Let’s face the hard facts! Most subscribers are numb to the countless emails that bombard their inbox. Promises of massive weight loss, wild claims of systems that will make you money while you sleep, and emails about single Russian women who can’t wait to meet you are the norm.
Subscribers have seen it all, and they’ve heard it all. Most of them glaze over the emails in a zombie-like state before sending the emails to the trash bin. When you’re surrounded by a sea of marketers who are sending promotional emails non-stop, how do you stand above the waves? How do you become a beacon of light in this stormy sea of spam?
The answer – email storytelling.
So, what is it exactly?
You could call it a tool or technique… or even a strategy. Terms don’t matter. What matters is that it works like a charm.
Many self-help books love to reprise stories about how, Colonel Sanders, was rejected 1,009 times before his recipe was accepted, and he made KFC a household name. Or there is the story about Abraham Lincoln, who overcame repeated failures and finally became President.
We’ve all heard these stories over and over… and yet they’re repeated over and over. There’s a reason for this. People love hearing stories. The same kid who asked his parents to read him the same story book over and over is now an adult who enjoys reading stories that uplift his spirits.
Email storytelling is a method of weaving stories, personal experiences, etc. into your emails to hook your readers and keep them interested in what you have to say.
Doing it effectively is an art, and if you can manage it, you’ll have loyal readers who eagerly open your emails first before any other email. You’ll now be that lighthouse amidst the sea of emails that crash against the cliffs of the trash and spam inboxes.
In this article, we’ll look at 7 benefits of email storytelling and why you should employ this tool in your emails. It’s too good to ignore.
The 7 Reasons To Use Storytelling in Your Marketing Emails
1. Interesting and engaging content sells.
By using email storytelling, your emails will be different from most emails sent by others, which are salesy and hyped up. Readers don’t enjoy opening emails only to get pitched too repeatedly. Sure, you should pitch a product sometimes because you’re running a business. However, the stories in your emails will take the edge off the sales pitch.
2. Stories are more likely to be shared.
When your emails are interesting and fun, chances are high that people will want to share your emails with their friends and on social media too. Once you reach this level, people will look forward to your emails just to see what you have to say next.
3. Stories are more likely to spark conversation.
You’ll also find that your subscribers reply to your emails when they’re personable and entertaining. This is engagement, and it’s good for two reasons.
The first reason is that it improves your deliverability.
Email service providers (ESP) will look upon your emails more favorably because of the engagement between the sender and receiver. So, there’s a much lower chance of you ending up in the spam box due to the ESPs filters.
The second reason is… (see the next point)
4. Stories increase branding with loyalty and trust.
When your emails have insights, opinions and personal stories, your readers will subconsciously form a bond with you. They’ll feel like they know you well. They’ll trust you and be much more loyal subscribers. Your unsubscribe rates will drop, and your email open rates will rise. They’ll trust your product recommendations and buy from you.
5. Stories inspire, and that makes your brand seem wise and hopeful.
The stories in your emails can and will inspire your readers. If you have an email list of people interested in weight loss, sharing success stories can give hope to those who are struggling.
If you are a successful online marketer, sharing your mistakes and triumphs with your readers will motivate them to overcome failure and strive for success. Your readers may forget what you wrote in a week or two, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.
6. Stories can make a difficult topic more relatable.
Sometimes certain concepts may be difficult to explain. By using stories, you can simplify things and get your points across succinctly and effectively. Notice how most of the Aesop’s fables and other childhood stories that you used to hear when you were young always had a moral at the end? It’s the same principle.
7. Using personal and engaging stories will set you apart.
The last benefit is the most important benefit of the lot. Being a skillful email storyteller will put you head and shoulders above the competition. Once you find your voice, you’ll be inimitable… and even if your competition tries to copy you, they’ll never do it as well as you.
It will take time for you to cultivate the skills necessary to write to your subscribers in a way that inspires, motivates and entertains.
This will be time that’s well-spent and will reap rewards for you over and over in the long run, by increasing your subscriber retention rates and boosting your sales exponentially over time.
