I can’t count how many times potential clients have told me “you’re too expensive.”
After a while, it can make you doubt your strategy. And yourself.
In my case, I had 2 factors working against me:
1) Much cheaper competition. (Not that every copywriter charges less. But enough do to create a lowered expectation in the minds of many prospects.)
2) More significantly, lazy positioning on my part.
Because the way you position your pricing is just as important as the dollar amount.
We don’t have to get into the weeds here (We may go deeper in a future email. That’s a good reason to subscribe now)…
But I’m going to make an off-the-wall suggestion.
You should be the least expensive option in your niche.
That doesn’t mean you should have the least expensive price tag…
It means you have to flip the script for your would-be buyer.
It’s not about how much he’s about to spend. It’s how much he’s going to SAVE when he buys from you instead of the other guy (or doing nothing at all).
Save money on buying a higher quality option instead of having to keep buying replacements
Save time because your product/service works and doesn’t break or breakdown
Save energy because he has a more complete solution
Save embarrassment because he doesn’t have to explain why things aren’t going according to plan
You hear a lot of discussion about artificial intelligence (AI) programs putting copywriters out of business.
Should you fear for your professional life?
Today I’m sharing insights into the topic which I don’t think I’ve heard other copywriters talk about.
Specifically, I’ll reveal the which copywriters are at risk… and the one thing I do to virtually guarantee your “job security” as AI becomes more prevalent.
We’re already seeing entrepreneurs use artificial intelligence programs to write some of their basic descriptive copy and informational content.
The programs have options to write FB ads and emails, too. So they’re designed to be used for selling purposes. They’re just not creative, or original, and they aren’t great at eliciting emotion.
The programs don’t create, per se. They use machine learning to curate, mix and match.
As far as I can tell, we’re far from any of these programs being able to independently come up with a unique “big idea” for copy or content and write in a way that generates a unique thought.
That doesn’t mean it won’t be used to attempt to write effective selling copy.
Now, I still think it will be some time before AI has widespread adoption, even for simple copy. Not every business even has a website in 2021!
Still, I believe machine learning/artificial intelligence will start edging out more and more copywriters in the months and years ahead.
The capabilities of these AI programs may not live up to the hype… but the hype is what’s making (and going to make) entrepreneurs buy them.
Meaning that you’ll see AI being used to write sales copy, even if it’s not all that compelling. Many users won’t really know how to tell the difference, or they’ll simply “trust the science.”
Again, watch the video to see how I recommend staying safe from the Skynet of copywriting.
What if the open rate on your next email hit 67% within minutes of sending it to your list?
Seems like a reason to get excited.
You might start thinking about all the orders that are about to start pouring in.
Guess what. There’s a good chance you’ll start seeing numbers like that in the near future. But it’s not because two-thirds of your subscribers are opening your emails…
This is one of the immediately apparent effects of Apple’s soon-to-release iOS 15 update.
Every one of your readers who checks email from Apple Mail (even if they have non-Apple emails like Gmail or Yahoo) could have their emails marked as open…
The most recent data I’ve seen indicates that could be almost 50% of your list!
Source: Litmus’ Email Client Market Share in July 2021
Here’s What You Need to Know
I recorded a video about iOS 15 back in June. It reveals some insights and actionable tips to help you navigate the coming changes.
Here’s the gist of it: starting as soon as mid-September, you won’t be able to trust open rates AT ALL…
And any marketing efforts you’re doing based on open rates will have to go back to the proverbial drawing board:
split testing subject lines…
segmenting engaged vs. unengaged (a ton of E-com store owners live by this one)…
resending to non-openers…
triggered emails…
…and more.
One of the shifts email marketers will have to make is focusing on clicks rather than open rates.
And one of the skills you (or your copy team) will need to is the ability to write emails that get clicked.
This has ALWAYS been important to drive sales.
But post-iOS 15… clickthroughs will be essential for testing, tracking and segmenting.
Otherwise, you’re sending emails in the dark.
For the unprepared, it’s about to be pandemonium out here.
If email makes up any percentage of your revenue, you have to start getting ready NOW.
