Don't Get Deleted!
It's so easy to delete an email now, how are you sure your opt in list isn't just banishing your messages to the Trash? If you aren't grabbing their attention in the first few seconds, you could be losing valuable clients!
By following a few simple guidelines, you can get through to your subscribers and avoid the deadly Delete button.
Let's begin with the subject line, since that's the first thing the subscriber will see. How often have you deleted an email without opening it, just based on what was in the subject line? I'll bet you already dumped a bunch this morning for just that reason!
The subject line is one of the most important parts of your email. You want to be specific without hype. People delete anything that says "Make 1 Million Dollars In The Next 5 Hours!" because it is obviously spam, so you want your subject line to stay real and normal. Would you be more inclined to open an email that said, "I've got a special report on opt in list building just for you"?
You could also try something like "Here is the opt in list building report that you requested", a quick reminder that they chose to receive this information. If you run an ezine, you should make sure that it always has a non-hyped title and that your readers will instantly know it's from you.
Inside your email, you need to first grab the reader's attention with a catchy first line, then remind them why they are getting this email. You can sign up for dozens of opt in lists each day and it's tough to keep track of them, so if you just include a brief line or two saying "You are receiving this email because you signed up for it at ____", you'll reduce the risk of being deleted.
That first line should be a doozy. You want people to read it and realize that they need more information, so they'll keep reading. Something like, "I'm about to share some incredible techniques on list building with you." It gives the reader a reason to keep going, he's going to learn something useful.
Remember the essay rules your high-school English teacher taught you? No? Well, it's time to drag out those same rules and apply them to your email messages.
The first paragraph after your disclaimer should be a quick, interesting statement of what is to come. Then you flesh it out in the next few paragraphs. Add more details and let your reader know exactly what they need to know.
When writing the body of your message, you should use subheadings wherever possible. It's a proven fact that many people scan instead of read, so the subheadings are what they'll notice first. If those catch their eye, they'll pause to read.
Using bulleted lists is another way to get their attention, they are nice and easy to read and give the information necessary without excessive vocabulary. List any benefits of your product in bullet form. For easy readability, you can alternate bold with regular lines.
At the end of your message, sum everything up in a short paragraph. This is vital, especially since a lot of people just jump to the end of the message to see if there is anything interesting, or a special offer, etc. You can help those impatient people out by giving them a short description of everything they just missed!
It's a good idea to add when you plan to contact this person again. If you are sending out regular messages, just sign off with "See you next Friday!" or "That's it for now, the second part of the report will be sent to you tomorrow." If not, then you can let them know that you will only contact them for updates or when you have something interesting to share.
Lastly, you need to include your website address, to remind them who you are and follow that with an unsubscribe link. No one likes to feel that they are trapped into receiving emails and you could easily be accused of spam if there is no obvious way to unsubscribe from your opt in list.
