Are you always looking for shortcuts to write money-making emails?
Get this straight:
No fancy templates, overused power words and overly salesy nonsense are going to help you sell your offers.
What we’ve found common in emails that drive sales through the roof?
→ A compelling story arc
There’s this one framework that uses it well and NEVER disappoints in getting those sales.
I call it the A-B Narrative Structure.
One that grabs readers by the eyeballs and takes them on a journey from struggle town to promise land.
Now why does this work so dang well? Simple…
- We’re suckers for a good story – one with tension and resolution
- We crave to close gaps between where we are today and where we wanna be
So when you map out that journey for your reader, you spark a burning desire for change. One so fiery they almost haveto buy what you’re sellin’.
And the best part?
You don’t need to be Shakespeare to pull this off.
Anyone with a deep knowledge of their target customers and decent copywriting skills can use this narrative to turn emails into selling machines.
(No shortcuts)
Let me show you how…
Contents
The A-B Narrative Structure
First, tap into the ouchiest struggle your peeps face daily. Something that makes them grunt “There’s gotta be a better way!”
These can be:
⇢ Inefficiencies that waste their time
⇢ Frustrations that block their progress
⇢ Obstacles that cramp their lifestyle
Get raw and real about their biggest pain points. Don’t sugarcoat the daily headache they put up with. This is Point A.
Next, help them envision how freakin’ awesome life looks when those struggles vanish. Paint a crystal clear picture of the promise land where:
⇢ They get more done in less time
⇢ More money floods their bank account
⇢ Stress fades as things become effortless
Skip the vague BS and hit their emotions. Make your reader taste that sweet freedom on their tongue tip. This is Point B.
Now kick it up a notch by spotlighting the gaping void between today’s reality and tomorrow’s possibility.
⇢ Point out what they are missing out on
⇢ Stoke their fear of stagnation if things remain the same
Fan the flames of discontent! Make them desperate to bridge their way from Struggle Town to Promise Land, fast.
Lastly, float your offer out as the bridge between misery and joy.
⇢ Make it crystal clear how you’ll guide them from A to B
⇢ Close with a “damn, I gotta have this now!” style call-to-action
Boom!
In four steps, you’ve taken your reader on an emotional rollercoaster ripe for sales. Now just rinse and repeat.
Here’s an Example
Our client offers a masterclass to help overwhelmed entrepreneurs structure freakishly productive weeks. But she was struggling to sell it.
Why?
Her emails sounded like robotic self-help mumbo jumbo. So we gave her evergreen sequence a makeover.
This is what the outline looked like for one of the emails in the sequence:
Here was her Point A:
“You slog through your overflowing to-do list, endlessly playing catchup and never getting ahead.”
Ripped straight from her reader’s exhausting reality.
Point B painted the promise land:
“But imagine finally gaining control of your days… working on your top priorities with ease while lesser tasks fade into the background.”
A nice jab of FOMO for the frazzled entrepreneur!
Next, we spotlighted the frustrating gap:
“Escaping the crushing cycle of unproductivity seems unlikely or even impossible when you’re so deep in the trenches.”
Before bridging to the solution:
“My 3-day productivity masterclass gives you the tools and mindset shifts to gain back up to 40% of your weekly capacity, guaranteed.”
The result?
The new evergreen promo sequence has pulled over $50k in sales the last time we checked!
Just the raw emotional pull of tapping into her reader’s journey from chaos to freedom.
The beauty of a compelling A-B narrative?
It sells hard while staying sincere. That authenticity keeps your audience engaged for the long haul.
A Few Tips for Implementation
Here’s how to craft an A-B narrative that hits the sales sweet spot:
1) Choose a Relevant Struggle
Don’t fabricate issues out of thin air.
Find a frustrating roadblock your audience battles daily.
Collect customer data from different places and find recurring themes. The goal is to call out the brutal reality they face now – that’s Point A.
2) Define the Future Possibility
What is success on the other side? Get specific.
Show them how all areas of life open up when their pain point disappears. Give them a crystal clear vision of the promise land to spark craving – that’s Point B.
3) Boost the Contrast
Don’t be shy about spotlighting the gap!
Explain how far they are from the future possibility. Show what they are missing out to build desire. This tension demands the resolution that your offer provides.
4) Guide from A to B
Your offer should clearly bridge the gap between their awful status quo and aspirational future state.
Make your CTA a neon sign that you’re the guide they need to cross from Struggle Town to Paradise.
Keep these tips in mind and watch conversions shoot through the roof.
Remember: Avoid using stuffy corporate speak or guessing what they want. Get inside their reality with empathy. When your copy feels real, results will follow.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Here’s how your A-B narratives can flop hard:
→ Picking a Weak Struggle
A weak Point A dooms everything that follows. If that first pain point doesn’t jab them where it hurts, who cares about the rest?
You gotta find their throbbing pressure points – the inefficiencies and obstacles holding them back each day. Again, no guesses or assumptions! Know exactly what major struggles they face or watch your email bounce.
→ Skipping Emotional Resonance
Point A and B should strike a powerful chord that reverberates in readers’ souls. But forget grabbing the heartstrings if you play it safe with vague or too logical arguments.
Go big invoking frustration, resentment and even anger around daily struggles. Then crank up joy and the possibility of how life transforms post-solution.
→ Offering a Flimsy Bridge
Ever promise big and then leave folks hanging without delivering the goods?
That’s a weak bridge!
Your offer has to clearly carry readers from agony to ecstasy. Make sure you actually solve their major pain point and bridge the gap laid out. Anything less torpedoes credibility.
Carefully keep these mistakes on the side as you test different A-B narratives.
One final tip: Track open, click, and conversion rates to see which storylines resonate best. Rinse and repeat what sticks!
Conclusion
Here’s the bird’s eye view on why the A-B narrative is a must-test for your email marketing:
The core is simple – take readers from a frustrating “Point A” to an aspirational “Point B.” Sound easy? Heck yes, it is!
But that transition captures innate desires for progress hardwired into us all. When done right, you direct that energy straight into your pocket (Know what I mean? $$$).
Now, go, give it a try.
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