On September 6, 2021, I’ll gave a live training on Zoom to show you how I write click-magnet emails. We even wrote one live during the training! Watch the recording here.
In recent emails, 19.3%… 26.1%… even 33.6% of my readers have clicked through.
(That’s a lot of sales opportunities, and it gives me a lot of engagement data I can use for testing, tracking and segmenting.)
I’ll also walk you through 4 more critical steps you need to take to navigate the new reality.
If you struggle getting clicks, this training will be good for you.
If you rely on 30-day or 60-opens to segment your emails list, this training will be good for you.
If you’re a copywriter or marketing strategist whose clients or potential clients depend on email to make sales, this training will be good for you — and could really make you stand out from your competitors who know nothing about this topic.
What does it really take to get people get off their butts and take action?
New data coming from the push for Covid vaccines reveals critical insights into 3 critical elements of a message that moves people.
Regardless of your feelings about the vaccine, these insights can help you crank up your conversion rate in any scenario where you need to be persuasive
Not in the mood to watch a video?
No problem.
I’ll give you a brief overview of the 3 copy “nudges” right here.
[Bonus] Tip #0: Make sure you’re communicating with your audience.
Don’t expect them to know what you want them to do or when to do it.
In the video, I mentioned a 23% increase in “conversion” just by sending a text message telling people their vaccine was ready. I saw another study in which the SMS message nearly doubled the number of people who were vaccinated.
Tip #1: Your messaging must have a call-to-action.
If you want someone to MOVE, tell him to move.
Don’t count on your offer “selling itself.” Don’t simply provide information and expect your reader to take the appropriate action spontaneously.
Tip #2: Make the desired action as simple and easy as possible.
Any additional difficulty or complexity – real or imagined – will decrease the likelihood of your reader doing what he needs to do.
Tip #3:Increase motivation by implying ownership, e.g. “claim your widget.”
Humans are reluctant to give back or lose out on what’s theirs. (It’s called the endowment effect.)
We’re also prone to going along with the default selection when given choices. (It’s called default bias.) Show people their options, and make your desired action the default. You’ll likely see an increase in conversions.
The studies done show with statistical certainty that this stuff works. But they also show that different audiences require nuanced messaging.
No one-size-fits-all messaging.
Now, how do you plan to work these 3 copy nudges into your marketing?
And then we’ll discuss how you can turn that data into cash.
Back in June, I worked on a project where we sent 3 emails using 3 very different appeals:
Email #1 pointed to a big opportunity
Email #2 shared a unique story tied to the opportunity
Email #3 went hard on urgency, with a deadline just hours away.
Take a look at some of the raw data:
Let me quickly paint the picture:
Before Delta flared up so fiercely, the travel bug started ravaging the American populace. My client suggested that was a money-making opportunity for investors in the stock market.
That first email pointed out facts: the travel industry was down $4 trillion… but was on pace to more than make that up in the coming months.
The second email took a different approach. I told a story about Qantas Airlines “flight to nowhere” (which Inbox X-Factor members may recognize from one of the Weekly Email Plans)…
…and how that PROVED people were so desperate to travel that they’d get on a plane that landed at the same airport it took off from.
Again, the third message warned the reader he had just a few hours to take advantage of to travel industry’s recovery.
Take another look at the stats above…
The open rates are all pretty similar.
The click-to-open rates are wildly different — and not directly correlated to conversions.
The benefit-driven, “here’s how much you can make” email was the worst performer of the bunch in terms of sales.
The story-based email destroyed the other two in conversion rate. Readers who clicked were at least 49% more likely to buy from this email than the others.
(It’s worth noting that my client sends promos like this every week. The second email is almost always the worst performer of the three. It’s usually not so story-focused, though.)
And the urgency email had the most sales by a wide margin, even though it had a much lower conversion rate. The higher number of clicks more than made up for it.
How Does This Put Money In Your Pocket?
In 3 ways.
Understanding the lessons we learned in this instance (and which I’ve seen bear out in multiple scenarios over the past few months), I encourage you to:
1. Build urgency into your promotions wherever you can (which is probably more often than you think).
This particular client uses urgency the same way week after week after week… and it keeps on working.
