Coming in HOT

I'm the (mad) email copywriter, generating $2 million a year for e-com brands. This newsletter gives you up-to-date practical email marketing tactics I'm using RIGHT NOW.

This week: Getting replies to your emails (and why it's the most important metric to track).

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll have seen my blazing rant against tracking opens, click-through rates and conversions.

Why?

These metrics don't show you if someone:

• Read your content

• Enjoyed your content

• Cares about your brand

Your email marketing should be designed to grow and maintain relationships with your subscribers — and getting replies from them is the best way to track and grow those relationships.

Write awesome, interesting emails, and you'll start getting replies with this opening:

"I don't normally reply to emails like this, but..."

Boom! A new relationship is about to blossom.

It might be a quick compliment or a multi-paragraph question.

Whatever you do: answer them. 

Match their response length — a quick compliment requires a quick thanks (and ask them a follow-up on what specifically they enjoyed about your work).

A longer question requires a thoughtful, longer response. Give away your knowledge for free without the expectation of a sale.

Why?

Because you build trust.

As that trust builds, the likelihood of that subscriber becoming a paying customer grows exponentially.

We only buy from people we trust.

These conversations might seem like a time-sink, and sure, it's not scaleable — but as a small/medium business, these relationships are invaluable at getting people to trust your brand.

How to get replies

Here are a few quick ways to encourage replies to your newsletter:

1. Ask questions — the simplest way to encourage responses. Just don't ask them in every email.

2. Request feedback — people love sharing their opinions, so ask what they think of your work.

3. Play with controversy — make bold claims and opinions (just don't be a dickhead about it).

4. Offer free consultation — Solve people's problems in your niche for free and they'll love you forever

5. Ensure your emails come from you — nobody replies to BusinessCorp™. They want to talk to a real human being. Sign off your emails with a signature (and a lovely photo like mine)

Give it a try. Start a conversation. Build a relationship. The future of marketing isn't about numbers and conversions. It's about fostering relationships, and that's A-OK with me.