3 Surprising Ways Coaches, Trainers & Mentors Can Double Their Email Open Rate - Part 3

4 Surprising Ways You Can Double Your Email Open Rate!

The plan was for each blog in this series to have 3 surprising ways to double your email open rate. And in this post, I couldn't resist giving you another technique. Here are the 4 tips:

1. Personalisation
2. Thank you
3. Series
4. Controversy

Let's look at each of these in turn...

Personalisation Email Subject Lines

Like all the tips in this series, you shouldn't over use any idea because the impact will reduce.

Personalisation is a technique that you could easily over use because it is so easy to add the reader's first name. Each email broadcast platform has it's own "code" to write the First Name. Often there is a widget that will enter the code for you when you select First Name.

Personalisation works great when it's combined with an action the person did or did not take. Such as attending a webinar.

If you follow up the next day with

You're awesome First Name

Thank you First Name

First Name, what new step will you take today

Then the email will get great open rates because of the personalisation and because it's about an action they took a few hours ago. This shows that you 'noticed' them online.

Yes, there is technology to automate this process. And if you had 100 people or less on your webinar, you probably did notice them.

The same is true for people that didn't attend the webinar. If you write an email subject line with:

I missed you First Name

It will get great opens.

Why?

Because the email feels personal. It's about a specific action you were going to take and it's nice to see that someone noticed if you did or did not do it.

Another great place to use personalisation is just after someone has downloaded your ebook. The personalisation works well because it feels like you are having a conversation.

You can use the reader's name in every subject line but that will kill the performance of this technique. Use it sparingly. In personal or important situations and watch your open rates double.

Thank You Email Subject Lines

The email subject line that consistently gets huge open rates is

a HUGE thank you First Name

It's a subject line that I stole from Marie Forleo.

Why does it work so well?

Because we all want to be thanked for doing something. I actually use this on deadline day for a launch. This is a very different type of message than 4-Hours Left. And it will get a different set of eyeballs.

4-Hours Left gets the people that might not have seen the other emails and videos in your launch.

a HUGE thank you First Name is going to make the people that have followed your launch open the email. These are the people most likely to buy. The people you want to open your email at this critical time.

As you can see, this also uses personalisation and thank you. Why? Because I'm using every technique I can to increase the open rate.

Series Email Subject Lines

This is a great way to increase your email open rates over time... and to re-engage with some of the people on the fringes of your list.

I did this with an email series that used this subject line formula:

[Street Smart MBA] Show specific advantage about this email

I think there were 11 emails in this series. Because each email started with [Street Smart MBA] people could immediately see that the emails were part of a series. They could also see that each email was pure value.

I sent the emails every other day for almost a month as the build up to a launch.

What did the series do?

It got more people opening the emails. It got the list used to receiving an email every other day. In other words, it increased the email frequency without increasing opt-out rates.

Bottom line...

When the launch started more people were reading the emails... so we make more sales.

Series emails are easy to write because you pick a particular topic. Then brainstorm everything that you want to say on the subject. This email subject line blog post series has 10 tips. Rather than send them out over 3 blog posts. I could have sent them out as 10 separate emails.

And...

If you've written the tips in a blog post or a podcast or a book. You can repackage them into a value email series and watch your open rates soar.

You can do this as a build up to a launch. You can do this as a value series over Christmas just to be cool.

As I'm writing this, I'm giving myself some great ideas so get ready for some cool ideas over the Christmas break.

Controversy Email Subject Lines

Controversy email subject lines work well because they get a strong emotional response from the reader. Here are some examples

Email is dead!

Facebook ads are a waste of money

Time management is bullshit

How do you write a Controversy email subject line?

You take something your audience believes and stamp on it.

So saying Email is dead is going to get opens because you use email in your business every week or every day. You've got an email database and you want to know how to turn it into cash. If email is dead then you've got a big problem. That's why Email is dead is going to get a lot of opens.

Similarly, every trainer and mentor has advertised on Facebook... with mixed results. I know that's been my experience. One day you are on top of the world because the results are better than you hoped. The next day, the same ad is costing you a fortune. It's a frustrating rollercoaster. And a necessary rollercoaster if you want to grow your training and mentorship business. (a rollercoaster that you may want to outsource to save you time, money and frustration.)

So...

If I write Facebook ads are a waste of money in the subject line.

You're going to want to read that message. Partly because of your own experience. Partly because you see so many other trainers and mentors advertising on Facebook. So, you'll want to know if the statement is true.

Remember: success with email marketing is making the reader want to read your next email. So, don't trick them with a catchy subject line that has nothing to do with the body of the email. Or don't trick with them a controversial subject line that doesn't say anything new.

Yes, that will get an open rate. But you will make the reader not want to read your next email. So, you will erode the trust with your community.

You've now got 10 techniques to double your email open rate. But a one of jump in open rates is not going to change your business. The real question is how you...

Increasing Your Email Open Rate Over Time

Your sender reputation is critically important. If your audience believes that every time you send them an email you are sending them another nugget of gold. Then they will want to read your emails... even if they don't read them the same day.

I've been on Perry Marshall's list for 7 years! I don't read every email he sends me and I don't read the emails the day I receive them. But I believe that every email contains gold.

Perry Marshall writes long emails. Long emails that tell stories and deliver value. The email contains value and then they direct you to a video or blog or sales page.

I enjoy reading Perry's emails and they often help me see an issue in a new light or help me articulate a concept in a new way.

His sender reputation is such that I will read his emails regardless of the subject line.

But...

If he wants me to read the email now (rather than when I have time) then the subject line has to force me to act now.

How can a subject line force the reader to act now? You use an Urgency subject line. Or a Show The Reader An Advantage subject line. If the subject line promises an advantage that I want right now. Then I'll drop everything and read the message.

So if you want to grow your training and mentorship company, then you've got to increase your email open rates over time. To do that you've got to write emails that deliver value. You've also got to use ALL 10 subject line techniques so your community does not get conditioned to one type of subject line.

Be aware of the types of subject line that you find easiest to write. Be aware of the types of subject line that you write 80% of the time.

By adding some variety you will boost open rates.

Finally, remember that hard work never lies. So if you currently spend 1 minute writing a subject line. You could 10x your bar of success and spend 10 minutes writing a subject line. See what that does to your open rates!

Have fun with this. Show your customer how you can help them in an emotional way and the rewards will pour in with more people opening and reading your emails.

Now It's Your Turn

You've now got 10 techniques for writing a better email subject line.

Write all 10 techniques down somewhere you can easily find them. For me, that's in Evernote.

Then when you are going to write your next email, challenge yourself to use one of the new techniques.

Also start writing down the email subject lines that make you open and read an email. Then when you are short on inspiration you've got a proven list of subject lines that make you take action.

Those 2 simple steps will double your open rates. So please take them now. Your future self will thank you for it.

If you've found this useful, then please leave a comment below.

If this can help someone you know, then please share it with them.

Until next time...

Carpe diem

Roland Eva

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