NOTION: HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT EMAIL

Morning!

In the next 5 minutes, you're going to learn how to write THE perfect email.

I've spent the last few months obsessing over emails. That line makes me sound like the most boring 21-year-old ever (which I could possibly be). Nonetheless, it's genuinely where my curiosity is at the minute.

Email is arguably the most intimate touchpoint brands have with their customers (bar SMS, maybe?) and it's so interesting to see what approach companies take.

Some go direct for the sale, others go for a nurture approach, some lay their personality on heavy, and others have a very corporate tone.

What works best? That's a story for another day.

Today, I'm going to talk about one of THE most perfect emails to ever hit my inbox. Plus, it was from one of my favourite companies on the planet - Notion.

Was this email forwarded to you?

Breaking Down The Strategy

I am possibly the worst person a brand can have on its email list. I'm the definition of a lurker with tight pockets. I HATE spending money, and when it comes to marketing it is very, VERY hard to get my attention.

However, the other day on my hourly daily scroll through my emails, I came across an email that really caught my eye.

Just look at that for an email.

Absolutely exquisite.

Muah. Chef's kiss. It's beautiful!

As I said at the start of this email, I've spent the last 6 months completely obsessing over what makes an effective email campaign, and this one literally has it all.

1. Personalisation

The simplest way to make your emails hit home is to add personalisation. I know Notion sent this to everyone, but because it says "Niall" it makes me feel like at least it was meant for me.

But it's not just me who feels this way... 75% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from a brand that personalises their messages.

It takes two seconds and the reward is literally exponential.

2. Added intimacy

The second bit of beauty about this email is the extra intimacy they added to it. They did this in 2 ways:- Firstly, they added a name from who it was from "Maxi". It seems like nothing, but now I know who's talking to me. It takes it from a random email to a message from Maxi.- Secondly, they directly address something I've done: "I noticed you've shared several Notion pages..." Now, not only does the email address me by my name, but it tells me I've been sent this email for a reason.

Personalisation takes the email to level 1, added intimacy takes it to level 4 or 5. A real game-changer.

3. Implied scarcity

It's a sales tactic as old as time, yet it's just as effective now as it was 100 years ago.

When things seem limited, people A) Move quicker and B) Are way more enticed to get involved.

Don't ask me why, it's just human nature.

Notion does a great job here of adding implied scarcity with their "Disclaimer" at the bottom. It doesn't seem like it's salesy, but it's just a little note that this is an exclusive offer for only a few people.

4. Easy explainer

No matter how great your offer is, if people don't understand how it works, it's useless.

Somehow Notion has been able to summarise and explain its whole affiliate program in the space of two sentences. It's majestic copywriting.

All your favourite copywriters will scream and shout about "clarity, clarity, clarity". THIS is it. This is the clarity that they are talking about. Everything explained in as little time as possible.

5. Unbelievable offer

Now, I could honestly have done this whole email on how great that offer is. In fact, I may do in the future.

50% commission on 12 months of revenue!!!

It's literally a 50/50 split with them. In terms of offers, it really doesn't get much better than that. But that's an important thing to note here, yes the email is very well written but it was well and truly the offer that caught my eye.

It may sound simple for me to say "Have a great offer in your emails" but many companies completely overlook this part of it. They focus too much on the copywriting or the catchy subject line to push opens. When at the end of the day your direct-response emails are going to flop if you're offer isn't right.

This was an absolute no-brainer offer from Notion and it makes up 80% of why this email was so great. Granted the other 4 points are important, but they only make up 20% of the actual impact.

It's all well and good me screaming and shouting about how great this email is, but how can you create an email just as good?

Well, this is literally one of the easiest things to implement ever, just follow the steps above:1. Personalise your emails2. Add intimacy3. Imply scarcity4. Explain the offer in the simplest way possible5. Make sure your offer is a no-brainer

And that's all for today!

I actually had a great time writing this, god I really do love emails. Hopefully you got the same enjoyment out of reading it - let me know if you did!

Until next time, — Niall

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This has been a breakdown of marketing strategy. I hope you have learned something and can implement a similar strategy in your business!

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