Top 3 Biggest Email Mistakes, Part 3

Today, we’re finishing out a three-part series about the biggest (and very common) email mistakes copywriters make. If you missed Part 1 or Part 2, be sure to check them out. We’ve covered From line disasters and Subject line pitfalls, and today we’re going to cover the single biggest thing that will keep people from taking action from your email.

First, a quick story. Many years ago, when I worked at a heath club, we had a sales trainer come in to discuss how to sell memberships. He asked us to name the number one reason most health club sales representatives weren’t able to sell a membership.

People guess “monthly cost” and “fear that they won’t use it” and even the infamous “I have to check with my spouse,” but all of the answers were wrong. The number one reason that these reps weren’t getting people to sign up is that they were never asking for the sale. That’s it! They simply were never saying “Are you ready to get started?” or “Shall we go ahead and sign the paperwork?” Amazing, but true.

Also amazing but true is that you must “ask for the sale” in your emails. That is, you must give your reader a clear next step to take by way of a clear CTA (Call to Action). If the purpose of your email is to get people to sign up for a class, you must make it very, very, very easy for them to see how to do it and then you must tell them to do it. Just a simple “Sign Up For the Class Now!” will do.

Believe it or not, the rates of people doing what you want the to do is absolutely dismal if you don’t give them a clear next step and tell them to do it. Don’t make these people think! Give them a clear and easy way to do what you want them to do, and there’s a much better chance that they’ll do it.

I’m anticipating a question along the lines of “But what if I don’t have a next step for them to take?” There should always be some next step you want them to take. What’s the point of sending out the email otherwise?

Your next step could be as simple as clicking through to read the rest of the story (<ahem>, please reference your weekly Filthy Rich Writer emails), but there’s no point in even sending out an email if you don’t want the reader to do something. So make it easy on ’em and give ’em a clear CTA.

Your turn! How have you successfully incorporated a clear CTA in an email? Let us know in the comments below!