TUNE IN: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!

A Sneak Peek at the Episode

[2:00] Kate explains what a hook is and why it is important.

[3:19] In order to draw readers in, a hook has to be something that’s genuinely intriguing to the target audience. Nicki and Kate discuss some different examples of what that could look like.

[5:12] Numbers and questions make effective hooks because they pique curiosity and make people want to find out more.

[6:53] Kate reminds us that it is possible to lead with the benefit and do a catchy hook.

[7:27] If you are giving some kind of a hook, you have to actually pay it off. Using a hook and then launching into something else will lose the trust of your target audience.

[8:59]  Clickbait is when you don’t pay it off and lure people in without answering whatever it was that piqued their interest in the first place. This can hurt your marketing efforts and frustrate readers.

[9:54] Our co-hosts share examples of clickbait and discuss how this angers readers when they do not get the information they were expecting.

[11:34] As a marketer and as a copywriter, your job is to ensure that not only do you come up with great hooks for your clients, but that you also pay off that hook in a way that is intriguing.

[12:39] Spending time looking at copy around you and evaluating hooks can help to make the differentiation so you are able to have a positive impact on your client’s copy.

Must-Hear Takeaways

“A hook is by definition in order to hook them in, it has to be something that’s genuinely interesting or intriguing to that target audience. So It might be an interesting statement, a provocative statement, it might be a question that interests them. It opens a loop that they want closed.” – Nicki

“The hook has to bring people in but it also has to get paid off and it has to get paid off in a genuine way. If I say “The 5 Biggest Mistakes that People Make in a Portfolio”, either when people keep reading or maybe people click through, they should get the five mistakes.” – Nicki

“You can’t use a hook and then launch into something else because you’re going to lose the trust of that target audience.” – Nicki

“You can actually hurt your marketing efforts by using clickbait because you’re getting clicks, but you’re not getting the actual engagement that you want or need to move your client’s business forward.” – Kate

“It is very, very easy to lose an audience’s trust. And as a copywriter, it’s your job to make sure that your copy helps build that trust and doesn’t do anything to jeopardize it.” – Nicki

“Your job is to ensure that not only do you come up with great hooks for your clients, but that you also pay off that hook and give information in a way that is useful, intriguing, and gets them to keep reading.” – Nicki

“It is always beneficial to look at the copy around you and evaluate it.” – Nicki

Related Links

• What Your Headlines Are Missing
• Copywriting Q&A: When to Use Curiosity Headlines
• Ep. 27: The Most Important Piece of Email Copy

Tell us what you love about the podcast and what you hope to hear next! When you do, you can get access to an exclusive bonus recording featuring five wildly successful entrepreneurs who share what they do (and don’t!) look for when hiring copywriters. You do not want to miss it! 

Get all the details on how to get your recording here »

About the Build Your Business Podcast

Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?

Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.

Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.

See Previous Episode

Ep. 144: Navigating Ups and Downs in a Copywriting Career – Tammy’s Story

The post Episode 145: Catchy Hook or Clickbait? How to Tell the Difference appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

TUNE IN: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!

A Sneak Peek at the Episode

[3:12] Kory is one month into his new full time freelance copywriting freelance career. After trying to do it on the side for a while, he took the leap (even with zero clients on board!).

[4:09] Kory wants to become specialized in email marketing but has no background in it and is unsure where to start finding clients.

[5:11] Every business uses email and just about every business could be doing it more effectively. 

[7.14] Value-based pitching involves identifying something that a business is not doing or could be doing better, and then explaining to them exactly how that’s going to benefit their business.

[9:16] Understanding the client, their goals, and then how you can help them meet those goals via email will enable you to become a strategic partner to your client.

[10:36] There’s a ton of content out there for you to learn and stay on top of trends when it comes to email marketing. Nicki and Kate recommend some of their favorite resources.

