EMM11: "Why are people paying $45 for an anxiety-inducing poster?" by Joel Klettke
If you've never been skydiving, here's the most surprising part of the whole thing:
It's actually not as terrifying as you'd think.
And I'm not saying that because I'm some sort of macho man who isn't scared of anything.
I deal with anxiety pretty much every day, and at this point, I'm pretty sure my bones are laced with cortisol. But as with anything in life:
The scariest part of skydiving happens before you actually do the damn thing.
Waiting around…
Putting on the gear…
Sitting on the edge of the plane strapped to a stranger, looking out a garage-door-like opening, feeling the wind whip across the front of your body, and seeing absolutely nothing to catch you below.
Thankfully, that last part lasts less than five seconds. And before you know it, you're free falling — ripping toward the earth at 100+ mph.
And it's surprisingly peaceful.
Fighting the feeling is useless, so you settle in.
Maybe your stomach drops for a few seconds, then that goes away and all you feel is speed — the utter nothingness of freefall.
After 30 seconds or so, the instructor pulls the parachute. Then…
It's quiet.
It's so damn quiet.
You're not falling anymore. You're floating. And juxtaposed with the intensity of the freefall…
It's one of the most peaceful experiences of your life.
A few minutes later, you skid onto the grass, landing on your butt and wondering how the whole thing lasted less than 10 minutes.
I don't know if you could qualify skydiving as "facing death" in any meaningful sort of way.
But that's the reason I wanted to do it.
If you're looking for a similar experience that's a little less, ummm, intense, then you’re in the right place.
In this week’s episode of Email Marketing Motivation, I break down an email from Joel Klettke, where he writes about a $45 "anxiety-inducing poster."
It's a strong reminder of our own mortality — and it's a lot cheaper (and less intense) than skydiving.
The Piece
Subject Line: Why are people paying $45 for an anxiety-inducing poster?
Lessons We Can Learn From This Piece
1. Use Curiosity in your subject lines.
Joel is an excellent copywriter, so it's no surprise that this subject line is fantastic:
"Why are people paying $45 for an anxiety-inducing poster?"
There are a couple things to unpack here:
First, note that this is phrased as a question.
We'll talk more about that in Point #2, but as it relates to the subject line, here's what you need to know:
By writing this SL (subject line) as a question, there's an underlying implication that it's true. People are already doing this, so there's no room for a reader to question the validity of it.
Sure, the SL would work if it read:
"People are paying $45 for this anxiety-inducing poster…"
But then you miss out on the second (and most important) thing about this subject line:
CURIOSITY.
Adding in the "why are people doing this?" phrasing creates a whole new level of curiosity for the reader.
It implies that Joel is not only going to tell you about this poster, but he's going to tell you WHY this poster is having such an impact on people.
The third thing to note about this SL — and this is still in-line with our curiosity point:
It's counterintuitive.
The idea that someone would pay $45 for a poster that gives them anxiety is intriguing as hell.
The combination of implied truth (from phrasing the SL as a question)...
Curiosity (from asking why people are doing this)...
And counterintuitiveness (I don’t think that’s a word, but whatevs) (from the idea of a $45 anxiety-inducing poster)...
Make it hard AF not to open this email if you see it in your inbox.
2. Use questions to create implied claims.
Most marketers these days are dealing with highly skeptical audiences.
People have been selling us things our whole lives, and we walk around with our defenses up.
Whatever you're selling — I probably don't need it. And if I do, I'll find it on my own, thank you very much.
But there's a subtle way to get around this skepticism:
Phrasing your claim as a question.
And that's what Joel does not just in the SL ("Why are people paying $45 for an anxiety-inducing poster?") but also in the first line of the email copy:
"Can a flimsy piece of paper with a bunch of black squares on it really help you accomplish your goals?"
If Joel had opened with…
"A flimsy piece of paper with a bunch of black squares on it can help you accomplish your goals"
… you'd think:
"Okay cool. But I have a meeting in 5 minutes and I need to reheat my coffee."
But by phrasing it as a question, Joel not only makes the same point, he shows that he's on your side.
He understands the idea sounds a bit ridiculous. And he's not just here to tell you about this piece of paper…
He's here to figure this thing out WITH you.
It's subtle, but it removes a ton of objections or hesitations a reader might have otherwise.
