Email marketing is a great way to get more clients for your freelance writing business. It’s easy to set up, and simple to manage, and it can be effective if you know what you’re doing.
In this article, I’ll be sharing tips on how you can use email marketing effectively in your freelance writing business.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Prioritize building a targeted email list. |
| 2. Craft compelling subject lines to increase open rates. |
| 3. Segment your audience for more personalized content. |
| 4. Provide valuable content that resonates with subscribers. |
| 5. Utilize automation to streamline and optimize campaigns. |
| 6. Test different email formats and designs for effectiveness. |
| 7. Include clear calls to action to drive desired outcomes. |
| 8. Optimize emails for mobile devices for wider reach. |
| 9. Monitor and analyze campaign metrics for improvements. |
| 10. Build rapport by sharing personal stories and insights. |
| 11. Maintain consistency in sending emails to stay engaged. |
1. Welcome New Subscribers With A Special Offer
One of the best ways to get subscribers to leave you alone is by sending them an offer they can’t refuse. The easiest way to do this is with a special gift for new subscribers.
The gift should be related to your topic and should be easy for people to download or access. If you don’t have time to write your material, there are plenty of companies that will produce high-quality content (for a fee) that you can use in your email marketing campaign.
In any case, make sure you make it as easy as possible for people to access whatever they need to claim their freebie.
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2. Include An Auto-Responder Sequence That Warms Up The Subscriber
An autoresponder sequence is a series of emails that are automatically sent out over time.
This is an incredibly powerful tool, but it can take some getting used to. This guide will help you understand the basics of how they work and why they’re so effective at increasing your sales and conversions.
There are two main types of autoresponder sequences: drip campaigns, which send emails based on a schedule; and welcome series, where each email in the sequence builds on the last one (and looks like this). Both are easy to set up using services like MailChimp or Drip.io
3. Send A Manual Welcome Email To New Subscribers With A Gift
Many new subscribers will want to know what they’ll get out of their subscription, so it’s important to send a manual welcome email and give them something valuable. This could be a free ebook, white paper, or report that highlights the benefits of your content.
It could also be a coupon code to use on your services like editing or proofreading. Or you could offer them access to an exclusive forum where they can interact with other subscribers and professionals in their field.
Think about what would be valuable for your audience and make sure the gift is something that only comes with a subscription!
Referrals and sales are the lifeblood of any freelance career. Learn how freelance email marketing can unlock the potential for increased referrals and sales, giving your freelancing journey a significant boost.
4. Provide Useful Information In Every Email You Send
If you want to build a relationship with your subscribers, then every email you send them must have some kind of value. This can be anything from a blog post, to a PDF guide or even just an article shared from another website.
Try not to fall into the trap of writing emails for no reason whatsoever. Don’t write an email just because it’s been a while since your last one; think carefully about the content that each message has and make sure there is something useful being provided in each one.
If possible try and provide new information in every single email that goes out – this will help keep people engaged with what you’re sending them as well as enticing them back again later on down the road if they happen upon one of these messages unexpectedly (which can happen when checking their inbox).
5. Consider Drip Campaigns To Keep Your Name In Front Of Your List
Drip campaigns are a great way to keep your name in front of your list, especially if you’re just starting. They’ll help you stay top-of-mind and create a modest amount of revenue, too.
The idea behind drip campaigns is that instead of sending one big email blast all at once, you send out several smaller emails over time so that people don’t forget about what they signed up for or who they’ve been dealing with.
Let’s say someone subscribes to your newsletter. The first couple of messages might be introductory-type things a “welcome aboard” message and maybe an offer to teach them how to get started writing freelance articles on their website (each piece of content can be delivered individually).
Then there could be a few follow-up emails with tips and tricks on how people interact with their site more regularly than they would have otherwise. This helps get them used to receive information from you every week or so without being overwhelmed it all at once and it keeps things fresh in their minds for when it comes time for them actually to need something from you again!
Email marketing is a crucial tool for freelancers, but it’s important to know how to approach it right. Our guide on email marketing for freelancers provides valuable insights to help you navigate this powerful marketing strategy effectively.
6. Segment Your List By Interest To Increase Clicks
Mailchimp has a feature that allows you to segment your list. This is useful for increasing engagement, conversions, and revenue.
Interest-based segments: If you have an email list of 10,000 people, you can use Mailchimp’s interest-based segments to narrow those down into more specific groups by creating segments based on keywords in the subject line or from open rates.
For example, if you want to find people who are interested in writing about freelance writing as opposed to ghostwriting or copywriting, create one segment with all the emails of people who have opened an email with “freelance writing” in it at least once (and perhaps also those who clicked on that subject line).
Then create another segment only containing emails where someone has opened one that said “ghostwriting” or clicked on an item called “ghostwriters wanted” at least once (and optionally add these additional criteria: no other emails open or clicks).
You now have two lists one list of potential freelance writers and another group plus some overlap of ghostwriters; so now when sending new offers out again through Mailchimp’s A/B split testing functionality (which is free), send them out simultaneously with both types but based on what they appreciate most these results should give you insight into which fields this audience prefers!
7. Let Your Subscribers Know About Opportunities For Deeper Engagement
Offer deeper engagement. Don’t leave your readers hanging after they’ve clicked on one of your emails. Provide opportunities for them to dive deeper into the topic at hand, whether that’s through a link to your website or another piece of content (paid or free).