Must-Hear Takeaways

“It’s that value-based pitching: identifying something that they’re not doing or they could be doing better and then explaining to them exactly how that’s going to benefit their business. And that’s also part of the research point too, especially if you want to be focusing on email marketing.” – Nicki

 “Show that you’re thinking strategically, get your foot in the door, and then there’s a whole world of opportunity.” – Kate

“Opting in to as much email as you can is going to be your best bet to finding out what people are doing, and what’s going on. Obviously you’re not going to know how things are performing but you can see again how we evaluate any copy in the world, whether it’s effective or not. Say ‘Okay, who’s their target audience? Would I open this if I was the target audience? What are they asking me to do? Does the next logical step make sense?” – Kate

“Email marketing is literally just marketing via email, which can mean sending out one email, or it can mean sending out a massive campaign of emails. It’s all about understanding the client, doing that research, understanding what their goals are, and then understanding how you can help them meet those goals via email.” – Nicki

“You can certainly specialize in email marketing but you do need to understand how all of the pieces work with that email marketing because emails never just stand alone.” – Nicki

Mentioned on this Episode

• Marketing School Podcast
• The Digital Marketer Podcast
• Stacked Marketer
• Hubspot Email Marketing
• The Art of Online Business Podcast

Related Links

• Ep. 84: When to Break the Copywriting Niche Rule

Tell us what you love about the podcast and what you hope to hear next! When you do, you can get access to an exclusive bonus recording featuring five wildly successful entrepreneurs who share what they do (and don’t!) look for when hiring copywriters. You do not want to miss it! 

Get all the details on how to get your recording here »

About the Build Your Business Podcast

Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?

Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.

Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.

See Previous Episode

Ep.143: Business Builder or Time Waster?

The post BONUS – Laser Coaching: How To Find Email Copywriting Clients appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

TUNE IN: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Check out the episode on YouTube!

A Sneak Peek at the Episode

[1:20] What’s the number one, most important part of an email? Spoiler: It’s not the call to action or anything on the inside of the email. It’s the subject line! If the email isn’t opened, the rest of the content doesn’t even matter.

[2:30] Nicki and Kate discuss some major things to watch out for when writing subject lines. Too many dollar signs ($), exclamation points (!), or all-caps words, will increase the likelihood the email ends up in a spam or junk folder before the user even gets to see it.

[3:30] So, what makes a good subject line? Nicki and Kate dive into this question by bringing up examples they have seen themselves that either made them click or delete. The first tip Kate gives is to ask if the client is willing to share data on what has (or hasn’t) worked in the past to help you guide your recommendations. If you don’t have access to the data, there are other ways you can tell if subject lines are good.

[5:00] Kate talks about some subject lines that worked on her recently such as, “You’re invited!…” and “Spend fall on the farm.” Nicki explains that these are great lines because they have a curiosity factor and they indicate an obvious benefit.

[8:30] Another few factors that will make a subject lines great is if it can create a sense of urgency and if it is personalized. You want people to get at least part of the answer to “What am I going to get out of this?” while piquing their interest enough to get them to read on.

[10:00] Nicki and Kate discuss some overused subject line tactics that used to be good but are now cliché. Be careful about using email gimmicks like “Oops –” or “Don’t open this email!” as they are no longer as powerful as they once were due to excessive use.

[14:00] Another thing to be careful of is explaining benefit and squashing curiosity all before the reader opens it. A good subject line gets the intended recipient to open the email so if the entire email purpose is explained in the subject line, they don’t need to open!

[16:30] Nicki and Kate talk about vagueness. With the example “Finding purpose with Jerry” there is a lack of information about why they should care about who Jerry is (apparently a three-legged dog). There is also a vagueness around the idea of “finding purpose.”

[19:00] Kate explains that the pre-header is that little line of text that sometimes shows up after the subject line. While it is not necessarily the place that requires the most attention to the copy, it is always good to put something there instead of leaving it to be email content.

[21:45] Nicki and Kate warn against using yes or no questions as subject lines. If the question can be answered without the recipient opening the email, they won’t open it.

[23:15] A great tip from Nicki and Kate is to read the emails you get in your own inbox. See what emails you are drawn to and which ones you delete. Maybe even work on amending some of the deletable ones to see what you could do to make it better (hello potential pitch opportunities!). Writing is only half writing. The other half is editing, reworking, tweaking, and polishing the final product.

