I’ve been writing daily sales emails, first for clients and then for myself, since 2017. In that time, I estimate I’ve written 3,000+ such emails. I have learned a thing or a thousand in the process. Here’s 10 of ’em, selected for impact and ease of use:
1. Write a 1-2-3 outline. Point 1 is your opening. Point 2 is your takeaway. Point 3 is your offer. Each point should be a few words to a sentence max. If you cannot express what you want to say in 3 points and each point in max a few words, your email will turn out a mess with startling probability.
2. Repurpose the headlines of long-running but little-known sales letters as your subject lines. One of my most successful (notorious) ones:
“Start a profitable repositioning business… with your own home as headquarters”
3. If you are ever in a horrible crunch for time or brainpower, you can always write a super basic email using the following format:
– Where you are right now
– How you are feeling
– Why you are short of time/brainpower to write a better email
– Why you’re writing an email nonetheless (and make this into a net positive for you reader)
– A link to your offer
An email like this can be just 150-250 words. It’s something you can do in 5 minutes or less, even if you’re brain-dead at the time.
4. Reuse content you’ve already written in other emails (eg. my point 3 above), or in your courses, books, blog posts, comments on Facebook, comments on Reddit, letters to your grandma.
5. The #1 most powerful editing tool is the delete key. If something isn’t quite working, take it out instead of trying to fix it.
6. If you have written a cliche, either take it out or “lampshade” it — exaggerate it and draw even more attention to it.
7. If you have written something your reader already knows, either take it out or acknowledge your reader already knows it, and explain why you are still talking about it.
8. Writing ungrammatical gets people to pay more attention, to notice and remember you more, and maybe even to be amused. It sometimes also draws replies from very intelligent people, replies which can be profitably put to work in future emails.
9. Just about anything can be a daily email topic. If it doesn’t look like it, it’s because you’re not looking close enough. Look closer.
10. It’s helpful to restrict yourself in terms of topic, style, core idea you want to get across, etc. It saves time and makes your emails more impactful and surprising day after day. For help with that: