How do you write your autoresponder series?

[toolmaster]

Ok, warriors I have a question for you:

I'm curious to know what methods everyone is using to create your follow up series's that converts.

1. Do you buy pre-made templates?

2. Do you subscribe to your competitors to see how they are writing theirs?

3. Do you hire the writing out to copywriters?

4. Do you just wing it and test multiple different follow up series to see which ones convert better?

5. Or anything else you do to figure out how to write a series that converts?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

[arfasaira]

The idea of an autoresponder series is to presell your prospect and warm them up to your product in order to make them more likely to buy from you.

There are lots of ways to write an autoresponder, but here are few pointers if you are doing this yourself:

1. talk about themes relevant to your product - your main aim is to give away a tip or secret and explain the 'what' without the 'how'. You want prospects to think: 'wow, that's great, I need to know this' - and leave out just enough so that they would need to buy your product to find out how to do it

2. give each autoresponder a teaser at the end - perhaps leave something out and promise to share it with them tomorrow...rather like a cliffhanger of your favorite soap where you have to tune in the next day to see what will happen

3. NEVER ever use each autoresponder to pitch to the prospect. Give them valuable insights into your product and perhaps on the third or fourth one, do a VERY soft pitch - nothing makes a prospect hit the delete button faster than being bombarded with pitches

4. Use the p.s at the end to give your prospects a sneak peek into what they can expect tomorrow - this way, they will want to come back and learn more

5. use attention grabbing headlines for each autoresponder you send out and make it sharp and to the point. Prospects should think: 'I got to open this and read it'

6. avoid hard sell in any sense of the word. If you have written your autoresponder sequence correctly, each one you send out should be edging the prospect naturally towards your product, and you should leave out the full pitch until the final one you send out


I hope these will give you some pointers in the right direction. If you are wary of how to do these properly, I suggest that you hire someone to do them or you and take a look how it's done.

If you write these regularly, I suggest you get trained up in preselling techniques - Paul Hancox does the 'Preselling Mastery' course which is superb and a must for anyone who writes autporesponder series and any other preselling information.

Here's the link: http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-special-offers-forum/276370-new-presell-mastery-how-pre-sell-using-powerful-psychological-tactics-10-60-left.html

hope that helps!

[Vincenzo Oliva]

Subscribe to some lists: Frank Kern, Ryan Deiss, Jonny Andrews to name a few. Study their delivery.
Basically, think like your talking to a good friend. Every day, continue the conversation and be casual and forthcoming with your ideals and thoughts.

[tobyR]

I find autoresponder messages the most challanging - for me its a case of keeping people engaged and thinking ahead so they get a message but without the full story so trying to tie them in to wanting and watching out for the next one - hard work though

[Bill Jenkins]

Here's a no lose way to do it. Give away valuable content your people love and include a quick call to action at the end of each message. It invokes the rule of reciprocity and makes people feel subtly obligated to reciprocate.

Works for me like a champ!

Bill

[Globy]

Jonny Andrews list is one of the best you can get examples from.
I always use examples to learn.

Kind regards

[wvcopywriter]

I don't use pre-made templates. The best way I found is to write something that is very interesting to read and tie that into what your promoting. Be creative. But do not make all your emails this way. Just a series like you want a 7 series done to promote one thing-then use this technique. Otherwise just be simple. Use short to the point emails.

[JBroyer44]

I have been trying to study some of the lists I am subscribed to, and as I get the general notion of how to go about writing them my question is more about volume and frequency.

How often do you send a message and how many do you send, before, and after the pitch?

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[Kathy_T]

Originally Posted by Bill Jenkins

Here's a no lose way to do it. Give away valuable content your people love and include a quick call to action at the end of each message. It invokes the rule of reciprocity and makes people feel subtly obligated to reciprocate.

Works for me like a champ!

Bill

Since I'm fairly new to writing autoresponder messages (only about 3 months into it), this whole thread has been very valuable to me.

I've been naturally writing the way Bill Jenkins suggests, so it's nice to see that validation! Everything I've written is from the heart. So, I'm hopeful that this "from the heart" feeling is felt by my readers as well.

