About a year ago, I got hired to write a set of emails for the 8-figure supplement company RealDose Nutrition.
The goal was to promote a “reds” product — basically the good stuff in fruit minus the sugar — to people who had bought RealDose’s flagship weight-loss supplement.
RealDose already had an email sequence that was going out to these customers.
So I wrote 5 new emails that we just stuck in the middle of this existing sequence.
The result of adding in these new emails was a 3x increase in sales for this email funnel.
The thing is, one of the emails did way better than the other four. You can find it below, along with my guesses about why it did so well:
SUBJECT: The evil twins blocking your path to good health
Here’s an interesting bit of recent research:
Inflammation (caused by obesity) reduces the number of taste buds on the tongue.
When you think about it, this is really perverse.
It means food will taste more bland…
Driving up appetite and reducing the feeling of satiety…
Contributing to more obesity, more inflammation, and fewer taste receptors on the tongue, repeating the cycle one level down.
This downward health spiral illustrates an important point:
Extra weight and inflammation are very tightly linked. In fact, they are mutually reinforcing, in dozens of separate ways. The list of problems this vicious cycle creates goes on and on: hormonal changes, cardiovascular effects, problems with the immune system, additional weight gain.
So what can you do to deal with the evil twins of inflammation and weight gain?
Well, you’ve already taken the first step by getting Weight Loss Formula No. 1, which will help you lose fat.
What about the other problem child, inflammation?
RealReds to the rescue, thanks to its 8 polyphenol-packed ingredients and a healthy dose of digestive fiber.
Not only will RealReds help with its high polyphenol content (which reduces your inflammatory response), but it contains practically no sugar, unlike whole fruits. This makes RealReds the perfect complement to Weight Loss Formula No. 1 in helping you along on the path to good health.
Oh, one more important thing.
RealReds taste great, even though it’s almost entirely free of sugar. You can just mix RealReds with water, or add it to smoothies, or even make popsicles.
After all, if inflammation is going to play tricks with your taste buds, you have to fight back somehow.
When you’re ready to give RealReds a try, here’s where to start:
[link to product]
So that’s the email. Now, why did it work well?
Who knows. But here are my 5 best guesses:
#1. Curiosity + benefit headline
I’ve written about this before: curiosity + benefit seems to be one of the most powerful ways to open up a sales message. Curiosity alone can be too vague (“These evil twins are out to get you”). Benefit alone can be tiring (“How to beat the inflammation that’s keeping you fat”). But together, curiosity + benefit are magic.
#2. Research
People who buy health products love to hear the word “research” and love to be told about new scientific findings that relate to them. The key is to present the research in a friendly and understandable way, like I did above.
#3. Tied into where the prospect is
One of the cardinal rules of sales copywriting is to meet the customer where they are. These prospects had just bought RealDose’s weight loss product, and since this tied perfectly into the angle for this email, I called it out.
#4. “Reason why” sales argument
Reason why copy — what other kind is there? The headline + research sucks readers into accepting that inflammation is keeping them fat… and then presents the product as a way to eliminate inflammation.
#5. Close ties into the hook
I was proud of being able to tie in the close of this email (“RealReds taste great”) to the hook (“Obesity makes you lose your sense of taste”). Honestly, maybe this is just vanity, and I’m not sure it helps sales. Still, it can’t hurt to close a sales message on a high instead of simply trailing off into the call to action.
And there you have it — my most successful email to date.
The thing is, I’ve had lots of other successful emails — as well as some bombs. And I’ve learned lessons from all of them.
And when you want to read more of those lessons, here’s where to start: