Email marketing was incredibly effective for us at @TheHustle.
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
We used it to convert thousands of free subscribers to Trends, and most of the direct-response emails we sent followed a very simple formula I developed, tested and optimized to death.
Any media company can copy it:
A note to start -
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
Use, repurpose, and tease the content you're already producing.
Every week, the incredibly talented Trends editorial team (including @damn_ethan, @JanksJulia, & @amymcmai) would compile a report STACKED with insights, opportunities, and member profiles.
Our growth team would read through those weekly reports to pick out the best callouts and stats. These would form the basis for our email marketing blasts to subs of The Hustle that weren't yet subscribed to Trends.
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
But I mentioned a simple formula, so let's get into it.
1) Intriguing & intentionally vague subject lines with (ideally specific) numbers
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
We'd pick out the wildest stats/numbers from the business profiles in the Trends report. Big, specific dollar figures and weird niches worked best.
Ex: "$234k/month selling organic toothpaste..."
2) FOMO-inducing preview of gated content
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
We almost always started the body copy out with some variation of:
"Have you read the latest Trends report yet? If you haven't, you're missing out on..."
Leading into a bullet pointed list of...
3) Quick, high-density & digestible value props (all linked to the next step of the funnel and/or gated content)
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
Again, time to bring in the juicy numbers/stories/profiles.
With everything linked and UTM'd, you'll also get good data on what content/value props actually convert.
Examples of the kinds of bullet points that would go in this list:
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
- How one solopreneur hit $1.3M in ARR selling ceramic mugs on Amazon (linked to gated content)
- Tactics the Trends community (linked to community-focused sales page) are using to get 160%+ ROI on TikTok ads
4) 1st Direct CTA
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
"If you're not already a member of Trends, try 7 days for just $1 and get immediate access to the full report.
You'll also get access to..."
5) Round-up of all member benefits and remaining value props
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
Here, we'd present all of the value props that make up the Trends membership. The incredible community, weekly newsletter, live lectures, everything.
This section is a great opportunity to test subtle tweaks to existing messaging around value props.
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
A/B test different copy approaches to one of your features, measure impact on CTR and CVR, and use the learnings to change your messaging across LPs, ads, etc.
6) 2nd CTA
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
"Try 7 days of Trends for just a buck."
(That $1 trial offer was something we tested/optimized a ton as well. Initial conversion to trial was solid. Retention was higher than you'd think once we nailed onboarding, but that's a different thread for a different time)
We tested SO many approaches to direct-response email.
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
A lot of them worked well (long-form stories being another winning strategy), but this one converted incredibly reliably.
Converted thousands of readers to Trends, and added millions in ARR.
We drafted and tested new email blasts every week, and winners would get filtered into our drip sequence.
— Ryan Carr | Funnels & Email Marketing ✉️ (@ryan_boat) March 29, 2023
New subs to The Hustle would receive the greatest hits of the emails we tested.
That process is outlined here: https://t.co/Vhhjxy0kqX
