetic

At 390 pixels wide, a 16:9 video is about 219 pixels tall. Add a three-line headline at roughly 34 pixels per line plus some spacing, and the headline and the whole video take about 360 pixels, comfortably inside the first screen. A 9:16 portrait video at full width is about 693 pixels tall, which may leave no room for the headline once the browser's toolbars take their share. If you serve a portrait cut to phones, shorten the headline or cap the video's height, then check on a real phone that the headline and the bottom of the video are both visible without scrolling.

What about content below the video before the pitch?

It depends on how warm the traffic is.

What goes below the video before the pitch?

1Who is landing on the page?

Cold paid social trafficWarm traffic: email or retargetingVisitors who prefer reading

Best fit

Nothing but the legal footer

Cold paid social traffic: anything readable competes with the video.

Best fit

Optional "what you'll learn" bullets

Warm traffic from email or retargeting: they trust you; give them reasons to finish.

Best fit

A text-version link, if a test supports it

Visitors who prefer reading: a text version serves readers, but reveals the pitch early.

The read-instead option deserves a real test, not a guess. It serves visitors who will never watch a 20-minute video, and it also lets watchers skip straight to the price. Judge it by revenue per visitor, not by clicks on the link.

What should appear at the pitch?

When the presenter starts the offer, the page switches to order-form mode. The blocks, in order:

1. The offer block, mirroring the script exactly: the same bundles, prices, bonuses and wording. If the video says "three jars for $147" and the page says $149, you create doubt at the worst possible moment. The VSL offer guide covers building the offer itself.
2. The button, directly under the video or the offer, with a label that says what happens next: "Choose my bundle", not "Submit".
3. The guarantee, in plain words: how long it lasts, what the conditions are, how to claim it.
4. An FAQ built from real support questions and pre-sale objections.
5. Proof: testimonials, before/after images and comments, all real and used with permission.
6. References, if the video cites research.
7. The legal footer: disclaimer, privacy policy and terms.

In RevvyScales, the theme editor builds the page from these blocks: headlines, the video, an offer block with bundle images and prices, guarantee, comments, scientific references, content sections such as benefits, FAQ and testimonials, and a legal footer. The timed pitch reveal keeps the offers, guarantee and button hidden until the second you set (theme editor). Choosing that second is covered in the CTA timing guide.

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1. 1HeadlineThe headline sits in the group above the video.
2. 2Video playerThe video has a group of its own; every other block goes above or below it.
3. 3Call to actionThe call to action holds the buy button, or an offer block with bundle images and prices.
4. 4ContentContent sections carry benefits, an FAQ, testimonials and more.
5. 5Legal footerThe legal footer, with the disclaimer, privacy policy and terms, always sits at the bottom.
6. 6PreviewThe preview is the live page; click any part of it to edit that block.

Make the button impossible to miss and easy to hit. WCAG 2.2 sets a minimum target size of 24 by 24 CSS pixels at Level AA (W3C) and 44 by 44 at the stricter AAA level (W3C). A primary buy button should be far larger than either, ideally full width on phones. Its label needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against the button color, or 3:1 for large text (W3C).

Mind where the reveal lands on a phone. The viewer is looking at the video at the top of the screen, so an offer that appears far below it can go unseen. Put the first button directly under the video and let the full offer block follow.

Order the blocks by objection

After the button, each block should answer the next question a hesitant buyer has. Use your support tickets and sales calls to decide which question comes first:

Judge layout changes by revenue per visitor

A worked example: 10,000 visitors, 30% reach the pitch (3,000 people), 10% of them click the button (300 clicks), 40% of clicks complete checkout (120 orders) at $120 each. That's $14,400, or $1.44 per visitor. Move the first button directly under the video and say clicks rise to 11% of pitch viewers: 330 clicks, 132 orders, $15,840, or $1.58 per visitor. Revenue per visitor captures the change end to end, which is why it's the number to judge layout tests by, not clicks alone.

How do you stop visitors leaking off a VSL page?

Every link is a door. On a VSL page, the only doors should be the button and the links you need for trust.

