Let's kick off building our mighty email writing habits! 

Prompt 1 -  New Year, New Goals -  use the attention given to resolutions, fresh starts, and goal setting of a new year to your advantage. Share your own goals, word of the year, or next steps with your audience or invite them to reflect on those things in their own businesses or lives. If you hate resolutions ... share that too! And what you recommend instead. 

• E.g. if you help clients with health and wellness, this is a perfect time to connect with them and talk about small steps, tiny healthy habits and how to not lose your goals after January. Maybe give them ideas of little steps they can take in stretches, a new recipe, journaling for health. Ask them if they do resolutions and if they work?
• E.g. if you sell digital downloads like printables, journals, planners - the new year is perfect for you! Talk about how you use a type of planner. Share why you created a new release for this new year. Give them a tip on how to get the most from their planner or journal. Or ask them to reflect back on the past year by looking at journal or planner entries and share with you.
  

Prompt 2 - Ch-Ch-Changes! Have you noticed these changes? – another email good for new years, new seasons, or anytime you are anticipating making changes in your business and want to prime your audience to be thinking about (and receptive to) changes. Or as a way to build greater connection over shared changes or how your offers help people to make the most from change.  Set a timer and do some extra reflection and noticing of changes around you – changes in your niche or industry, changes in your business, or personal changes. How can you share about what you see or have experienced with your audience?

• e.g. did you have a mindset shift this year?  Write about when it happened, what sparked it, and what a difference it has made for you. Be specific and paint the picture. Tell them how they could experience something similar. Ask your people to share any of their mindset shifts.
• e.g. if you tweaked your eating, walked a certain number of steps, added in 1-minute meditations - write about those changes. Share a tip on how your people can take tiny steps too. 
• e.g. what trends are you noticing in your niche or industry? Do you agree or disagree with them? Do you see other businesses with similar skills, similar clients but a totally different approach? That's a-ok - but maybe you write about why you lean a different way.  
  

Prompt 3 - Checking In - Let's Catch Up, Shall We? - every solopreneur has a dry spell or falls off the email wagon. Don't stress or wallow over it - get back up and emailing again.  It's ok to acknowledge we were absent - but focus on how excited you are to be back emailing them. Don't dwell on reasons why you didn't send emails. IF there's a good lesson-learned there, consider sharing it (long form in blog post, video, podcast; with short snippet in email). But the focus is on moving forward. Do remind them how they came to be on your list, what you talk about, and then set clear expectations for when you'll be showing back up in emails going forward. Don't over-commit as you don't want to burn out and go silent again! 

e.g. “ “Hey, I’m back in the saddle and you can expect to hear from every other week from now on. I promise I’ve got great ____ planned for you on ____ and ______. I can’t wait to _____"

Challenge Kick-Off Call - introductions, where to find things, what are your goals for how often to send emails this month, being yourself in a conversation in emails  

Prompt 4 - Share a favorite app/software/gadget/physical item that you think your audience will love too. 
Bonus if you have an affiliate or referral link - but not necessary. And you can repeat this prompt over and over with new apps or items.  
If it helps - list all the products, courses, apps, gadgets, books, or tools you use to run your business or to work in your niche/fields. I keep mine as cards in Trello lists. Then pick something to share.
e.g. You're a fitness/wellness coach for middle-aged women - share your favorite yoga app, or most-cushioned yoga mat, and great resistance bands for home workouts.
e.g. You're a writer, editor, or book coach - if you love Grammarly or Hemmingway - share and say why. Or share your favorite gel pens. 

"The 3 apps I can't live without" 
"the one thing I can't live without" 

Prompt 5 - Share a favorite book - it could be a book that has helped you in business or your personal life. This is another evergreen, rinse-n-repeat topic - there's always more books to share! Hey, snap a picture of the book on your desk or table to help personalize the recommendation. Be sure to share a tip or key takeaway from the book - why you love it and recommend it.
e.g. "4 books I love and you will too"
e.g. "My 2-must-reads for every ____ on _____ " [your core topic]

Prompt 6 -  3 People I think You Should Meet - share your friends, colleagues, other smart folks in your niche, your JV/affiliate partners . Who have you learned from and want your people to know about as well? They don't have to be someone you've met even! You might have been on their list a long time, took a course, listened to lots of podcast episodes. As long as you think what they have to say is valuable or entertaining and worth your people's time.

