Let’s say you are in the weight loss niche. (Weight loss is a good example because almost every understands it.)
So, your audience is mostly women. Over 40. Who want to lose weight.
Now, these ladies have probably tried (and failed) to lose weight dozens of times over the years…
They’ve gone through The South Beach diet, Weight Watchers, The Zone diet, Atkins, Paleo, Raw, Keto… you name it. They’ve probably tried it.
And…
…they’ve read or been exposed to most of the science stuff behind weight loss…
So, based on that:
Which of these two emails do you think will connect with the reader more?
1. An email about the benefits of whole milk vs. non-fat milk for weight loss.
Or.
2. A binge story. About how you went out a couple of months ago with your girlfriends… since it was your “cheat” day. And ended up hoofing down an entire large pizza at 2 am all alone.
Which email do you think your subscribers will relate to more?
…and enjoy reading about?
Obviously, the pizza story.
Why?
Because it’s entertaining.
And relatable.
We’ve all been through something like that.
You are on a diet. Everything is going well.
The scale is dropping… you are on a roll.
In a few months, you will hit your target weight. So you decide to reward yourself for all your hard work.
Just a couple of drinks with your friends… that won’t hurt.
After all, you’ve been good.
You deserve it.
Before you know it, it’s 1 am, and you are still at it, but also ravishing hungry.
You get home shortly after… and need FOOD!
That extra large cheesy meat lovers’ frozen pizza sounds just about right.
And before know it, you’ve inhaled the entire thing…
…and totally blown your diet.
Now you feel guilty and dejected.
Do you see how this story is a lot more fun and entertaining than some deep teaching email?
…or worse still, a “marketing email.” Talking about the benefits of your product… and why they need to “act now before it’s gone.”
People want to be entertained. They want to relate, to see themselves in those situations.
We all want to feel better about ourselves… and about our failures or shortcomings. And to know that we are not alone… that other people (that we look up to) fail also.
But we also want to learn something valuable in the process.
We learn best through stories, analogies, and metaphors. They are disarming and feel good to hear… and you remember them more.
But then you transition.
And tie off the email with your product.
You explain how your meal prep system helps prevent this from ever happening again.
How, when you get home, you will always have something hearty, cheesy, and satiating waiting for you…
…and you can hoof that down (because it’s as delicious as a cheese pizza) and not blow your progress.
The problem is never the selling. It’s how the selling is done.
If you can entertain in your emails while slipping in some valuable education…
…and tie in how your product can help solve that problem…
…your subscribers will LOVE your emails.
They’ll read them daily and look forward to the next one because they WANT to hear from you.
You’ll never have to worry about open rates…
… and your sales will go through the roof.
Make it a habit to collect stories wherever you find them.
Collect anecdotes, interesting folktales… anything that engages you and helps you get lost.
That will be the fodder for your emails.
Stories are everywhere.
Even simple interactions in your everyday life can be entertaining. They help your readers see life through your eyes.
But.
Here’s the problem:
Most entrepreneurs are busy. You have a lot of moving parts in your business to worry about.
What if you’d rather not spend your day looking for stories, writing emails, or checking deliverability to make sure you are actually inboxing?
If that’s you, then consider working with us.
We offer an Email List Management Service for select clients.
This is where we take over your list, and we fix any email deliverability issues you might have and put in place a list segmentation strategy so you get maximum engagement.
And we write all your emails and send them… every day. Checking deliverability before each broadcast to make sure you end up in the Primary Tab.
The Gmail Promo Tab can be a silent killer; open rates and click rates are usually 50% less than the primary tab. We double-check every email sent daily to make sure it lands in the Primary or Update tab for the majority of your list.
Each email is written fresh daily for maximum engagement and sales. We read the responses, see what the audience is saying, answer questions on the next broadcast. This creates a live community, and your audience feels “heard,” and they respond with more sales.
This is a totally hands-off, done-for-you service.
We LOVE email.
And we love storytelling, so it’s a win-win for us.
If you’d like to truly turn your email list into a profit center for your business, where you are generating 30%… 40%… 60%… or more of your revenue from email, then let’s talk.