[25:30] Blank page panic? Start a doc with all of the subject lines you rework from your own email and use them as ideas to jump off of!

[26:45] Send. Multiple. Subject. Lines. To. Your. Clients.

[29:00] There are a few “rules” that people follow when writing subject lines such as using less than a certain amount of characters or words. These rules really mean nothing because you could easily have a terrible five word subject line and a great seven word subject line, it’s all about the copy!

[30:30] The most important words should be at the beginning of the subject line. For example, if the email is about a 40% discount, that 40% off should be at the beginning of the line where the reader is most likely to see it and be intrigued.

Mentioned on this episode

Facebook Ads Library

Related Links

• Writing Subject Lines for Solopreneurs
• Email Snippet Tactics
• How to Maximize Email Subscriptions
• Top 3 Biggest Email Mistakes—Part 3

Tell us what you love about the podcast and what you hope to hear next! When you do, you can get access to an exclusive bonus recording featuring five wildly successful entrepreneurs who share what they do (and don’t!) look for when hiring copywriters. You do not want to miss it! 

Get all the details on how to get your recording here »

About the Build Your Business Podcast

Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?

Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.

Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.

See Previous Episode

Ep. 26: Why You Don’t Need Copywriting Certification

The post Ep. 27: The Most Important Piece of Email Copy appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

Just as you need to write emails differently for solopreneurs than you would for types of businesses, you need to write the emails subject lines differently, too. Let’s dig into how to do that.

Copywriting for Solopreneurs

As I’ve mentioned before, copywriting for solopreneurs is a very interesting niche. You need to still convey the benefits of the service/product and include a call to action, of course, but you need to be far less direct than you would be with other types of business.

Solopreneurs generally connect with their prospects and clients in a very personal manner. One of the best ways to achieve that feeling of personal connection is to tell stories; these stories help build trust in the solopreneurs and convey why prospects should purchase from them.

Subject Lines for Solopreneurs

But, of course, if your email body copy is story-oriented and personal, don’t use a subject line like, “40% Off! Last Chance!” The style of your copy needs to be consistent in both the email body and the email subject line.

The purpose of your subject line is to entice people to open the email. If your subject line doesn’t do its job, the rest of the email doesn’t matter—because no one will ever see it.

Whereas a straightforward, benefit-driven subject line is usually most effective with other types of businesses, solopreneur emails tend to benefit most from curiosity-driven subject lines.

First, your solopreneur subject lines need to pique the reader’s interest—without giving away the whole story. Something like, “Why I never, ever use cash (and I’m saving on my taxes big-time)” would do that. People want to know the story behind the subject line.

Second, though, your solopreneur subject lines will tend to perform better if you give some hint of what’s in the email. An “Oh, my gosh! THIS is unbelievable” will probably get a decent open rate, but that’s a gimmick that you can’t rely on repeatedly.

You’ll do much better if you combine the interest-piquing with some hint at the purpose of (benefit of) the email. Compare the “Oh my gosh! THIS is unbelievable” subject line with “I ate more bread and cheese than ever—and lost 17 pounds.” The hypothetical solopreneur’s target audience is much more likely to be interested in, and open, the second one.

Read More: Other Types of Copywriting Work

You’ll have a variety of copywriting projects in your work, which is exciting! Here are some other projects you’ll likely be assigned and a little more about each of them:

• Why Landing Pages Are the Perfect First Copywriting Projects
• How to Sell a Sales Page Project
• Writing Proof of Concept Copy
• 4 Steps to Write a Wildly Effective About Us Page

Your Turn

Have you seen any great solopreneur subject lines lately? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Writing Subject Lines for Solopreneurs appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

Many copywriters make the mistake of thinking of emails as single messages, shot out at their target audiences. Email funnels create a fuller conversation, taking the reader on a journey—and, ultimately, guiding them to your end result.

Sometimes, the best copywriting can be simply to explain the benefit of a product and say “Buy Now.” But often, a prospective buyer needs to be guided to come to the “I want to buy this!” conclusion on their own.

This may seem like “soft selling” and in a way it is—but it’s also some of the most effective copy you can write.

What Is an Email Funnel?