Prompt 7 -  3 blogs  to check out -  pick any 3 sites or blogs you follow and share why you like them, why they are relevant for your audience. If 3 feels too much, pick one and share others in later emails. This could be similar to the 3 people from Prompt 6, but it leans more towards larger sites or blogs that aren't driven by a specific single person. 
For example, I have long followed Social Media Examiner and also the Content Marketing Institute. They do great research and have informative, educational posts. I often include an article from them, with a brief summary or tip from the post, in emails I send.

e.g. If you're a wellness coach - what sites do you turn to for solid, evidence-based teaching on sleep or nutrition? 
e.g. If you're all about podcasting - who has the best tips on microphones, home-recording-setup, or how to get booked as a guest? 

Prompt 8  - Think with a Beginner's Eye  
What if you were looking at things in your niche for the very first time?

The ‘beginner’s eye’ or ‘beginner’s mind’ means clearing out all we know, our assumptions, preconceptions, experiences – and looking as if we are seeing for the very first time. What would it be like if you had no expectations?  Can we put ourselves back in that space where we don't have all the mind clutter we do now?  Can we be curious and open .. while retaining our hard-earned wisdom and experience? 

Do you remember what it was like to try an unfamiliar dish or food - with no expectations? You didn't know if it would be sweet, sour, tangy, crunchy. What did that feel like? Did you squish your face, wrinkle your nose because you were anxious? Or were you totally open to the experience? It reminds me of the summer my toddler nephew grabbed a lemon wedge from someone's water and jammed it in his mouth. He had no idea what it would be like. It was bright, colorful, fit his hand. He didn't know it would be sour. He was too young to even know or articular what "sour" was. And oddly, he didn't mind the experience and ate like 3 more lemons that day, because why not!
Can you channel some of that childlike wonder and curiosity.

First do a little remembering of your own and share and experience from your 'beginner's mind' and then ask your readers to put theirs to work as well.

e.g. “ What would be possible if you started ____ over?”

e.g. “What would you tell your younger self about ____?”

Prompt 9 - Your Favorite Blog Post

You’ve written about the blogs you like following, now it’s time to share one of your own blog posts. When was the last time you sent your email readers to check out something specific on your blog?

Do you have an ‘oldie but goodie’ that has timeless advice? Do you have a post you’re proud of that hasn’t seen a lot of traffic? Go give it some extra love! Don’t forget to remind your email readers to leave a comment AND to share it with their friends or network.

We can’t assume that our email community is familiar with everything we create on other platforms – even our own websites! Nudge them to go check it out.

Even better if that blog post has links to paid offers or affiliate links.

e.g. “My favorite (post/video/podcast) I ever made on ____”

e.g. “You probably haven’t seen this before … “

Prompt 10 -  3 things holding them back 

Now we dive more into emails that educate your audience about your offers, services - what you do, how you help, results you bring. Calling attention to the situations and possible problems your ideal client is having, which they want help solving.

Ask your audience to name 3 things that may be holding them back right now (in the area you help in).

3 things holding them back from confident public speaking - in-person, at virtual events, or on-camera

3 things holding busy moms back from embracing their own interests and hobbies (finding time around chauffering kids to their activities) 

3 things keeping me from getting back to the gym when I know I need to go! 

Share first what held YOU back early in your own journey. Or share the story of a client or customer and an obstacle you helped them overcome.

It could be in the area of mindset, productivity, money, family, technology, health, or more.

Give a suggestion of a thing that could be blocking them and ask them what else is blocking their path. Encourage replies and interactions.

And of course … if you have a freebie, a video, a product, course, or service that helps with blocks like this … tell them you do. You don’t have to go into a sales pitch – but DO let them know, ‘hey, because I overcame this same block, it’s why I created XXXX. Want to hear more?’

