Yesterday, I wrote an email about true magic, in which I promoted my Most Valuable Email course right at the top. I got a reply to that email from reader Jakub Červenka:
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John, I hope you are selling tons of mves.
Had I not bought it already, I would now, just as a thank you for many clever ways how you pitch it.
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Perhaps you skimmed across Jakub’s message just now, without really reading. I hope you didn’t. But even if you did, well…
I always thought that when people write emails featuring a reader comment, it’s all about being 1) pressed for time, because it’s easy to write an email that’s mostly a reader reply, and 2) self-serving, because the reader comment is usually a testimonial or an endorsement of some sort.
And no doubt, both of those are good reasons to regularly feature reader comments in your emails.
But there are other good reasons, too.
For one, it shows off you have readers. Don’t scoff.
Lots of people who write a newsletter don’t have any readers, particularly readers who are engaged enough to reply. So if you do have ’em, and can prove it, it builds your status and authority, independent of the content of the actual reply you got.
For two, it acknowledges and recognizes the reader who wrote in. It’s nice to see your name in print, going out to thousands of people, even if it’s just in an email.
Plus, it can give the reader added benefits. I’ve had Ben Settle featured something I wrote him in one of his emails, and people found me and signed up to my list as a result.
Point being, featuring a reader’s reply can benefit that reader in different ways, making it more likely he sticks around and becomes an advocate, not just a reader or customer.
For three, it encourages more responses in the future. This contributes to all the other benefits I listed above.
I could go on. But if you weren’t convinced by three arguments, what are the odds you will be convinced by a fourth? Slim.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, perhaps you too are in the daily race to find clever ways to pitch your offers. And perhaps you find yourself writing things that are a little too dry and literal. Perhaps you don’t even have any readers replying to your emails yet. If so, here’s a way to fix it: