3 Surprisingly Simple Ways To Write “Better” E-mails
Have you ever wondered why nobody really talks about e-mail marketing?
I mean, all you hear about is articles, sales letters, teleseminars, and webinars.
But really, when it all boils down, the top Internet marketers are STILL using e-mail marketing to bring in the BIG BUCKS. I know what I’m talking about, because I write more e-mails than almost anybody I know. Gosh, I’ve been writing e-mails 24/7 lately!
But it’s time to share some of my e-mail marketing “secrets”.
SOO, without further delay…
Here’s 3 Surprisingly Simple Ways To Write “Better” E-mails:
TIP #1 – Write Like You Got Fire Ants In Your Skinny Pants
When you write, write like you have ants in your pants, you’re being chased by killer bees, or your house is on fire. You can clean-up and edit later. But, a dead e-mail will still be “deader than a door nail” after five drafts – so write fast!
TIP #2 – Going 135 Mph On A Road To “Nowhere” Fast…
Never write a single word until you know exactly what you want your reader to do. In e-mail, you usually want the reader to click on your link, that’s it, that’s all.
TIP #3 – Put Down The “Big Guns”, Bazookas, And Grenades…
You know, every time I try to “hard sell” in an e-mail I fail miserably.
It’s kinda like firing at a target with a backwards bazooka and watching your jungle Jeep go up in flames instead!
Bonus Tip: I gotta tell you, the more you sound like a carnival barker, the worse your results are going to be. Sheesh, you’re not running a circus freakshow, are you?
NOTE: I’m not by any means putting down “salesmanship in print.” Your copy always has one purpose and that purpose is to “sell” your reader on taking action.
But good salesmanship isn’t about putting your propects in a full-nelson, breaking their kneecaps, or yelling in their ears…
Hey, if you enjoyed these E-mail marketing tips, tricks, and secrets, then why not share them with your friends on Facebook and Twitter today? It’s definitely appreciated. 
Thank you.
To your success,
Jason The “Better Networker”
58 Comments
Josh Garcia on May 24th, 2010
Hey Jason,
Thanks for putting this together. I know you are a master at getting your emails open and clicked. So any nugget you put in print I’m all over it. They say you can treat a crumb like a crumb or you can treat it like a feast. This info…A Feast!
Chat with you later…
Josh
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May 24th, 2010 at 11:25 am
I learn from the best…
If you’re looking for impossible not to click subject lines then Ben Settle is so good at that it makes me look like a toddler with Crayolas.
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Michael T. Makahamadze on May 24th, 2010
Hey Jason,
Those tips sound so simple, yet many of us take them for granted. I especially love tip #2. It sounds so obvious, but we tend to write like we’ve forgotten this. Solid info there. Thanks for the great post.
Michael
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May 24th, 2010 at 11:26 am
What’s that overused tagline for games?
Seconds to learn, a lifetime to master?
Pretty much sums it up.
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Ilka Flood on May 24th, 2010
Hi Jason,
You’ve got it down. Your emails are never boring, au contraire. They really make the reader curious to click you ‘call to action’ button.
Thanks for the great tips! Looking forward to more.
Have a great week!
Ilka
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May 24th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
You sure know how to make a guy smile Ilka.
Thank you.
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Rhonda Miller on May 24th, 2010
#2 is really important. The reader should be your first and foremost thought when writing. I’m learning this the more and more I write.
And #3, basically be nice. No one likes a bully. LOL
Thanks for the tips. These are great for marketers just starting out.
Rhonda 
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Wayne Vassell on May 24th, 2010
Hey J,
Some valuable tips there, you are right email marketing is still a big thing.
I guess the masses get so focused on generating leads, that they forget that the email content will deliver the results that they have worked for.
Thanks for this.
Wayne Vassell, signing out…
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May 24th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
True true.
And the funny thing, or sad thing I guess, is when somebody spend a lot of money on web traffic or leads and refuses to stay in contact with them!