An email funnel is a series of emails that gradually guides the reader from one state, (general awareness, for example), to another state (readiness to buy). It is an automated series of emails that leads the recipient from one frame of mind to another.

For whatever reason, many large companies have not yet adopted email funnels; right now, you’ll find them most commonly used among solopreneurs and digital marketers.

Each email in an email funnel is carefully crafted to lead the reader down the desired path.

Instead of immediately asking someone to make a purchase, a funnel lets the company introduce itself to the customer, teach the customer a few things (and increase its authority), bust a few myths, and get the customer primed and excited to make the purchase.

Why Your Clients Need a Funnel Copywriter

One of the best (and easiest) ways for businesses to build relationships with their audiences is by creating an email funnel.

When a funnel is created well, the recipient should be practically clamoring to take the action the funnel leads to. But, of course, it’s not easy to create an effective funnel…which is why companies need copywriters like you.

And which kind of companies or organizations would benefit from funnels? Oh, just pretty much all of them. Small, online companies would benefit, of course, but so would large companies and nonprofit organizations.

What about brick and mortar stores or service providers? Yep, them too. In fact, one of my clients is a business coach for brick and mortar stores and service providers and one of the cornerstones of what she teaches is just how transformational emails can be for their businesses.

And this is a major opportunity, because not only do many of these businesses not have email funnels, they don’t yet even know about the positive impact they could have on their businesses. The education is pretty simple, and the outcome is huge.

Even online solopreneurs who have a much better understanding of the need for funnels don’t tend to know how to structure them, much less how to write them. And because these business’ revenues often rely very heavily on an effective email funnel, they need your help—and they know they need your help.

Learning to write effective email funnels and sales pages (as we teach in the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy) can be fun and rewarding for you and, just as excitingly, incredibly rewarding for your clients.

Already in the CCA? Check out the entire course on writing email funnels in the “Writing for Specific Mediums” section of your course dashboard! Sign in here >>

An Email Funnel Example

Let’s look at an example to help make this clear. Let’s say a business coach’s website offers a free ebook, “10 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make,” and, once people sign up for it, they go into an email funnel with the end result of getting them to sign up for private coaching.

Here’s an overview of how the funnel might go:

Email 1
Purpose: Deliver ebook; begin to introduce coach and instill trust
Content: Delivery of ebook and welcome with short bio of coach

Email 2
Purpose: Convey coach’s mastery of the topic
Content: Tell coaches personal story from trouble/failure with topic to ultimate success

Email 3
Purpose: Establish that coach’s students can see similar success
Content: Tell student’s story about challenges and success

Email 4
Purpose: Overcome obstacles to purchasing
Content: Tell story/stories that illustrate how coaching pays for itself, how it leads to greater accountability and success, etc.

Email 5
Purpose: Introduce one-on-one coaching option
Content: Explain how coaching works, give benefits, offer limited-time bonus

Email 6
Purpose: Give last-minute warning with extra push to sign up
Content: Convey that chance to get in on coaching is almost up; offer extra, special bonus

Email Funnel Variables

As you can see, there are a lot of variables in an email funnel, from the messages and the methods of conveying the methods to the timing of sending the emails and requesting feedback.

There are also a lot of different ways to continue funnels or send people down new ones! For example, the people who purchase in this funnel should be added to a new funnel to help them make the most of their coaching. The people who don’t purchase might be moved into a different funnel that leads to a different kind of product—maybe a lower-priced group coaching or a an information product.

Most email funnels rely on a combination of stories and educational bonuses (useful ebooks, videos, etc.) to keep people engaged, interested, and willing to open the next email.

And, as you’d expect, it takes a lot of skill and insight to craft an effective email funnel.

But, with that skill and insight, you can help prospects make intelligent purchase they might otherwise overlook, create a steady revenue stream for your client, and earn rave client reviews that lead to plenty of referrals.

Your Turn!

Have you worked as an email funnel copywriter? What did or didn’t make a funnel effective? Let us know in the comments below!

The post How Do You Write an Email Funnel? appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

Email snippets are lines of copy that show up in your inbox after the subject lines. But, as you’ll see from your own inbox, most companies mess them up. So today, we’re going to dive in deep with snippets and learn how to write them well.