Prompt 11 - Answer a Commonly Asked Question 

Questions are content marketing GOLD! 

If you aren't already making and keeping a running list of questions you are asked directly, or via the groups you hang out in with your ideal clients - start doing so now!  (you know I love Trello for this - but save them anywhere that helps you).

Take one question and write an email that addresses it. It could be one a client has asked, question from your own online group or a group where your audience is hanging out.  Answering questions is not only educational content, but it can part of a promotional campaign – answer a question that is a common objection or reason people are unsure of buying X from you. Or the question they need answered before they confidently sign up or purchase.

Don’t assume that everyone knows the answers to common topics in your niche. They probably haven’t heard YOUR answers – or they haven’t heard them lately.

If something needs a longer answer – save the details for a blog post or a video that you can link to in an email. This doesn’t need to be a super wordy, detailed tutorial – just your top tips to answer 1 question. And if you do have a related post – or even better, course, product, service – then absolutely link to it!

Prompt 12 - Share a Podcast (or two)

If you’re a podcast fan – share your favorite with your email audience. Tell them who it is, what it’s about, and why you love listening. Point them to a specific episode you liked.

And yeah, if you have your own podcast, share that too!

“the podcast you’ll love if you want to _____”

And if you're not big into podcasts (like me sadly - I want to like them more but have trouble listening and processing) - tell folks why that may be. Ask them to reply and tell you THEIR favorites in your shared niche or topic area.

And you can always write another email about a book, blog, or person you follow.

Prompt 13 -  Myths, Misconceptions, or Mistakes 

More content GOLD this week! 

This is one of my favorite topics to blog, do videos, and write emails on – highlighting common mistakes, myths, or misconceptions – and busting ‘em!

Every topic and niche has all kinds of things people believe, that just aren’t really true. And there are mistakes that lots of newer (and yes, even advanced) folks can make – and we want to save them those headaches.

Make a list of the 5 myths/misconceptions/mistakes you see most often in your niche – things that make you want to scream or run to protect your clients from.  Then you’re going to write an email to highlight – briefly – those mistakes or myths – and offer at least ONE tip on avoiding one of them.

(it’s perfect to do a longer blog post – or even a great opt-in freebie – on details of all 5 or 7 or 10 mistakes; and of course this can be a great lead in to a webinar, self-study course, or coaching you offer that helps them avoid all the mistakes and see more success; people want to avoid making mistakes so they are inclined to click to open emails or content that mention mistakes - use that to your advantage! )

“X mistakes that can sabotage your [DESIRED RESULT]”

e.g.  “5 mistakes in avoiding sugar that still leave you tired”

e.g. “ 5 mistakes that lead to more toddler meltdowns”

e.g.  “the 5 mistakes I see every author make with their first book”

We have some good discussion and examples being shared in the Facebook Group on this topic!

Prompt 14 -  A Re-Engagement Email 

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, our email communities get a little quiet or cold. We need to check -in with our folks and make sure they’re still out there, willing, waiting, listening, and wanting our stuff.

Of course, it helps if we build in engagement tactics from the very beginning of our relationship with our wonderful subscribers – but life and biz and other stuff happens!

Here’s what we can always do to help boost engagement and keep our email community ‘warm’ and responsive …

>> Send some emails designed specifically to check-in and nudge our folks to take an action and let us know they want to hang around.  I sent a prompt earlier for a Catching Up email.

>> We can ask for replies – in any of our emails!

>> We can ask questions … and let those open loops in people’s brains compel them to answer.

>> Ask folks to introduce themselves back to you – after your first welcome emails or a Catching Up email.

These are equivalents of an “open door” policy. You’re there, sitting at your desk, door is open and you’re happy to answer questions as they come. It’s a trust-building, positive thing.

Odds are that you will NOT get swamped with replies, questions, or intros. But you can develop more trust and a deeper connection with the folks who do reply. You get to know your audience and clients better. You can write better copy and content. So give it a try.

