Cold Email: The Two Greatest Persuasion Tests, And the Ultimate Copywriting Formula

When last we met, powerful copywriting formulas were the topic of the day.

And we introduced you to our 5-step, proprietary, SOD-PC formula.

It was originally created for writing persuasive emails FAST, but it’s also a great blueprint to follow for sales letters, video scripts, social media ads, and most anything you can think of.

It stands for Subject line, Opening, Deepening, Pitch, Call to action.

In our last installment, I showed you the first 2 parts of the formula: Subject line and Opening.

Here’s a quick review.

Your hot Subject line interrupts the pattern of the unconscious trance most people are living in… and/or it promises a relevant benefit and creates curiosity.

Next, we hand off to the Opening, which is where so many people blow it.

Because let’s face it, reading is work, and people HATE work.

So if they’re going to reluctantly engage with you, they demand to be rewarded with great information, a story, some kind of encouragement, or entertainment.

OK, now let’s move on to the next three steps in the formula, after I reveal…

Two KEY Killer Underlying Principles

Before we jump into the final 3 parts of the formula, there are 2 super-important underlying tenets that we ALWAYS keep in mind with EVERY persuasive message we create.

In fact, these two must-remember principles are also bedrock for our members, and frankly, for all the most successful ads out there.

And yes, we’ve mentioned them repeatedly (and will continue to do) in emails and on our blog— because it’s a compass that won’t steer you wrong.

The FIRST is the WIIFM Test.

It’s what’s going on under the radar, in the heads of ALL your clients, customers, and prospects.

They’re asking the universal and ever-present question:

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

That’s right… they’re ALWAYS reading, scanning, and listening with that question filtering everything you say.

They’re not interested in all your accomplishments, the fancy car you drive, or some blowhard boasting about how great you are… because it’s not about THEM.

If you get this right, all the great copywriting formulas are just icing on the cake.

And the second test?

It’s another question constantly being asked by your target audience, and that question is:

WHO CARES?

Do you recognize it?

Because it’s not just your niche that’s asking—we’re ALL asking it ALL the time.

How to Bag Your Limit of Clients and Customers

The 3^rd part of the SOD-PC formula, is D, which stands for Deepening.

It’s critical this is done correctly because 90% of the time, you don’t want to “rush to the click.”

Unfortunately, many marketers treat email as a simple notification service, where they focus on opens and clicks, and therefore send very short (and often blind) emails.

They’re shooting themselves in the foot.

Sure, you may get a lot of clicks this way, then wonder why the heck those clicks don’t convert very well on the landing page.

But it’s not enough just to get people to click.

You need COMMITTED clicks, where people are already predisposed to buy, join, download, or some other form of engagement on the page they’re clicking to.

And that commitment requires a Deepening of attention and interest before asking for the click.

That’s what the Deepening segment of the email is for… to take the reader out of the here and now and into the world of their imagination.

It’s where they can envision the pain and/or pleasures associated with becoming a client or owning (or not owning) the product or service you have to sell.

You do this by telling stories, painting vibrant mental images, and using emotionally evocative words and phrases.

Here’s an example from the email I showed you last time, from the marketing campaign we created for Jon Benson, creator of the VSL (video sales letter).

It hauled in $400,000+ in just over 2 weeks.

The Subject Line was:

TRUE STORY: Suicide Pact for Success

And here’s the Opening…

Dear Sarah,

Here’s why my suicide pact is the absolute KEY to AUTOMATING your marketing, which of course, means automatic PROFITS!

And not to be overly dramatic… but let’s cut to the chase.

Now for a short sample of the Deepening…

Because a life buried in tension, struggle, worry, and frustration over money… is hardly a life at all.

That’s where my suicide pact comes in, and at age 43, my #1 failure in life wasn’t in business.

It was a seemingly endless and painful string of disastrous romantic relationships.

And just over eight and a half years ago, I’d finally had enough – enter the suicide pact.

As you can see, the continuing story is part of the “bucket brigade” that carries you along toward the Pitch, the 4th stage of the formula…

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

All the intrigue and entertainment are great, but not without getting to the point… which is moving your clients, customers, and prospects toward a COMMITMENT in terms of a registration, sign up, purchase, or joining your membership program.