Email snippets (sometimes called pre-headers) are lines of copy that offer extra explanation for your subject line. They’re the first line of copy in the email itself, often written in very small type across the top.

Because they’re the first line, most email providers will pull that them after the subject lines in an email’s inbox. Which means they’re pretty important, right? Right. And so, obviously, all companies use them wisely, right? Mmm…no.

Just take a look at your own inbox—most companies waste that space with “This email was sent to xxxxxxxx@gmail.com…” or “Make sure you receive our emails! Put this address in your contacts list.” What a waste of valuable real estate!

Your snippet is important because it allows you to give more reason for someone to open an email. It allows you to expand on your subject line.

For your snippet, you have two options. First, you could give more details that support your subject line. Just be sure not to give so many details that the reader doesn’t need to open the email!

For example, if your subject line is “Win a music lover’s trip to California!” Your snippet could be something like, “3 nights in Palm Springs, tix to Coachella and more: Enter now!”

You could also use the snippet to pique their interest/arouse their curiosity more. For example, if your subject line were something like, “This will make travel easier than ever,” your snippet could be something like, “When this launches in 3 days, your life will change forever.”

The point is that your snippet should be used to give a little extra incentive to open the email and that means it has a really important role to play. You should craft your snippet just as carefully as your subject line and, of course, never let a company rely on pre-populated utility text (“You’re receiving this email because…”) because they’re wasting a huge opportunity.

Your turn! Have you come across any good email snippets lately? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Email Copywriting Snippet Tactics appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

Email is often the lifeblood of a business. After all, if someone visits a site and leaves then that company needs a way to get in touch with them. As such, you can provide a major service to a company by getting more people to sign up. So, how do you improve those sign-up rates?

As you already know, one of the reasons that copywriting is so valuable is that it can directly and immediately impact a business’s bottom line. You write great words and then people take the action the business wants them to take. In this case, you copy is going to get more people signed up for their email list.

What’s the Benefit for Signing Up?

The first thing to figure out is what the benefit is for someone of signing up for those emails. Many companies will offer a freebie in order to get people to sign up—something like a free e-book, a free audio program, or even a discount on their first purchase.

If that’s the case with your client, base your benefit on that freebie. A discount is an obvious benefit in and of itself, but in the case of an e-book or some other freebie, you can’t just tell people what the freebie is…you have to explain why it’s valuable.

For example, if your client is giving away an e-book called the “Top 5 Pro Tips for At-Home Brewing,” you can’t just rely on that title to excite people. What’s the benefit? Well, you have to know something about the e-book to be sure, but in this case it could be that it helps people brew better tasting, better quality beer. It may also help people avoid common brewing mistakes. Or it may help people to get started without making costly mistakes and purchasing the wrong items.

You can—and should—explore writing up versions with different benefits if there are more than one. Your client should test different lines.

What’s the Benefit of the Subscription?

Now, if your client isn’t giving away a freebie (and you can’t convince them to find or create one), you have to focus on the benefits of being on the newsletter list itself. So, what are they? Do people get tips and tools? Do they get special access to discounts or events? What will people get out of being on this list?

Now that you’ve got your benefit, let’s talk about where to put it. Since the action you want people to take is to sign up, this copy should be everywhere that your client has a sign up box and button. Write a headline that conveys the benefit.

Best Practices for Your Copy

You also need to make it clear that people are signing up for a newsletter list. In a two-step process, a process in which someone clicks on a button and a sign up box pops up, you can put that copy in that pop-up box. Just make sure people know what they’re signing up for. If people are expecting just a free e-book, but they get the free e-book and a weekly newsletter subscription, there’s a good chance that some of them will complain and/or mark these emails as spam, which can affect your client’s ability to send email at all.

You also need to make sure that the call to action is straightforward and makes it clear to the reader what he or she is getting and what will happen next. You may even be able to get away with making the button the call to action, saying simply “Sign Up Now!”

In a two-step process, the button/CTA could say “Get the Free E-Book!” while the copy in the pop-up sign up box conveys that they’ll get the e-book and the newsletter and the button in that box could say “Sign Up.” In either case, people will have a good idea of what they’re getting.

