The Secret SAUCE to Get New Subscribers to Open More Emails

?If you can’t instantly grab your reader’s attention, then, all that time…

?All that effort…

?All that money poured down the drain…

?All that genius is for naught.

?OUCH!

?Stop spinning your wheels. Millionaire email marketing giants have already cracked the code, like Mark Ford: Not Your Typical Businessman (awai.com) and Joshua T. Boswell. It is so simple and has gotten results for thousands of savvy marketers like you.

?But it’s not what you think…

??So, getting more emails opened is not just about sending more.

?Not just about crafting catchier subject lines and preview text.

?Not even just about getting through the email gatekeeper to be delivered.

?If your new subscriber doesn’t come to your table, your emails will be unopened, deleted, or ignored collecting digital dust in your reader’s inbox.

?But emails automatically triggered by your subscriber’s action can be the glue that builds or crushes new, fragile relationships. Letters that spark your reader’s passionate desire and feel her greatest struggles. It can be the opportunity to invite your reader deeper into your world, if you know this one thing…

?I sat slumped over my steering wheel, my cheeks flooded with tears that clouded my vision and thoughts.

?“Hello…Lynda??Lyn, you there…you okay?” My sister picked up on the first ring. She must have sensed the urgency.

?“NO!”

?“What’s wrong?”

??“I’m not going back. Now sniffling, mucous dripping on my quivering lips, fumbling for tissues. I’m…NOT.”

?“Slow down. Breathe. You’ve been through this before. Is it the kids?... Your boss?”

?“Let it out…Let it all out. There, now breathe. Just breathe. Remember last week and the week before.”

?“This is not the same.”

?“I was heading down to the principal’s office. He stopped me mid-step: ‘Oh no you DON’T!’

?“But…you don’t understand…”

?“He cut me off, blocked me from coming down and pointed upstairs. ?He was fed up: ‘I don’t care. Take him back! Deal with it.’”?

?“Wow, okay what happened next?”

?What’s happening in your reader’s world may not be as dramatic. But it impacts how they respond to your emails. Not only the chaos we are experiencing in the external world–updates on the Ukraine, COVID rates, travel opening, or not.

?But, also in your readers internal world of thoughts, beliefs, and habits.

??The good news is you don’t have to be a mind reader.

?The bad news is if your subscriber is new to your world, you don’t have much data about what your reader desires or feels challenged by.

So, how do you know what’s going on in your reader’s world?

?The reason my sister knew just what to say to get me to return to my classroom is because she gets me. She knows how conflicted I was–torn between my love for teaching and my desire to help every student. But I was lacking the support and tools to do my job.

?What has made me such a successful teacher is not just my education, skills, and knowledge. It’s the same thing that brings marketers success and results. It’s about understanding what makes your readers’ heart sing and what holds them back.

?To step into the heart and mind of your reader you need to understand the one thing that drives all human behavior. You can’t begin the conversation or prepare your gourmet meal, your core content, unless you know about the two opposing forces operating inside every human being all the time with every decision and purchase. If you understand human behavior, then you can structure your content the way that moves people to take action. Everyone has the survival instinct to stay alive and do what’s safe, comfortable, and familiar. If they have survived it before than it’s safe. At the same time, they have the desire to learn and grow. But you can’t stay safe and grow at the same time.

?So, how do you get your new friend to pull up a chair to come to your table, and engage with your content?

?She won’t take the first steps with your company until you know what’s most important to her. What gnaws at your reader’s insides that keeps her awake at night? Dampens her dreams.

?Once you know, you can convey in the subject line that you see, hear, value, and understand your newest member.

?Below I share the simple 3-step recipe to crafting savory subject lines to rock your open rates and engagement.

This will help you:

·????????Use the key words that count

·????????Gain deep insight into top-performing subject lines

·????????Use millionaires' secret SAUCE to test drive your subject lines

?1. Awaken your reader’s senses

?Understand your target audience’s RAS triggers

What are RAS triggers?

“RAS” stands for “Reticular Activating System.” Every human being has a database in their brain. It constantly monitors data points throughout the day and filters out what’s important to pay attention to and what to ignore.

RAS Triggers are the thoughts, images and words that are important to your reader. This is where you should begin the conversation.

Consider your own habits. What causes you to scroll past certain messages, but triggered by others to drop everything to devour them?

Remember, your reader is a human being, just like you. They have hopes, dreams, passions, fears, hunger, disappointments and other human emotions and experiences common to us all.

?Every day people are pulled into their own daily drama. They don’t come up for air-- unless it directly impacts them or their family. They are crazy busy with packed days juggling family, relationships, priorities, and work.

?2. Learn from the best word chefs in the learning and development market

?The best examples I can find come from the email autoresponder series below. Sent every two days.

?Jack Canfield Companies

Email #1

Email Subject Line: Your 4 Step Meditation Guide

Preview Text: Lynda, here’s your free meditation guide. Get started

From: Jack Canfield

?Observations & Hot Tips:

The first email subject line for a download is short and straight forward. Notice the “from” is from Jack Canfield, a person, not just a company. So, it feels like a personal letter sent directly to you. Keep subject lines (email headlines) between 4-7 words long. Make every word count.

?Email #2

?Email Subject Line: It’s time to talk about the elephant in the room…

Preview Text: What are you not acknowledging in your life right now

From: Jack Canfield

Observations & Hot Tips:

The second one, I bold the RAS trigger phrase that grabs my attention. The preview text explains it. Although not all subscribers show the preview text, use it to your advantage. Add a little more detail.

?In the personal development industry, being stuck is the deep dark secret and pain point that mission-driven entrepreneurs are afraid to admit or face. It’s a source of pain and shame.