And that means your Pitch.

Many entrepreneurs don’t come right out and admit that they’re actually selling something.

They beat around the bush forever… until your readers lose interest.

So… your Pitch is not an exhaustive explanation of your product or service (save that for the landing page), just a segue and short synopsis of what it is and how it benefits the reader.

Here’s how we did it with the Jon Benson email I’ve been using as a case study:

Believe it or not, you will come to me for the same reason I went to that relationship expert.

It’s exactly why all customers and clients come to me.

NOT for my relationship expertise.

Rather, because I am the EXPERT of WORDS that get CASH… aimed at just the right customers… who appreciate the value you bring them and stay with you for life… not for an unprofitable string of superficial one-night stands.

It’s where the real profits lie.

You may be in a similar situation… perhaps not as dire. Perhaps so. I’ve literally met men and women who were contemplating the worst. They were so in debt, so desperate, they were not thinking clearly…

And they needed a mentor.

I’d like to be that mentor to you through The 3X Sellerator.

I can TEACH, SYSTEMATIZE, and AUTOMATE that sales process FOR YOU… as proven by my “business” relationship track record, which, as I may have mentioned, has hauled in over $800 MILLION in sales for my customers.

So you can see we’ve smoothly shifted gears and we’re heading for the finish line.

One more thing about the Pitch.

It’s also the time to directly address any reasons someone might not want to accept the offer you make on the landing page — they don’t have the time… are afraid of failing… have to talk to someone to get permission, etc.

In other words, this is also where you head off any objections at the pass, before asking them to click.

Now for the Call to Action, because it’s…

Time to Close the Deal

Finally, you’ve got all the prep work done… Subject line, Opening, Deepening, and Pitch.

You’ve seized their ATTENTION… congealed that attention into INTEREST… and fanned the flames of DESIRE… all in preparation for the big moment — ACTION!

Now you simply put your cards on the table and ASK your audience to follow their desires.

That’s right, it’s OK to ASK directly, instead of waffling, apologizing, or hemming and hawing.

If you’re not sure about the direct approach, remember what Zig Ziglar said:

“Timid salesmen have skinny kids.”

One more tip, despite Zig’s injunction.

A solid CTA link should begin with a verb (go figure)… and seldom should the verb be BUY.

If you use the verb “buy”, you will get a very low number of clicks and very few buyers.

Instead, ask the reader to do something non-threatening on the landing page, especially in the first few emails of the campaign.

Then, as the campaign progresses, you can raise the stakes…

… Instead of “click on over for the details”, or “watch the before and after reel”… you can escalate to “try”, or “invest”, or “take advantage of”… or any number of other euphemisms for the dreaded B word.

Here’s how we did it with Jon Benson’s campaign, starting with the word “resurrect”…

WANT TO RESURRECT YOUR SALES AND CASH FLOW?

Well tomorrow at 1pm Pacific time, I’m unveiling the fastest way to build your business I’ve ever seen.

I’ve “bottled” my marketing savvy and made it computerized and AUTOMATIC with the NEW, loaded-for-bear, 3X SELLERATOR!

So Grab Your Ticket to See The All-New 3X SELLERATOR In Action!

Experience The Ultimate In Words-to-CASH Conversion Speed… PLUS Lock In Your “Cut-In-Line” Advantage For Loads Of Crazy FAST-ACTION Bonuses When You Register NOW… Including the $497 UP-SELL FORMULA, Responsible for $100 Million in Sales!”

OK, that’s the wrap on the SOD-PC formula.

We’ve not only used it for countless successful marketing campaigns for clients and our own products and programs, but also for the 250+ fill-in-the-blanks templates, video scripts, and landing pages our members enjoy.

If you’d like to see how YOU can reap the same benefits and rewards we deliver to our inner circle, without having to be a copywriting genius…

… APPLY NOW for our FREE STRATEGY session.

It’s where we analyze your business and use that information to devise a customized, 60-to-90 day blueprint to ramp up your business… even during the pandemic.

Until next time, Good Selling!