• Remove: menus, clickable logos, social icons, blog and "about" links, other products, and chat widgets that pop open on their own.
• Keep: the disclaimer, privacy policy, terms and a way to contact you. They build trust, and your pixels and checkout collect data that visitors deserve to read about.
• Keep the keepers quiet: small, in the footer, away from the video.

If your funnel puts a presell or an advertorial in front of the VSL, that page is where the reading happens. Keep the VSL page itself just as closed (presell page guide).

Which trust elements belong on a VSL landing page?

Proof works on a VSL page only when it would survive a skeptical buyer, a platform reviewer and a regulator.

Each trust element: the honest version and when it backfires

Holds upThe honest version

• Testimonials: Real customers, permission on file, connections disclosed
• Results: Typical results stated next to exceptional ones
• Comments: Real customer comments, used with permission
• References: Studies that support the exact claim
• Guarantee: Clear terms, easy to claim
• Badges and logos: Only certifications and mentions you really have
• Before/after images: Real, representative, consented

AvoidBackfires when

• Testimonials: Paid or gifted endorsers look like ordinary buyers
• Results: "Results not typical" hides in the footer
• Comments: Comments are invented or rewritten
• References: Citations are off-topic or cherry-picked
• Guarantee: Conditions make it hard to use
• Badges and logos: "As seen on" logos are borrowed
• Before/after images: Images are edited or atypical, with no context

The rules behind the comparison:

• Endorsements. The FTC's Endorsement Guides, revised in 2023, say that when an ad features endorsers with exceptional results and the advertiser can't show those results are typical, the ad must make clear what results people can generally expect. Material connections, such as payment or free product, must be disclosed (FTC).
• Reviews and testimonials. The FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, in effect since October 21, 2024, prohibits fake or false reviews and testimonials, and courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations (FTC).
• Health claims. The FTC's December 2022 health products guidance expects competent and reliable scientific evidence and says studies can't be considered in isolation (FTC). A reference list is not a shield if the studies don't support the claim.

In RevvyScales, you enter the comments in the comments block yourself, so only ever use real customer comments with the customer's permission. The scientific references block lists your sources on the page.

Trust badges covers which badges and seals reassure buyers at the pay button and which ones mislead.

Why the legal footer isn't enough

The legal footer holds your general disclaimer, privacy policy and terms. It can't carry a disclosure that qualifies a specific claim. The FTC's .com Disclosures guide says that the closer a disclosure is to the claim it relates to, the better, that necessary disclosures shouldn't be relegated to terms of use, and that a disclosure cannot cure a false claim (FTC). So a typical-results line belongs next to the testimonial it qualifies, and the footer handles the rest. More in VSL compliance. This is not legal advice.

How fast does a VSL landing page need to load?

Fast enough that the video starts before the visitor gives up. Google's "good" Core Web Vitals are a sensible target: Largest Contentful Paint within 2.5 seconds, Interaction to Next Paint at or under 200 milliseconds and Cumulative Layout Shift at or under 0.1, measured at the 75th percentile of page loads (web.dev).

On a VSL page, three things usually decide that: the poster image, the player, and the third-party scripts you add. Every pixel, chat widget and heatmap you install runs on every visit. The VSL page speed guide covers how to measure and fix each one.

Common VSL landing page mistakes

A block-by-block VSL landing page checklist

Go block by block down the page; the ticks stay in this browser:

A block-by-block VSL landing page checklist

• Above the video: No menu, and the logo doesn't link away.
• Above the video: The headline matches the ad and fits in two or three lines on a phone.
• The video: Full width, directly under the headline; headline and video both visible on a phone without scrolling.
• The video: A sharp, light poster and a caption track.
• At the pitch: The offer block matches the script word for word and price for price.
• At the pitch: The first button sits directly under the video, says what happens next and meets 4.5:1 contrast.
• At the pitch: Guarantee terms are written in plain words.
• At the pitch: The FAQ answers real questions from support and sales.
• Proof: Every testimonial and comment is real, used with permission, with connections disclosed.
• Proof: Typical-results statements sit next to the claims they qualify.
• Proof: Every reference supports the exact claim it's attached to.
• Footer and speed: Disclaimer, privacy policy, terms and contact details are present.
• Footer and speed: A phone test shows LCP within 2.5 seconds and no layout jumps, and every third-party script on the page has a reason to be there.

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