How to Write ‘Nurture Emails’ That Help Make Sales

I was hangin’ in this private online group the other day when an entrepreneur named Joe piped up and asked:

I need to work on a nurture sequence for new folks on my list. Does anyone have templates of examples (or book recommendation on this topic) of what a nurture sequence should look like? Should it be email + video?

My take on nurture emails is a little different than what most marketers do.

Usually when you hear “nurture emails” it means:

Send lots of emails where you’re not selling anything.

And be sure to give out lots of free content so your subscribers will like you…

And hopefully you’ll trigger some kind of primal “reciprocity instinct” that will cause them to max out their credit cards buying your stuff.

Let’s face it though:

If you’re running a business, you’re always “selling.”

Even when you send an email where you don’t sell any of your products directly, you’re still “selling” something, and that something is—

YOU!

Your unique personality.

Your way of solving problems.

Your values and character.

The way I approach nurture emails is:

Continue the ongoing conversation with your audience about their problems, concerns and frustrations…

While at the same time impressing upon them some reason why they should listen to YOU in the future.

Example:

I answer a lot of subscriber questions here.

Often when people write me with their questions, they start off with talking about how they enjoy my emails, read them every day, etc.

These comments usually aren’t germane to the question itself.

Arguably I should edit them out and just “get to the point.”

But I strategically leave that praise in as “social proof.”

It reinforces the idea that these emails you’re getting are worth paying attention to.

Another way of doing this is sharing “success stories.”

If a customer writes in excited with the results they’ve gotten, you can share that with your list to inspire them—while also reinforcing that your methods work.

One more:

Maybe you read something one day that totally rubs you the wrong way.

Pouring out your righteous indignation in an email is highly entertaining—while also sending a clear message to your subscribers that “that’s now how we do things around here.”

The thing to remember here is that you’re still “selling” even when you’re not pitching a product directly.

Instead you’re banking likability, credibility and trust for the next time you “make the ask.”

 

P.S. To the second part of Joe’s question, you can do this with any format—video, audio, text, whatever.

In fact, using multiple formats is a good thing.

So throw an occasional video into your text emails.

Link out to blog posts.

There’s no “right” way to do this, so have fun with it and mix it up.