It’ll work for you, too.
2. Tell stories more often…
… but consider letting urgency take the lead as you get close to a deadline.
Good stories tend to generate higher quality clicks and significantly higher conversion rates.
By the way, you only need 3 things to write a good story, as you’ll discover in this video:
“I haven’t consistently emailed my list for a long time. What can I do to revive folks who’ve gone cold?”
The question came up again in mastermind I do copy coaching for. A mastermind member asked how to reengage subscribers who hadn’t opened an email in 180 days or more.
I thought you might get value from the response I shared.
One note before I get to that.
As you know, most of those inactive subscribers are probably out of the picture. Make sure you’re using your best ideas on the engaged portion of your list, where you have the greatest chance of success.
That said, how do you save the small percentage of inactives you may still have a shot with?
Here’s how I normally play it:
1) Come up with the most enticing offer you can make.
Plan to send a short (2 or 3 message) sequence to the unengaged segment. I’d consider subs unengaged after 90 days.
2) Communicate the crazy offer with crazy subject lines.
As we’ve discussed around here someplace, subject lines like the following tend to get noticed and opened at a high rate:
I’m sorry
DANG! I messed up
I can’t believe I let this happen
You can also try more direct, emotional subject lines like:
Did I do something wrong?
Do you hate me?
Or more aggressive challenge-type subject lines like:
FirstName, should I give your spot to someone else?
Should I take you off my list?
I’m kicking you off my list in 48 hours
These can work like a charm. They make people mad, so you may have some blowback from that, but at least the angry folks will make a choice to reengage or get lost.
Also, specific subject lines about the offer itself, mentioning super low cost, free offer, etc. can generate lots of interest.
A recent example that worked incredibly well was
“5.99…SERIOUSLY, FirstName?!” (It also worked with $497 as the price point.)
3) Again, I’d make this a 2 or 3 message sequence.
Mix up the subject lines to hit them from multiple angles: (ex. Email 1: I’m sorry; Email 2: offer-based; Email 3: you’re toast in 48 hours)
4) I’d probably ignore them after that.
I usually delete super old people from the list, but clients sometimes keep them on an inactive file for ad targeting purposes.
5) Going forward, treat people as unengaged after 60 days (90 days worst case).
Because anyone who’s ignored 2 months of consistent communication is unlikely to suddenly get re-engaged without switching up tactics (like we’re talking about in this thread).
Now…
There are a couple other tricky moves you can use, but some of them are more likely to get people’s attention for the wrong reason.
1) Try an unexpected FROM name instead of what you usually use.
There are differing opinions on this tactic. I don’t think you want to change it up all that often. It’s a solid tactic when used in moderation.
You can put the offer in the From line. A client of mine used “Your Free Book” as the From line (sending to the regular list, not unengaged) and found it boosted opens and total sales.
I’ve used the Easter Bunny…Santa Claus… my son’s name… just weird stuff to catch people off guard and generate curiosity.
Or you can try something like “Support” or “Customer Service” generically. The subscriber may think it’s more of a transactional email and pay attention as a result.
Which leads me to…
2) Use a transactional-sounding subject line.
The kind of subject lines you get from a service you subscribe to, or from your credit card company or bank.
“About Your Account” has gotten huge open rates — but if the subscriber feels like you’ve tricked him, he may not be in the buying mood.
This is a bit of a dirty trick. Use your discretion when considering rolling it out.
3) One of my best parting subject lines…
I used this one many times and it consistently performs well.
“Have you given up on this?” is a great subject line when you’re getting ready to end a promo… or the relationship with an unengaged subscriber.
It’s a bit of an ego challenge and definitely a FOMO reminder.
Stole that one from Chris Voss’ book, Never Split the Difference.
— — —
That’s it.
If these subject lines suggestions and email ideas were helpful and you’d like more content like this, check out Inbox X-Factor.
In addition to subject line templates and a weekly email calendar to save you time and effort having to come up with topics to write about…
You get video trainings to help you make your emails even more profitable.
I’m working on a brand-new video outlining my Consumption Maximization sequence, which I recently used double total click-throughs and nearly 5X total consumption of the content I wanted my list to see… with almost no additional effort.
