Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Email Promos Exposed

Have you ever been faced with the task of having to write an email promotion to your list, and then realized that you didn't know what to say or how to say it?

Michael Rasmussen's new video course "Email Promos Exposed" promises to solve that problem for you by walking you through the actual process of creating killer email promos step-by-step.

I decided to see if Michael's videos live up to their promise by trying them out myself. Here's what I found:

Overall Quality
The first thing I noticed when I opened up the first video was the stunning production quality. He used Camtasia Studio for the production, which is now the industry standard for creating high-quality screen capture video products. The audio is near studio quality, and the graphics are very professional. These videos were made by someone who KNOWS what he's doing. Well done!

I also liked how Michael divided the videos up by section, and then again by sub-section. For example, one video is all about the subject line, and then there are different parts of that video that each cover a certain area of crafting a killer subject line.

THE ACTUAL VIDEOS
Here's a brief summary of each video. Obviously it's impossible to list every single thing here, but I want you to get a feel for what each one covered, and how well it covered it.

If you're in a hurry, just go ahead and click here to get instant free access to these videos.

VIDEO 1 - INTRODUCTION
This video served as an introduction to the whole course. You get to see a picture of Michael in his every day life, and he establishes his credibility right up front by talking about some of his massive successes online. He even provides proof of credibility by displaying two checks in the amount of $50,000 and $25,000 which prove that, when it comes to the subject of making money with email promos, he knows his stuff.

This is a good lesson for anyone to get. Whenever you're teaching people how to do something, it's good to establish your credibility up front, so that there's no doubt about whether or not you're qualified to talk about the subject. Most product developers either skip or minimize this step.

VIDEO 2 - BEFORE YOU WRITE THE PROMO
This video talks about some things that no other marketer has bothered to mention. You'll learn things like:

  • The mindset you need in order to write a killer promo
  • The different tools you need before you get started
  • How to keep your emails laser-focused
  • How to create an outline that practically writes the email for you.

This was a fantastic video, and did a good job of kicking things off.

VIDEO 3 - THE SUBJECT LINE
I liked this video, because it talked about one of MY biggest weaknesses when it comes to writing email promos... the subject line. The subject line is a confusing topic, because nobody's 100% sure what the best tactics are.

Michael breaks it down, and reveals:

  • The biggest secret for writing a subject line that makes people insanely curious.
  • Techniques for personalizing the subject line.
  • Mistakes to avoid when using personalization.

I was surprised to find that I was making some of the mistakes that Michael mentioned in this video, but now I know better.

VIDEO 4 - THE OPENING
This is where a lot of people slack off when writing their emails. Michael talks about how important it is to create an opening that is conversational, and then reveals techniques and examples on how to do that.

He also reveals:

  • How to get people to keep reading your email once they've opened it.
  • How to make your opening interesting.
  • Mistakes to avoid when creating your first few paragraphs.

VIDEO 5 - THE BODY COPY
This is one of the "meatiest" portions of the course, because it reveals techniques that are not widely discussed on the forums, blogs, and in most eBooks. He talks about the importance of keeping your body copy tight and relevant, and then reveals how you can do that. You'll also learn:

How to write powerful bullets that make people curious and want to find out more.
Simple formatting tricks for making your body copy easy to read.
The secret of "bucket brigade copy" and how to use it in your email promos to force people to keep reading.

VIDEO 6 - THE CALL TO ACTION
This is where a lot of people wimp out in their email promos. They start out strong, but when it comes time to ask the reader to click the link and take action, they don't know what to say. Michael talks about some of his favorite techniques for making that happen, and also reveals:

  • The "magic question" to ask yourself that will make your close much more powerful.
  • The secret of the "unanswered question" and why handling this is a surefire way to get people to act right away.
  • The structure of a powerful close.
  • Mistakes people make when creating their close.

VIDEO 7 - CREATING AN EFFECTIVE P.S.
Some people say that the P.S. is one of the most important parts of the email, because it is often the one thing that gets people to click the link at the end. In this video, Michael talks about:

  • Why you should including a P.S. at the end of your email.
  • The 4 different kinds of P.S.'s you can use (this section was a real eye-opener for me).

VIDEO 8 - COMMON MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE
I loved this video, because it showed me some mistakes that I was making that I wasn't even aware of. Unless you're a seasoned pro, you're probably guilty of some of the things thatMichael talks about in this video as well, and that's why it's so valuable. I've shaved years off my learning curve, because now I can avoid some of the costly mistakes that I was bound to make in the learning process.

As you can see, Email Promos Exposed really packs a lot of punch! Most of the courses out there offer only watered down, weak content. Not this one! These videos are going on my "A-list" for along time.

I've already watched them twice, and plan on reviewing them every couple months to make sure that I have the principals, techniques and tactics burned into my mind.

If email marketing is an important part of your business (and in my opinion, it's the most important part of ANY online business), then you owe it to yourself to check out Michael'sexciting new videos, Email Promos Exposed.

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