⁉️ True or False - Is Email Marketing a Formula?

If you spend time searching the internet in order to learn email marketing, you’ll find that many content creators distill email marketing into a bullet point list of punchy action items, a laundry list of things to do and then you’ll be printing money.

This makes sense, as lists are easy to create, and easy to share in our social media driven attention based world.

Yes, there are commonalities among successful emails, but what makes email marketing fun (and creative) is that there’s no one size fits all approach.

So while there are formulas to follow, they won’t complete the job. You still need creativity to put money in the bank.

Email marketing is an art and a science.

Let’s check out one science (or formula) idea here regarding email campaign structure.

1. Attention

It’s obvious your email needs to grab the reader’s attention.

That can come from the sender themselves or from the subject line and preview text.

Imagine if Michael Jordan emails you. Then you could care less about the subject line. You’re going to open it.

Until that sender trust is earned though, you’re reliant on the subject line and preview text.

2. Personalization

It’s obvious your email needs to be relevant to the reader.

If the content of the email doesn’t match what the reader wants to see then it’s a non-starter and it won’t get opened.

3. Clarity

It’s obvious your email needs to be clear.

Most read their emails on their phones, have limited attention span, and move on quickly if there’s any confusion.

The marketplace of emails is competitive. Say what you want or move on.

So now what?

The formula tells you about attention, personalization, and clarity, but what do you do with that? What do you write about?

In future emails, I’ll discuss content ideas as there are endless things to write about.

If you want ideas right now, check out Constant Contact’s list of email writing prompts by goal for some help.

💡 The Main Idea - Tell A Story

Have you ever thought about your favorite emails?

Are there any emails you receive that you ALWAYS open and read, no matter what?

I’m on a few lists that I’ll even let the emails sit in my inbox for weeks until I get a chance to read them.

On the flip side, are there any emails that you ALWAYS delete? (but stay on the list for the occasional sale)

What’s the difference between these emails?

Why do you love some emails and disregard others?

If you haven’t thought about this, try this homework assignment: As you’re going through your emails think about why you gravitate to the emails you like.

Use a gut feeling. Don’t sit there and analyze.

I think what you’ll find is that you connect with the story of the email, brand, or sender.

Storytelling is the secret weapon of entrepreneurs and marketers.

That is the headline of this article, and it’s also true.

The article is behind a registration wall but you can get the idea just from the first few paragraphs.

A story is what successful email marketers plug into the formula written about above.

A story connects.

My favorite emails always tell a story. A story about the brand, person, or sender.

Stories can be short and simple, or long and complex.

The story of Apple Computers is decades long starting with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, but it continues to this day in the minds of its customers.

Tesla is largely a function of Elon Musk’s life story.

What these brands do in terms of marketing is just adding to their stories. When we talk about a brand that no longer exists, we often say a brand is “dead.”

Odd to think about, right? A dead brand is not telling a story.

If you come across any good stories in your emails, let me know!

👋 Wrap Up

• There’s a new Gmail subscription feature. So what? Same advice as always, send good emails. [Reddit]

• Keep your email list clean. Crucial advice. Do it weekly or monthly. [Reddit]

Until next time, I hope you have a great week!

Sincerely,

Bryan and The Email Update Team

Btw, Is this email useful? Tap the poll below or reply to this email. I read every response as I’m always trying to make this better for you.