You must create value before you make your ask. Sharing free tools, high-value resources, or even just highly-actionable advice ensures the customer trusts you enough to make a purchase. I once created a sequence where the first two emails provided market insights and actionable tips with zero sales pitch. By the third email, when I did introduce our service, the response was overwhelmingly positive. The sequence had a 40% higher open rate and a 15% click-through rate compared to previous campaigns. Don't rush to convert too early on in your email sequence, but don't leave the ask til the very end either. It's useful to sandwich your ask in between rounds of helpful content to show the user where your priorities are—helping them, in any way you can.
To me, the success of an email sequence campaign is totally dependent on open rate. Email design, drip sequence, conversion rate, and a bunch of other factors matter, but the biggest needle mover in any sequence campaign is getting more emails opened. It’s a numbers game. Get more eyeballs on your emails and your revenue will jump. Now, to jumpstart your open rate, you have to put a ton of effort into subject lines. And one trick that we’ve had a ton of success with is using the greater than symbol (i.e., “>”). Let me use an example from a recent campaign where we tried to get book-based students to upgrade to a full course. In our campaign, we used a subject line that read “Video-Based SAT Prep > Self-Study Books”. It’s such a great subject. The greater than symbol catches people’s eye, it’s perfectly descriptive of what lies within the email, and it plays on student’s emotions when they’re burned out with self-prep books. When A/B tested, this subject line had a 12% higher open rate.
One of the best practices I personally recommend for crafting a successful email sequence or cold email campaign is to maintain simplicity and conciseness. It's essential to keep your emails brief and straightforward, conveying your message without unnecessary fluff. Using bullet points can be incredibly effective in delivering information efficiently, ensuring your readers can quickly grasp your key points. Furthermore, breaking down the content into easily digestible segments minimizes the cognitive load on your recipients, making it effortless for them to comprehend your message. In my experience, simplicity in email communication fosters better engagement, as it respects your audience's time and keeps them engaged with your content.
I've found personalization and clear call-to-actions (CTAs) to be the cornerstones of successful email and cold email sequences. Personalization: I always ensure that emails are tailored to the recipient's interests, industry, or recent interactions with our content. For instance, in a campaign targeting small business owners, I referenced specific challenges in their industry, making the content more relatable and engaging. This approach led to a higher open rate. Clear CTAs: Each email I craft has a straightforward and compelling call-to-action. In one of our successful campaigns, the CTA was to schedule a free consultation. By making it simple and directly beneficial to the recipient, we saw a significant increase in response rates. From these experiences, my tips are: 1. Always segment your audience and tailor your message to resonate with their specific needs or interests. 2. Ensure your CTAs are clear, and offer real value to encourage positive responses and engagement.
One key practice for a successful email sequence is personalization. Tailoring your emails to the recipient's interests or pain points significantly increases engagement. In a successful case, I observed a higher response rate by incorporating specific details about the recipient's industry or challenges. Another crucial aspect is timing; strategically schedule follow-up emails to maintain momentum without overwhelming the recipient. In this case, spacing emails appropriately allowed for gradual relationship building and increased the likelihood of a positive response. Combining personalization and thoughtful timing can enhance the effectiveness of your email sequence campaigns.
If you are going to cold call or cold email a prospect, you need to add value right out of the gate. Don't offer to add value, add it before they even ask. In SEO, a strategy that has worked for me is providing a finished article to a prospect for a topic they can rank for. Yes, this does come at a cost which forces me to be strategic on what I deem as a quality prospect. Remember, you must immediately add value.
Keep it ultra personal. I get around 50%+ open rates on my cold email campaigns because I keep my emails looking natural and personalised. By using tools like Lemlist, I can create custom personalise tags. This means, I can create a spreadsheet of the prospects email address, website and any other personalised factor like a specific page, their topic of interest etc. I can then import this list at scale and set up my email using dynamic personalised tags. This helps improve my relevancy to the recipient and makes them feel like I've taken the time to do some research on them before I reach out. Also, I make sure I run my email list through a email cleaner to remove any emails that are fake, spam or could bounce. This keeps my open rates high and doesn't put my account into spam often because all emails are looking natural. Personalisation is super important when it comes to cold email outreach.
One effective practice which I've personally used is segmentation and timing. I segment my email list based on the recipient's stage in the customer journey and then tailor the content accordingly. For instance, new subscribers receive introductory information, while long-term subscribers get more detailed content. One of my most successful campaigns was a segmented approach for a product launch. New leads received basic product information, while existing contacts were given more in-depth content and early access offers. This resulted in high engagement rates across different segments. My key tip is to segment your audience and tailor your message to fit their specific interests and interactions with your brand. This personalization increases relevance and engagement. Also, pay attention to timing. Sending emails at the right moment in the customer journey can significantly improve the effectiveness of your campaign.
As a digital marketer, I always recommend starting with the end in mind. In other words, when you're planning an email sequence campaign, you should think about what your ultimate goal is. Are you trying to get people to sign up for a free trial? Get them to purchase your product? Or do you just want to build brand awareness? Once you know what you're trying to accomplish, it's much easier to create the email sequence that will help you reach that goal.
