The 3 Step Email Campaign That Works Every Time

Sending emails is one of the oldest marketing techniques on the internet. Whether you create your email lists by asking your readers to sign up, asking your paying customers to opt in, or giving something of value away for free in exchange for an email address, you know that “the money is in the list”—or so you’ve been told.

Have you experimented with email marketing? How are your conversions? Are people actually responding to your emails and clicking the links you give them?

If you have trouble getting people to take action after opening your emails, consider the simple 3 step technique I’m sharing with you now. It has worked successfully for me for over two years, and almost anyone with a subscriber list can implement it.

Does Email Marketing Really Work?

Yes, it does; but there are many variables that need to be considered before hitting the send button. There is a wealth of statistics and opinions available on how to craft the perfect subject line, the perfect length for your messages, the best call-to-actions to create a successful email campaign.

Although I’ve been creating email campaigns for years, I’m always experimenting and learning something new. I’ve seen continued success with the method below, and I recommend this as something that will work for you too.

The 3 Step Email Campaign—Start Using It Today

The process outlined below is directly related to our digital product business, but this technique can be used for almost any subscriber list with a few tweaks. Maybe your goal is to get your subscribers to share your content socially or take other action that doesn’t involve a purchase. Whatever your goal, I’m confident that sending multiple emails about the same subject can work for you.

The image below shows the results of a 3 step email series I sent recently about one of our products. I’ve blurred out the name of the campaigns, but you should know that the numbers are in the reverse order of when these emails were sent.

#3 was the first email, #2 the second, and #1 was the last email sent to my subscribers. Notice how the revenue increased with each email? Why did the last email (#1) produce almost double the revenue of the second and over triple the revenue of the first?

Keep reading to find out.

3 Step Email Campaign Results

The First Email (#3 above)

This was the announcement email. I let our subscribers know that we had just released a new product. It was short and listed the benefits (not the features). I then included a link to a blog post with “full features listing and product demos” to educate readers. I also included a discount code (just for loyal subscribers), but didn’t push the sale in any other way.

First email takeaways:

  • Announce new product
  • Include loyalty discount or other “subscriber-only” benefit
  • Limited time
  • Keep it short and include a link to expanded details
  • Don’t ask for the sale yet

The Second Email (#2 above)

The second was a reminder email. Sending this covered people who may have either not opened the first email or opened it and didn’t click through to read more details. Sometimes people just scan subject lines to stay in the loop. And some might have just skipped it because they were too busy at that moment.

Second email takeaways:

  • Include content or link to previous email
  • Ending soon
  • Loyalty discount reminder
  • Proof of popularity (see what others are saying, see how xyz is already utilizing this product, etc.)
  • Suggest the sale

The Third Email (#1 above)

The third is the “last chance” or “last notice” email. You’ve likely heard of the scarcity tactic. I don’t like to use that term because it has a negative connotation for me. I prefer to think of this last chance email as a way to make sure your list knows what’s going on, rather than try and scare them into action, and I make sure to present it that way in the email.

It goes something like this..

Hi again (name), we wanted to make sure that you didn’t miss (this news). This is the last email you’ll receive about (this thing). If you didn’t have a chance to learn all about (this thing), here are the details.

This email is longer than both the first and second emails, and it includes everything from the first two email takeaways.

Third email takeaways:

  • Last email about (this thing)
  • Discount code
  • Specific time limit (discount ends in less than 12 hours)
  • Direct Add to Cart or Purchase link
  • Do the same cool things these people have already done
  • Ask for the sale directly

When to Send Each Email?

I’ve also done some experimentation with timing and I’ve settled on a 7 day schedule. The last thing I want to do is annoy our customers with too many emails. But I also want them to become familiar with our email branding and trust that our emails will contain information that benefits them directly.

When I use the 3 step email campaign technique, the sending schedule looks like this:

  • Email #1 – It usually goes out Friday afternoon. People are more likely to check personal emails at the end of the work week.
  • Email #2 – This one gets sent 3 days later. I give people time to let it simmer over the weekend, and this reminds them on Monday. They’re back into “action mode” at work and ready to move forward as they ramp up their week.
  • Email #3 – This one gets sent 7 days after the first. The reasoning here is that people may have wanted to take action before, but were too busy or focused on other tasks.

Will This Process Work for your Subscriber List?

I’ve seen great success with this method. What do you think? Do you have a system for email that you can share?

Let us know in the comments or get in touch to discuss marketing efforts with us to see how we can help.