Step 3:
Getting It Clicked
Ok, now it’s time to whip your emails into shape. In this is section we’ll
dive into the anatomy of high converting emails. What works and what
doesn’t. Step-by-step, you’ll learn how write and design emails that actually
make you money.
First up,
tone is everything. Unlike a classic novel, where you know what
tone to expect, writing for email is different. It’s much more personal and
conversational. People are really good at detecting if pieces of writing on
the Internet – be they emails, blog posts,
Facebook updates or tweets,
Google ads, YouTube comment threads – are meant for them or not. And
the key signal is how you put the words together. The tone tells you a lot
about whether an email is worth your attention or not. And it’s your tone
that will help people answer their eternal question – ‘In an inbox of infinite
options, should I read this email?’
The number one thing that determines this is not your grammar. It’s not the
length of your email, or how beautifully styled it is (quite the contrary
actually) …You see, the number one thing that determines this is this:
Is it entertaining?
As I mentioned earlier, my number one fear when writing an email is that it
will be boring.
It doesn’t matter how valuable your content is. If your tone is dry and
boring, it’s an effort for
your subscribers to read it, and they’re met with
resistance at every line. Let’s face it: If they’re reading your email, they’re
on the Internet, meaning they’re just two clicks away from super-models in
bikinis on Instagram, funny cat videos, or what their friends are up to on
Facebook.
Therefore, your emails must entertain! Don’t write limp, boring, dull emails
that lull your readers into a coma.
Be that adventurous person in their life
who brings them some spice,
entertainment, and excitement to their vanilla existence.
Be controversial, funny, and exciting. Hit them with that ‘happy shot’, make
them smile and want to read your emails.
I don’t care if your market consists of lawyers, financial planners,
neuroscientists, architects, or a member of the royal family... they will never
be ‘bored into buying’. They will only respond to passion and
entertainment. Passion, entertainment, and showmanship are the missing
ingredients in copy and advertising today.
In today’s digital age, everybody seems to be more concerned about
offending a few losers than they are about selling to a multitude of winners.
Whom will I offend? Who will unsubscribe from my list? Will I be stoned
in the streets? Who the hell cares about that small percentage of cowards
who have nothing
but time on their hands, people who will hide behind
their keyboards and write scathing comments in response to almost every
solicitation they receive?
I know I certainly don’t. But I see countless companies give up millions of
dollars in sales every year just so they won’t offend a small percentage of
complainers who’ll never buy from them anyway.
Listen: When you write email copy, you should never lie,
never cheat, never
use poor taste, never use trickery, never be crass, and never insult your
reader’s intelligence.
However, you absolutely must
stop watering down your copy, playing it
safe, and making it lifeless, boring, and lacking in passion, all in the hopes
of not offending those who’ll never do business with you anyway.
Instead you must entertain, excite, and spark passion in your readers. Be
polarising. This will enable you to form a friend-like bond with your
audience by being ‘real’ and levelling with them and not trying to be some
uptight prude.
And don’t just talk about business. Tell them about your personal life, what
you got up to on the weekend, what you do for fun, about your crazy ex-
mother-in-law who’s like a fire-breathing Godzilla. Let them see your
blemishes. Engage in casual banter like you do with friends. Tell them
stories and then, and only then, hit
them with your valuable ideas,
strategies, and tactics on how to help them achieve their desired outcome.
As a result, like me, you’ll get countless emails just like the one below, in
this instance the subscriber had completely forgotten how he got on my list:
