Question:
Did you know that email marketing has an ROI of 4,000%?
Unbelievable, isn’t it?
That jaw-dropping statistic is straight from the Direct Marketing Association, the world’s leading independent organization for data-driven marketers.
According to their research, email marketing delivers a whopping $40 per dollar spent.
But that’s not all…
At $40 per dollar spent email marketing CRUSHED everything else:
- Mobile produced $10.51 per dollar spent
- Social media produced $12.71 per dollar spent
- Display produced $19.72 per dollar spent
- And search produced $22.24 per dollar spent
So –
Despite the rumors that “email is dead”, nothing could be further from the truth.
In reality…
Email Marketing Is The ULTIMATE Online Sales Tool
But it’s not as simple as that.
Have you ever stared at your screen – waiting for ideas to “pop” into your head on what to write about – but coming up with nothing?
Even worse is actually writing the email and sending it out, then discovering that you didn’t make one sale.
But before we get into the 10 “Fill In The Blank” Email Subject Lines that work best…
Here is some cool stuff I’ve done recently (in case you wanted to know who the heck I was before I give you email marketing advice):
- I’ve interviewed over 100 of the world’s top online marketers on email marketing (189,828 podcast downloads and counting)
- I’ve helped several people generate 6-figure pay-days with my email strategies
- I’ve trained 387 copywriters with my coaching products
In other words… I’m an email marketing expert and I’m here to help.
Now, about these templates –
I’ll start with the original subject line, explain why it worked, then turn it into a “fill in the blank” format for you to copy and paste directly into your emails.
Also, keep in mind that some of these emails made me money immediately while some of them built the foundation for more long term sales.
1. Boom shaka laka taka tooka boo
Why It Worked
When it comes to email marketing, weirdness works wonders.
Think about it.
Most people get the same boring emails from everyone in the industry, so when an email arrives that has gibberish in the subject line, they snap to attention.
What The Email Said
This email explained why the subject line doesn’t matter as much as people think it does.
If you were selling jewellery products (or anything else, for that matter), tell them that you did it to get their attention, because you believe your product is so great that you have an ethical duty to get it into the hands of as many people as possible… and THAT’S why you used a weird subject line to get their attention.
The “Fill In The Blanks” Version
Boom shaka laka taka tooka boo
But be sure to answer someone’s question of “what the heck this is” as soon as they open it.
Misleading people just to get an open never works well in the long run.
2. Abraham Lincoln’s guide to email marketing
Why It Worked
3 reasons:
#1 – Everyone knows who Abraham Lincoln is
#2 – My audience is interested in email marketing
#3 – The combination of “Abraham Lincoln” and “email marketing” creates a TON of curiosity.
What The Email Said
There’s a famous story about Abraham Lincoln that recounts how he faced failure after failure, but was elected president in 1860.
The lesson?
If you want success, you have to be prepared to fail.
And if you want to shorten your learning curve…
…buy my product.
The “Fill In The Blanks” Version
Abraham Lincoln’s guide to INSERT_YOUR_NICHE
Examples:
Abraham Lincoln’s guide to gardening
Abraham Lincoln’s guide to becoming a rockstar
Abraham Lincoln’s guide to SEO
3. This is a promo email
Why It Worked
Most people try and hide the fact that they’re selling, so when someone admits it upfront, people are intrigued.
They read my sales email with expecting and hoping to be sold to.
This makes them more likely to purchase.
What The Email Said
It was a straight pitch for one of my products.
The “Fill In The Blanks” Version
This is a promo email
Be sure to promote your product in the email.
4. Quick question
Why It Worked
It is REALLY hard for someone to ignore a subject like this.
It’s the sort of thing you’d say to a friend at work or on Facebook.
What The Email Said
The email contained a question or a link to a survey.
The question can be as simple as:
“Are you getting value from these emails? Hit REPLY and let me know.”
(By the way, if you want to make more money, survey your list. You’ll get amazing insights on how to connect with them and generate more sales).
The “Fill In The Blanks” Version
Quick question
Perfect for gathering deep audience insights that will form the basis of future promotions.
5. Why email open rates don’t matter
Why It Worked
Everyone thinks email open rates matter, so I’m challenging conventional wisdom here.
That makes it intriguing.
