Latest / Imperfect Marketing / 163: Crafting Captivating Email Copy: Tips for Attracting, Engaging and Converting Subscribers with Host Kendra Corman

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163: Crafting Captivating Email Copy: Tips for Attracting, Engaging and Converting Subscribers with Host Kendra Corman · Imperfect Marketing

• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Imperfect Marketing Podcast.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, kendra Corman, and today we are talking about email copywriting.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Whether you're sending out your very first email campaign, you're looking to improve your clicks, crafting captivating copy is critical.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: I like that.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Captivating.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Crafting captivating copy is critical.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Your words make the first impression to your subscribers and it compels them to take action.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: So the question how do you write emails that attract, engage and convert?
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Let's dig in.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: We all love to get emails that feel like they were written just to us.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Right the copy?
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: It resonates, the offers enticing, the visual design pulls us in, or it's just really good value and it connects you to the writer.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: But so few emails check all these boxes.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: So today I'm going to share my top tips for upping your email copywriting game to create messages that subscribers can't help but open, read and act on.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: The first thing to remember is my new mantra that I picked up in 2023 from my most favorite copywriter If you're bored reading your content, so is your audience.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Keep that in mind as we move forward.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: So let's start at the beginning.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: First, you need to get really crystal clear on who is your audience.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: What do they care about?
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: Speak directly to their goals, their pain points, their dreams, using familiar language.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Write like you're having a conversation with them, and while it's possible to personalize every single, it's impossible to personalize every single.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: Email tools can make segmentation a lot easier, allowing you to tailor your messaging to key groups.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: So let me give you an example.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: I was creating my content marketing course, and it was my worst performing course ever.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: Why, well, my audience doesn't call it content marketing.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: They don't.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: They don't know what content marketing is.
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: I was using jargon that didn't resonate or relate to my audience.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: Now, when I asked people in my target audience what they did call it, they called each thing by its name podcasting, log writing, etc.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: That's what they wanted and needed.
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: Knowing your audience is priceless, and it is the crappiest part of marketing.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: Okay, why?
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: Mostly because you have to talk to people and you have to ask them questions.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: I teach part time at Rochester University, and I swear it would be like torturing my students to make them ask somebody questions.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: It's time consuming, it's not sexy, and, again, it's time consuming.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: The insights, though, that you can get are invaluable.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: No one ever wants to do it, though.
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: So really understand who they are, the words they use and what's important to your audience.
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: That's what's going to make this resonate with them.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: Okay, then I need you to be ruthlessly focused.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: Okay, your purpose and call to action on the email are going to be key.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: Don't try to accomplish too much.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: I had a conversation with a client the other day and they're like but we want to talk about this, and then we've got this, and then we've got that.
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: No, provide value on something specific.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: Then guide readers clearly on what action you want them to take after reading.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: Have you ever seen the TED Talk on Paradox of Choice?
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: I watched it a few years ago and loved it, and it really summarizes what you need to be doing with email marketing.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: Basically, we are horrible when we have choices.
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: Help your readers out and give them one thing to do, three at the most.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: Now let's talk about one of my favorite topics, which is value.
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: This is my favorite part of email marketing.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: First and most importantly, resist any urge to make every email solely promotional.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: That's not good.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: It's the 80-20 rule 80% value, maybe 20% selling the most clicked emails.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: Provide useful tips or education first.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: Then you can offer something relevant to purchase.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: Give before you ask to build trust and goodwill when it comes to design.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: I want you to remember emails are often read on mobile devices.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: This is another thing that I have conversations with my clients on a regular basis.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: They're like, oh, I don't like how it's wrapping Well, they're looking at it on a desktop.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: If I start adding hard returns to make it look beautiful on a desktop, it's not going to wrap right on a mobile device.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: I have them pull out their phone and the second they open up the preview on their phone.
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: They're like, oh yeah, I forgot, you want to make sure that you're keeping everything clear, concise and scannable.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: Nobody reads anything anymore, so scannable is key.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: Use descriptive subject lines under 50 characters, not words characters.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: Breakup copy.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: Use sub headers, bolding bullet points and ample paragraph spacing.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: I usually recommend 14-point font because, again, phones are itty-bitty.
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: Now, when it comes to design, one of my favorites is I love people who have a beautifully designed flyer.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: They want to share it on social media or send it an email.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: Ever tried to read a PDF on a mobile device?
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: It doesn't work so good.
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: So think about what you enjoy reading, what looks good to you on your phone and then on your desktop.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Go from there.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: Most of my favorite emails have a bulleted list of resources or links or thoughts, I can decide where I want to go and what I want to read or not read.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: They aren't long story emails.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: That's why I've been changing up my emails for 2024.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: If you're on my list, working to create a more digestible email with limited information and tide of it, let's see what happens with it.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: It's all about experimentation, right?
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: Progress over perfection.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: Okay up.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: Next key to copywriting is stories.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: Never underestimate the power of stories.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: Share case studies, client success stories and even your own vulnerable journey to connect on a deeper emotional level with your subscribers.
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: Help them see themselves in your narrative.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: Who doesn't love a good story time?
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: Now I just shared about my bad course launch, and I could share a bunch of other failures along the way.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: Of course, I would prefer that you all think of me as amazing and perfect, but everything that we do is imperfect to some extent.
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: Right?
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: Again, I could share a bunch more failures and money wasters.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: Let me know if you wanna hear more about my failures.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: I am happy to share so you can learn from my mistakes.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: But here are some of the more routine tips that are core to every marketing journey, starting with subject lines.
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: That's the critical first impression that your email makes in a crowded inbox.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: The best ones create curiosity by being specific about the value readers will get when reading Five unconventional strategies to increase website traffic.
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: That tells subscribers that they're gonna read this and get tactical ideas.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: When it comes to segmentation, avoid generic blasts that go out to your whole lists.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: Ideally, create two to three separate groups based on behaviors maybe it's past purchases or downloads Then customize the copy to speak directly to each group's interest and needs, using relevant language.
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: For some of you that might not be possible, or your group might be holistic enough that you can actually just send one out, but think about it.
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: I was working with a company that worked with nonprofits and for-profits, small companies and big companies.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: We segmented out the nonprofits, changed the content for year-end fundraising ideas and their opens and engagement went through the roof on the nonprofit side, cause it was highly relevant to what was top of mind for them All.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: Right before we wrap up, let's talk about crafting effective calls to action.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: Vague doesn't work.
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: Learn more here Doesn't provide enough context on specifically what you want readers to do.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: Next, people have to be told what you want them to do.
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: We don't wanna think enough, so give a clear, action oriented directive like register for the free workshop.
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: To get step by step organic traffic tactics, click here.
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: Okay, email copywriting takes practice and experimentation, but following these tips will have you crafting captivating campaigns in no time.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: All right, imperfect Marketers.
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: That wraps up another Imperfect Marketing podcast on email copywriting.
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: Until next time, take care and have a great rest of your day.