Writing the Body of An Email

Welcome to a new week! Hope you’ve had a great one!

I’ve got my pumpkin-scented, spicy coffee and my Halloween Party Playlist going!

As promised, I’ve got a lot to share with you- training from my mentor, Dean Holland, regarding writing the body of emails.

The Cliffhanger Email Technique

These work really well with an automated email campaign in which you’re making an ongoing offer because one email leads directly to the next. But they work well as your usual broadcast format also because your audience will be looking forward to hearing the rest of your story. They’ll be excited to listen to the ending in tomorrow’s email.

You’ll need a subject line that evokes curiosity to get the email opened. Or, as Blues Traveler says, you’ll need a hook.
Open a loop to get people to read to the end of the email. Begin a story, but then change the subject before finishing the story: “I was at the post office today when I saw an interaction I just couldn’t believe. I felt so sorry for the lady behind the counter! It made me laugh in surprise. I’ll tell you all about it in a moment, but first,….”
Body of the email: Before then, though, …. Explain your offer.
Closing
Set cliffhanger: “P. S. Remember I told you…. this email has gotten a bit long. I’ll drop you another email shortly and tell you the whole story.”

Example

I couldn’t quite figure out how to write this portion; I’m new to this, and it doesn’t just flow out of me yet.

I finally realized I could share my thought process as I think it through.

The subject line: Escape the Frustration of Your Life

My story comes from something I saw at the post office. Yesterday, I was standing in line there. A customer wanted pre-stamped envelopes. The lady behind the counter told her they were out. The customer was exasperated. She didn’t accept this answer and asked, “Are you sure?” What do you mean? Etc. In a last attempt, the customer wanted the lady to ask the other cashiers. After a slight sigh, the lady did as requested and asked the other cashiers. Each cashier looked like they would roll their eyes with the answer, “No, we do not have any at this time.” The office lady said the woman could go to another location and buy pre-stamped envelopes but said again, this location doesn’t have them. She pointed out that there were racks holding office supplies behind the waiting customers, and she could buy envelopes and stamps. The customer was confused; she wasn’t connecting the dots. The customer said the envelopes were too expensive, while the lady behind the counter pointed to the top shelf and said you would need the plain white envelopes, not the padded brown ones. The customer was more than confused at this point. At this time, the other cashiers had handled a few customers, and it was my turn. I’ll tell you the rest in a moment, but first…

This was so unusual it’d make a great snippet to share.

Then I’d Segway: This reminds me of my day job in a call center. We see the most straightforward requests get blown up out of proportion! I always think maybe this is just due to being a phone conversation. Maybe it’s happening because there is no body language or facial expressions, or they could be distracted and keep talking without paying attention to what they’re saying.

But no, a similar situation happened in real life!

I was reminded of my hope that soon, I will be able to quit that job.

I am so glad I have started my own affiliate marketing business.

If you have that same hope of starting your own online business and escaping your day job, I highly recommend the book that gave me hope- a clear business model to follow for success…

This is where I’d make my offer of The Iceberg Effect.

I’d follow up by finishing my loop: Let me say that the poor woman still had a confused look on her face when I was leaving. Just to be clear, this was not a language barrier.

Now, I need a cliffhanger. This is where experience will come in handy. Already, I’ve got a great email that would be good to send. I could still send it if I couldn’t come up with a cliffhanger.

I’ve got it! I could start my story by telling you I will tell you two stories. One happened in real life, and the other happened over the phone.

I could say this email is getting a little long; I’ll share a stunningly similar conversation I just couldn’t get through at my day job next time.

Ciao for now,

Nakina

It’s not perfect or polished like a magic trick, but it doesn’t have to be. Remember, you’re having a casual conversation with your audience, your friends.

What Do I Say?

As you go through your day, be attentive to what you can share with your audience.

Things you’re doing, things you’re experiencing, things you see, things you try, things you succeed at, things that go wrong, lessons you learn…

Just be open to what you might share. It doesn’t have to be a big thing.

If you have nothing to share, why don’t you? That’s something.
If you stayed at home all day, why?
If all you did was go to work, then you saw something or had a conversation you can share.
Even if all you did was watch TV, what happened on TV?

The trick is to be attuned, looking for something you can share as you go about your day.

General Tips

Write emails as if you’re writing to a friend. I like this tip: Consider your subscribers as members of your clubhouse.
Never buy email lists. They’ll hurt your deliverability rate, make your audience less targeted, and possibly get your email responder shut down.
Always have your audience’s best interests at heart. Never put profit before those who trust you.
Send follow-up daily. You don’t want your subscribers to forget they subscribed to you. Also, remember, they want to hear from you. First and foremost, you are building a relationship.
It’s okay to make an offer in every email. It can be at the forefront or as simple as a P.S. note.
Test your email to see what it looks like on your mobile device.