Everybody Writes, 2nd Edition



73Writing Direct Response Email

Email is the Rocky Balboa of Marketing.

The original Rocky—the iconic underdog everyone underestimates yet who always wins—not so much the retired Rocky of later films who runs an Italian restaurant.

You can't wander around the Internet without tripping over a headline saying that Email Is Dead. Or Email Isn't as Effective as TikFace. Or that no one reads anymore.

All clichés. All untrue.

Like a young Rocky, Email always pummels the other guys. Some studies have shown that for every $1 invested in email, there's the potential for a $38 return.¹

And yes, “potential” as a descriptor is as tall and wide as Philadelphia's Rocky Steps—the 72 stone steps Rocky runs up in that iconic scene in the original movie. Still, email as a channel generates the highest ROI for marketers.

So how do we get in on that potential?

Let's focus here on how to write better direct response emails.

Some guidelines:

• Short email versus long email is a false choice, like being given a choice between fries or a salad.

  Neither is better than the other: They're just different.

  A better question is: What's your purpose?

  Want to inspire a click or direct response? Go short (fries).

  Want to nurture a relationship and create a connection? Go long (salad). (We'll talk salad in the next chapter; this chapter is about fries.)

• Lift up the A in your CTA (Call to Action)!

  Make your call to action literally actionable.

  Use active verbs you can “see” ...