One FUN, EASY Way to Boost Email Response Rates

Email marketers fail to pull the reader in, unless they understand this one thing. If you want to grab and hold your new subscriber’s attention, you need to focus on what’s most important and urgent to them. When you don't, it weakens your second hook, your first lines. But for teachers it's as natural as breathing…

?I melted into the morning quiet. Then came Mom’s bone-chilling scream.

As I zipped down the stairs, I prepared for the worst.

?On my father’s side of the bed, things strewn everywhere. The tall, massive Greek ceramic end table lamp with the dancing angels lay in pieces on the floor.

Underneath the heap of torn shoe boxes, piles of men’s shoes and clothes, papers, yellow invoices, and clip boards was Dad.

?Blood. Squirting from Dad’s protruding arm. He was conscious and scrambling to get out. With fear written all over Mom’s face, I tried to keep panic at bay.

?I had to stop the bleeding. That’s what in-demand marketers and teachers do all the time. No, your email readers are not bleeding. But they urgently need something.

?If you don’t know what that is, you can’t stop the bleeding. In marketing speak it’s called their pain points.

?The first step before a single word is written is to know who you are drawing into a conversation. It’s the same way that great teachers easily set the stage for a student’s learning and success.

?They know three key things: what lights up their students, what dims them, and what shuts them down emotionally.

?It’s the same secret to winning email campaigns.

It’s super simple:?Teachers know how to keep their students engaged, challenged, but out of overwhelm.

Email marketers can only do the same for readers if they understand the prospect, industry, and what she wants most.

?…As for Dad, my first-aid training kicked in. I pushed fear aside. Frantically, I dug Dad out from the mess. Suddenly energy surged through my body, revved my brain into high gear, as I hoisted him up. My strength gave way as he plopped back into bed. The washrag wrapped around his arm stopped the bleeding. Badly bruised, but he would be fine.

?So, the first hook is the subject line that compels your reader to rip open her gift:?Your eagerly awaited email. I gave tips on how to get more emails opened in my last article. You can find the details here.

The second hook is the first lines that lead the reader into the body of your email. But if you don’t know what your ideal client’s pain point is, then your second hook will be weak. And you can’t stop the bleeding, help solve their biggest challenge.

The answer is research.

?Here’s a FUN, easy four-step roadmap to become a target market research super sleuth. Let’s dig deep and collect clues. Check out the resource gold mine. Super sleuth winning copy for the bleeding neck and unique offer. Last, delve into what makes second hooks sizzle.

Market: Learning and Development

Prospect: Human Resources Learning Leader tasked with attracting, retaining, and training employees. They also shape the company’s learning culture.

STEP ONE: Dig Deep, Go Deeper

-Access profiles on current and prior customers. This should include more than key demographics (age, gender, income). Include customers who have benefited the most and least from your products or services. Also include beliefs, values, challenges, objections, and customer behavior buying habits.

-Reach out to the sales team for additional information.

-Request feedback from customers in emails, interactive surveys, live Q & As, and in online discussions.

-Access customer surveys. Look for shared challenges and pain points.

-Research the top three to five competitors to discover what works, what doesn’t, preferences, objections, and go-to resources for answers.

STEP TWO: Find the Resource Gold

Consider podcasts, trades magazines, conferences, online discussion groups and forums.

Here are my top picks to get started:

Training Industry.com: Below is a link to the trade magazine and podcast.

Training Industry Magazine - Training Industry

The Business of Learning: The Training Industry Podcast - Training Industry

Sweetrush.com: Below is a link to the blog and eBook.

Remote Team Building Free Learning Resources (sweetrush.com)

Virtual Training, SweetRush Style 5 Case Studies to Inspire a Learner Centered Approach

STEP THREEE: Super Sleuth Winning Copy?

Best example from Sweetrush email

?Subject Line:?Employee Retention: Follow the Rainbow Unicorn!

