By Kaleigh Moore September 3, 2024
I can’t consider something to jot down.
Sound acquainted? After all it does. It’s one of many high causes our prospects give us for letting their e-mail advertising flatline. They simply run out of concepts or matters to jot down about.
Even professional writers provide you with main e-mail block. Ann Handley, co-founder of Advertising Profs and the favored guide “Everyone Writes,” solely despatched two emails to her subscribers in 2017. (In actual fact, the dearth of communication was her catalyst behind revamping her entire newsletter strategy.)
However when your emails stall, you may’t make connections along with your subscribers. You may’t promote. You may’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 you need to be writing. Listed here are 8 brainstorming strategies that may provide help to create a listing of matters for future emails.
Fast Notes on Brainstorming
First issues first: Let’s go over a number of fast notes re: brainstorming.
Arising with concepts in your content material is severe, however don’t get too caught up on producing the right thought straight away. When you’re too vital, you received’t get something written down. You by no means know what a random phrase now might make you consider later. Preserve 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 methodology works finest for you. Whereas one individual may do properly with a structured brainstorming course of, one other may thrive with a free, free-flowing thought session.
The essential factor to recollect about brainstorming concepts in 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 number of particular brainstorming strategies you may attempt with the intention to get the concepts flowing.
Brainstorming Methods for Stellar E-mail Concepts
Earlier than we soar in, let’s discuss AI (I do know, I do know). Copywriter extraordinaire Eddie Shleyner said, “AI might ultimately exchange some writing. However it can not exchange writers, folks, the whole lot we all know and really feel and emote.”
I agree.
I don’t assume AI will exchange the human contact any time quickly, nevertheless it can be a brilliant helpful unblocker. Our AI Writing Assistant, constructed straight into the AWeber message editor, is usually a nice brainstorming useful resource if you’re caught on what to jot down about, a brand new phrase to explain one thing, or methods to 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 like quicker.
Okay, on to the strategies.
Brainstorming Method #1: Phrase Affiliation
Begin with one or two phrases associated to a broad subject, and write down something they make you consider. Let your interior editor relaxation for a bit and simply jot down no matter concepts and phrases come to thoughts. When you need assistance, attempt a software 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 an alternative, let the concepts circulation and see what attention-grabbing ideas naturally come up.
Picture supply: Search Engine Land
Brainstorming Method #2: Thoughts Mapping
It is a related 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 determine which of them are the strongest.
Picture supply: CoSchedule
Brainstorming Method #3: The Medici Impact
If we will determine how issues are related, generally we will borrow options or concepts from one other discipline to resolve our personal issues. Search for parallels across the points you’re going through in numerous areas — like your private life or at work.
For instance: Did you latterly overcome a problem at work that taught you a lesson or supplied some new perspective on a difficulty? How will you share that have as a narrative that will assist your viewers with their greatest ache level? You might need come to an answer that will make for an excellent e-mail marketing campaign.
Brainstorming Method #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 thought, 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. Chances are you’ll be stunned how a lot you may get down on paper in a brief window of time.
Brainstorming Method #5: Challenger
Make a listing of your assumptions (about your prospects, your content, your format, and many others.) after which problem them one after the other. You may assume 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 split testing emails is so essential. Chances are you’ll assume one topic line will carry out higher over one other, however with out testing, you by no means actually know.
Associated: FREE Course: Learn How to Write Better Emails
Brainstorming Method #6: SWOT Evaluation
Create a table 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 means and logically determine if there’s a simpler strategy to write, share, and educate.
As you full your SWOT evaluation, make sure to see what your essential opponents are doing and make notes on how you might (or might not) be measuring up along with your present strategy.
Picture supply: Wordstream
Brainstorming Method #7: Flip to Your Readers
Conversations along 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 attainable. What do they really need or want from you? What are their greatest obstacles, objectives, or essential pain points?
Your subscribers’ suggestions will likely be immensely helpful to your small business. You should utilize it to jot down your subsequent e-mail, and different forms of content material like weblog posts, movies, and social media posts. You too can take it a step additional through the use of the suggestions to appropriately place your product, encourage loyalty, and/or develop all-new merchandise.
Brainstorming Method #8: Begin with the Topic Line
Set a timer for five minutes. Then, provide you with a listing of subject line ideas 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 can be desperate to know extra about?
- Did I write about one thing within the e-mail that will shock the reader?
- What do readers have to know proper now?
The topic traces you write might even spark some all-new content material concepts.
Associated: Your Guide to Writing the World’s Best Email Subject Lines
Good E-mail Concepts, Time After Time
Persistently sending emails is an excellent strategy to maintain subscribers engaged, however attempt to not neglect that nobody needs to open an e-mail that doesn’t even have any new or helpful info. Having a continuing provide of recent 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 matters by way 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 checklist? Then join AWeber Free as we speak!
