The most important email in your autoresponder sequence

Have you ever bought a solo ad and then got pissed when your email opens diminished after they opened your welcome email to download their freebie?

One thing you have to understand, is that if you buy a solo ad in the "make money online" niche, most of those people are addicted to downloading reports on squeeze pages.


Which means they also get a lot of welcome emails.

And to be fair, they WILL ignore what you say inside that email if it sounds like any of the others they have gotten over the years.

That's just human nature.

So... how does your welcome email read?

Do you say something like...
"Thank you for signing up to get my [insert freebie name they signed up for]. My name is [insert name] and over the next few days I'm going to show you... blah blah blah blah blah blah... which will help you... blah blah blah blah blah..."

That's a pretty standard welcome email, right?

The marketer in question might even throw in a personal story.

But... it's boring.

And it's so bloody generic and common, it does nothing to position you as someone different; someone worth paying attention to.

I like to do things a different way. Instead of thanking people for signing up, and telling them a personal story... and how I'm the one who will help them get results...

.. I instead use that email to repel the people I don't want on my list, and hopefully attract the people who do.

I could rattle off the usual nonsense about how I am such an awesome guy who ONLY has their best interests at heart - which to be honest, means absolutely NOTHING coming from my own mouth - or I can demonstrate my values, which in turn has the same effect without me actually having to say it.

The point here is to get you to see your welcome email as a unique opportunity to stand out from the other dozens and dozens of marketers list they are already signed up to.

After all, it's the very first email they have ever read from you. Kind of sets the tone of what's to come.

Anyway... to give you an idea of how this looks, here's the welcome email my subscribers get when they sign up to my list...
(note: don't copy the email below and use it, because it's written specifically to attract the people I want to work with, and repel the rest. It WILL backfire if it doesn't fit in with how you plan to address your audience in the future)

Dia Dhuit,

This is where I'm supposed to thank you for signing up to get my report.

Whatever.

For all I know you'll download the report, not read it... and never open another email from me.

Let's be honest, that's what most people do, right?

So if that's your intention, then you should just unsubscribe right now and be done with it.

No really. I want you to unsubscribe. Last thing you need is to be on yet another marketers email list, and the last thing I want is for another scattered-brained opportunity seeker stinking up my business.

Is my email list different than the other couple dozen email lists you're currently on?

I would say, absolutely.

The reality is that it's probably not.

That's up to you to decide.

If you do decide to stay on my list and read at least a couple of emails before you run, then just understand that I have certain rules and values I will never break:

1) I don't mince my words and sometimes what I say offends people. Please don't read my emails and then write to me and complain about things I've said you don't approve of.

2) I'm not interested in your unsolicited opinions on how I ought to run my business or communicate with my audience, please don't bother.

3) I will never pine for your approval or write in such a way as to appease your delicate sensibilities. I have no intention of communicating my message, with my audience, on my email list, in my business... through the filter of your comfort.

4) I don't promote affiliate products from low-class places like JVZoo or any other networks that peddle cheap products.

In fact, I don't promote affiliate products at all. I create my own products instead. At least then I can guarantee the quality is good.

You should do the same.

5) There will always be an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email I send to you.

Use it.

6) I will never put something in front of you, or say anything to you, that I haven't already battle-tested in the harsh realities of business.

7) I don't like price shoppers. Wanting to NOT waste money is smart in an industry full of people who just want your money. I get that. However, I am a strong believer that you pay for what you get. Don't go crying into people's letterboxes that you're struggling to make money online if all you do is buy low priced information products.

Your business is a reflection of what you learn, and what you learn will be reflected in what you earn. Don't expect to get a million dollar education inside a $17 product.

If you understand why my rules will benefit you, then I guess you're not an idiot out looking for dreams in an industry where many deliver nightmares.

Last thing: I'm selfish. So are you. Everybody is. The only difference is, I understand that it's in my OWN rational self interest to help you get better results in your business. It's the only ethical way I can grow mine.

Enough.

Your report can be accessed by following the link below...

[I removed the link here]

I'm actually a nice guy, I simply have no time for people who treat this business like a hobby.

They have a stinking attitude.

If they took the same approach to creating an online business, into any other profession, they would starve.

If they were Doctors, people would die.

If they were Lawyers, innocent people would be imprisoned.

If they were Mechanics, people would crash their cars.

You have an opportunity to create something in your life that many will never have the privilege to create.

Don't squander it.

All the best from Dublin, Ireland

- Declan

That's a pretty harsh email, right?

Anyone who gets offended by that email, would have gotten offended by any of my follow up emails too. So I'm getting rid of the people that don't fit my business.

But here are the benefits:

The people who are sick and tired of the same generic trite most marketers spew inside their emails, will stay.

The people who don't like to be mollycoddled and want someone to just tell it like it is, will stay.

The people who have purchased low-quality products on low-class networks and didn't get the value they were promised, will stay.

The people who are looking for something different, will stay.

And the people who are gobsmacked that someone would actually NOT thank them for signing up, and is trying to get them to unsubscribe... will want to stay to see what I follow up with.

This isn't some kind of gimmick either.

I mean every word I wrote.

Maybe it's something to think about yourself.

I mean, if you're out here looking for a way to stand out from the clutter inside your subscribers inbox, this is just ONE simple way you can do that, and do it immediately when people first come into contact with you.

Discretion is advised though.