2 builders who never spoke to each other

Teach for weeks before you ask for the sale

Moving the ask from arrival to after a run of genuinely useful emails can double or triple what converts, because the reader has already had proof rather than a promise. The pattern both authors settle on is a fixed ratio of teaching to selling, with soft mentions early, the cheapest product first, and one dedicated pitch late in the run.

The method

1. 01

   Moving the ask to after weeks of teaching, instead of on arrival, is worth two to three times the conversion rate

2. 02

   Trade a short, specific free guide for the email address before pitching anything

3. 03

   Follow the free guide with an opt-in to a thirty-day email course whose content is at least as good as the guide, and mention the paid product only part way through

4. 04

   Keep the sequence educational with a soft pitch tacked on as a postscript every few emails, and reserve at least one short email for an outright ask focused on the book's benefits.

5. 05

   Tag each subscriber with how they arrived so you can later mail one slice: for instance everyone who joined for a pre-launch list and has not yet bought

What it returned

• He describes doubling or tripling conversion by asking for the sale once trust exists

• Example offer: a short free guide listing ten ways to make a web application's user experience better, given to anyone who says they work with software

• Buyers imported from the commerce tool monthly into their own group; even with the segmenting available he still sends over half of all emails to the whole list

• Attributed to Joanna Wiebe of Copyhackers

Sources

• The Best Marketing Method I KnowNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · So let's keep adding value. · 2013-02-01
• How I use email for marketingNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Segmenting · 2013-06-28
• Email marketing systems for professional bloggersNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · A few tips for your onboarding course · 2015-04-16
• Driving ongoing book sales with a sample chapterNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · The sequence · 2013-09-25
• Stop sending email broadcastsNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · After launch · 2014-12-15
• Web App Challenge Update: The Final StretchNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · A new course · 2013-06-04
• How to write marketing emails that don’t suckNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Teach · 2013-04-12
• Email Courses: Types, Tips, Examples - Trends.vcDru Riley · trends.vc · What are the benefits of email courses for creators? · 2023-06-21