By Kaleigh Moore September 3, 2024
I can’t consider something to jot down.
Sound acquainted? In fact it does. It’s one of many high causes our clients give us for letting their e-mail advertising flatline. They simply run out of concepts or subjects to jot down about.
Even professional writers give you main e-mail block. Ann Handley, co-founder of Advertising Profs and the favored ebook “Everyone Writes,” solely despatched two emails to her subscribers in 2017. (In reality, the dearth of communication was her catalyst behind revamping her whole publication technique.)
However when your emails stall, you possibly can’t make connections together with your subscribers. You’ll be able to’t promote. You’ll be able to’t collect suggestions out of your viewers. You’re leaving cash on the desk!
By no means waste time attempting to consider a subject when try to be writing. Listed here are 8 brainstorming strategies that may allow you to create an inventory of subjects for future emails.
Fast Notes on Brainstorming
First issues first: Let’s go over a couple of fast notes re: brainstorming.
Arising with concepts to your content material is severe, however don’t get too caught up on producing the proper concept instantly. In the event you’re too important, you gained’t get something written down. You by no means know what a random phrase now may make you consider later. Maintain a constructive mindset and be open to any and all concepts.
Don’t fear an excessive amount of about following the principles. Brainstorming is all about creativity and discovering no matter technique works finest for you. Whereas one particular person may do properly with a structured brainstorming course of, one other may thrive with a unfastened, free-flowing concept session.
The necessary factor to recollect about brainstorming concepts to your e-mail campaigns is that you simply’ll need to keep open-minded all through your course of . . . no matter what that appears like.
Subsequent, let’s begin taking a look at a couple of particular brainstorming strategies you possibly can strive in an effort to get the concepts flowing.
Brainstorming Strategies for Stellar Electronic mail Concepts
Earlier than we soar in, let’s speak about AI (I do know, I do know). Copywriter extraordinaire Eddie Shleyner stated, “AI could finally exchange some writing. But it surely can’t exchange writers, folks, the whole lot we all know and really feel and emote.”
I agree.
I don’t suppose AI will exchange the human contact any time quickly, but it surely can be an excellent helpful unblocker. Our AI Writing Assistant, constructed immediately into the AWeber message editor, generally is a nice brainstorming useful resource whenever you’re caught on what to jot down about, a brand new phrase to explain one thing, or how you can hit the tone you’re searching for.
Test it out and maintain it in your brainstorming arsenal so you may get again to what you’re keen on sooner.
Okay, on to the strategies.
Brainstorming Approach #1: Phrase Affiliation
Begin with one or two phrases associated to a broad subject, and write down something they make you consider. Let your inside editor relaxation for a bit and simply jot down no matter concepts and phrases come to thoughts. In the event you need assistance, strive a device like Visuwords to get the method going.
Don’t overthink issues or fear about explaining how the phrases are associated (a minimum of proper now.) As a substitute, let the concepts circulate and see what fascinating ideas naturally come up.
Picture supply: Search Engine Land
Brainstorming Approach #2: Thoughts Mapping
It is a comparable idea to the phrase affiliation approach. Begin with a phrase within the center and draw traces outward to the concepts that phrase sparks. Mapping helps you visually course of your concepts and resolve which of them are the strongest.
Picture supply: CoSchedule
Brainstorming Approach #3: The Medici Impact
If we will determine how issues are linked, generally we will borrow options or concepts from one other area to resolve our personal issues. Search for parallels across the points you’re going through in several areas — like your private life or at work.
For instance: Did you lately overcome a problem at work that taught you a lesson or offered some new perspective on a difficulty? How will you share that have as a narrative that will assist your viewers with their largest ache level? You may need come to an answer that may make for a superb e-mail marketing campaign.
Brainstorming Approach #4: Blind Writing
Simply. Don’t. Cease.
You don’t want a plan of assault or a top level view for this — simply put phrases on a clean web page, it doesn’t matter what they’re. You by no means know what is going to spark an concept, and writing something is step one to writing one thing good.
Set a timer and problem your self to maintain writing for nonetheless lengthy you need. You might be stunned how a lot you may get down on paper in a brief window of time.
Brainstorming Approach #5: Challenger
Make an inventory of your assumptions (about your clients, your content material, your format, and so on.) after which problem them one after the other. You may suppose you already know one of the best ways to do one thing, however we don’t make progress by by no means questioning issues.
That is additionally why cut up testing emails is so necessary. You might suppose one topic line will carry out higher over one other, however with out testing, you by no means actually know.
Associated: FREE Course: Study The right way to Write Higher Emails
Brainstorming Approach #6: SWOT Evaluation
Create a desk to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, alternatives, and threats (SWOT) to your present strategy to e-mail content material. This helps you see your course of in a extra analytic manner and logically resolve if there’s a more practical technique to write, share, and educate.
As you full your SWOT evaluation, you should definitely see what your essential opponents are doing and make notes on how you might (or could not) be measuring up together with your present strategy.
Picture supply: Wordstream
Brainstorming Approach #7: Flip to Your Readers
Conversations together with your subscribers can result in a treasure trove of e-mail concepts. Ask your subscribers questions and attempt to discover out as a lot details about them as doable. What do they really need or want from you? What are their largest obstacles, objectives, or essential ache factors?
Your subscribers’ suggestions will likely be immensely helpful to your online business. You should utilize it to jot down your subsequent e-mail, and different kinds of content material like weblog posts, movies, and social media posts. It’s also possible to take it a step additional through the use of the suggestions to accurately place your product, encourage loyalty, and/or develop all-new merchandise.
Brainstorming Approach #8: Begin with the Topic Line
Set a timer for five minutes. Then, give you an inventory of topic line concepts that you’d completely open in the event that they hit your inbox.
Ask your self questions like:
- What’s the important thing level on this e-mail {that a} subscriber could be wanting to know extra about?
- Did I write about one thing within the e-mail that may shock the reader?
- What do readers must know proper now?
The topic traces you write could even spark some all-new content material concepts.
Associated: Your Information to Writing the World’s Greatest Electronic mail Topic Traces
Good Electronic mail Concepts, Time After Time
Constantly sending emails is a superb technique to maintain subscribers engaged, however strive to not overlook that nobody needs to open an e-mail that doesn’t even have any new or helpful info. Having a continuing provide of contemporary e-mail concepts retains you from getting marked as spam and despatched to the junk mailbox, by no means to be opened once more.
Frequently, brainstorm new subjects by means of these completely different approaches and maintain a swipe file of your finest and brightest concepts. You’ll by no means hit a bottleneck in concepts for e-mail campaigns once more.
Prepared to begin sending killer emails to your listing? Then join AWeber Free at the moment!