>> We can ask, encourage, nudge people to click a link. Make it super enticing and worth their time to do so.

>> We could ask them to click for something and they hit a landing page to re-opt in to our list and get another goodie. Or to register for a webinar.

>> You can ‘bribe’ or incentivize folks to click links if you give gifts … so instead of asking them to re-opt-in, you could just send them to a download page for a checklist, workbook, journal, or something else of value.  (psst .. that’s actually another prompt coming up)

Send one or more emails along the lines of the Catching Up or an email asking for a reply to a question, or to let you know by reply or clicking a link that they’re still interested in what you’re talking about.

This is one of the few times I’ll send you something more like a template than a prompt …

[Re-Engage Email 1]

“It’s been a loooong time … “

“Hey, you still working on  [NAME OF YOUR OPT-IN/COURSE or your key topic]

“Been awhile … still interested in [NICHE/TOPIC]?”

Hi!

I’ve been looking over all my wonderful email readers and I’ve noticed it’s been a while since you’ve opened or read any of my emails.

But I’m just as dedicated as ever to helping you achieve [SOME GOAL OR RESULT IN YOUR NICHE]. And if you’re still interested and dedicated to that too, then I’m sure you’ll love this special free gift.

All you have to do is click here [LINK TO DOWNLOAD] and you’ll get instant access to [NAME OF FREE GIFT], a free [TYPE OF THNG, e.g. checklist, workbook, planner, video] that helps you [GIVE A BENEFIT OF THE THING’.

No strings attached, no hoops to jump through, nothing weird or funny. Just click the link and instantly access my gift to you. [DOWNLOAD LINK]

Go ahead, take a look right now – I think you’ll be pretty happy.

[your sign off]

P.S. I really do want to see you succeed in [NICHE/TOPIC] and this [TYPE OF THING] will definitely help you get some fast action. And it’s 100% free – so why not grab it now? [LINK TO DOWNLOAD]

Prompt 15 - Write a Quick Review 

When was the last time you did a review for a product, book, course, workshop or even a coach?

Write a short review – this email after all, save the longer review for a blog post.  If you do write a blog post – or have one done already – take the best snippets to an email. Perfect opportunity for affiliate links.

Give a detailed example of how you use something, what you got out of a course or coaching, the pros and cons, and why you recommend it to your people.  This is a little deeper dive into details vs. sharing a book, blog, or person from the earlier prompts.

Prompt 16 - the ABC Method  

This is more a brainstorming method than a pure writing prompt – you might only use a few letters in this first 30 minute thinking and writing session.

Basically you sit down with a timer on, thinking about your business and your ideal clients, and go through the alphabet. Write down a topic, idea, question, product, benefit – anything related to your niche and biz – for each letter.  A all the way to Z.

Could be a blog post, video, another expert, an affiliate offer – think super broadly and just keep writing things down. A to Z.

For example I sat down to quickly think on 'content marketing' and came up with ...

A = Ahrefs – a tool for traffic, keywords, SEO

B= books I can share on my site in resources page and in emails

C=  Canva – my do-it-all tool and have I told you lately I’m user #32,046 (there are now 60 Million monthly users- I’ve been a fan a loooong time)

D= Distribution – is there a new spot, platform, way for me to share content this year?

E = Email Engagement tips – get them engaged from the first essential email

F = Facebook – tips for more engaging group posts on FB

G = guest blogging – does it still work?

H= Hubspot – share an article from Hubspot – like their A to Z of content marketing

Prompt 17 - How-to, Tutorial or Tip

Another email type good for a series of emails, for sharing your best other content, and to lead into promoting your offers  - teach ‘em something.

Yes you can share a portion or snippet of an existing blog post, video, even workbook or course. Or write a brand new how-to or tip just for this email. Smart to re-use content though.

But your goal is to share one actionable tip in an email.  