Offer something free and/or paid. You can also encourage additional engagement by offering something free in exchange for an email address. Or if you have a paid product or service, offer a discount code in exchange for an email address at the sign-up time the more people who buy from you directly, the higher chances are that they’ll become loyal customers over time!
Landing high-value clients through email marketing can elevate your freelance career to new heights. Explore the strategies that led to landing an eight-figure client through email marketing and discover how you can replicate this success in your own freelancing journey.
8. Each Email You Send Should Have One Specific Action You Want The Reader To Take
As a freelance writer, you want your readers to do something with the information they’re reading. You want them to take action and subscribe to your blog, or give you a call.
The first step in this process is making sure that each email has a call-to-action (CTA). A CTA is anything you have written that asks the reader for something specific, like filling out a form or clicking on a link. It should be clear and easy for them to recognize as an instruction from you.
For example, if I receive an email from someone who wants me to write an article about SEO best practices for businesses seeking more web traffic, my call-to-action would read: “Click here if you would like me to write about SEO best practices for businesses seeking more web traffic!”
This makes it very clear what action I want them to take next time they receive one of my emails and it also gives them an idea of how much time it will take based on how long this sentence will take them (especially if they are in front of their computer already).
To convince people into taking action, they need reasons why doing so would benefit them personally A good rule of thumb when crafting CTAs is telling people exactly what they get when they click/fill out whatever form etcetera this way there’s no guesswork involved whatsoever between what needs to be done and why doing so matters most important than ever before possible outcomes which might occur down the road due [
9. Pique Curiosity And Interest, And Then Let Them Know How To Satisfy It
As a freelance writer, your email campaigns are likely focused on selling a product. However, they won’t sell if you don’t pique the reader’s curiosity and interest.
Tell them something they might not know about the topic at hand. For example: “Did you know that there are over 3 million words in the English language?” or “A study from Harvard University reports…”
Give them a reason to click through to your website. If people don’t have any idea what they’re clicking into, there’s no reason for them to stick around after landing on your site (or even open up an email). Instead, give them details about why this information matters and why it might help their lives in some way. The more specific you can get here, the better!
10. Make It Easy For Readers To Unsubscribe If They No Longer Want To Hear From You
If you’re a freelance writer and have an email list, there is no excuse for not having an unsubscribe link in every single email that you send.
When readers are on your list, they expect to hear from you and it’s your job as a professional writer to make sure that they never feel harassed or overwhelmed by the frequency of your emails.
So include an unsubscribe link in every single email that you send out, making sure it’s easy for people to click on it if they don’t want to read anymore. If possible, keep this process streamlined so there are only one or two clicks involved in the process just enough effort on their part so that it doesn’t seem like too much work!
You should also avoid asking why someone wants off your mailing list when they click through to the page where they can opt-out. It may seem like this question would help gauge whether or not some people want out of receiving more emails from you (such as those who might be annoyed by too much promotional material), but it just makes readers feel pressured into answering honestly instead of simply clicking “Unsubscribe Now!”
Email marketing can either make or break your business setup. Gain insights into the pivotal role of email marketing in business success by exploring how email marketing can impact your business setup, and learn how to harness its potential for growth and expansion.
11. Grow Your List With Social Media And Giveaways (Or, Better Yet, A Free Course)
Social media is a great way to reach new people, but it can also be the place where your list grows. Giveaways are a great way to grow your list because they’re free and pretty easy to do. Plus, everyone loves free stuff!
If you have time and energy for it, consider offering one or more of your subscribers something extra in exchange for an email address (or multiple addresses). Even if you don’t have anything in mind yet, think about what kind of content would be valuable enough that someone would pay for it you can always change up the content later if you need to. It might help to think about your readers’ interests, too: what do they want? What will make them happy?
Conclusion
Email marketing is a great way to stay connected with your subscribers and build trust. Your email list is a valuable asset, so treat it that way!
You’ve just learned all you need to know about email marketing now go out there and make some money!
Further Reading
Effective Email Marketing Strategies Learn about proven strategies to enhance your email marketing efforts and achieve better results in your campaigns.
Maximizing Freelance Writing Earnings with Email Marketing Discover how freelancers can optimize their earnings by leveraging email marketing techniques to attract clients and opportunities.
11 Ways to Make Email Marketing Work for You Explore eleven actionable ways to make your email marketing endeavors more successful and impactful.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Difference Between A Drip Campaign And An Autoresponder Sequence?
A drip campaign is a series of emails sent over time, designed to nurture your audience and provide them with helpful information. An autoresponder sequence is when you send a single email that includes multiple links or calls to action (CTAs).
What Is The Difference Between An Email Newsletter And A Blog?
An email newsletter can be a weekly or monthly roundup of your writing projects, tips for freelance writers, news from the industry, etc. think “My Writing Newsletter” by Michael Hyatt. A blog post typically offers one piece of information that readers find helpful for example, “How To Write Copy That Sells” by John Carlton at Copyblogger.com.
Does Email Marketing Work?
Email marketing is an effective way to reach your audience and grow your freelance business. When done well, it can be a powerful tool for generating sales and increasing your brand awareness.
I am a content writer, and I love what I do! Writing makes me feel like the words are flowing through my fingers, and then onto the keyboard, like magic. My experience as a writer has taught me that writing makes me feel good, as well as helps others to feel better too!
