What do you write to your email list?
That question is the reason so many talented, knowledgeable biz babes never start their email lists. Creating an opt-in and figuring out how to connect it to an email service provider is easy compared to what to put in a single email. It’s probably the reason you are reading this blog post instead of crafting your latest email newsletter.
This question is so daunting because you often wonder how often are you supposed to email that list. You’re probably not going to like my answer.
Every. Single. Week.
And even more when they first join your list.
Why every week? Your subscribers join your list because of a pretty (hopefully helpful) opt-in but they know nothing else about you. How are you supposed to keep them engaged (and eventually turn into clients and customers) if you don’t share your awesome with them? You won’t.
Sharing occasional offers via email is not enough—that’s the number one way to unsubscribers. Instead, provide value, share what’s going on in your world, how that makes you better at your craft, and talk to them like actual people. Learn what they like, dislike, and need. Then when the most right offer comes about—present it to them and see what happens.
Yes, it’s a long game but you hope to be around in business for a long time, right?
There are tons of topics everyone can talk about and I’ll share a few of them here. If you’re one of the five types of professionals below you’ll find a few specific to you here and in this downloadable cheatsheet!
What do you write to your email list as a wedding planner
Also photographers, florists, bakers, officiants, and all the other wedding professionals)
If you’re in the wedding industry you hope to only work with clients one time. Sure as a photographer you may work with them for milestones but by then they know and trust you so you don’t necessarily need to woo them.
So what do you write to your email list?
Weddings are big, big deals so you figure you need to go all out for email to get them on your side, right?
Yes, right—but only once.
Wait, whaaat?
The best tip I have for wedding professionals is to make a hunk on content and then recycle that content. Instead of making content from now until the end of time, make content that equals your average lead time (plus a little more for good measure).
For example, if most of you clients come to you six months before their wedding, make content that matches what she is feeling at that point that you can help her with. And then take her through the process of working with you along the milestones that lay ahead.
If you’re a planner, take her along the journey of each decision she has to make ahead. If you’re a baker, take her along the journey of choosing buttercream flavors and cake sizes!
When that 6-9 months of content is done, what do you do?
Tweak your existing content and then use it again.
Boom! You just got hours of life back from your future self.
Try this
- How I discovered the worst frosting for outdoor summer weddings {hint: it was my wedding}
- 5 dreamy alternatives to the booked out [INSERT LOCAL FAVORITE VENUE HERE]
- Where to find heirloom props for your engagement shoot in [INSERT YOUR CITY]
What do you write to your email list as a course creator or coach
Every course is different and every coach has a different niche. What you all have in common though is that you focus on motivating people to do better and learn more.
So treat what you write to your email list as an opportunity to answer all the questions they could possibly have about your area of expertise. Your email list should read as one big FAQ. Use the emails you write to your email list to answer questions before they come up.
For example, if you are a coach or course creator for calligraphers here are the kind of questions your audience may want answered:
- What kind of tools do I need to make it as a calligrapher?
- Where should I buy calligraphy tools online?
- Where can I go to learn more about calligraphy in-person?
- What kind of projects can calligraphers do for money?
Each one of these questions is at least one email, if not a monthly series. And do you see how I asked “in-person” versus “online”? For your niche there are probably similar ways to break it into smaller parts. For example, what kind of props do I need for a fall styled photoshoot versus a summer photoshoot?
Try this
- Why you should only buy your tracing paper from this store {no affiliate links inside}
- Why you should use the moon cycle to plan launches for your biz
- The one course that made me feel like a real copywriter—you can delete the logins to all of the rest
What do you write to your email list as a fitness professional
For example, a trainer, nutritionist, or health coaches
You already know what to write. Exactly what to write. People want your expertise. They want workout tips (abs exercises), diet plans, and all the motivational tips to go along with it.
Of course you can’t give all your goods away but you can tease enough to get them excited about. If you sell 90-day meal plans, try writing a one-day email diary (wait, where are you—I would so write that for you).
As a trainer you can write an email about every body part and never run out of content. Here is a small teaser of what you could write about:
- Exercises to have leaner arms
- Exercises to tone your abs
- Glute exercises you can do instead of squats
The list is not short for nutritionist/health coaches/healthy food bloggers either. Try these out:
- Pros and cons of every popular diet plan ever. Keto, paleo, whole 30, gluten free, high protein/low carb (that’s probably an entire quarter worth of content there)
- How to figure out what foods “trigger” reactions from your body
- How to start meal prepping
A lot of people want to want to be healthy (if they are not already there) get the content ready for when they are ready.
Try this
- Why you should ban broccoli on beach day
- Why you should only eat a handful of almonds at a time.
- How to pronounce ashwagandha {and 5 reasons you need it}
What do you write to your email list as a beauty professional
For example, a makeup artist, beauty blogger, or beauty product developer
What do you write to your email list?
Your email list is the perfect place for a behind the scenes look at your life. As a beauty professional you’re all about the pretty picture. You’re either showing gorgeous pictures of your face or exciting pictures of products. Your email list is a place to share the behind the scenes. Talk about the most difficult Sephora trip ever, how you discovered charcoal (which will help explain your five latest videos about different charcoal products), or the real story about how you juggle product shoots and naptime.
The key to email is personal. It is the ability to have a living room chat with a lot of people at the same time (without feel claustrophobic). You can also get deeper into really niche topics that may get lost in a 5-minute clip. Especially it that topic has to fight the noise of all the other YouTube videos on the same topic. Once you get them on your list, they trust you. So they’ll value your opinion on shea butter versus everyone else’s.
- Benefits of coconut oil for hair
- Benefits of charcoal powder
- Benefits of squalene oil
- Benefits of every ingredient ever used in beauty products (to infinity)
- The sustainability of harvesting ingredients for beauty products
Try this
- The beauty secrets Caribbean (and Black, Latino, and Asian) people have been hiding from you
- Why rosehip oil is the key to fixing your face
- 5 times I failed at DIY fading of my stretch marks
What do you write to your email list as a web designers or developer
Also a brand designer, calligrapher, or illustrator
One of the key issues service providers have is that people don’t know how to work with them. They don’t know what pieces you want them to bring to the party. They are clueless about how much working with you will cost and surprised that the project won’t be done in four hours.
So what do you write to your email list? You educate them on your process and the why behind your process. I would (I will, eventually) write about why I work with copywriting clients three months after I deliver email funnels. You can write about why a web designer doesn’t write website copy. Or why each service belongs on a separate page.
The formula for success here is a ton of education and a ton of love. Show them what goes wrong when they don’t take your advice and how you’re a boss at solving all the their website needs for them.
Try This
- I hate when I see sites built with this site builder.
- Why I hired 7 people to build my last client’s website.
- Why I can’t build your mom’s friend’s sister’s cat’s website.
Whatever you write to your email list is an opportunity for you to sell them (not cheesily sale at them) on your genius. Give, give, give, and grow that know/like/trust factor and get them to fall so deeply in love with your skill for your craft that working with you becomes a no brainers.
Thanks for sharing this! I can’t wait to check out your tips! I have a really nice sized list that has been neglected! Time to start sharing more!
Yes, it’s time to show them some love! I hope this helps 🙂