Creating copy that focuses on the benefits of what your client is giving away and/or the benefits of being on their email list is certain to increase your client’s email subscription rates. Plus, you can work with your client to refine this message through testing other iterations and ideas. Your work  is valuable, and this is the kind of project that immediately shows just how much.

Your Turn

Have you worked on email subscription projects with clients? What were your challenges and your successes? Let us know in the comments below!

The post How To Maximize Email Subscriptions appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

Email is a fast and inexpensive medium, and that helps to make it incredibly popular. And, done right, it has potential to be phenomenally successful. At the same time, though, a lot of writers and companies are making major mistakes that lead to low open, click-through, and success rates.

There are three major mistakes copywriters make when it comes to writing emails. We’re going to go in reverse order on this one, counting down to the #1 most egregious email mistake. (But, really, you should do your best not to make any of these mistakes!)

#3: The “From” Line Fail

The “From” line is the section of the email that shows up in the “From” column of email inboxes and tells people who sent that email. It sounds so simple, and yet, a lot of people are making mistakes that get their emails almost instantly deleted.

Here’s the rule: The From line must quickly and concisely tell the recipient who the email is from without their having to think about it.

Here’s an example of the “From” line of a Filthy Rich Writer email. (Note: screenshot was taken from a Gmail inbox. How From lines, subject lines, and snippets appear in an inbox will vary slightly based on email client.)

Include the Company’s Name in the From Line

A trend is for companies to send out emails from personal accounts and the From line is just that person’s name. Well, guess what? If the recipient doesn’t know who that person is or has to spend more than two seconds trying to remember, they will delete it because they assume it’s spam!

They’ll never even read your message because they think you’re sending them a virus or a link to naked people or prescription meds. Or all three.

The solution? Simple. Put the company’s name in the From line. If you or your client insist on it coming from a single person, that’s fine. Just put both the name and the company name in.

Examples of How you Can Structure Your From Line

Jane Smith, Acme Paper

Jane Smith – Acme Paper

Jane Smith for Acme Paper

Or, if the person’s name is very long and runs the risk of pushing “Acme Paper” out of the field, you could write it as:

Acme Paper’s Annette Pappadoppulous

Get your From line right and it will immediately help to increase an email’s open rate!

#2: Not Providing a Clear Next Step

This is the single biggest thing that will keep people from taking action from your email.

First, a quick story. Many years ago, when I worked at a heath club, we had a sales trainer come in to discuss how to sell memberships. He asked us to name the number one reason most health club sales representatives weren’t able to sell a membership.

The Problem

People guess “monthly cost” and “fear that they won’t use it” and even the infamous “I have to check with my spouse.” But all the answers were wrong. The number one reason that these reps weren’t getting people to sign up is that they were never asking for the sale. That’s it! They simply weren’t saying, “Are you ready to get started?” or “Shall we go ahead and sign the paperwork?” Amazing, but true.

The Solution

You must “ask for the sale” in your emails. That is, you must give your reader a clear next step to take by way of a clear CTA (call to action). If the purpose of your email is to get people to sign up for a class, you must make it very easy for them to see how to do it. Then you must tell them to do it. Just a simple “Sign Up For the Class Now!” will do.

Believe it or not, the rates of people doing what you want then to do is absolutely dismal if you don’t give them a clear next step and tell them to do it. Don’t make these people think! If you give them a clear and easy way to do what you want them to do, there’s a much better chance that they’ll do it.

I’m anticipating a question along the lines of “But what if I don’t have a next step for them to take?” There should always be some next step you want them to take. What’s the point of sending out the email otherwise?

Your next step could be as simple as clicking through to read the rest of the story (<ahem>, please reference your weekly Filthy Rich Writer emails). But there’s no point in even sending out an email if you don’t want the reader to do something. So, make it easy on ’em and give ’em a clear CTA.

#1: A Subject Line No One Wants to Open

The number one mistake copywriters make when it comes to email is writing a subject line that falls flat.

