Many years ago, I was in the buying and selling website biz. (yes, that is a thing).
Back then, I wasn't the savvy copywriter you see before you today.
I came across a beautiful website that looked like a steal…
What I liked best about it was the 30,000 person email list.
I knew "the money is in the list." (Because the gurus said so)
So I bought this site…
- In a niche I knew nothing about (I hadn't learned my mad copywriting research skills yet)…
- Without asking enough questions…
- And without understanding where the market for the product was going.
- Let's say it didn't go well.
But this isn’t a lesson on bad business deals.
Lets focus on the email part of this failure to teach a little copywriting magic.
You see, my list was filled with unengaged readers.
Readers who were getting bombarded weekly (for years) with huge discounts and blazing banners that screamed: "THIS IS AN AD."
When I took over, I could do little to get readers to engage or buy anything that didn't end in a discount.
But we are here today to learn from my mistakes.
This buisness could have been saved.
Because despite my failure, the money really is in your list…
IF you know how to write emails, customers love to read.
Here are my top 5 rules for writing emails customers love…
- Make the email from a person. You want them to feel a connection with a human being on the other side of the screen.
- No one volunteers to open an advertisement. So don't make it look like one. Avoid giant banners, images, and exclamation points. Sensational, salesy subject lines have to go too. In other words, if it seems like an ad for a carnival, tone it down. Plus, non-stop sales trains your customers not to engage and not to buy.
- Tell stories. You can tell personal stories, customer success stories, stories about your dog (I do). Anything that lights up the imagination and pulls your reader into your world. Human brains are wired for story. Use that to your advantage.
- Send more email more often. If you tell entertaining stories and offer a great product, you can send as many emails as you want. No spam. No complaints. PLUS: you will sell so much of your product that you'll kick yourself for not doing it sooner.
- Have some personality. Inject your brand personality in your emails. It shows you are a human, and you will attract your ideal customer. Will you lose customers doing this? Yes, and that is good. The people that leave were never going to buy from you, and if they did, they would be your biggest headaches.
If you want more copywriting tips check out my other articles here.
Looking for someone to help you make a ton of moolah with your email list? Contact me here.