3. Hook, then explain.
Let's talk about the structure of Joel's opener here:
"Can a flimsy piece of paper with a bunch of black squares on it really help you accomplish your goals?
Thousands of people have bet $45 on it. And I think there's a persuasion lesson there for anyone willing to listen.
Let me back up to give some context:
After turning 30 (and having kids), my brain decided it was a good time to start ruminating on the incredibly fun subject of my looming death."
If he had started this email with "after turning 30 and having kids…" people would be less likely to read it.
Why?
Because they have a meeting in 5 minutes and they need to reheat their coffee.
We all have a lot of shit going on in our lives. And while I am a BIG fan of using personal stories in your copy…
No matter what you're writing about — you have to pull readers in. It can be done with Curiosity alone. But the most foolproof way to do it is using a combination of:
Curiosity + Benefit
Show readers there is something they don't know (Curiosity) and show them how it helps them get what they want (Benefit).
In this case, the thing the reader doesn't know is "what is going on with this $45 anxiety-inducing poster?"
And the way it helps them get what they want is that it helps them accomplish their goals.
Joel makes a tactical choice to hook readers with Curiosity + Benefit at the beginning of this email.
Then, by the time he gets into the context of the situation (being 30, having kids, etc.), you're interested in what he's saying — because you know it's going to benefit you somehow — so you're more likely to read the rest of the email.
The email hooks you with Curiosity + Benefit, then explains more.
4. Use quotes for support.
Let's move toward the second half of the email:
"Change is rarely driven by "Analyze, Think, Change," no matter how much we default to believing this is the case.
(As Chip and Dan Heath say in "Switch"—"If someone is on the fence about marrying you, you won't push them over the edge by talking tax brackets and rent savings.")"
Now, imagine if Joel had just used the first sentence here ("Change is rarely driven by…") — would you believe him?
Maybe.
But by adding a quote to support his argument takes things up a notch.
Thankfully, I don't think many of us have been in a situation where we're trying to use spreadsheets to convince someone to marry us…
But the reason that quote works so well is because it's something nearly every reader can recognize as true. You read it and immediately agree with it.
It intuitively makes sense.
Using a quote like that makes it very hard to disagree with Joel's point here.
5. Follow the "SBS Formula."
This is a very satisfying email to read, and here's why:
Joel introduces a specific situation — talking about the poster.
Then he talks about a broad topic — behavioral change based on emotion, rather than logic.
Then he re-focuses on the specific situation he introduced at the beginning of the email — the poster.
This gives the email a feeling of "completeness." It's been wrapped with a bow. It's self-contained. You don't need to go anywhere different or read anything else in order to "get it."
For our purposes here, let's call this "The SBS Formula."
That means:
Specific. Broad. Specific.
You can use this in your emails too.
Introduce a specific situation. Talk about the broad, high-level lesson from it. Then wrap up the email by “calling back” to the specific situation you mentioned at the beginning.
How To Apply These Lessons To Your Email Marketing ASAP
Here's a quick summary of the lessons from this piece:
Use Curiosity in your subject lines.
Use questions to create implied claims.
Hook, then explain.
Use quotes for support.
Follow the "SBS Formula."
And here’s how you can apply it to your email marketing:
Write an email following "The SBS Formula."
Think about a lesson you learned recently.
This lesson should ideally apply to your niche.
So, for example, since I am a copywriter and a business owner who writes to an email list of copywriters and business owners…
Then the lesson I focus on would ideally be either a copywriting lesson or a business lesson.
Once you've narrowed down your lesson — think about the story or situation that caused you to come to that realization.
Start your email with that story or situation. Then, talk about the lesson you learned from it. Then, at the end of the email, make a "call back" to the story or situation you began the email with.
Here's What You Should Do Next
Thanks for reading Email Marketing Motivation. Here's what you should do next:
Click here and join my email list. I'll give you a heads up when I publish the next episode of Email Marketing Motivation, AND you'll get free access to my subject line copywriting handbook, Subject Line Shortcuts.
Click here and join Joel’s email list. He’s a damn good writer, marketer, and human.
Share this article with someone — or a group of people — who would like it. They'll be impressed by how smart and thoughtful you are.
Check out my course, Stories That Sell, if you want my comprehensive guide on how to write storytelling emails that earn more money for your business and help you connect with your audience in a genuine way.