You can start by using email marketing templates as a roadmap to building successful long-term campaigns. Just as listicles tend to perform well for blogs, there are a few templates that work for email. More importantly – by following a few proven content structures, you can get more work done and not worry about reinventing the wheel.
In this article, you’ll learn three types of content templates you can leverage for a successful email campaign. We’ll explain how and why they work, and provide you with some tips to get started. Let’s jump in!
1. Monthly Article Roundups
In many cases, websites send their email subscribers a roundup of all their best posts at the end of each month. This touches base with your list without having to craft any new content and it provides exposure for your best pieces. Plus, by including multiple links to your website in an email, you give readers a few choices to find something they like.
Personally, I love monthly article roundups. I’m very picky about the websites I subscribe to and I don’t have time to read daily blasts. These types of lists, on the other hand, enable me to focus on the best content those sites put out each month. In a way, you can think about this marketing email template as a way of telling your subscribers “Hey, here are a few cool posts you may have missed!”. Let’s check out a simple template you can adapt to your own campaigns:
Hey John!
This month at Leaving Work Behind was packed with advice for affiliate marketers. We’ve already talked about the basics extensively, so we decided to get a bit more technical. Here are two posts you won’t want to miss:
- 3 Proven Types of Post Formats for Profitable Affiliate Blogging
- How to Find Images for Your Affiliate Marketing Blog Posts
We also decided to revive one of our most popular articles ever, which deals with how much you should charge as a freelance writer. It’s an old one, but the advice and numbers still hold up:
In most cases, you won’t want to launch right into the posts you want to share. First, provide some context and explain why people should care about them. In that same vein, a lot of email marketers also link out to third-party content their list may enjoy. It’s not for everyone, but it’s a simple way of showing you’re in tune with your audience’s need.
Finally, it should go without saying, but you should be very picky about the articles you include in your roundups. Don’t just throw in everything you wrote in the last month. Think about what your best hits were and focus on those to maximize the clicks you get.
2. Exclusive Email Content
People like feeling like they’re getting exclusive deals and that goes for email marketing content as well. A lot of websites use exclusive content such as ebooks as bait to get people to sign up to their email list. However, there’s no reason why you can’t keep using the same technique once you already have user’s emails.
You could, for example, share the occasional exclusive article or tutorial only for your email subscribers. This way, you can keep people interested in each new email they get from you, which gives you more opportunities to convert them. Let’s check out how you might approach such an email using an example:
Hello John!
I know you’re interested in learning how to improve your earnings as a freelance writer. We’ve published a few articles you might be interested in lately, such as a breakdown of how much you should be getting paid per word.
However, today I want to share a course that I wrote just for you as a subscriber. It’s called Paid to Blog and it deals with everything you need to know to get started as a freelance writer with the right foot forward. Check it out and let me know what you think about it!
In this example I’ve used Paid to Blog, which is open to everyone, but you should use something that is actually for subscribers only. This template is to show you how to convey a sense of exclusivity to your audience. The content you share with them shouldn’t be available anywhere else and it should be relevant to their needs.
You can also ask your subscribers for feedback on what kind of topics they want to read about in the future. That way, you’ll always the perfect type of content to keep them happy.
3. Information About New Products (Or Discounts)
If someone decided to subscribe to your list, chances are they might be interested in buying your services or products. With that in mind, you should definitely keep them informed about any new product launches or discounts that come up.
Everybody loves a good bargain and it gives you an excuse to stay in touch with your subscribers. The only caveat is, you shouldn’t be having offers every other week. Otherwise, the deals are no longer special and your emails are going to end up in the spam folder. With the right balance, you should get at least a few conversions anytime you send one of these campaigns. Here’s an example of how I would approach one:
Hey John!
We’re offering a 30% discount on our services to celebrate Christmas. This applies to all our products and the offer stands until December 31st, so keep us in mind around the holidays!
As you can imagine, I’m not the best salesman in the world. However, that example should be enough to illustrate a few points. First off – you don’t want to beat around the bush with the purpose of your email. If your title implies a discount, just get right to the point and don’t oversell it. You can talk a bit about the benefits of your products, but let the discount speak for itself.
Conclusion
At some point, you might not know how to keep your email campaigns going. For example, you might not have any recent content you want to share. In those cases, you can always fall back on a few proven email marketing templates to keep your subscribers engaged.
In my experience, these three types of content templates are usually a hit for email campaigns when paired with the right topics:
- Monthly article roundups.
- Exclusive email content.
- Information about new products and offers.
Do you have any questions about how to craft a successful email campaign? Ask away in the comments section below!
Image credit: Pixabay.