Mailbag time! And there’s a beauty today.
The topic probably isn’t everyone’s jam.
But I think you’ll find something in here to take away.
Let’s go! …
The question for today:
What you did to to get better at writing emails
Some email secrets you learned that you wish you’d hv known when you started
Everything emails 😅😅
I love emails, especially good ones like yours and others
Aw shucks! Thanks for saying my emails are good. *blushes*
Kind words are a great way to get into my good books 😉
Sooo…
For getting better at writing emails…
The best 2 things for me were:
1) Landing a client and writing regularly for them month after month.
I cringe at the first emails I sent for them. But my client was happy enough! Now they’re even more happy 😄
Writing my own practice emails was INCREDIBLY hard for me.
I needed to have a real focus for them — a real-world application.
I take my hat off to you if you have the discipline and focus to write awesome practice samples.
I wrote a few samples to land a contract. Now my samples are my live emails. And they are SOOO much better (IMHO) than my sample ones.
2) Writing daily emails.
Bet you did’t know I was going to say that!
I know my emails aren’t the most awesome ever.
But I’ve learned a lot about writing so things can flow along smoothly(-ish).
And it’s been fun working with stories and transitions.
Plus my speed of writing and editing has massively improved.
Again… it’s the real-world aspect that really pushes me forwards.
(This email will be number 168.)
Oh… bonus thing I just remembered, that also helped:
Writing 200+ proposals on Upwork over the last 1.5 years has particularly helped me hone clarity. And learn to focus on the needs of the person I’m writing to.
So that transferred seamlessly to emails.
Once more…
There’s no way I’d have got this practice if it wasn’t for some rubber-meets-the-road real-life purpose.
I know my writing is still unclear. Like that ambiguous subject line I sent yesterday 😬
Who’s perfect, eh?
So… email “secrets”…
You know I’m going to say this, right? …
There are no secrets.
It’s mainly about getting in tune with what people appreciate hearing from you about. And then presenting those things — including products — to them in a clear, concise, and engaging way.
I’ll split this into two:
Writing client emails. And writing this daily email.
When it’s for clients…
They have a market who appreciates their products because they fill some need or want. So it’s a matter of continuing to keep that in mind as you construct your email.
And following frameworks for writing clear emails (or most copy for that matter) is a sensible approach. Particularly when you’re getting started.
I was a bit haphazard at this. But I’m really enjoying using the PASTOR framework now. (Google will help you find that.)
And keep to ONE thread throughout the email. Tangents are the devil.
Subject lines that elicit curiosity — and raise a question in the reader’s mind — are best.
Of course adapting to the brand voice… even aligning with how the audience speaks… is always a priority.
When it’s for daily email…
Much of the above applies. But also none of it!
It depends totally on the brand again. But daily email tends to have a more intimate feel. And less rules.
It’s more like a conversation with a friend. Or — to borrow Ben Settle’s analogy — like a talk radio show.
It’s there every day. And people look forward to it. Like switching on their favorite radio segment.
I mean… showing up every day in someone’s inbox naturally builds stronger relationships.
And the tangents thing… pfft!
I sometimes do little tangents because I’m writing daily email in a way that I enjoy.
If you enjoy the emails too — awesome!
Quirks and oddities and my loose-with-a-capital-LOOSE grammar are all part of… well… me being me.
My philosophy is that you really have to care for your audience if you’re writing daily emails.
It’s not sustainable if you’re in it for a quick buck. Your reputation will come out in tatters on the other side of the train wreck!
Hmmm… just realised…
I do have one more “secret”…
Before taking on writing email… especially if it’s to your own list… you have to want to serve your audience!
You could even say you have to love them.
I do this daily email thing because I’m driven to help other freelancers. I’ve seen the pain. I’ve been through plenty of it myself. And realised I might have something to offer.
It’s also a huge experiment. But one that — I’m pleased to say — seems to be helping people.
And feedback, like yours, helps make it all the more worthwhile.
Hope there’s some takeaways there that can be useful food for thought and future study.
All right my freelancing compadres… keep those questions coming!
Have a fantastic week!
P.S. Doing the write-every-day thing with daily email, is in fact the topic of my ebook that I’m slowly getting into better shape before releasing this month. (Yeah… a little later than the end of Jan as I hoped.)
It’ll go into more detail on why daily email is awesome for ramping up writing skills. And how to get started.
If you want early access when it’s ready — with a nice price too….
I’m re-opening the registration link for a couple of days. Click here to be notified:
https://milham.me/ebook1-early-access
Ready to build your email list? Go here…
EmailForTheWin.com
Chris Milham