Why, you ask? Well, the subject line is the one sneak peek into the content of your email. If your subject line doesn’t interest the recipient enough to open the email, the rest of the email is wasted. It doesn’t matter how brilliantly you’ve written the copy inside—they’ll never see it.

Bad (or even just slightly sub-par) subject lines = deleted emails.

Benefit-Driven Subject Lines

A big mistake many people make with their subject lines is to write them without focusing either on a benefit to consumer or an interest factor.

A benefit to consumer is how whatever you’re writing about in the email is going to help the email’s recipient. If you’re writing about a new motor oil, your subject line needs to say what the information in the email will get them. You’d write a subject line along the lines of “A more efficient engine is easier to get than ever.” (Which, of course, might not appeal to you but would appeal to the kind of person who’s on a mailing list for motor oil.)

By immediately telling them what they’re going to get out of your email, you spare them having to guess. And most people don’t guess, they just delete. If a subject line, says, “Like Us on Facebook” and has the recipient answering “Um, why?” the subject line has no benefit.

Curiosity-Driven Subject Lines

A second subject line technique is the interest factor or curiosity factor. I mention this here because I want you to have the full information, but I recommend that this be used sparingly and only in certain scenarios.

An interest factor subject line piques the interest of the reader by teasing them with just a bit of information you’re sure they’re going to want to know the rest of. Note the italics—interest factor subject lines don’t work if no one cares.

If your subject line is “Why I Prefer 2% Milk,” you’re probably not going to get a great open rate. If your subject line, on the other hand, is something more like “Why I Will Never Drink Tea Again (and What You Need to Know for Your Health)” or “There’s Something I’ve Been Hiding About My New Program…” you’ve got a decent chance of getting people to open it.

But there are 3 important caveats to know when using a curiosity subject line.

1. They Work Best for Small Businesses or Solopreneurs

People tend to trust these a lot less when they come from big corporations. Both the use of the first person and (even if you skip first person) the interest-piquing or hinting can seem very disingenuous.

Save these for small business emails or solopreneurs.

2. They Can Easily Cross the Line Into Click Bait

If these subject lines are not written very carefully, they can sound very gimmicky and turn people off. If people constantly get emails that say things like “My Secret to [This]” or “I’ll Never Do [That] Again”, it gets old real fast.

3. They Require Major Pay Off

If you’re going to pique their interest, you’d better pay it off really well in the body of the email. Don’t get someone all excited with your subject line only to fall flat in the body. Sure, you’ll get great open rates, but your click-through rates will suck and you’ll erode your relationship with the recipient. Suuuuper uncool.

It’s like giving someone a gift and using beautiful wrapping paper and a ribbon with a flower slipped in, but inside is a used notebook.

My personal recommendation is to stick with the benefits-laden subject line as much as possible, but to experiment with interest factor subject lines as you go. They’re both crucial to have in your back pocket.

Watch More: The Importance of Subject Lines

On episode 27 of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate discuss why subject lines are the single most important piece of copy when it comes to writing emails. They share some overused subject line tactics (some may even say gimmicks) and read some examples of effective and ineffective subject lines, breaking down the elements of each one.

Your Turn

What are the biggest email copywriting mistakes you’ve seen? Share in the comments below!

The post Top 3 Biggest Email Mistakes Copywriters Make appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

If you’re writing emails as a copywriter, you know you need to provide your client with subject line options in addition to the copy of the email itself. But if subject lines are the most important piece of email copy, email snippets are probably the most overlooked email tactic.

Snippets, sometimes referred to as “pre-headlines” or preheader text,” are often-overlooked, but super crucial piece of copy to craft an effective email. And you need to make sure you’re providing your clients with copy for the snippet when you’re writing emails.

What Is an Email Snippet or Preheader Text?

An email snippet is the tiny line of text in an email that shows up at the very top of the email when you open it and, in many email services (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) shows up right after the subject line before you open it. They offer additional explanation for your subject line, enticing reader to actually open the email and/or take the action you want them to take.

A snippet should be a short summation of what the reader is going to find in the body of the email if they open it up. And if the purpose of the email is to get someone to take an action by clicking, the snippet should also include that link. That allows someone who reads your snippet and instantly knows they want to take that action to immediately do it instead of having to open up your email.

