By Kaleigh Moore September 3, 2024
I can’t consider something to put in writing.
Sound acquainted? After all it does. It’s one of many high causes our clients give us for letting their e mail advertising flatline. They only run out of concepts or matters to put in writing about.
Even professional writers provide you with main e mail block. Ann Handley, co-founder of Advertising and marketing Profs and the favored e book “All people Writes,” solely despatched two emails to her subscribers in 2017. (In truth, the shortage of communication was her catalyst behind revamping her entire newsletter strategy.)
However when your emails stall, you may’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 making an attempt to consider a subject when you need to be writing. Listed here are 8 brainstorming strategies that may enable you create a listing of matters for future emails.
Fast Notes on Brainstorming
First issues first: Let’s go over just a few fast notes re: brainstorming.
Developing with concepts on your content material is critical, however don’t get too caught up on producing the proper concept straight away. Should you’re too vital, you received’t get something written down. You by no means know what a random phrase now may make you consider later. Preserve a optimistic mindset and be open to any and all concepts.
Don’t fear an excessive amount of about following the foundations. Brainstorming is all about creativity and discovering no matter methodology works greatest for you. Whereas one individual would possibly do nicely with a structured brainstorming course of, one other would possibly thrive with a free, free-flowing concept session.
The essential factor to recollect about brainstorming concepts on your e mail campaigns is that you just’ll wish to keep open-minded all through your course of . . . no matter what that appears like.
Subsequent, let’s begin taking a look at just a few particular brainstorming strategies you may strive so as to get the concepts flowing.
Brainstorming Strategies for Stellar E mail Concepts
Earlier than we leap in, let’s discuss AI (I do know, I do know). Copywriter extraordinaire Eddie Shleyner said, “AI might ultimately exchange some writing. But it surely can’t exchange writers, individuals, 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 precious unblocker. Our AI Writing Assistant, constructed immediately into the AWeber message editor, is usually a nice brainstorming useful resource while you’re caught on what to put in writing about, a brand new phrase to explain one thing, or the best way to hit the tone you’re searching for.
Test it out and maintain it in your brainstorming arsenal so you will 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 matter, 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. Should you need assistance, strive a instrument like Visuwords to get the method going.
Don’t overthink issues or fear about explaining how the phrases are associated (no less than proper now.) As a substitute, let the concepts circulate 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 are able to determine how issues are linked, generally we are able to borrow options or concepts from one other subject to unravel 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 supplied some new perspective on a problem? How will you share that have as a narrative which will assist your viewers with their greatest ache level? You might need come to an answer that may 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 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 will get down on paper in a brief window of time.
Brainstorming Method #5: Challenger
Make a listing of your assumptions (about your clients, your content, your format, and many others.) after which problem them one after the other. You would possibly assume you already know the easiest way 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. You might assume one topic line will carry out higher over one other, however with out testing, you by no means really 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 method to e mail content material. This helps you see your course of in a extra analytic approach and logically determine if there’s a simpler option 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 it’s possible you’ll (or might not) be measuring up together with your present method.
Picture supply: Wordstream
Brainstorming Method #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 attainable. What do they really need or want from you? What are their greatest obstacles, targets, or essential pain points?
Your subscribers’ suggestions will likely be immensely precious to your online business. You should utilize it to put in writing your subsequent e mail, and different sorts of content material like weblog posts, movies, and social media posts. You can even 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 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 could be desperate to know extra about?
- Did I write about one thing within the e mail that may 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
Sensible E mail Concepts, Time After Time
Persistently sending emails is a superb option to maintain subscribers engaged, however strive to not neglect that nobody desires to open an e mail that doesn’t even have any new or helpful data. Having a relentless 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.
Regularly, brainstorm new matters by these totally different approaches and maintain a swipe file of your greatest and brightest concepts. You’ll by no means hit a bottleneck in concepts for e mail campaigns once more.
Prepared to start out sending killer emails to your listing? Then join AWeber Free at present!