This info applies to all the samples. I’m saying it once, I’m saying it here. You’re welcome.

To rock (the boat) or not to rock; that is the question.

Most ecom businesses try to look and sound like their competitors. They send emails that look and sound like everyone else’s. This probably never worked well (not even in the “old days”), and it damn sure doesn’t work today. Don’t go there. It’s a huge mistake.

You want to stand out. You want to be unique. You can’t do that by blending in.  

If you follow my advice and use messages like these samples, you’re going to be different from other businesses in your market. You’re going to take your customers by surprise. You’re going to defy their expectations. 

So, you can expect your customers to react in ways you don’t expect. This is a good thing. Don’t worry about it. 

The real risk is in being boring. That way lies failure. 

Don’t use these samples without modifying them. You’ll torpedo your business if you do.  

The samples I’ve made available are here to help you learn; they’re NOT intended as templates. Don’t just copy them, fill in the blanks, and pop them into your email distribution software. 

Yes, I know they’re terrific, and it would be awesome if you’d written them. But you didn’t. They’re not you. Remember that to build out your sequences you’re going to have to create many more messages similar to the first one. If you just copy one of my samples, you’ll be stuck when it comes to drafting the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th email. It will be a mess.

Unless you’re already an incredibly gifted, professional copywriter, you’re going to fail at duplicating these samples. Over time you’ll just leave your customers dazed and confused.

Instead, study the messages I show you in this section and use them to practice writing your own. Work on it. Adapt them to fit your own personal outlook, your own tone, your brand, your product or service. 

Put another way: Don’t use these messages as templates; use them as inspiration to design your own damn templates.

And, of course,

If you don’t feel like you can do this, or you just don’t have time, contact me and I’ll write your messages for you.

Costly? Sure; but I already know how to do this. Expertise always costs real money.

All of these samples need a Call To Action (CTA).

Every single email you send is a chance to sell. Use it. Add your own CTAs to as many emails as you can. Sometimes the CTA is already the obvious purpose of the email (think Abandoned Cart); but even then you can add another one or two. You can do it in the main body of the email, as a P.S., or by adding a link to a page where the customer can take action.

For example:

• Invite attention to other products the customer might like,

• Offer a discount on one or more items for a limited time,

• Announce a sale for a limited time or point out an approaching deadline,

• Build anticipation for something (a sale, a new offer, an update to a product or service) that hasn’t happened yet.

Your company might be different from the company in the samples:

The hypothetical company I use in these examples is a good-sized operation with several employees. It has more than one product and ships physical goods. 

But maybe you’re a one-person operation. Maybe you offer only one product or service. Maybe you deliver digitally rather than by USPS, FedEx or UPS.

No worries. Here are some tips to help you adapt:

If you work at home or have a tiny operation, change the story setting. Forget the office and instead put yourself on your couch with your laptop (maybe late at night while the kids are sleeping or in the PM before the spouse gets home from work).

If you work alone, don’t use employees for your story characters. Instead, pull in friends, confidants, family members, your kids, and your pets. Kids and pets are, by definition, unreasonable, and if you treat them right, they’re hilarious. They make great characters for your stories.

If you deliver digitally only, ditch the concerns about shipping. Instead, talk about the problems inherent in downloads and links. Make sure your customers know you’ve done everything possible to remove the glitches.

Each of these samples is only the first message in the series.

Every single example is designed to be followed by two or three (maybe more) messages that will go out over time and reinforce the main purpose of the flow.

When you draft the follow-ups, make sure they build on the first email. Give them the same tone and style (the same “attitude”) as the first one. And Make sure they’re highly personal and entertaining.