7 golden rules to follow when crafting sales emails
Learning how to write sales emails the right way is one of the best things every entrepreneur can do for their online course business. Email marketing is still one of the most effective marketing strategies, with an average of $42 ROI on every $1 spent. Here are seven golden rules to follow when crafting sales emails:
Rule 1: What matters most
Before we learn about crafting sales emails, we have to learn to write the perfect email headline. The email subject line is the first thing people see when they receive a new email. And that one line determines whether they’re going to be opening the email or if they’re going to skip it and delete it.
Here is some basic email headline etiquette you need to know:
- Avoid using all caps, exclamation points, and trigger words: Email service providers have spam filters in place, and all these things in the email headline can send your email to “Spam” or “Promotions”.
- Click baits are the thing of the past: People don’t like to be tricked, so try to be respectful.
- Capitalize only first letter: This is how people write subject lines in personal emails, so it’s going to help your email stand out in a crowded inbox.
When crafting a good sales email headline, you want to capture readers’ attention. One of the best ways to do so is by asking questions.
Another way is to go for something relatable. We all struggle with something in our lives, and finding a personal point to evoke an emotional reaction from someone reading your email headline is what you want to aim for:
Humor and playfulness is also a way to attract someone’s eye if that fits in with your brand and the audience you’re targeting:
Rule 2: Short and succinct
The art of how to write great sales emails that don’t make people cringe lies in your ability to convey everything you want to say quickly and clear. Your online course sales pages should be long, explaining everything about your course, showing examples, and displaying testimonials. But your sales emails should be the opposite.
If you’re writing long paragraphs of text in your sales emails, you’re risking losing readers’ attention. Always remember that when you land in someone’s inbox, you’re competing for their attention with a lot of other sales emails. And most people like to skim their emails when they open them.
So, the best trick when writing emails is to make them quick and snappy and to the point. Respect your audience’s time, which they will appreciate. Instead of writing out all of your sales landing pages in an email, give two or three main points and a link to your landing page where people can read more about it and make a purchase.
Rule 3: Remain clear
A call to action (CTA) is crucial when you’re writing a sales email. When readers finish reading your email, they need to know exactly the next step for them to take, or they won’t take any action.
Here are some potential CTAs you can include in your sales emails:
- “Click here to enroll in the course.”
- “Join my free webinar on X, Y, Z by signing up below.”
- “Don’t miss out on the limited sale and purchase the membership via the link below.”
- “Enroll in the course before the sale ends here.”
- “Save your seat at the free webinar below.”
Include one strong CTA at the end of your sales email that’s simple and clear and doesn’t require people to take another ten steps or make another ten decisions. Decision fatigue is real and can be an unfortunate bump in the road when you want to make a sale, so make the action super easy.
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Rule 4: Provide value first
Marketing expert Jenna Kutcher always says: “Serve, serve, serve and only then ask.” And if you look at a lot of other entrepreneurs, you’ll see that most of them focus on providing as much value for free to their audience before they ask them to buy from them.
The same applies to your sales emails. When you write a sales email, you want to give value to the person reading the email before you pitch a sale. Tell them why and how you can help them if they buy your products or enroll in your course.
It’s even more effective if you can write a series of sales emails leading up to your sale. This will give you enough room to provide enough value by explaining how your course will change their lives.
Blogging expert Jon Morrow, the creator behind Smart Blogger, is the perfect example of writing sales emails that don’t feel “sales-ly” yet are very effective:
In five short, easy-to-understand sentences, he invites you to a free webinar, where he will provide tons of value and teach you something new. And at the end, he’s going to pitch you a sale on one of his products that will add even more value to your life.
Rule 5: Stay real
Write as you talk. Use words that are simple and easy to understand, just as you would if you were having a conversation with a friend. The exception, of course, is if your online course is targeted towards industry professionals and covers technical topics. In that case, you’ll probably need to use some insider words.
But whether you’re talking to a general audience interested in meditation tips or an expert audience interested in cyber security, the key is to remember that you’re talking to real people. So, write sales emails that sound conversational.
Jon Morrow is also a master at crafting sale emails that are conversational, short, and personal:
Short sentences, direct language, and the tone of voice that makes it feel as if a friend is recommending you something to try out that will make your life better are very effective when writing sales emails.
Rule 6: Inject personality
Generic sales emails without a touch of your personality will do the work and sell if you craft them well. However, if you’re looking to truly stand out and want people to remember you, add a little bit of yourself in your sales emails.
The latest email statistics show that adding interactive things like GIFs and videos into emails you send to your list can increase the click rates by 300%. Using GIFs is one of the easiest and most fun ways to add a little bit of personality and make your sales email stand out.
Copywriting expert Marisa Corcoran is a great example of fun and interactive sales emails. Her newsletter is always filled with small quirky details that convey her sense of humor and personality while still providing value:
Mixing pop culture references with written and video content gets people’s attention. It amuses them and can be a great way to entice them to make a sale on a course or a smaller product that will change their lives.
Rule 7: Branding matters
You want people to know who the email is from the moment they open it. And the best way to ensure it happens is by being consistent with your branding in your emails. Now, branding includes things like:
- Your tone of voice: How you do you talk to your audience on social? How do you talk in your online courses? You should talk the same with your email list.
- Logos: Use your business logo in your emails if you’re opting to use visuals.
- Brand colors and fonts: Be consistent with your brand style and use the same color palette and fonts in your emails like you use everywhere else in your business.
- Business email and name: If your business name is “Sunshine Yoga,” yet people are receiving emails from [email protected], they will be confused. Always ensure you’re using the branded email that people know about.
While branding is not the most important part of a successful sales campaign, it’s an important detail that can make a huge difference.