Another season of The Walking Dead came to an end last week.

And honestly?

I was a bit disappointed.

Why?

Because the ending left everything a bit “up-in-the-air”.

Nothing was really concluded. No major character died. And no story line was wrapped up.

But, hey, there’s an email marketing lesson here.

What?

Well, it’s the fact that when these tv shows finish each episode (and even each season) on open-looped endings (where a story line isn’t tied up yet), us viewers are desperate to watch the next one. And we’re gonna make sure we don’t miss it.

What’s this got to do with email marketing?

Well, it’s the fact you need to finish your emails in such a way that has your readers buzzing to read your next one.

And heck, they should even be a bit annoyed they’ve gotta wait for it. Just like I get annoyed when I’ve gotta wait til the next episode of Walking Dead or Game of Thrones.

So how do you get this reaction from the people on your list?

First, you’ve gotta give some value in every single email.

Just like something has to happen in each Walking Dead episode, so people don’t get bored of it.

And if you don’t give value?

Then people aren’t gonna hang around for long.

And why should they? They’re busy. And you’ve just wasted their time.

So that’s the first thing you’ve gotta do.

But that’s just half the battle.

Whetting Your Reader’s Appetite

Look:

If you give away a great tip in one email, but don’t whet your reader’s appetite for the next one, then they haven’t got a reason to look forward to it.

And if they’re not looking forward to it?

Then there’s a good chance they won’t read it.

Simple.

So, how do you whet your reader’s appetite?

Well, after you’ve provided value, you can then tease your reader about something else they need to learn.

For example, let’s say I sent you an email as part of an autoresponder sequence about how to write top-class sales letters.

The first email would be the typical “welcome” email. I’ll tell you what to expect in the future and the benefits you’ll get from being on my list.

And the value in this first email would come from your free opt-in gift.

Then, at the end of the email, I might say something like:

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“PS- When it comes to writing sales letters that make you and your clients lots of money, you need to make sure you nail your headline…

You need to make sure it speaks directly to your ideal prospect.

If it doesn’t?

Then they’re not even gonna read the rest of your sales letter.

Meaning you’ve just lost a potential customer at the very first hurdle.

Sucks, right?

Anyway, I’ll tell you tomorrow how to have the accuracy of a sniper when writing headlines, so your ideal prospects look at it and go ‘Wooah, this literally applies to me. I NEED to read this.’

Like I say, I’ll explain how to do this tomorrow.

Speak then.”

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Anyway, do you see how powerful this is?

It’s now gonna make people eager to read tomorrow’s email. And in that email, you’d talk about headlines (which is the value part of your email) and you’d end it by teasing them about something else they need to know, which you’ll reveal the next day.

This is the perfect way to get people excited about reading every email you send them.

Make sense?

Good.

So, my friend, go and look at your autoresponder sequence right now.

Make sure your emails are following this format.

If they’re not, change them.

And watch your open rates shoot up.