The Truth About Writing An Email Series

The Truth About Writing An Email Series : Everyone is trying to give you their thoughts on email marketing but the truth is that it’s as powerful as ever and if you make sure to add value and take care of your subscribers then it’s definitely a skill set you need to work on.

This article was actually prompted by a student asking a question in a group we belong to and we thought it would be a good idea to go over some of the principles of email and in particular usingan email series – the one that a new subscriber receives after signing up for your lead magnet or offer (whatever that is for you)

But first a question

Which of these three types of people is likely to get you the most sales?

Someone who’s been on your email list for a long time
Someone who’s just signed up for your email list
Someone who has just visited your website

The traditional answer to this question is “1″ – after all, that person has had plenty of time to check out what you do and get “nurtured” as we call it in the trade…

But the actual answer is “2”. That’s what makes this welcome email series so important. It’s what you use to capitalise on what we refer to as “sign-up momentum” It’s what you use to say hello if you met someone in a coffee shop, on a date or at a party. More than that this welcome email series is what you use to sell.

Let’s look at The Email Series in more detail.

Why Write A Welcome Email Series?

Firstly, its the ONE email that will get the highest open rate and click through rate. Your new subscriber is at their peak interest in the moment. They just became a subscriber (from being click) so they want your content and are finding out about you.

Think of it as just being polite. When someone starts listening, you should say ‘hello’. Like if someone asks for more you don’t ignore them in real live do you? So give them your best in email too. When someone signs up for your list as a subscriber, they are introducing themselves. When you send a welcome email (the first in the email series, you’re offering them a virtual handshake).

When you do it well, the welcome email series is your best opportunity to say ‘hello’ and turn leads into customers and even if you don’t sell something at the first opportunity, the open rates and click-through rates of your welcome email are going to be the highest you get on any email campaign. We can absolutely vouch for that as it happens to us every single time.

Whatever you want people to do…whatever action you want them to take…it will be easiest to get in your welcome email series and especially the very first email in the series.

When you write that welcome sequence, think about what you’re ultimately going to sell. This is the process we follow and teach our students:-

Begin by sending a couple of ‘nurture’ style emails then
Introduce them to who you are and what you do
Share one or two of your core stories or stories relevant to your sale on the back end
Start thinking about getting them to buy whatever it is that you want them to buy

Ideally it’s connected to the thing that they ‘opted in‘ to receive – mabe a book, video series, training series etc. The truth is that people will not join a newsletter just to get your newsletter (that might have been the case many years ago but not today. Subcribers are savvy “shoppers! For the most part they’re only signing up because you gave them a reason to sign up and usually it’s becase they want to get your free stuff!

We’re huge proponents of making sure that our emails are branded to us and they get to know us quickly and efficiently… they’re busy and we’re busy. It can be as simple as having a link to your blog, a picture of you and your contact information or how to connect on social media.

Give a ton of value and show you’re there to help but remember you make money from selling and your new reader will expect you to sell to them! Don’t disappoint them!

Pro email copywriter Sarah Anderson says

“What do you want a subscriber to do after reading it? Hit reply? Read your blog? Book a call? Choose the one most important action you want the reader to take.

Make it the clear next step after reading the email.

If there are multiple actions you want a subscriber to take, write multiple emails in your series to guide the reader through that journey.”

How Many Emails Should You Include In Your Welcome Series?

That’s the next question that needs to be addressed and although it it varies depending on who you are talking to we follow the advice of Ryan Deiss of Digital Marketer who recommends 5-7 emails in a new subscriber nurture sequence and that’s pretty standard.

We usually send 4–6 emails which should usually be enough to build trust and help take your new subscriber on a designated journey before you ask for the sale. We tend to reinforce a topic related to the reason they signed up for our newsletter in each email. Each email has a specific purpose and is designed to help move people to the next step of the sales funnel.

What To Put In Your Email Series

First of all you have to understand that each subscriber is at a different stage of awareness. This was first highlighted by Eugene Schwartz the copywriting legend and author of Breakthrough Advertising. We were first shown this by our mentor in the form of a ‘prospect pyramid‘ and that’s how we teach it.

The closer you get to the ‘most aware’ level, the more likely your subscriber is to buy something. So the goal of most email funnels (your job) is to move people – from their current stage of awareness to the top of the pyramid where they would be ‘most aware’

If you got someone to give you their email address, your contact probably isn’t starting off at “unaware” but it’s a safe bet that they aren’t “most aware” either which puts them somewhere in between and usually what we would call “problem aware” as in they are pain aware.

Try and think of the email series as a coaching series where you are helping move your new subscriber from point A to point B.

Email #1 This is your welcome email where you give people what they signed up for and tell them what to expect next

Email #2 Your subscriber has a problem. The thing you sell solves the problem. No one will buy your thing if they don’t believe you can solve their problem. You are attempting to move them up the pyramid from ‘problem aware‘ to ‘solution aware‘. We refer to this as the “what if” email which asks three questions.

What problem does my subscriber need solved?
What do they need to do to solve it?
What do they think they need to do (but actually don’t)?

Their problem is your way in. They listen to you because you can potentially solve their problem.

Email #3 This kind of email email relieves guilt and presents opportunity – we refer to it as “It’s Not Your Fault” email. We use our own personal story to demonstrate this and reference that “nobody” teaches you this stuff and therein you open the door to your product and move them from “aware of their problem and potential solutions” to “aware of your specific solution.”

Here’s the core message of this email: “This is hard, and nobody teaches it to you. It’s not your fault, and here’s how you can learn xyz.”

Email #4 This is the ultimate benefit email and is written in such a way as to help your subscriber—the hero—see the immediate, short-term and long-term benefits of your solution. It about how your offer will change their life? You need to be able to answer that question if you’re going to have them buy your solution. This is what we call the “imagine” email. Imagine helps people visualize themselves with the product. Even the best emails in the world can’t match the picture your subscriber paints in their own head

Email #5 / #6 This is your “do or die” email as we call it. Position your offer and make the sale. Painting a lukewarm picture of life without your product/service, testimonials, FAQ’s and remember to include scarcity.

Just be yourself, speak how you would speak and build trust.

With thanks to Active Campaign for the original post and examples oof emails

Now most email autoresponder services will help you segregate and send the right emails to the right people. We use and recommend Aweber because we know it works but there are many other services and for the advanced user Active Campaign is the recommended choice of most top marketers. Just do your due diligence and find the one that works best for you and at a price you can afford.

We highly recommend that you get a copy of DotCom Secrets by Russell Brunson as you can see this visually displayed and really understand how all the pieces of the jigsaw fit together

Who Are We

We’re former accountants of a certain age with 5 great kids, 4 grandchildren and a cat called Vincent. We love skiing, the mountains and traveling the world and we’re passionate about helping others to start and build successful businesses online and providing the resources to do it. Our business is centered on online marketing, financial and business education for those in or approaching retirement. You can find out more and ways to work with us here

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The Truth About Writing An Email Series