If you want a simple way to make your emails more profitable, without any hard pitching or looking even remotely “salesy”, then give me a few minutes here, and let me show you how to do it in this article.
Here’s the story …
One problem a lot of people have with writing effective emails is they think they’re writing a sales letter. And because they think their emails are like sales letters, they pack them with benefits and use all the usual copywriting tricks — out of context — and selling “choke holds.”
But if you sell a product that solves a painful problem, the opposite is true.
What you really should be talking about (instead of your product and its benefits) is all the pain caused by the problem your readers want solved.
This means getting inside their “world” and writing about the pain they’re experiencing (or COULD experience if something isn’t done to deal with the situation pronto).
Yes, you still make a call to action.
And yes, you still plug your URL (either aggressively or passively, such as in the example below).
But, you don’t need to hammer your readers with benefits. Instead, you hammer them with the painful symptoms they’re feeling — or could feel if they don’t find a solution.
How does this help your sales?
The answer is simple.
Since YOU are the person emailing them each day (you are mailing them daily, right?) and bonding with them (not just “pitching” them) by showing them you understand their pain, they will naturally look to you as the go-to person for help.
This concept is hard for a lot of online marketers who study copywriting to grasp at first.
So below is an example of how to do it:
Subject Line: The real reason why good writers die young
Writing’s a dangerous job.
Sitting there on your rumpus for long stretches of time … letting your legs form dangerous (life ending) blood clots, and wreaking havoc on your entire nervous system — which all can lead to some really NASTY pain.
Leg pain.
Neck pain.
Shoulder pain.
Elbow pain.
Wrist pain.
And, especially BACK pain.
In fact, I knew this one copywriter who was spending sometimes 8-10 hours straight in front of his computer in a small “closet like” office — writing copy, editing video/audio, messing around with website design etc, who was always in excruciating back pain.
Every movement hurt like hell.
Every shift in his seat like white fire up his spine.
Every turn of his neck agony.
He suffered like this silently for months, but figured it’d just go away on its own.
It didn’t.
It actually got worse.
In fact, it spread to his rear end and then down into his hamstrings making running (something he loved doing) impossible, and even walking to the kitchen from his office was exhausting and excruciating. Even sleeping was fitful at best as he had to lay in just the right position (and not move) in order to keep the sharp, “dagger like” pain away.
Eventually he sought help.
Doctors.
Orthopedic surgeons.
Chiropractors.
Acupuncturists.
None were any help.
(One of these doctors even said it was just “phantom pain” and sent him on his merry way with a bottle of pain killers …)
All his tests — MRI, EMG, X-rays — came up negative.
Yet, the pain was getting worse.
And his livelihood (writing) was at stake.
One of the doctors said whatever the problem is, it could be permanent if he didn’t figure it out soon … and to see a neurologist who told him there was nothing they could do and that humans are not built to sit for long stretches of time like that (and he was lucky he hadn’t developed any blood clots …)
Anyway, the point?
Writing for a living really CAN be dangerous.
To your health.
To your sense of well being.
Even, to your life …
To see my “writers pain” prevention plan, check out:
[Sales page URL here]
[Signature here]
See how that works?
The entire email above is about the problem, not the solution. It doesn’t talk about a product, and there isn’t a single benefit mentioned. Yet, it does a better job “selling” the click than pummeling the reader with benefits, bullet points, and features.
It also prepares the reader to eagerly be looking for a solution when they see the landing page, instead of being on guard against a sales pitch. In fact, they’re looking to be sold when you do this correctly.
This is a very simple way to write emails.
You don’t have to be a great “writer.”
You don’t have to use any copywriting tricks or tactics.
And, you don’t even need to mention your product.
All you have to do is know your market and these emails practically write themselves.
Your homework assignment: Go write a “pain” email like the one I’ve shown you above. Think of all the pains your product solves, use the above email as a template and watch what happens.
About the Author: Ben Settle is a direct response copywriter and email marketing strategist. Although Ben no longer accepts clients, he gives away over 700 pages of his bestselling ideas and insights free at BenSettle.com.
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