EMM14: "Feeling scared to play big?" by Selena Soo
Recently, a client of mine asked if I would do a copywriting training for her online membership community.
Despite my anxiety around public speaking, it often feels like one of those things I am “supposed” to do.
And not in the “take out the trash” or “wash the dishes” way. But more in the “this is something I have been called to do” way.
I don’t envision myself as the next great public speaker. But I think writers and speakers share one thing in common:
We like to think we have something to say.
So without hesitation, I said “yes” to the opportunity.
We agreed to 3 trainings total.
At this point, we’ve finished 2 of them. We have one more coming up on Tuesday.
And they’ve been incredibly fun.
But before the most recent one, I worried I wasn’t prepared enough.
I wasn’t sure how well it would go.
When the clock struck noon, though, I hopped on Zoom and flapped my gums about copywriting for an hour.
A few minutes after the session ended, my client emailed me and said:
“Thank you x 1,000 Robert. That class was beyond amazing!!! So, so so great for our students.”
Here’s the thing:
Not always, but often — things go better than we expect them to.
We’re capable of more than we realize.
It’s not our abilities that hold us back, but our fears.
And that’s what the piece we’re reviewing in this week’s episode of Email Marketing Motivation is all about.
Let’s dive in.
The Piece
Subject Line: Feeling scared to play big?
Lessons We Can Learn From This Piece
1. Make Your Emails Congruent With Your Lead Magnet
I got on Selena’s list when I downloaded her 2021 Publicity Calendar.
It’s designed to help you get more media attention for your business.
And I would guess that the #1 thing holding people back from getting more media attention actually isn’t their experience or expertise…
It’s their fear of “putting themselves out there.”
So rather than trying to push it under the rug or pretend it’s not important, Selena addresses it directly with this email.
The subject line is…
“Feeling scared to play big?”
… which hits directly on that pain point.
The content of the email focuses on this topic too.
By addressing it directly, Selena takes what could be seen as an opportunity to disengage…
(“The idea of putting myself out there makes me nervous. This isn’t for me right now…”)
… and transforms it into an opportunity to engage with her content even more.
It’s genius.
So when it comes to your own email list, remember why people signed up.
Make sure the emails you send are generally congruent with the thing that brought them to you in the first place.
And if there’s something that might be holding them back from engaging with your content…
Don’t be afraid to address it directly.
2. Get Into Your Reader’s Brain
Check out the first sentence of this email:
“Do you dream of going after big opportunities in your business and life, but fear is constantly chasing you around like a horror movie on loop?”
Selena’s audience for this email is people who want to get publicity to grow their brand…
(i.e. They “dream of going after big opportunities…”)
But they need a little help doing it.
If they need help, odds are, they probably haven’t done it too much.
And if they haven’t done it too much, odds are…
They’re at least a little afraid.
The opening line directly hits on that pain point. It acknowledges the problem.
It communicates to a reader:
“I understand the problem you’re facing.”
There’s an old copywriting truism that says if you can explain someone’s problem better than they can explain it themselves…
Then they will trust your solution to that problem.
That’s what Selena is doing here. She’s describing the problem so accurately that when a member of her target audience reads this, they’ll think:
“Holy shit. How did she get into my brain!?”
That’s what you want to do with your copy.
And the way you do it is by understanding exactly who your audience is and what they’re going through.
3. Frame Pain Points As “I” Statements
Look at this section:
“Old Selena would:
* Turn down publicity and speaking opportunities left and right, because I was afraid of not being perfect and losing control.
* Hide in the bathroom at industry events, because I was terrible at small talk and struggled to connect with people.
* Look at other people creating inspirational content, moving crowds, and helping lots of people… and think that I didn’t have the right personality to be a front-facing leader.”
Here’s what you should notice:
These are the EXACT same things that Selena’s readers are experiencing.
But by framing them as things that are true of herself, she makes it easier for readers to metaphorically raise their hands and say:
“I do that same thing!”
Again — by showing readers she understands their problems…
And implying that she has found the solution to those problems…
Selena is priming readers to accept whatever solution she presents at the end of the email.
Or, put more directly:
If you want readers to buy whatever it is that you’re selling…
You need to clearly show them that you understand the problem they’re facing.
4. Be Honest To Build A Bond
Being an online brand doesn’t mean you have to be perfect or an expert in everything.
Check out the lines where Selena says:
“To be totally honest, I still have internal struggles around ‘being seen.’
Shyness and introversion is a battle I haven’t completely won.
But here’s the thing: I made the decision to move forward and play big, even in the face of fear.”
No one reads these lines and thinks:
“Welp, looks like she hasn’t completely eliminated her fear. I’m out.”
Instead, they read them and think:
“Wow! She’s a real human! A person with flaws and struggles! Someone who has persevered in the face of a challenge! She sounds like someone I’d want to be friends with!”
That’s the value of being honest in your marketing. It creates a bond. It builds trust.
And when it comes to your emails:
It’s this type of honesty and vulnerability that keeps people paying attention.
People want to read about interesting people. And “perfect” is not interesting.
No one wants to watch a movie where everything goes right for the main character.
Of course, they want the main character to “win” whatever battle he or she is fighting…
But they want to see some theatrics first…
Whether they realize it or not — they want to watch a struggle.
So don’t feel like you have to be “perfect” for your readers. It’s okay to be yourself.
5. Make Your Promises Believable
Notice what Selena does NOT say in this email.
She doesn’t say you’ll completely eliminate all your fears.
She just encourages you to move forward in the face of fear.
If you’ve been held back by fear, then the idea of eliminating that fear — while exciting — feels a bit impossible.
But learning how to live with that fear and take action anyway?
That sounds a lot more achievable.
Scary, yes. But achievable.
Keep this in-mind when it comes to your own marketing. Yes, you want to make big promises. In fact, you should make your promises as big as you possibly can.
But here’s the catch:
They must be true. And — even more importantly — they must be believable.
Otherwise, people will write you off before you can even get started.
How To Apply These Lessons To Your Email Marketing ASAP
Here's a quick summary of the lessons from this piece:
Make Your Emails Congruent With Your Lead Magnet
Get Into Your Reader’s Brain
Frame Pain Points As “I” Statements
Be Honest To Build A Bond
Make Your Promises Believable
And here’s how you can apply them to your email marketing:
Think about one of the biggest things your readers struggle with.
Maybe it’s an emotion (like fear) or maybe it’s a more tangible situation (like not having enough money in their bank account), then…
Write an email about a time when you struggled with that same thing.
The implication is that if you’ve faced the same challenge they have…
And "solved” whatever that challenge is…
Then your solution works.
You don’t have to bare your entire soul. But you should be as honest as you feel comfortable being.
Whatever the struggle is — it should be something that you have (for the most part) solved, like Selena and her fear of “being seen.”
Your goal is to show readers you understand what they’re going through and that you have made it out the other side.
Here's What You Should Do Next
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