Pull a tip from a course, webinar, masterclass, workbook or even other paid products (in fact that's perfect for using this email prompt during a sales series).

e.g. “why time tracking matters and one key tip to make it a habit”

E.g. “1 thing you can today – from the couch – to raise your credit score”

E.g. “how to repurpose blog posts into printables”  [note – this was an actual email I got recently  - and the bulk of the tutorial was a blog post; you could add more meat in the email and then point to a post or a video]

You have tons of experience and expertise - here's a time to shine and share a little of that!

Prompt 18- the 5x5 Method

This brainstorming method is great for thinking about ALL types of content – blog posts, social videos, and of course emails.

Ideally suited to help you find a topic and then dive deeper or see the related content.

Set the timer for 30 minutes – 15 if you know you’re gonna feel itchy or you’re time pressed.

Write ONE common question or common topic in your niche … then write down 5 related sub-questions under that first thought.

Now repeat that 4 more times – so you have 5x5.

Don’t over think it. Don’t critique any ideas. Don’t dive into details. Not yet.

Just do your brainstorming and write down the 5x5 ideas - come back later (few hours, a day or so) and do some weeding or prioritizing. Pick one of the sub-topics to write an email on - you could even use this in combination with the prompts on myths, mistakes, common questions.

Prompt 19 - Share Something that Scares You  

Finding success with content and email marketing comes down to trust and relationship building.

For most of us in business, people are choosing  because of US.

They have options - there are other people who have similar services, courses, products (that's actually good - but another discussion!). So we need to take stands and share our opinions, our experiences, our journeys, and yes - our struggles.

So, write an email that tells people you were/are scared too.

Share something you struggled with along your journey in your niche.

This is an opportunity to be open, vulnerable and really build those Know-Like-Trust factors.

Think about “ a time when X ”  (a technique to think of a specific time for a more grounded story) – and briefly tell the story of a struggle, frustration, or moment of fear that your audience can relate to.

Show a turning point in your story.

How did you get un-scared? How did you get past your struggles to be where you are? Or where you’re still heading?

This email is an opportunity to show why clients should trust that you know what you’re talking about – and they should choose YOU.  It’s also an opportunity to show how you came to be passionate about your topic, how you created a signature talk or program, why you created a particular course.

e.g. “Wanna see my old cringe-worthy website?”

e.g. “the phone scares me but I LOVE talking to clients – how I sucked it up”

e.g. “I was crying …”   [to share the pain/frustration you felt at a certain point before something changed for you – share the moment and the change]

e.g. “my credit sucked and I couldn’t get a loan – today I paid off my car”  (thanks T for your inspiring story that totally fits this prompt!)

e.g. "I never saw this coming ..."

Prompt 20 - Why You Think X Is Overrated  

Time to take a stand!

No more blah, meh, wishy-washy emails. (or blog posts or videos or ….)

You gotta be you!

And YOU have opinions.

You should be sharing those opinions with your audience and potential clients.

So, write an email and share why you think X (a product/app/course/person/trend in your niche) is totally overrated. And why you do something else.

That second part is key – this is not about bashing someone else. It’s about pointing out the differences and showing how your approach is different and worth considering.

Don’t be controversial just to be controversial. This isn’t click-bait or bait-n-switch.

Share what comes naturally to you about something that others like or is popular and you’re at best ‘meh’ or lukewarm on.

e.g. “why you’ll never see me recommend Tony Robbins”

e.g. "Coaching certificates are overrated - yeah I said it!"

e.g.  “Is it weird ….”   [In body of email  “that I hate X (something popular)”

e.g. “I don’t like the Rich Dad books – wanna know why?”

Prompt 21 - Send An Extra Goodie 

Show your email list some love! Send them a surprise, no-strings gift. 

Remember when we talked last week about re-engagement emails? And one of the best ways to get some action and engagement was to send a gift?

Well, if you haven’t already done that or written an email for it – today’s the day!

Pull something out of your hard drive – a checklist, worksheet, short planner (or just some key pages of a planner), journal prompts – and set it up to give to your email readers.

