Specializing in writing autoresponder copy?

[HenryH]

I've heard about how Jay White is famous for his autoresponder copy. Do any of the copywriters here focus their services on writing this form of copy? Does it tend to be harder/easier for a talented copywriter to get regular work writing autoresponder e-mails instead of traditional sales letters? I'm considering this, but first, I'd like to evaluate input from others with more experience...

[colmodwyer]

I'm not sure about anyone else, but writing a sales letter over a few emails is a lot more fun and satisfying to me.

Nothing like creating a big, sexy direct mail package.

I would imagine, if you're going in the mail it would be a lot more rewarding too. Not sure if you get commission on emails.

Technically you should... Anyone know?

Anyway, I think my point is - do what most appeals to you. Because that's what'll make it easy for you to get regular, high paying work.

Colm

[dorothydot]

I've studied under Jay and his style and mine totally gel! I love writing autoresponders and the power of his technique is obvious from the get-go.

I'd love to specialize in autoresponders-only, but that is yet to come.

Currently I consider myself to be an Internet Copywriter. This in itself involves techniques that are unique to the medium. And I love writing - but that's already been said.

Hope this helps,
Dot

[Mark McClure]

Jay's had a long apprenticeship as a catalog copywriter and in writing radio ad spots.

He's having a dam% good go of creating a category and leading it - and that's autoresponder copy for the high end (bulging checkbook) IM'ers. I think Michel Fortin wrote a paper some years ago called "The Power of Positioning" and that's what I see Mr W. following. And good luck to him.

Since finishing Jay's program, I also specialize in autoresponder copy - makes an interesting change from ghostwriting for online tech B2B and B2C clients.

I'm guessing that some of the copywriting stars on this board are able to write good email copy as part of a complete marketing solution for their clients. That's quite a feat of style and form - flitting to and fro between long and short copy.

[HenryH]

Appreciate the responses so far.

A client that I've been ghostcopywriting for over the last few years recently assigned me to write a few autoresponder e-mails, and he gushed that they were some of the best he's ever read. I do think I'd prefer writing brief (relative to web page sales letter lengths) autoresponder copy to long online sales copy, at least in the fledgling stages of my career as a copywriter.

But I'm curious -- what's the correct "format" that an autoresponder e-mail series should follow? I've heard that the first e-mail should contain pure, unadulterated (e.g., "valuable") information for the recipient's benefit, the second one should passively advertise a link, the third one should employ a "soft" sell, and so on...

Also, is there any particular checklist to make sure a writer has adhered to when writing each individual autoresponder e-mail (e.g., like "AIDA" for salescopy)? Are there essential elements that every autoresponder no matter its purpose MUST contain?

Thanks in advance for advice fellow writers are willing to part with...

[Raydal]

This is an old topic but I'll repeat what I said before.

"Writing autoresponder copy only" is simply a marketing
angle which Jay was able to grab early and distinguish
himself by ... BUT there is no special skills required to
writing autoresponder series different to sales letter writing.

I offer autoresponder series as part of my copywriting
services and seldom do stand-alone series because I
also write the sales letter and optin pages that go along
with the autoresponder series.

Emails would have a certain structure and also the series
must also follow a a 'macro-structure' so the emails all
come together to achieve a certain desired action.

Again, this is an old topic that you may find by doing a
search on this forum.

-Ray Edwards

[Traci]

I've done sales letters and autoresponders. Like Raydal said, it takes the same skills to write either, they're just structured differently. I like doing a full series of autoresponders because I think of them all working together to make a sale, kind of like going down the sales letter. You want to sell something by the end of the sales letter and at the end of the last email (or before).

If you choose to only offer autoresponders, you need to take that and make it part of your USP. We all know Jay as the autoresponder guy because that's how he markets himself (Doesn't hurt that he's really good at it).

[Jay White]

Hey, my ears are burning over here!

Seriously though, I think email copywriting is a great angle to take--especially if you dig that sort of thing (which I do). But in my Autoresponder Apprentice course, I also suggest that you add this element to your entire package as opposed to just an email series (like my buddy Raydal does). Talk about an instant boost to your fees! And it doesn't take you that much longer to put together.

My course basically teaches you an email copy format that I've tested to work. Once you get it down,. you can hammer these things out pretty quickly. And they're fun, too!

BTW...the course is less than a month old, and several of my AA students are already securing projects. So it's definitely a hot market for copywriters. I'll also be releasing a version for entreprenuers in the next few days, so stay tuned.

And Henry, I've got a few free videos that might be helpful regarding writing autoresponders. You can find them in the YouTube link at the left under my picture.

