Introduction
It’s insane how much money is left on the table by smart, talented business owners.
Anytime I troubleshoot these sales problems, the first thing I check is their newsletter.
You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve seen a business with a decent list completely drop the ball.
And then they wonder why they’re not making sales.
Here’s a secret (that really shouldn’t be a secret): you need to constantly remind your customers where and how to buy from you.
Using a newsletter is the easiest way to do this!
Below is my 4 step framework for guaranteed email sales.
If you follow these steps, you will start to see sales like this:
1. Killer Headlines for No-Brainer Clicks
It doesn’t matter when or how you come up with your headline.
First, last, in the middle of the night…
All that matters is that it INTRIGUES your reader.
Honestly, it doesn’t even have to be totally related to the content. As long as it gets them to open your email. Of course, it’s better if it does. But it doesn’t have to be.
You can (and will) write a strong headline in many different ways.
But there are some things you can do to guarantee your success… especially under pressure.
My favorite is what I call The Bulletproof Method.
Step 1. Write 20 to 50 bullet points (or more) about your topic.
Step 2. Identify the 3 most unique, compelling, and interesting bullets.
Step 3. Craft a one-sentence headline out of the three strongest bullets.
Follow this method and you’ll get a killer headline.
2. Format for the Brain
If you’ve joined newsletters in the past, then you’ve seen the results of a BAD one.
Overly long walls of text that could have separated East and West Berlin by boring both sides to death.
You want to avoid this at all costs.
The best emails have a clear, easy-to-read format that helps your reader out as they read.
Think about your own behavior when you get emails.
Do you read every single word, from start to finish, of every single email?
Or do you skim through, scanning for interesting points, as you scroll down the page?
Chances are you do the second one.
The majority of readers skim, scan, and scroll before they actually read.
Reading takes time and dedication. They’re not going to give that to you for free. So you have to convince them with string content formatted in a way that helps them see it.
As long as your emails accommodate this behavior, you’ll be golden.
Take this post as an example.
- The sentences are simple for skimming.
- Key phrases are bolded for scanning.
- And it’s not overly long for scrolling.
3. 5th Grade Language for 12th Grade Readers
Your readers are looking for quick entertainment, not an SAT study guide.
Help them out by ditching big words.
Use simple language 3 syllables or less.
If you’re turning them off by using superfluous language, your bank is going to feel it…
For intelligent (especially educated) writers, this is one of the toughest things to do.
Just look through this blog post, even I break the rule sometimes (I used ‘accommodate’ earlier).
And it’s okay to do that… Sometimes there really won’t be a better way to say something. But if that is the case, make sure it’s a common word at least.
A great way to stay on track with this rule is to use the Hemingway Editor.
It tells you the grade level of your writing and helps out with spelling and grammar too. It’s one of my go-to tools for email copywriting.
4. Always Plug a PS Line
This shouldn’t be up for debate.
The PS line is one of the most powerful tools of email marketing. Ignore anyone who says it’s not.
Over 90% of people read the PS line FIRST.
This number comes from the academic god of Direct-Response Marketing, Professor Siegfried Voegele.
Your PS line can be used in a few different ways.
It all depends on the purpose and content of your email.
If your email is editorial, use the PS line to soft-sell a product.
A quick, one-sentence reminder with a link is all you need here.
If your email is a dedicated sales letter, use the PS line to sum up the message.
In this case, it can be a couple of sentences, but you should bold the key phrase for extra clarity.
And again, it’s useful for you to drop a link to the product in this PS line as well.
The sales you saw in the screenshot above mostly came from PS lines.
Do not neglect their power!
Final Thoughts
We could spend days talking about the best practices of email sales.
Are there exceptions to these rules? Yes.
Are there other rules? Yes.
Will you get sales by just following these ones? Absolutely.
Remind your customers they can buy from you in every email you send them
They won’t hate you for it…
They will thank you by busting out their credit card.
And that’s the biggest compliment a copywriter can get.