5 types of stories to use in email copy

An email copywriter is, essentially, a storyteller.

My clients will usually ask me something like, “Write me stories like that one you wrote on your blog/list about the old lady in the grocery store.”

They almost never say, “Write me 7 killer tips about affiliate marketing” even if they have an affiliate marketing product.

Stories are memorable. The reader probably forgets whatever marketing tip was at the end of the story but they remember the actual story.

It’s through the stories that some serious relationship-building can happen too.

Obviously it all depends on your own list and your niche but I’ve had clients in niches as diverse as how to teach your child the Nigerian language, family law, internet marketing and muscle cars and stories seem to work across the board.

Even if the client wants a 7 part series on, say, SEO, I’m able to include stories. I mix it up, of course, and often use a mix of these 5 types of stories during the course of a series:

1.) First person story – a story about you, like, “While I was at the driving range the other day…”

2.) Third person story – such as telling a story about a customer’s experience with your product.

3.) Metaphor – a metaphor is a mini story that succinctly summarizes a benefit or problem in a sentence or two. Gary Bencivenga says that if you master metaphors you’ll be one of the most persuasive people on the planet. A metaphor example: “A burst of energy just hit me like a train carrying 10 tons of espresso.

4.) Analogy/Extended Metaphor – open with a description of a current news item, movie, book, etc. and transition
into the how-to tip/product promo.

5.) An “imagine story”- Tell a story of an ideal situation or fantasy and then show how your product will help make that a reality.

The less an email reads like a how-to article or a sales letter, the better.

Filed under: Email Copywriting • Stories/Storytelling

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