What The Email Said
It explained why I believe open rates don’t matter and what I believe does matter (empathy, understanding your audience, and writing to their needs).
Then it pitched my product on how to do the part that does matter.
The “Fill In The Blanks” Version
Why INSERT_CONVENTIONAL_WISDOM doesn’t matter
Examples:
Why going to the gym doesn’t matter
Why eating healthy doesn’t matter
Why doing what you love doesn’t matter
You can also tweak it. The key is to challenge convention wisdom:
Why lifting weights won’t make you strong
Why working 20 hours a day won’t make you rich
Why you don’t need to be a productivity superstar
6. Thanks for getting in touch
Why It Worked
It’s personal.
I use this email in my consulting business to get people on the phone (because that’s where the big deals happen).
When they visit my “hire me” page, or sign up and click “I’d like to hire someone”, this email is sent to them automatically (with some marketing automation wizardry).
What The Email Said
It thanks them for getting in touch, then asks them to book in a time for a quick chat about their business.
The “Fill In The Blanks” Version
Thanks for getting in touch
The context is important:
Set this email to automatically go out to anyone who visits your “hire me” or “contact us” page (it’s simple with software like Drip, ActiveCampaign or AWeber).
7. The 7 letter secret to email marketing
Why It Worked
Everyone likes simple secrets that solve their target problem (in my case, email marketing).
What The Email Said
The email explained that the secret to email marketing is empathy (a 7 letter word).
Instead of subject lines, headlines, bullets, and being persuasive, I told people they needed to focus on understanding their prospects first and foremost.
If they wanted to learn how to do that, they should buy my product.
The “Fill In The Blanks” Version
The 7 letter secret to INSERT_NICHE
Examples:
The 7 letter secret to SEO
The 7 letter secret to making money online
The 7 letter secret to gardening
Choose a word that you can use for this email, and change “7 letter” to however many letters it contains.
If I was doing gardening, I might say “The 4 letter secret to successful gardening” and explain that soil (not plants) was the key to having a gorgeous garden.
8. Did you get my email?
Why It Worked
Like some of the other emails on the list, it comes across as very personal.
What The Email Said
It said that I’d sent them an email a few hours ago, that I hadn’t heard from them, and that I was worried that they hadn’t received it.
So if they had 2 seconds, could they please hit reply and let me know if they’d received it.
Works like a charm (and the replies help you to stay out of the Spam filter and the Gmail promotions tab).
The “Fill In The Blanks” Version
Did you get my email?
9. One more thing
Why It Worked
Short and sweet (and very personal).
How could you NOT open an email like that?
What The Email Said
This email was VERY short:
If you want to hire someone to write your emails, click here.
I use it to segment out the potential consulting clients in my database and customize my emails to them.
This is good for giving them information that they might not know… such as an expiring offer, another product you haven’t told them about, or the fact that you can work with them 1 on 1.
The “Fill In The Blanks” Version
One more thing
10. Welcome to the family (please read)
Why It Worked
This is the first email in my email sequence.
“Welcome to the family” makes it personal.
And “(please read)” adds pressure and urgency.
I think it was Clay Collins who came up with this subject line.
What The Email Said
This email is one of the most important emails in my sequence, as it sets the stage for everything to come.
It welcomes them into my community, explains what to expect, tells them that I’m not a library of free information and that I’ll be selling them stuff over the coming days and weeks.
The “Fill In The Blanks” Version
Welcome to the family (please read)
Now It’s Time To Write Your Emails
You’ve now got 10 killer “fill in the blank” subject lines for your email campaigns.
Plus, you also understand how powerful email marketing can be (remember, the DMA reported a 4,100% return-on-investment with email marketing), and this will motivate you to take action and execute.
So –
Now it’s time to get busy writing emails because that’s where the magic happens.
Want To Master Email Copywriting?
Want to write emails that get a response?
Want to really connect with your subscriber?
Want to make more money, either as an email copywriter or promoting your own products?
Then you need this…
4-Week Email Copywriting Masterclass
John McIntyre will show you in 4 Weeks, How To Create A Brutally Effective Email Autoresponder Sequence That You Can Sell To Clients For $200 to $1,000 (Or Hey, Use It To Grow Your Own Business)
Check Out the John McIntyre Masterclass today!