Because I really want my readers to relate to what I'm saying, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of hiring out the writing to anyone else. Maybe with time I'll try it... but for now, just straight writing.

[wcmylife]

Frank Kern uses some cool headlines but I think one of the reasons why his emails get opened because he's Frank Kern. I personally like the attention and detail that Jeff Walker puts into his responders and dislike Jeff Johnson's auto-responders..poor content...

I do auto-responders, so if you need help, drop me an email.

[tobyR]

some great answers here, personally I write my own, its about building trust and you can only do that by writing your own & getting your own personality across. I do keep a folder with emails Ive received that have 'forced me' to open them - often rubbish content but a great way to get subject line ideas.

[Raydal]

Many people have already suggested studying the emails
of 'famous' marketers (although many don't write their
own emails) which is all good but most people don't know
how or what to copy.

It's the same with studying swipe files, if you don't know
what you are looking for then it's little use.

I have worked out a template for writing autoresponder
series that have worked for me and my clients for
over 8 years now.

Keep in mind that these are emails meant to sell a product
and not emails loaded as ezine would send out newsletter
to subscribers.

I share my template here:

YouTube - How to write autoresponder email...

YouTube - How to write autoresponder email...

-Ray Edwards

[Marvin Johnston]

Since the primary purpose of an autoresponder series is to sell something, it would seem that giving out free information would need to be done carefully. Just giving out free information could result in people signing up for the free information *expecting* more information to be forthcoming, and thus no real justification to actually buy something.

How can this balance be handled in the autoresponder series so that sales actually happen?

Marvin

[arfasaira]

Originally Posted by Marvin Johnston

Since the primary purpose of an autoresponder series is to sell something, it would seem that giving out free information would need to be done carefully. Just giving out free information could result in people signing up for the free information *expecting* more information to be forthcoming, and thus no real justification to actually buy something.

How can this balance be handled in the autoresponder series so that sales actually happen?

Marvin

The secret is to tell someone the 'what' but not the 'how'. For example, I may say to a prospect that you should do a power circuit followed by a power breakfast every morning to melt off five pounds a week...but I don't tell them how to do it or what exactly is involved.

To do that, they would need to buy the product. Each piece of information should be so valuable that prospects think that 'wow, I have to have this product.' The way they think is that if your product can address their main concerns and you are sharing some ideas to ease their problem, then they are more likely to trust you and trust that you have a great product that could actually help them.

This my friend, is how you edge your prospects towards a sale.

[Jay White]

An autoresponder is just that--something that's been RESPONDED to. Which means there's been an opt-in of some sort and the prospect has most likely seen a sales message, but declined for some reason.

So with that in mind, it makes sense to craft an autoresponder series with one goal: get the prospect BACK to the sales message for another chance at a sale. And this is the best way I've found to do that...

In every autoresponder, target a single want/need/desire/problem that the prospect is experiencing. This can usually come from the sales letter. Hone in on that one thing...make it big, ugly, and nasty. Bring it to the surface, and then position the product as the end-all, be-all solution to that one problem.

In the next email, focus on a DIFFERENT want/need/desire/problem, and position the product accordingly. And so on and so on throughout the series. As the prospect reads the emails, we're looking to find that one thing that really resonates with them. May not be in email 2 or email 3, but email 4 hits them right where they live. All of a sudden, they're not talking about somebody else's issues, they're talking about THEIRS.

So when they click the link and go back to the sales page, they're seeing it in an entirely different light--not as a pitch, but a true answer to their problems.

This is part of the formula I've used for my A-list clients for years, and it's the same one I teach in my courses with AWAI (see sig) because it WORKS. Of course, there's lots more details involved, like crafting the perfect subject lines, openers, storytelling, transitions, etc. But that's a chunk of the basic framework.

Got some free videos if you want more. No opt-in required. Just check out Email Copy Made Easy on Youtube or click the link at the left.

[trafficwave]

I created this thread long ago to give some pointers and tips on this very subject. Hopefully, you will find it helpful:

Guide To Creating AutoResponder Letters