Do you want to know a real direct marketing secret?
A secret that, when applied to your emails, can… dramatically increase your response rates… drastically lower your unsubscribe’s… and have your list begging to read your next email.
Interested? Great! More on that in a second.
But first, let me tell you a story. It’s about a Persian king named Shahryar, his wife’s infidelity, and the daily execution of virgins. The story dates back to AD 800-900 and contains a profound marketing lesson you can profit from today…
The king Shahryar discovered his wife’s infidelity and had her executed, declaring all women unfaithful. So as not to be betrayed again, he marries a succession of virgins… and has each one executed the next morning.
Eventually there is only one last virgin remaining, Scheherazade.
Scheherazade is a wonderful story teller and devises a plan to save her life. On the night they marry, she tells the king a story… but does not finish it. In order to hear the rest of the story the king is forced to keep her alive. The next night she completes the story, and immediately begins another. This goes on for 1001 nights, until the king is finally convinced of her fidelity and spares her life.
So what has this got to do with your email response rates and what’s the big secret?
I’m glad you asked. You see, the technique Scheherazade used is still in play today in movies and television. Writers use it to keep audiences glued to their seats. It’s called a cliffhanger and, thanks to the zeigarnik effect, when you use them in your copy it forces people to keep reading.
Our brains are literally hard-wired to work this way.
Cliffhangers are one of the reasons “24″ was such a hit t.v. show. Each episode ended right at a crucial turning point in the story, the only way to find out what happens next is to tune in next week.
You can use the same techniques in your emails to create the same effect.
You simply end your emails by starting an open loop — the beginning of a thought, story, or idea — that you don’t complete until the next email.
Here’s a quick example from an email I wrote for my Unlock Your Niche course…
Then we’ll start looking at how to model other successful businesses… how to legally steal their market research, marketing campaigns and credibility… and how you can quickly establish yourself in a niche, even if you have no previous experience and know nothing about it!
See how I’ve just teased the reader with five different things — specific benefits this market wants, and an answer to a common objection — and they have to wait until the next issue to find out how we’re going to do all this.
The zeigarnik effect kicks in and somewhere in their mind they’re unsettled… they need to know how these ideas play out… it will play with their subconscious mind and they’ll be looking for the next email to resolve the tension I’ve created.
So, readership goes up. Unsubscribes go down. And response rates increase.
Did you notice I also used the technique at the beginning of this post?
I started telling you about a secret that can increase your response rates, and then said “Interested? Great! More on that in a second”, and then went on to tell a story.
If you wanted to learn the secret you had no choice but to continue reading, and before you know it you’re sucked in and have read the whole post.
Try it for yourself and let me know how it works for you.