It’s almost like riding a bicycle. You have to stay balanced and keep moving forward.
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Mark Gubuan on May 24th, 2010
These are great tips. I also prefer to write when I’m kind of emotional also. No not, Lost Season Finale wah wah emotional. But hyped up and excited, it always comes through the words.
Mark
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May 24th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I’ve seen writers who knew absolutely nothing about fancy-schmancy copywriting kung-fu come out and dominate a site with an emotionally charged article.
Passion is definitely one of the most overlooked “secrets” in copywriting.
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Anne on May 24th, 2010
Hi Jason,
Theses are definitely some great e-mail marketing tips. I subscribe to a lot of newsletters and I find it very entertaining at times to read the almost “demanding orders to buy this” from some folks….it reeks desperation. For those who tell a good story and provide a little value first,it makes all the difference in the world.
Welcome back Jason and thanks again.
Anne
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May 24th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Definitely,
I have to admit, I’ve done the “buy this” request before.
In my humble opinion, the best sales letters almost sneak into your brain before you even know you’re reading an ad… they don’t force you to buy… they just make is sooooo easy to say “yes” that it’s almost silly to refuse.
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John Rothstein on May 24th, 2010
Good Monday Jason!
I missed you over the weekend. This is a subject dear to my heart, as we all want better open and click through rates (along with a huge list).
I especially like your bonus tip: “the more you sound like a carnival barker, the worse your results are going to be.” No one likes to feel as if they are being sold and you guy’s do a great job at not coming off too salesy. Heck I wanted to buy TF2 again!
All the Best,
John Rothstein
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May 24th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Well shucks, why didn’t you? That should have been part of the pitch.
“Buy one for your wife!” haha.
Very true though…
People love to buy… sometimes like to be sold… but definitely LOVE to buy.
Sometimes I get in my own way.
I should eat my words.
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Kai Pei on May 24th, 2010
The Art of Subtlety indeed. Although putting people in a FULL NELSON can be fun at times, Jason is right, tone down the HYPE and talk to people like friends to create warmth, rapport and a real connection I couldn’t agree more.
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May 24th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Hey Kai Pei,
Yeah, rapport will win over hype any day.
Almost all of my best results come from conversational copy. Some people can handle the hype thing well and get you really excited… almost excited enough to shout… but that’s never been something that has worked for me…
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Twila Jacobs on May 24th, 2010
Hi Jason,
Intersting…write fast.
I have subscribed to many newsletters and they are either blantant sales pitches or like reading an obituary.
Finding the ‘art’ to it is extremely important.
Have a great week!
Twila
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May 24th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
You’re awesome Twila.
I’ve read some of those obituary newsletters myself.
I try to “spice” things up without getting tacky or too weird. But some people are about as interesting as tree bark.
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Susan Redmon on May 24th, 2010
Hi Jason,
Thanks for the tips! It’s funny…there are emails I’ve labored over all day that produced no results. And, others I spent 5 minutes writing with killer results. Go figure!
Have a great day,
Susan
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May 24th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Same here Susan!
In fact, the very best ones are often written in minute almost effortlessly… while the ones you spend days on flop…
In that case, the only solution I have is to scrap that puppy and rewrite it fast from memory. And when I say fast… I mean… no back-spacing… no spell-checking… nothing. Just stream it out.
Best advice I ever received about writing.
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Yadvinder Singh on May 24th, 2010
Hey Jason that was cool and I never knew about it and tip number 1 was my favourite. A letter without passion is a dead sales letter. Great tips as always.Have a nice day.
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David Veras on May 24th, 2010
Jason Better, if thats you’re real name, you’re an amazing copywriter. Your blog posts look pretty good too from a design perspective.
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May 24th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Amazing… hmmm…
I’ll take the compliments.
Okay, what are your selling? 
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Gayle Buchanan on May 24th, 2010
Welcome back Jason
It’s funny, I open your emails because I know there is value – something you taught me, no hesitation clicking here.