Keep it simple - a one-page checklist, the audio/video intro to your ebook, a Canva template (or any other kind of template), a set of interviews with others in your niche or business (ohh, maybe some interviews from a summit you did), a bonus video tutorial, etc. Or dust off some of that PLR sitting on your hard drive.  [During the coaching call we even brainstormed some options - including putting tools, books, software recommendations in an attractive one-page PDF - yes you can curate your gift!  e.g. top 5 items for someone new to yoga, 5 things you need for a home ritual area, 6 bedtime tips and best bedtime books] 

The key here is to encourage readers to CLICK and go get the goodie - make it easy to give it to them.

Prompt 22 - Prepare a 72-hour Flash Sale – 2-3 emails

Everyone loves a deal and setting a time limit builds in FOMO and nudges fast action. That's the basis for a short-duration or 'flash' sale.  NOTE - you don't need to run the sale during the challenge! This writing 'prompt' is about thinking and planning a 2-3 email series for a specific promo. 

This could be an offer for a product, course, or service of your own, or an affiliate promotion.

You’ll have at least one email with basic details of the features and benefits of your offer (what’s in the coaching package, how many modules in the course, what results are likely at the end – standard sale stuff). Time-sensitive sales almost always have a ‘last call’ email – one you send to nudge action before the deadline. Remind people the benefits of what they get, why this is such a special great deal, and to go grab it before the clock runs out.

You can reuse some of the prompts from earlier – like mistakes, 3 things holding them back, or build an email around a common question/objection or even a customer testimonials.

Prompt 23 - What Do You Think?

A ‘what do you think’ email to ask your readers’ opinions can be a good setup for what you are going to promote (especially your own offers).

No fancy tech, no click-link-triggers, no forms – just keep it simple.

Ask your reader’s opinion on a new project name, a workshop topic, the cover for an e-book, or some other simple option.

“Was wondering what you like better? Reply and tell me A or B”

This is an opportunity to give customers and prospective customers a peek inside your business, to tease upcoming offers, or even kind of soft-sell something. You could use this type of email as part of your flash sale or the lead-up to it. 

Prompt 24 - Get Your Reader's Input (so you can create smart segments)

We are asking our people for input, to make a choice, tell us more about themselves – all so we can give them more of what they want, less of what they don’t. And yes – boost our engagement, opens, clicks, and money-making.

Targeted, or segmented, emails perform much better  - both from the tech side with all the recent changes AND because we are acknowledging our people are telling us what they want from us.

For now, we're thinking of big, broad categories or buckets we would like to sort our people into - key topics you talk about, differences in the ages/backgrounds of your people, different roles they have.

You may decide you want to know more about someone’s demographics … 

E.g.  Moms of young kids (<10), Moms of tweens + teens, Moms of grown-up kids, Grandmoms

Because you'd share a different story snippet, introduce an item differently for moms of young kids vs older kids. You might even have different webinars or classes for those different age groups.

With today’s email, we are encouraging our people to tell us about themselves and what they want from us.

It’s important that we encourage them to choose ONLY ONE option for right now.

We may use this technique later to give them different choices. We can even offer to send them info on the other choices/topics – but later. For now, they gotta choose ONE path.

e.g. Hey, I’m making some great changes to my blog and emails … tell me if you want more info on …

            DIY Website security and maintenance

            Top plugins for ecommerce, marketing

            Better blogging tips to grow your audience – like super simple SEO

[each of those is a link to a page on your site - when clicked from your email it will register and create a tag for that topic] 

E.g. “Hey, are you a beginner, intermediate or expert at X?”

Be sure to give clear details or explanation of what those terms or stages mean to you and your people - don't assume.

Such as “If you can do X, you’re just getting started; if you’re doing Y, you’re probably more intermediate; If you already know and practice Z, rock on you’re more expert”

[the video demo from the coaching call below goes into more detail on HOW to setup and create segments based on what link someone clicks]

Prompt 25 - What Have You Been Working to Improve

This email prompt can work to soft-sell or nurture ahead of a launch or new offer – gives a peek inside your business and what you’re working on.

Or it could show how you’re human too – what are your practicing to get better at? (besides writing emails )

Are your readers also working to get better at something – and could use some tips, encouragement, someone to show them how its done.