Why Are Email Snippets So Important?

Because a snippet gives your audience more context about the email, it’s a huge opportunity to bolster click through rates. Think of it as the subject line’s sidekick.

Snippets are often the first line of copy in the email itself. Sometimes you’ll see text written in very small type across the top of an email.

Most email providers, by default, will pull this first line of text and put this copy right after the subject lines in an email’s inbox. Which means they’re pretty important, right? Right. And so, obviously, all companies use them wisely, right? Mmm…no.

Just take a look at your own inbox—most companies waste that space with “This email was sent to xxxxxxxx@gmail.com…” or “Make sure you receive our emails! Put this address in your contacts list.” What a waste of valuable real estate!

Many email softwares allow you to customize the snippet copy. That means you don’t have to let the software pull the first line of text by default. Instead, you take control of what your audience sees.

2 Types of Email Snippets

For your snippet, you have two options.

First, you could give more details that support your subject line. Just be sure not to give so many details that the reader doesn’t need to open the email!

For example, if your subject line is “Win a music lover’s trip to California!” Your snippet could be something like, “3 nights in Palm Springs, tix to Coachella and more: Enter now!”

You could also use the snippet to pique their interest/arouse their curiosity more. For example, if your subject line were something like, “This will make travel easier than ever,” your snippet could be something like, “When this launches in 3 days, your life will change forever.”

The point is that your snippet should be used to give a little extra incentive to open the email and that means it has a really important role to play. You should craft your snippet just as carefully as your subject line and, of course, never let a company rely on pre-populated utility text (“You’re receiving this email because…”) because they’re wasting a huge opportunity.

Email Snippet Examples

Here are just a few examples of email snippets. You need to tailor your email snippet, like any piece of copy, to the message and goal of the email. Your creative brief will be a document you want to reference (again, just like any copywriting project!).

Sweepstakes/Giveaway Example

Let’s say we’re writing an email to promote a sweepstakes. We’ve created an email body that has all kinds of wonderful information about the prizes. Our subject line could be:

Get Away in Style! Fashion and Travel Prizes Galore

And our snippet, which, again, allows us to get into a little more detail, could say:

Here’s your chance to win a 4-nt trip to Manhattan, $500 at XYZ Store and more! Enter now.

Transactional Email Example

By transactional email, we mean an email you receive because you made some sort of purchase or requested something specific. These fall outside of promotional emails, in that companies can send you transactional emails, like receipts, even if you’ve opted out of their regular promotional emails.

A receipt from Delta airlines has the subject line “Your Flight Receipt” and the snippet begins: “[PASSENGER NAME] [DATE OF TRAVEL] Details on your recent purchase.”

This snippet makes it very clear who the receipt is for, the specific trip, and then “details on your recent purchase” reminds the reader that they made a purchase—this is not an email they want to delete or an email promoting low fares to random destinations.

Promotional Email Example

We’re heading back to our inboxes for this example. Our copy coach Kate’s favorite dessert comes from Milk Bar (and if you’ve listen to the podcast, you know she loves their brand voice). One of their email subject lines said, “Meet our Milk Bar Sampler” and the snippet said, “All your faves, now at a lower price!”

This snippet is hugely helpful as it gets in the benefit of a reduced price. Of course, this is one where we’d recommend testing getting more of a benefit in the subject line “Your favorite treats for less” and perhaps expanding on the product name itself in the snippet.

Welcome Series

A welcome series is a common type of email funnel that is triggered when you join an email list or join a program, for example.

When students join the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy (CCA), we have an email that goes out in the series with the subject line: “[CCA] Get your copy of the Action Sheets Workbook” and the snippet is “Every CCA Action Sheet, all in one place.”

Make sense? The snippet is just one more way to let your fabulous copy do more selling.

Many companies already include snippets in emails as a matter of course, but if they don’t (or if they do, they waste their snippet space to just say something like “Be sure to add us to your address book”), suggest it to them. It’s another way for you to add value and help make their emails as effective as can be.

Your turn! What are some of the best snippets you’ve seen? What about some of the worst? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Copywriter Email Snippet Strategies appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.