“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

– Simon Sinek

Hello,

Do you use stories in your emails? Quizzes and questions?

I was listening to Beyond the Inbox – a podcast about email marketing. In a recent episode, Jessica Totillo Coster shared some nice tips:

  • Use storytelling
  • Share personal stories
  • Use quizzes to engage and qualify leads

Before we continue with stories, let me ask you:

{{ campaign.survey | type:”yes_no”, message:”Thank you for your response! Your feedback is highly appreciated.”, heading:”Do you feel sharing personal stories in your emails is a good idea?” }}
Do you feel sharing personal stories in your emails is a good idea?
{{/campaign.survey}}

Practical ideas: using stories in emails

In my experience, stories really work. But when you are using email, you need to keep them short. Your goal with a story is to engage the reader emotionally.

Here are some ideas on how you can write stories for email:

  • Limit your story to 7-10 lines. Use shorter sentences, easier, fewer words.
  • Describe the “hero’s struggle” immediately – at the start of the story. Do it in a way the reader can relate to.
  • Next – and if required – create a bit of background.
  • Then describe the solution, “morale of the story”, takeaway.
  • Offer a “call to action” – hopefully the reader is inspired at this stage, so invite them to take some action – a small step in the direction of fulfilling what inspired them.

But where to get story ideas from?

The easiest – and most authentic – method is to use personal stories. Here’s what I suggest:

  • Take a moment and list down small and big challenges you’ve faced in life. Don’t be shy – list down even little wins.
  • What made you overcome the challenge? What was the lesson? If you haven’t yet surpassed the challenge, where are you struggling?
  • Make a list of 20-30 items – at least.
  • Apart from challenges, you can also use “experiences”. Something that inspired you, taught you something…
  • Now when you want to write a story, just pick an item from this list and narrate it as a short story.

What next?

Start your next newsletter / email with a story or experience. Reply to this email and share your experience!

Question: I was wondering…

{{ campaign.survey | type:”yes_no”, message:”Thank you for your response! Your feedback is highly appreciated.”, heading:”Do you use email automation – for example: auto responders / sequence emails / trigger based workflow emails?” }}
Do you use email automation – for example: auto responders / sequence emails / trigger based workflow emails?
{{/campaign.survey}}

BTW, Icegram Express lets you send new blog post notifications, and newsletters and set up all kinds of automation. The Pro plans can really take your email marketing to the next level. So if you haven’t yet, consider upgrading to a higher plan.

I will look forward to hearing from you about the stories. Just reply to this email and respond.

Until then,

Nirav Mehta, Icegram

Nirav Mehta Icegram