This is you showing – not just telling – your folks how you work, how you get results or improve things for your clients. It’s a subtle and effective way to lead to offers.

e.g.  “How ______ made me better at _____”

e.g. “What I’ve been up to this week”

If you’ve seen great success with journaling your health habits – show and tell your readers that.   Or if you journal and it’s raised your confidence and you’re a better speaker now – share a tip about that.

If you were able to find time to walk, move, stretch daily for some cool length of time – tell them … and ‘show’ a few tips you learned along the way that could help them too. Your favorite stretch? Favorite shoes? Music to walk by?

When I was promoting this email challenge I talked about how my business had changed when I was in a challenge and really kicked my email writing habit into a higher gear.

This email type can work for catching up, for introducing an affiliate offer, or to lead-in to a sale for something new you've created.

Prompt 26 - What Do You Confidently Know To Be True?

An opportunity to show your leadership, your knowledge, experience and expertise.

You want to confidently, powerfully show you have opinions – you ARE a leader worth following.

People come to leaders for inspiration, answers and assistance. Hey, they’ve already come to you for some of that – they are in your email community! So give ‘em what they want and need.

Write and share about something you stand behind confidently. Something you know in your head, heart, gut to be true for your peeps.

What’s the biggest problem you see in your niche? How would you propose to fix it?

e.g. Everyone is always saying do X [some tip] to boost your credit score – but you really need to do Y first

e.g. “A lot of my customers don’t realize this, but … “

e.g. “Some people think that [POINT YOU DISAGREE WITH] on ____ (core topic). But I believe [YOUR ALTNERATE POINT OF VIEW]. Here’s three reasons I think so … “

What have you seen change for the worse in your niche? What’s a trend among your peers or your ideal clients that makes you cringe? If you could turn back time, what do you wish were happening instead?

e.g. “Ugh, I hate the advice that every parenting coach “HAS” to be on Instagram – no you don’t. Here’s how I built my business … “

e.g.  “It’s not all teens dancing … how I connected to clients on TikTok”

 [if it’s true for you, use it! You can flip anything around – it doesn’t have to be negative!]

e.g. “Email marketing isn’t dead … I’ll fight anyone who says that!”

There are lot of ways to spin this prompt to suit your style, voice, niche and audience. Play around with it – may take more than 30-60 minutes of writing time.

Prompt 27 – Give Loving, Truth-Telling Advice

Your readers have come to you for a reason.

Give them more reasons to stick with you. Be the leader they need.

There are some things they are looking for and ready to hear ONLY from you. Because ONLY you have your combo of stories and experience.

Keep taking a stand and sharing those valuable opinions.

Today’s email continues the themes from Prompt 26 (and others ) – where we model honesty, encouragement, and truth-telling in our educational and selling content.

Time for some #toughlove advice to your people.  Or maybe your peeps need some #gentlelove.

What's something in your niche that others talk about, that you disagree with? What do you think your people should avoid? And give them one tip to act on instead. Don't just share negative things - be the person who helps them past the pitfalls.

e.g. “whatever you do, don’t do this”

Show your people you’ve been in their shoes and you get them.

e.g.  “Being ____ is hard. My 5 words of wisdom for you “

New moms are tired … beyond tired! And worried and doubting themselves. Love on them.

“ Being a new mom is hard. 5 pieces of advice for tired moms”

“5 words of wisdom for exhausted new mammas”

Prompt 28 – Your Unique Way of Working

We’ve been talking about and sharing our opinions in emails.

Let’s use those opinions and our unique ways of working to connect with our audiences and potential clients.

Imagine you’re having a conversation with a potential customer or client.

The call is going well and they are responding positively.

But they’re not quite ready to say ‘YES! to your offer.

They need to really understand how working with you is different from past experiences – from times they got burned, got conflicting advice, weren’t sure how to act on the advice they were given.

Or maybe there are just plenty of others out there with similar offers to yours.

How do you stand out?

What will you tell them about how you’re different?

