Copywriting is an art as much as a science. Inspired by the “email alchemist” methodology of Daniel Levis, today we will address how to do effective email copywriting. We also modify part of Levis’ framework to better tailor it to the Asian context.
Why email marketing and why use a framework for email copywriting?
The reason why marketers should consider email marketing today is because most people use their mobile phones to check their inbox every day.
Especially if your readers subscribe to your email newsletter or emails, email marketing will be one of the most cost-efficient ways to get your message across or push sales through.
To make full use of this strategy and channel, it is then important to invest in good email copywriting.
We need a framework for email copywriting to ensure a systematic, effective way of communication. The whole idea of a framework is such that it is systematic and can be replicable or modified in other contexts.
Therefore, we can tweak the original framework here and there for our various purposes.
The modified TFPC framework for email copywriting.
- T: Tabloid-worthy subject line.
The subject line of the email must immediately make (1) people stop whatever they are doing, (2) be interested in clicking the link, and (3) actually click the link.
To make your prospects stop whatever they are doing, you should first go “zac” when they expect “zig”. That is to say, go against expectations.
For example, if you are a Taylor Swift’s fanclub manager writing an email to sell Taylor Swift fanclub T-shirts to her fans, you can consider having an email subject line of “Here is why Taylor Swift’s new album is not good.”
When the prospect clicks on the link, you can start with “…Of course, her album isn’t good. It’s the best ever!”
So having a subject line that runs counter to expectations would help arouse interest and make people interested in reading the email. The subject line also should make people inherently curious.
The best way to do it both is to include something that sort of sounds tabloid-worthy. However, this might not work if you are in a truly professional context! So bear the context in mind when you are writing your subject line as well.
- F: First few sentences
The first few sentences must capture the attention of your prospect. They have to engage–failing which the prospect would simply just close the window.
Therefore, try to make the first few sentences of your email as engaging as possible. Arouse curiosity and make your prospect want to read further. Once he or she gets past the first few lines, he or she is then more likely to read the whole article. It is usually the initial inertia that is more difficult to overcome.
Address your prospects by their first names, if you have them. When you write, as much as possible, write only to one person. Try to spark their imagination in the few sentences, so that they can relate to what you are saying.
- P: Pitch your product.
Don’t be ashamed to pitch your product or service. Tell the benefits of your product or service proudly! Here, it is essential to know your audience well and write what appeals to them. Here, it would be good to tell a story and use imagery and metaphors generously, so that your audiences can imagine the way they like.
- C: Call to action
The call to action at the end of the email has to be clear, concise, and to communicate that it would only be natural and wise for the prospects to “bring it up to the next level”. To do this, you can offer them something of value for free, such as a “how-to” guide or a set of free vectors for use. The idea is to get the prospects to go down your sales funnel after you receive their email addresses.
Conclusion
Email marketing will work really well if you know exactly the heart of your audience. It takes empathy and eloquence to write a good email, so we hope that this TFPC helps you in your creativity and writing today. We hope you have enjoyed today’s post!