?Preview Text: I joined Sweetrush in October 2020 was that I needed a (virtual)workplace that…

(Excerpt from the email)

?Dear Lynda,

?I know you’ve seen the numbers:?Over 47 million workers?walked away from their jobs in 2021, with millions more on their way.?

?When I hear these statistics, I think about the stories behind them—47 million stories of people’s accumulated pain and hardship. I wonder where these folks are headed and whether they'll find what they're looking for.?

I'm not among those 47 million—I'm part of an earlier wave of the Great Resignation.?All I knew when I joined?SweetRush?in October 2020 was that I needed a (virtual) workplace that was just a little bit kinder.?

I?didn't know that this rainbow unicorn was called a?human-centered organization.?Nor did I imagine that it would become the most sought-after destination for every worker on the planet—or that 50% of CEOs would see the business value of caring and supporting their people.?

?I know it can be hard to picture human-centered work in action. (I've been there!)?

?I?also?know many of us are making tough decisions about the future of our organizations, teams, and careers…with limited information.

?And above all, I know that?human-centered work helped me end a long stretch of burnout and professional stagnation—and I want to help others do the same...?

?Collect breadcrumb clues:

-Employee Retention

-Over 47 million workers?walked away from their jobs in 2021, with millions more on their way.?

?-47 million stories-accumulated pain, hardship

-Caring workplace, kindness counts and impacts work culture and morale

Guiding questions:

?Who is this for and what can you tell about them? HR leaders

What are the challenges and bleeding neck?

-Workers are leaving jobs in record numbers

-People over worked, unhappy, suffering

-Mounting mental health crisis-pain, hardship

-People want more flexible work options—where they work, how they work, why they work

-To attract and retain a happy, healthy, productive workforce

-Has links to multiple resources for tried and proven solutions: creating a human-centered organization-the unicorn rainbow

STEP FOUR: Discover the Second Hook’s Sizzle- Test Drive It

Subject Line:?Employee Retention: Follow the Rainbow Unicorn!

?Preview Text: I joined Sweetrush in October 2020 was that I needed a (virtual)workplace that…

Let’s use millionaire copywriter’s secret SAUCE to test drive?email first lines:

The result is the S.A.U.C.E score.

S-Be specific.

A-Actionable. Give your reader a quick win.

U-Create a sense of urgency.

C-Clear

E-Emotionally compelling.

The five elements of Joshua T. Boswell’s proven scoring model: Give each element a score from 1-5. 1 being terrible, 5 being perfect. Add up all points and divide by 5. If it’s under 2.5, restart. If it’s between 2.5-3.5 you can tweak.

Ready to dig in?

S-Be specific- The focus is on the Human Resource Executives tasked with employee retention. (Score 5)

A-Actionable. The subtle answer seems to be in the email subject line. But the story pulls you in and leads you a multitude of resources for creating a human-centered culture. (Score 4)

U- Urgent-Employee Retention is the bleeding neck for Human Resource Executives. “…with millions more on their way.” (Score 4)

C-Clear. The personal story leads the reader to the blueprint for creating human-centered culture. The call to action is clear. (Score 5)

E-Emotionally compelling. Led with a compelling story that put a face on an significant number (47 million) (Score 5+)

Here’s my SAUCE score: 23/5= 4.6

?Want to score email subject line's sizzle? You can find the details here.

?Today I shared how to boost response rates with a powerful second hook. Your compelling subject line gets your email opened. But your reader won’t go deeper into the conversation without a powerful second hook.

The key to stellar second hooks is to become a target market super sleuth in four-simple steps:

1.?Dig deep, go deeper

2.??Discover the resource gold mine

3.?Super sleuth winning copy

4.?Discover what sizzles up second hooks

Need to sizzle up your second hook? Before you hit send, reach out to book a 30-minute FREE session for a copy test drive. Followed up with three tips to boost your response rates. [email protected] or let’s connect on LinkedIn.