Some time ago, a company hired me to generate more sales from their email sequence.
Here’s the scoop:
They challenged me to overhaul their hefty welcome email sequence.
The autoresponder sequence?
It wasn’t cutting it.
The CTR was sagging and their ROAS was on a downhill slide.
For context, this was a personality-driven education business.
Now, after 379 days and 16,151 subscribers, let’s dive into the results…
I bumped up the opens by 5.23%, the CTR by 12.26%, and the click-to-open rate by a whopping 33.10%
Here’s a peek at the old sequence results in Aweber…
And now, check out the revamped sequence…
So, how did I jack up the company’s average open rate by 5.23% and their CTR by 12.26%?
How did I pull off these numbers without any fancy email automation?
First, I could’ve just flashed you the stats two weeks post-launch.
They were pretty sweet and even better.
But I waited one year.
That gives you the real, solid data
Now, let’s break down the seven tactics I used in the new sequence.
1. No Bait And Switch
Too many marketers play the bait game with a lead magnet—think reports, videos, cheat sheets.
But guess what?
Folks often bail after the second email.
They came for the freebie, not your emails.
Let’s face it, it’s a bit sneaky.
(The new GDPR laws might eventually change this trend in email marketing.)
If someone entices you with a juicy cool resource, do you want constant emails or the cool resource?
Right, the resource.
Focusing on a lead magnet sets the wrong expectations.
And it starts the relationship off on the wrong foot.
Instead, we made it crystal clear:
“Sign up for a 21-part email course, one each day.”
2. Sequential Sequence
I started each subject line with “Day 1:” “Day 2:” “Day 3:” etc.
Why?
It hooks people.
They want to complete the set.
Unfinished business drives us nuts.
And those cliffhangers?
They keep subscribers eager for the next hit.
When you end with a cliffhanger, they’re more likely to open–and look forward to–the next message.
Plus, I also made sure to…
3. Interconnect Emails
When people opened email #2, they were directed to read email #1 if they missed it.
There were references to specific aspects of the previous lesson to re-spark curiosity and get them to consume.
We hosted the previous email lessons on HTML pages so people who missed the earlier lessons could read them.
They could read the earlier lessons without sifting through their inbox.
4. Compelling Stories
Everyone loves a good tale.
It spices up dry content.
Each email spun a story, some stretched over several days.
It’s a technique called an “open loop.”
You get subscribers curious about something.
However, instead of finishing the thought you continue it later.
These weren’t just any stories—they were real-life tales from the thought leader and his delegates, boosting credibility and selling their flagship program.
5. Quenched Curiosity With Links
What do I mean?
To discover the ending of many stories, subscribers had to click a link and watch a video or case study to get the answer.
Look at the difference this made…
Left: Old sequence. Right: New sequence. CTR for email #2 was 11.52%, now 49.33%. Email #3 was 8.17%, now 23.97%.
Now, if you’re thinking, Why is the new engagement for email #1 more than 100%?
That’s because people re-read the lessons on multiple devices.
The content was in-depth so they probably switched from phone to laptop.
Or they wanted to re-read it.
6. Large Clickable Images
We threw in big, clickable video thumbnails.
That big ol’ play button?
It’s a click magnet.
Plus, the visual consistency smoothed the transition from email to webpage.
7. Benefit Driven CTAs
The call-to-action links started with action words.
Things like “Discover” “Learn” and “Watch”.
Underneath the CTAs, I added bullets of things they would discover in the video.
From templates like…
How To X Without Pain Y
4 Tips To X
The Easiest Way To Z
This boosted engagement on the videos as people were waiting to learn specific “nuggets.”
Imagine…
You read a gripping story that unfolds over three emails, climaxing in a video reveal.
You’d click that link in a heartbeat.
Wrap Up
Craft an email mini-course that weaves stories, case studies, and essential lessons into a compelling narrative.
Keep your readers hooked till the very end.
Trust me, it’s a lot of work.
But if you’ve got the time, commitment, and resources, it’s a game changer for your offers.
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