David Gaughran is an author and I’m on his email list. His latest newsletter issues a warning to those of us who write a newsletter, and those who want to.

He tells how he made a pact with his readers, telling them that if they signed up for his list, he would promise not to email them until he had a new book coming out.

“I thought I being considerate. I thought it would attract more people to my list. . . I thought most readers wouldn’t really care to hear from me in-between releases, and that I’d run out of things to say. . . I was wrong–so very, very wrong.”

What happened?

“People forgot who I was. Open rates fell. . . fewer and fewer were clicking and less again were buying. Reviews were dropping. Sales were increasingly tepid. It was a cascading clusterfudge of exponential fail.”

Emailing your list occasionally, e.g, only when you have an announcement or something “important” to say, is not the way to build a responsive list.

What is a responsive list?

A list that looks forward to hearing from you and reading what you write.

A list that comes to know, like, and trust you because of what you write, and then hires you or re-hires you.

A list of people who may never need your services (or need them again) but know people who do and refer them to you.

A list of people who tell others about your events, your videos, your articles, and your newsletter, and thus help you build your list.

Not a list of people who forget who you are or that they signed up on your list.

Gaughran has seen the error of his ways and is changing his approach. If your list isn’t responsive, or isn’t as responsive as you’d like, you might do the same.

It’s not difficult. Write something your list wants to read and send it to them often.

If you’d like to learn how to do that effectively, and why it’s a lot easier than you might think, head on over to this page to learn more.

Got an email recently from a business consultant who contacts me a few times a year.

That’s her first mistake. A few times a year and people forget who you are or why they signed up on your list. Or IF you signed up on your list.

But I remembered her and didn’t send her email to spam.

Unfortunately, even though we’ve spoken, she didn’t remember me.

Her email started like this: “Hi David”.

So far, so good.

Then it said, “As a female entrepreneur or professional who provides a service paid by the hour, or by the session, I would love your thoughts.

I am doing important research about business women like you and would much appreciate 15 minutes of your time.”

Yeah, not female, don’t charge by the hour, don’t have sessions.

And that’s why I usually don’t segment my lists and when I do, I keep it simple.

Because if you make a mistake, you lose credibility and subscribers.

Put me on a list of professionals or consultants or brilliant minds, we’re good. Put me on a list of people who haven’t bought, ditto.

Or, put me on one list, along with all of your subscribers, and don’t sweat the details.

Then you can write, “If you’re a female entrepreneur. . .”

And not worry about making a mistake (or trying to clean up your lists after you hear from a bunch of subscribers who are on the wrong list.)

Now. . . don’t misunderstand.

When you do segment your lists and you know precisely to whom you’re speaking, it’s good to be able to show them you know who they are and what they do.

When you write to a niche market, for example, you want to talk about issues that pertain to that market. You want to use industry-specific terms and tell stories about people in that niche.

When you do that, your readers see that you “get” them and you often get a higher response.

Just be careful. Make sure you haven’t messed up your lists.

And if you’re not sure, make sure you say, “If. . .”.

Email marketing for attorneys

The “open rate” for emails in the legal “industry” is 22%, according to this article. About average, it turns out, across all industries. 

So, why do I rap incessantly about how effective email is for marketing a law practice?

Because a low open rate doesn’t matter. Just seeing your name show up in their email inbox makes a difference. 

Not everyone who gets your email needs your services when your email arrives. Nor do they have time to read every message. But, every time they get an email from you, they see that you’re still helping people solve legal problems and still sending out your newsletter as promised. 

You make an impression every time you send. 

And, when they do need you, or talk to someone who needs your help, they remember you are in their life (and inbox) and read your latest. 

You may be curious about my “open rate”. It must be through the roof, right?

I don’t know. I don’t track my open rate or click rate or any other rate. It’s not important to me. As long as I’m getting sales, that’s all that counts. 

I write something I think you’ll find interesting or useful, makes you think or makes you laugh. I tell you about my products and services, books and course, and tell you what they can do for you. 

As long as people buy or hire me, I’m good.

I don’t get bogged down in the minutia. I don’t sweat the small stuff or spend a lot of time trying to write the perfect missive.

I put some words on “paper” and send it out.

Which is precisely what you should do with your newsletter.  

You can learn everything you need to know right here.

By far, the best way to get people to read your emails is to send those emails to people who know who you are.

A client or former client or a business contact will open your email because they recognize your name and want to hear what you say.

Your clients and business contacts–your warm market–read your emails because they know, like, and trust you. The same is true of your newsletter subscribers.

When you send email to people who don’t know you, it’s a different story.

If you write to strangers, or to people who relatively new on your list and may not yet recognize your name or recall that they signed up for your newsletter, you have to use the “subject line” in your email to get them to read your message.

The subject line is the headline for your message. Like any headline, it has to first get the reader’s attention and then give them a reason to read more.

Your subject line should make them curious or promise a benefit or otherwise inspire them to click to see what your message is all about.

Quick example.

Let’s say you don’t know me but I want you to read my email that tells you about my course on building your practice with email. In the subject, I might say, “Want people to read your emails?” because I know that when you read that, you’ll probably answer in the affirmative (and then open the email to see how to do that.)

Like the subject of the email you’re reading right now.

And yes, my email marketing course does show you how to write email subject lines that get people to open and read your emails. It also includes 203 ‘irresistible’ email subject lines you can use, to help you do just that.