Think about how you spend time with clients. What do you value? What do you prioritize? Do you have a process that is a little different or out of the norm in your niche?

What are some of the things  you think you’re better at than others in your field?  What’s one thing you believe and/or do differently – and why?

What have you learned along the way in your business that is part of the ‘special sauce’ your clients love – and it gets them the results they want?

Now ... take that imaginary phone conversations and turn it into an email.

e.g. “I do this differently from most other [biz coaches/parenting coaches/writers/etc]”

e.g.  “If I could change 1 thing about [THING YOU DO] it’s this …”

Coaching call 1/28:  Special note: in this coaching call we took the email prompt ideas from the week and brainstormed ways to create offers or lead-generation, list-building events from them. Things we can easily put together and promote now that we have so many email ideas. Watch for the masterclasses, webinars, workshops and virtual meet-ups we created, on the fly in 60 minutes!

Prompt 29: Pop-culture or 'news-jacking' as inspiration 

Want to get a little more attention to your subject line, more opens? Use a pop culture reference! Or turn into something timely in the news, known as news-jacking, to lead into your content. Research going back years shows that these references work in email and other marketing campaigns.

Using a pop culture reference in the subject, as your lead-in or story, is entertaining and we need some emails that make people nod, smile, have fun. It could help an email be more memorable, more likely to be read through.

Tips:

You do need to pick a POPULAR reference – not an obscure one. Don’t leave your audience confused. For example, you want to pick well known super heroes like Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America and maybe not sidekicks or niche characters. 

Does a character or pop culture reference have positive connotations? Does it tie with a message you want to share?

Use timely references or be purposefully nostalgic – but don’t be dated or late! If something was a short-lived 2019 trend, not wise to use in 2022.

Does the pop culture or news reference match up with your demographic? Don’t use something that goes over the heads of lots of your readers. Use what’s familiar to the majority of your audience.  Older audiences may prefer more nostalgic references vs. current trends.

Try interesting juxtapositions … 

“what Wonder Woman taught me about marketing”

“How blogging is like the Olympics”

“why I don’t agree with [FILL IN CELEBRITY OR GURU]”  e.g. “why I don’t agree with Tony Robbins” or  “Why I won’t follow this advice from Oprah”    [email like this combines pop culture, celebrity, taking a stand, and some curiosity – what advice won’t I follow? What is it I don’t agree with?]

“As you wish …”   [saw this in a best subject lines roundup, oh I love the Princess Bride reference!]

“You can’t handle the truth, about ____”  [a twist on the truth-sharing prompt plus add in Jack Nicholson and “A Few Good Men” movie reference]

Look around at current news events, upcoming sports events (Olympics, Super Bowl,etc), or a TV/Movie you love and see if there are ways you can incorporate these into a catchy subject line and tie-in story for an upcoming email.

(we did some impromptu discussion of this in the 1/28 coaching call around the Olympics - themes of practice, perserverance, falling and failing before success, collaboration, team work, the joy of the moment - so many possible opportunities to tie to different niches. Similar to ways to play with February as 'heart' month and use that symbology or language - 'show some love', 'your website as the heart of your business', run a 'Galentine's' sale or event

Prompt 30: Share a Case Study or Example 

Part trust-building, part educational, and yes, part soft-selling – write and send an email with a specific example of actions and results.

You don’t have to use names. You could use yourself as an example. But you do want to paint a clear picture, give details, talk about before and after, and use real numbers where you can.

Talk about what it was like for a client or customer before they attended a workshop, had a call with you, was in your membership, read your book, etc.

If it starts getting long – congrats, you have a blog post!

This is a bit more detailed than just a testimonial and it’s written by YOU about your customer(s) or client(s).

It should be clear enough that readers can see themselves as similar to the person in the example and want to get those same experiences and results for themselves.

e.g. “ How I got 100 new subscribers this month … and you can too”

e.g. “How my clients raised their credit score in a month – and scored a car loan”

e.g. “No more holiday stress or fights – how these moms/step-moms did it”

e.g.  “How these busy toddler moms find time to journal – you can too”