?Accepting and admitting it is taking the first step in your personal growth journey. It shortens the onramp to your personal or business success. So, knowing this will help you craft a subject line that stirs that emotion and piques curiosity to open the email.

?Email #3

?Email Subject Line: Ready to create your dream life today?

Preview Text: Lynda, I have something you need to see

From: Jack Canfield

?Observations & Hot Tips:

Using the word “create” connects with creators (entrepreneurs, artists, writers, creatives). The words you use create pictures in your reader’s mind. Choose your words carefully. It feels good to view themselves as creating their “Dream life today.” The phrase taps into their passion, purpose, mission, or deeper why.

?David Bayer

?Email #1

?Email Subject Line: Your Mind Hack eBook Download

Preview Text: Here’s your Mind Hack eBook (plus a free gift!)

From: David Bayer

?Observations & Hot Tips:

The email marketing ninja cleverly uses the preview text to sweeten the deal with a big promise inside. That’s incentive to open right away. Think about it. The reader is expecting the eBook, but not expecting the gift. First, the reader is eager to open. Then if really satisfied will want to thank David. It’s called the “Law of Reciprocity.” If someone goes the extra mile for you, then you feel compelled to reciprocate.

?Email #2

Email Subject Line: Not as far along as you ‘should’ be?

Preview Text: Caution: this video goes DEEP Hey Lynda Dell, I was up all night giddy like a kid before Christmas knowing that The next step in your journey

From: David Bayer

?Observations & Hot Tips:

This hits a key pain point of being stuck. It’s the inner critic that tells you, “you’re not enough…” called “Imposter Syndrome.” What’s interesting, from interviewing experts in the personal growth market, I discovered that even highly accomplished individuals who have attained PhD’s also suffer with bouts of self-doubt when they leap out of their comfort zone.

Notice the email preview text begins with “Caution.” But the dangerous thing is not truly dangerous: it’s knowledge or learning. The second part helps you see and feel his eagerness and excitement and gives insight into why David cares about you.

?Christmas morning is very relatable. In January those memories are still fresh in your mind. You may picture your eager child, or your eager inner child. Opening the email makes you feel a little giddy with anticipation. Especially if what’s inside holds the key to what you have been seeking.

?I was excited because this eBook is his core content that all his programs were built from. Every successful personal development company has a core program or system. All the tools, tips, and techniques are entry points to this core content.

?Email #3

?Email Subject Line: Video 1 of 4 of Your Mind Hack Mini Course

Preview Text: Everything depends on this…Hey Lynda Dell,

I’m excited to send you the first video in your 4-part mindset master

From: David Bayer

Observations & Hot Tips:

Watching the video series is another way to gain get a deeper understanding of his core content. This is a bonus. The video supports the eBook and provides another way to easily consume the content. That means by watching the videos you are enrolled in a mini master class. In the preview text, he is saying that understanding this course is key to unlocking your brain. Notice he provides one video at a time. This doesn’t overwhelm you and makes you eager for more. This third email he adds my first and last name. Not everyone wants to learn, but mission-driven entrepreneurs, like his readers, want to have personal or business breakthroughs. And mindset drives or halts your success.

?3.Use millionaire copywriters’ secret SAUCE to test drive email subject 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-Boil it down. Confusion leads to inaction.

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.

Below how three email subject lines and preview text score

Email Subject Line: It’s time to talk about the elephant in the room…

Preview Text: What are you not acknowledging in your life right now

From: Jack Canfield

?Here’s my SAUCE score: 22/5 = 4.4

?S-Be specific. A discussion about facing your biggest fear = 4

A-Actionable. Give your reader a quick win. If the first step is opening that hard discussion, then that’s a win. =4

U- Create a sense of urgency. It’s temping for the stuck person to open and see if Jack has the solution =4

C-Clear. Boil it down. Confusion leads to inaction. This email starts the conversation= 5

E-Emotionally compelling, spark curiosity = 5

SAUCE Score = 22/5 = 4.4?

?Now it’s your turn to test drive the subject line and preview text. 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.

Email Subject Line: Not as far along as you ‘should’ be?

Preview Text: Caution: this video goes DEEP Hey Lynda Dell, I was up all night giddy like a kid before Christmas knowing that The next step in your journey

From: David Bayer

?S-Be specific.

A-Actionable. Give your reader a quick win.

U-Create a sense of urgency.

C-Boil it down. Confusion leads to inaction.

E-Emotionally compelling.

●????Do me a favor, let me know your score in the comments section, or if you have a different or better method or want me to share how I scored it.

?Marketing is easier to understand when you consider what makes your new subscriber feel special and appreciated. The way to your new subscriber’s heart is through her stomach.

But you don’t have to start from scratch. You don’t have to be a gourmet cook to prepare savory subject lines and preview text.

You begin the conversation by understanding the two opposing forces operating inside every human being all the time that drives every decision and purchase.

?It’s your survival instinct to stay alive, to stick with what’s safe, familiar, and comfortable. Countering this is your desire to learn, grow, and develop. If you understand this concept, then you can structure content the way that moves people through the process.

?Today I shared a simple 3-step recipe that will compel your newest member to open and read your emails.

1. Awaken your reader’s senses by using the thoughts, images, and words that are important to her.
2. Learn by the best word chefs in the personal development market: David Bayer and Jack Canfield Companies.
3. Discover the millionaire’s secret SAUCE to test driving them. Then it’s your turn to try it out.

Struggling with your response rates for your email tribe? For a limited time, get your FREE 15-minute email copy review. Email me?at [email protected]?or connect on Lynda R Dell on LinkedIn to get started right away.

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As a learning and development copywriter, experienced classroom teacher, and passionate lifelong learner, I speak your target audience’s language. I understand the challenges that small and mid-size education and training companies face. Let me help you leap over your competition in an overcrowded market, gain authority in your niche, and boost email response rates.