(If you’ve been on my list since March, you were part of the experience and didn’t even know it.)
You’ll get all that and more inside Inbox X-Factor.
I could talk about email all day. But I know you have things to do, so I’ll leave you to it.
Did you see the video clip of a director at CNN (google “Charlie Chester”) admitting the network is basically a propaganda machine?
Now, this isn’t a shocker. Most adults realize every news network is biased… and getting worse every day. But it’s interesting to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.
Believe it or not, this is a useful topic to discuss. I’m going to use it as a springboard to introduce a few ideas.
If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I think could be very profitable for you.
1) The REAL Purpose of the News
Have you ever heard the term “news hole”? Give yourself a big gold star if you have.
Most people — even journalists — haven’t.
The news hole is the amount of space or time a printed newspaper, magazine or broadcast show has to fill after all the advertising has been sold.
In other words, if an hour-long news show contains 18 minutes of commercials, the news hole is 42 minutes.
Note the priority here.
Advertising comes FIRST.
There is no “ad hole” they need to fill after covering all the news they want to report on.
Informing and educating the public is a secondary consideration. (Tertiary, really. More on that in a moment.)
You know this is true. All shows are structured around the commercials, not just the news.
In fact, all content is essentially a vehicle to deliver marketing messages.
And they use teasers and open loop cliff-hangers to get you to sit through commercials through the whole program.
Here’s the takeaway:
I know you probably love educating your readers about your area of expertise. And that’s great.
But understand that it’s tough to stay in business if you insist on making “content king.”
Instead, your content ought to be designed to bring people in for the REAL show… the offers you’re going to put in front of them.
Don’t get it twisted.
2) Of Course the News Is Biased!
When you realize news is primarily designed (by the big outlets, at least) to sell advertising…
And you realize advertising is most profitable when it’s targeted to specific demographics, psychographics and affiliations…
It all makes sense.
News SHOULD be slanted to attract an emotionally hot audience.
Sounds terrible to even say that. But that’s where we’re at.
Here’s the takeaway:
Being “fair and balanced” is dangerous… and a wasted opportunity to influence for good — and profit.
As a secondary consideration, the people who run the media companies have agendas. So on top of selling advertising… they make every effort to indoctrinate their audiences.
Whether the indoctrination is purely based on a lust for more money/power/respect (“It’s the key to life” ~ The Lox)… or more altruistic reasons like “saving the country”… I’ll leave that for another time.
3) The Truth About News Anchors
How is it that newscasters are celebrities? Some are superstars.
Granted, being on TV can make you a celebrity almost by default. But if the news is supposed to be objective… why don’t media outlets intentionally find Ben Stein’s character from Ferris Buehler’s Day Off?
Instead, they go out of their way to find and develop attractive people with engaging personalities. They invest big bucks with companies like Magid to make their anchors even more likeable.
Why?
Because:
viewers won’t be bored into watching the news
we form emotional attachments to the people on the screen
we come to trust people we continually listen to, somewhat irrespective of their adherence to objective journalism. Some news anchors have become some of the most trusted people in America, despite parroting propaganda on a nightly basis.
(Some have also joined the ranks of America’s wealthiest.)
Here’s the takeaway:
Put your personality into your content and your copy. It can form emotional bonds, develop trust and help you move closer to the ranks of the wealthy in your field.
When people say “email is dead” you can pretty much always ignore them.
They’re probably selling a new shiny object (or they’re just mad they haven’t figured it out).
Recently, you may have heard a bunch of conversations with a similar apocalyptic tone.
Many entrepreneurs and marketers are freaking out about how Apple’s coming iOS 15 update will affect your email marketing.
If you haven’t heard these conversations yet, you soon will. Because the impact will be big.
I recorded a video explaining what iOS 15 and Mail Privacy Protection are, along with insights and actionable tips to help you navigate the coming changes.
If email makes up any percentage of your revenue, you have to prepare NOW
Because soon, the split tests you’ve been doing won’t work.
Most of the segments you’re building for your email list will be scrambled.