Use behavior-triggered automations to send emails based on a user's actions. Don't just have your emails go out one after another until they finally convert. Have an email that's particularly meant for visitors to a specific page on your website. Have another that sends out when the user clicks your previous email open—and another to send them when they don't engage with your email. By reacting to the user's actions, you're showing a level of customer care that's beyond normal expectations. That creates a more nuanced email sequence pathway that can truly drive engagement.
For creating a successful email sequence, personalization and timing are crucial. We segment our audience and tailor our messages to their interests and past interactions, which significantly increases engagement. One of our most successful campaigns targeted returning clients with personalized flight suggestions based on their travel history, leading to a high rebooking rate. The tip based on this is to leverage customer data to personalize every touchpoint, making the recipient feel valued. Another tip is to time the sequence strategically, such as sending a follow-up email when the customer is most likely to be considering their next flight. This approach can be adapted in any sector to enhance the effectiveness of email marketing campaigns.
I always try to start my email sequence campaigns with a call-to-action. It's important to set the tone of your campaign right away. If you don't, it can be hard for people to know what they're supposed to do next. If you want them to sign up for your newsletter, for example, then you want them to click on the link that says "Sign Up." But if they don't see that link, they'll just keep scrolling down and reading through your email—and then probably forget about it before doing anything else. That's why I like using a call-to-action at the beginning of my email sequences. It's not just about getting people signed up for something; it's about setting up an expectation for what comes next in our campaign as well as educating them on what they're going to get out of it over time if they stick around.
Have your emails become more personalized as you get deeper into the campaign. That first email should be purely automated. The next one has their name. Then you start discussing their industry niche until finally you send an email that's entirely personalized, or at least seems so. Giving a little more personalization with every email encourages the reader to stay subscribed to see where this is going. There's a small excitement built in that will translate to better engagement.
For a successful email sequence, especially in cold emailing, I recommend using personalized but concise emails without promotional-style templates. Personalization is key; addressing specific pain points or interests of the recipient makes the email feel less like a mass message and more like a tailored communication. In one of my most successful campaigns, I focused on short, direct emails that addressed a specific problem or interest of the recipient, avoiding generic sales language. This approach led to higher engagement rates and positive responses, as recipients appreciated the direct and personalized approach.
There's nothing better than a well-crafted email sequence. A well-thought out series of emails can help guide your audience through your product or service, and if you've done it right, they'll be ready to buy by the end of it. I love creating these kinds of campaigns because it's so satisfying to know that my work is helping businesses grow—and that I'm making an impact on people's lives. I recommend starting by identifying the specific goals of your campaign. For example: Do you want to increase sales? Find new clients? Or just learn more about what types of products are selling best? Once you figure out what those goals are, think about what type of content would help you achieve them—and then create it!
The following are two essential elements of an effective email sequence campaign: Compelling Subject Lines: Construct subject lines that captivate interest or provide a distinct advantage. It is what recipients see first and has the final say in whether or not they open your email. Value-Oriented Content: Delivering value-oriented content is essential for every email sent. Disseminate advice, discernment, or exclusive promotions that align with the curiosity and requirements of your audience. Consider them rather than solely your product. We used the subject line of one of our successful campaigns, "Exclusive Style Tips for You." In addition to fashion advice, the content featured a time-limited discount on pertinent products. The implementation of this strategy resulted in increased open rates and conversions. From this experience, I recommend engaging subject lines and value-driven material to establish trust and attention. Your email series should always offer value.
Founder, Personal and Professional Growth at katharinegallagher.com
Answered 2 years ago
I leverage my successes to gain credibility. I always insert a few links to my previous published articles on high-authority sites tailored to align with my potential client’s content strategy. I then insert links to my LinkedIn, which has more examples of my published work, as further social proof. This is how you capture attention, and once you can establish credibility like this, I have found that opportunities snowball.
For crafting successful email sequences, particularly in cold emailing, personalization and value proposition are key. We don't just broadcast messages; we tailor them. This approach resonates well in our space where each SaaS business has unique challenges and goals. One of our most successful campaigns was for a new project management tool. By segmenting our audience based on their industry and role, and tailoring the content to address their specific pain points, we achieved a 35% increase in engagement compared to our standard campaigns. Our emails didn't just speak about features; they narrated how those features would solve real-world problems for the recipients. My tip: Always align your message with the recipient's immediate needs and challenges. It’s not just about selling a product; it’s about offering a solution to their specific problem. And keep your content crisp and to the point – respect their time, and they'll respect your message.
It's all about the personalization. We used data analysis to segment our audience and create our messages to match their specific needs. For example, for parents with teenagers, we specifically highlight features that monitor social media usage, while for those with younger kids, we emphasize content filtering capabilities.
Our email campaigns made 22% of our revenue this year. Our two most successful email sequences are our Welcome Series and our Abandon Cart. Our welcome sequence is a four-step series that takes potential customers on a journey through our brand. They learn who we are, what makes us different and why they should buy our products. My top tip for your welcome series is to set up flow filters based on those who have bought and those who haven’t so you can tailor the messaging based on where the customer is in their journey. The abandon cart email is sent to encourage the user to complete a purchase after items are left in the cart. Timing and language are important here - send an email within a few hours of abandonment and use gentle, helpful language that nudges the customer to make a purchase from you. Avoid aggressive sales messaging that turns off rather than entices. Email is one of your best nurturing tools, but you must set up sequences to turn new website visitors into buyers.