Lots of people struggle writing e-mails. I’m a copywriter and I struggle with it sometimes. I get. it. I’m sure Jillian Michaels eats a bagel or skips it’s a workout every now and then too. It happens.
So how do you write good emails. One that gets read by the people on your list?
You can go the hypey route if you want. You can focus on hooks, persuasion gimmicks, clickbait, and closing techniques. In the end you’ll feel so dirty you’ll want to take a shower.
That’s a lot of work just to see unsubscribe notices filling your inbox like stimulus checks in 2020.
You want your e-mails interesting and entertaining, along with some value for your reader.
I was reading the book Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years. When Marvel Studios was filming the Incredible Hulk, William Hurt (General Ross) was asked about being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His answer I thought summed up what really matters in writing e-mails.
He said, “I have to consider the character. As an artist, it’s my job to ask, “Is the character I’m playing interesting enough? Is he true enough, you know, to who we are as people? Are they believable? That is my anchor. The really good artists pull it off.”
Change a few words in there and look what happens…
It’s my job to ask, Is the e-mail I’m writing interesting enough? Is it true enough, you know, to who we are as people? Is my message believable? That is my anchor. The really good marketers pull it off.
It’s about being true to you and your message and being sincere with your audience. John Wooden put it like this. “Sincerity may not help us make friends, but it will help us keep them.”
When your message is interesting and believable the rest will work itself out. Because your list will see your name and read your e-mails because it’s you. Not because of your catchy subject line and perfect grammar.
Adam