Your re-engagement campaigns will be pointless.
The iOS 15 update will turn the email world upside down — and it looks like the changes could go live as early as mid-September.
I’m revealing 5 steps you need to take to protect your profits on Monday, September 6th.
None of the email experts I’ve seen are talking about the most important adjustment you need to make. I’ll show you what it is AND how to do it on during this training.
Wanna know why you’re not closing more sales than you are right now?
I haven’t dug into your business, but I can tell you one reason.
Imposter syndrome.
Quick story.
I recently had a conversation with a guy I’ve known for about 20 years named Allen. We kinda came up together. Even had the same job at the same company on two separate occasions.
Over the past few years, our incomes really started to diverge. I regularly offered advice and encouragement. But he never seemed to be able to change course.
During this conversation last week, Allen inadvertently gave me a hint about why he was stuck.
“I’m not like you, Donnie,” he snapped at me.
Which is just plain false for a whole bunch of reasons.
As I said, we kinda came up together, worked some of the same jobs, etc.
(And yes, I realize this sounds a lot like scene between Derek and Chi from Save the Last Dance, but this is real life.)
Anyway, the point is this.
Over the years, the greater the difference between our incomes, the LESS he paid attention to the advice I gave him.
In his mind, he believed those ideas, strategies and resources wouldn’t work for him… because he’s not like me.
Imposter syndrome rears its hideous head.
Guess what.
The moral of this story applies to your marketing and your business.
Because YOU suffer from imposter syndrome.
There’s the twist.
I didn’t say you HAVE imposter syndrome.
But you almost certainly suffer from it…
Because your should-be clients have it.
They may listen to your advice. They may respond well to your encouragement. But many of them simply cannot bring themselves to change course.
They don’t believe your ideas, strategies and resources will work for them.
Because they’re not like YOU.
This Amazon review is a funny example… and sad at the same time.
This reviewer’s own self-doubt is blocking him from getting valuable information from the very people who have achieved the results he’s looking for.
But he just can’t see it.
How Do You Defeat Their Imposter Syndrome?
The brutal truth is that you won’t be able to beat in for a big chunk of your audience.
I get nervous every time mention this. But I trust you to do the right thing.
2) Tell more stories that illustrate that you really ARE like your reader. Or, at least you used to be.
Again, some people won’t be able to clear that hurdle. Don’t worry about it. The ones who get it will get it. And you may compel a brave minority to take action in spite of their self-doubt.
3) Show them examples of other people who really are like them. Detailed testimonials can go a long way here.
4) Make it insanely easy and low-risk to take the first step.
Offer a sample. A free or low-cost trial. A courageous money-back guarantee.
If it makes sense, maybe even offer to partner with them to get the result they’re looking for.
Get them to take the first step and they may come to see that, “hey, maybe I AM like you, Donnie.”
Knowing, liking and trusting the seller can help. But it plays a supporting role, not the leading role.
Don’t act like you’ve never bought merchandise from a hustle man who you’ve never met and have no reason to trust.
If you have what someone really wants, they’ll talk often themselves into buying regardless of other considerations.
That’s the reason Know-Like-Trust is dangerous.
You spend an inordinate amount of time, money and energy trying to get “known” rather than creating a desirable offer.
You postpone making an offer until you feel you’ve built up enough K-L-T first.
Truth is, many of your would-be buyers are bored with you by the time you’re ready to make an offer.
Trust is important. But no one buys something they don’t want just because they trust the person selling it.
If you offer something that improves people’s lives, you don’t have to “earn” the right to sell it to them.
The longer you wait, they longer they’re missing out on the benefits of your offer.
Imagine Moderna (a company you don’t know) and Pfizer (which NO ONE likes and few people trust) waiting to make their vaccines available until they’d crossed some arbitrary Know-Like-Trust threshold…
Doesn’t work like that.
People begged to get those jabs. Stood in line for hours to get them.
Because they desire protection — and getting back to “normal” life.
What does your ideal customer really want? Show them how to get it.
And whoever paints the clearest picture of a specific desirable outcome wins.
P.S. Share this revelation with your business buddies. They need to know the truth too!