Great to have you back
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May 24th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
On to my real secret Gayle…
Don’t give them all away.
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May 25th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
mmm, now that’s the real secret juice formula!!
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Heidi Colmenero on May 24th, 2010
You’ve got such a funny and descriptive way of setting fourth your ideas that they really stick in one’s mind. That’s the trick, isn’t it. Thanks. Heidi
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May 25th, 2010 at 9:13 am
Hey Heidi,
I try to hammer my points down, but sometimes I go off on a tangent.
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Derek Alvarez on May 24th, 2010
These are great tips, Jason!
You are definitely one of the best at email marketing.
The others I think are the cream of the crop are:
-Mike Dillard
-Ann Sieg
-Ben Settle
-Jim Yaghi
-Ray and Ferny
-Perry Marshall
I learn so much about how to do it right by just being on their lists.
Plus, sending at least one a day provides plenty of practice.
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May 25th, 2010 at 9:12 am
I definitely keep an eye on Ben and Mike’s e-mails.
Clever fellars.
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Jeremy on May 24th, 2010
Great tips man. Like always!
If I could add one tip to it would defintiley be always give them Something to click! It’s so simple just like the other 3 tips people do not know really how to do it effectively enough to work.
Thanks as always
Jeremy
Watson
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May 25th, 2010 at 9:10 am
Very true.
Or at least a call to action… at the very least.
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Dolores Luz on May 24th, 2010
You make your articles sound like you’re always having fun! They’re entertaining as well, and that’s what people like about you.
Thanks for the cool tips!
Dolores
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Amy Starr Allen on May 24th, 2010
Thanks, Jason, for yet another great lesson and reminder. Love it…
I especially love what you said in tip #3… soooo true about the ‘hard sell’. Way better to share ourselves and provide value…
Anyway, thanks so much for the value, as usual .
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May 25th, 2010 at 9:09 am
I’ve always believed that great marketing is a service.
I think when we get carried away, we forget to serve, and instead “push” our products on others without thinking. 
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Richard Kaulfers on May 25th, 2010
The longest marketing emails I seen so far are from the guys over at Montley Fool. They pack tons of value and are always testing different price points.
Long copy works.
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May 25th, 2010 at 9:06 am
Definitely.
Long copy has proven itself online, offline, and even in video.
I forget who said “Never bet against long copy” but it’s solid marketing advice to remember.
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Marcus Baker on May 25th, 2010
Hi Jason,
Considering email is the primary way we communicate with our all important lists we should definitely be giving them more attention even if that means writing them fast as you suggest.
I’m not sure I agree with always having something to click though. I write one email a week that does not have anything to click on and oddly enough these get the most opens and personal responses.
Cheers
Marcus
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May 25th, 2010 at 9:05 am
The click is just the action.
Don’t ever feel limited.
For some people, the best response mechanism could be a phone number.
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Hector Cuevas on May 25th, 2010
Jason,
With my list steadily growing everyday – I’m starting to test out some different ways to write emails.. and I gotta agree with the ‘fast writing’ approach.. my clicks are looking good.
Frank Kern does it, so I spend a lot of time studying his copy.. it really does help
talk soon
Hector Cuevas
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Elmar Sandyck on May 25th, 2010
Hey Jason,
Thanks for the great tips,
they are very helpful!
Elmar
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Jennifer May on July 14th, 2010
Hey Jason! Great tips on email marketing! I really need to work on the writing faster part. Going through my emails now… haha… going to implement these tips now! Good Stuff!
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Hey J
Thanks for the tips.
Write fast. Interesting one.
The aim is to get them to click. Mike Dillard and your emails tell a little story which is really engaging and forces a ‘natural click’
Always gets the click from me.
Welcome back!
Happy Monday
Dwayne
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May 24th, 2010 at 11:23 am
Now that’s music to my ears Dwayne.
I have to admit, I don’t always have enough time to craft a breath-taking story-telling… click forcing e-mail… but when you hit your stride then it’s almost a magical thing…
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