[HenryH]

Thanks for your input, Jay. I'll check out your AA course. :-)

If anyone is interested in critiquing, here is a link to an autoresponder e-mail I wrote a while back. I was ghostwriting for another copywriter, and in this e-mail, his client wanted him (aka me) to tell some kind of story -- but he didn't have one and he didn't want one fabricated. Apparently he'd had issues with a customer who decided to delve deeper into one of his stories written for another one of his product advertisements. So in other words, I attempted to create some kind of narrative that doesn't follow an actual story:

autores1.doc

Besides the fact that it tries to tell a story with no plot, is it too "salesy" for an autoresponder e-mail?

(edit: just realized there's a typo in the last sentence -- "than" should be "that")

[Lance K]

Jay...got a link for the AA program? Is it open currently?

EDIT: Nevermind. I figured it out.

[HenryH]

I went ahead and uploaded the file as a webpage in case people aren't keen on downloading it:

http://www.webspawner.com/users/henryh/index.html

Opinions would be appreciated...

[markpocock]

Here's a good tip I learnt from Ed Dale
about writing Auto responders.

You may or may not know it.

Go to Google News.

Type in your keyword.

And this brings up all the latest
news stories from around the world.

Go through them and pick out the most
interesting ones. Then adapt them for
whatever you're selling. Tell the news story in
your emails and bring it back to your product
or service.

Or tell about a story you've faced that day.
And again relate it back to what you're selling.
Ben Settle's very good at this.

People love to read stories.

cheers

Mark

[Jay White]

Good stuff Mark. That's the basis of my teaching as well--storytelling. I also suggest using more personal stories and tying them into your prospect's specific want/need/desire/problem that you're highlighting in the email. Nothing pulls you closer to your prospects (and their wallets) more than a good story.

[HenryH]

Do you ever write e-mail autoresponders that don't focus on stories, or is it a general rule of thumb to *always* base an e-mail on a story?

[Jay White]

Not all of my ARs are story-based. Sometimes it just doesn't fit, or I don't have something that "jives" well with what I'm trying to get across. But other times I'll come up a story that's tailor-made for the email (those are the fun ones to write).

It's like sales letters. Not all of them follow a set formula, but many still do a great job at converting. Same with emails. They can still build a relationship and get the click through without being story-based.

It's all about your audience...what turns them on? What will cause them to dive into your message without hesitation? And how can you keep them engaged? Once you get an idea of these things, you're on your way to writing some killer emails.

[Anita Ashland]

Originally Posted by HenryH

Do any of the copywriters here focus their services on writing this form of copy? Does it tend to be harder/easier for a talented copywriter to get regular work writing autoresponder e-mails instead of traditional sales letters?

I specialize in email copy and find that it's easier to build long term relationships with clients this way. Businesses need emails more often than they need sales pages. So you only need a handful of regular clients who hire you regularly, such as through a retainer arrangement.

The downside to specializing in email copy is that you have multiple projects going on at once and it's not unusual for your regular clients to swoop in on you simultaneously with urgent projects, so you have to be careful. Also, clients will be more likely to put you in the copywriter box and keep you there if you are a specialist, so you'll have to work hard at showing that you can do more than write emails and can provide value in other areas of their business as well. That's how you can start earning commissions.

[HenryH]

Thanks for your advice, Anita. Are you saying that autoresponder clients tend to request copywriting services beyond writing autoresponder e-mails? I think I'd like to target my copywriting services to autoresponder e-mails, so I wasn't sure if I needed to be "prepared" to also tackle longform salesletter assignments on short notice.

If you don't mind me asking here, how is your WSO for your autoresponder writing services "converting?" Of course, I totally understand if you'd rather not discuss this sort of thing with someone who could be eventually considered your "competition"...

[Anita Ashland]

Because hiring someone to write autoresponder copy doesn't involve much risk for the client, writing autoresponders is a good way to get your foot in the door and eventually upsell or cross-sell other services and demonstrate other ways that you can provide value beyond email copy. It's important for any copywriter to try to get clients to do more than say, "how much do you charge and how quick can you have it done?" so that you aren't trapped in a box.

Long term relationships with clients are the most profitable kind and I've found that writing autoresponder copy is a great way to enter into long term relationships.

My WSO isn't for copywriting services, it's for packages of pre-written emails. That WSO has been worthwhile as it has led to a long term retainer arrangement with a marketer. I've had a couple of WSOs in the past for copywriting services and while I didn't make much from the actual WSO it led to long term relationships with a few clients that exist to this day, so they were profitable in that way.

[marciayudkin]

Do you ever write e-mail autoresponders that don't focus on stories

Most of my own (i.e. for my own home study courses) use a Q&A format. This works for me because the series starts off with a free 1 hour audio in which I offer a recorded Q&A teleseminar. The series continues with questions I didn't get to in the 1 hour session. I also invite readers to email me questions I'm not answering. Definitely sells courses for me - gets people off the fence when they see how many questions they've seen answers for.

Marcia Yudkin