As a business owner you know how important it is to connect, nurture, and convert leads; but did you know that the best way to do this is through creating an email sequence?
When done right, email marketing boasts one of the highest potential ROIs of any marketing channel.
However, creating a sequence that captivates subscribers and drives those results can be challenging.
The good news is that email sequences are easy to implement well, regardless of the size of your business – if you know the secret and structure.
We’ve seen this firsthand with our clients, achieving impressive results that demonstrate the power of strategic email marketing.
Here is a testimony from one of our happy clients:
“The team at Results & Company have outdone themselves! Not only have they helped me to clarify my message, they actually helped me to clarify my offerings!
That was invaluable! They have provided me with brilliant and clear copy for my website and email marketing and the tone is perfect!
Before I met this team I thought I understood my audience and my company….
Now, after completing this process with Results & Company I have a clear understanding and can put into action exactly what needs to be done to reach my target audience!”
– Tara Hurster (The Tara Clinic)
What is a StoryBrand Email Sequence? A
StoryBrand email sequence is a series of emails designed to guide your audience through a compelling narrative, positioning them as the hero and your brand as their guide.
These emails connect with subscribers or target readers on a deeper level, addressing their pain points, and offering a clear path to transformation.
Traditional vs. StoryBrand Email Marketing
Traditional email marketing and StoryBrand email marketing offer quite different approaches to engaging subscribers.
Understanding the differences can help you choose the most effective strategy for your brand.
Traditional Email Marketing
Traditional marketing commonly focuses on product or service promotion, with content centered around promotional offers, discounts, company news, and events.
It directly tells the audience about the product and its features.
This approach lacks a deep emotional connection with the audience, making them feel like they are being sold to.
Consequently, many potential customers would immediately shy away from such marketing efforts.
StoryBrand Email Marketing
StoryBrand email marketing focuses on establishing emotional connection through storytelling.
Unlike the traditional approach, StoryBrand positions the customer as the hero facing a problem.
It follows the hero’s journey through an email sequence meant to create an engaging experience and build trust.
StoryBrand email marketing does all this before introducing the product or service s a guide to solving the customer’s problem.
StoryBrand Email Sequences
A StoryBrand email sequence is a series of emails that tell a compelling story to engage and guide your audience.
It focuses on the customer’s journey, building trust and driving conversions by providing helpful information that addresses their needs and solves their problems.
With a StoryBrand email sequence:
- You build a relationship with subscribers over time by empathizing with their problems and providing ongoing value to earn their trust.
- Each email moves readers toward the next step, guiding them from awareness to interest, analysis, purchase, and success.
- There’s a story arc that feels natural, not salesy. This increases engagement and response at every phase.
- And you speak directly to your customers’ identity, struggles, and desires. This creates a powerful emotional connection lacking in most email campaigns.
There are 2 types of StoryBrand email sequence: the Sales Email Sequence, and the Nurture Email Sequence.
Both of these sequences are necessary and bring in their own value.
StoryBrand Sales Email Sequence
The StoryBrand sales email sequence consists of 6 emails that the prospect receives after signing up for a lead generator.
Its primary goal is to guide prospects through the customer journey to make a purchase.
It aims to build trust by addressing pain points, demonstrating the value of your solution, and providing social proof.
All while inviting them to a story and creating an emotional connection.
A storybrand sales email sequence typically consists of 6 emails. Each email serves their own purpose and position.
These 6 emails in the sequence include:
Email 1: Deliver the asset
This first email in the sequence delivers the lead magnet, such as an ebook, checklist, or video, that was promised in exchange for the subscriber’s email address.
It should provide a warm, welcome and brief introduction to your brand, and clear instructions on how the reader can best utilize the asset.
Offering practical tips and insights on using the lead magnet will make the content more valuable and encourage engagement.
Email 2: Problem + solution
A Problem + Solution email identifies the primary challenge your audience faces and presents your product or service as the ideal solution.
This type of email is designed to create a strong connection by showing empathy and offering a clear path to overcoming the problem.
Start by clearly re-stating the core frustration, struggle, or pain point that your target customer faces.
Then, explain in detail how your product or service can solve that problem for them.
Focus on articulating the tangible benefits the reader will enjoy by using your offering to address their needs.
Email 3: Testimonial
This email uses the positive experiences of your existing customers to build trust and credibility.
It showcases real-life success stories to demonstrate the effectiveness of your product or service.
Feature an inspiring customer story that shows how someone’s life improved in specific, measurable ways after purchasing and using your product/service.
The goal of this email is to showcase authentic transformation that builds trust.
Here’s an example of a testimonial from one of our clients.
With their consent, we can write an email from this and share it with our subscribers.
Email 4: Overcome an objection
“Overcome an Objection” addresses common hesitations or concerns potential customers might have about your product or service.
This type of email aims to provide reassurance and build confidence by directly tackling doubts and offering clear solutions or explanations.
Directly acknowledge a common concern, fear, or objection that typically prevents prospective customers from moving forward.
Then, provide persuasive evidence, guarantees, or proof points that directly address and diffuse that objection to create confidence.
Email 5: A paradigm shift
A “Paradigm Shift” email aims to change the way your audience thinks about their problem or your solution.
This type of email challenges existing beliefs or assumptions and introduces a new perspective that highlights the unique value of your product or service.
Paint an inspiring vision of how the reader’s life could be improved by partnering with your company.
Help them imagine new possibilities and a future-transformed state. Get them excited by shifting their paradigm.
Email 6: Sales email
A Sales email is the part you do the selling. It is designed to drive immediate action by promoting a specific product or service.
This email focuses on creating urgency and highlighting key benefits to encourage the recipient to make a purchase or take the next step.
Make a time-limited offer with a great deal on your product or service, and include a strong call-to-action with clear next steps for the reader to purchase from you immediately.
Outline the value, exclusivity, and urgency of this offer.
StoryBrand Nurture Email Sequence
A StoryBrand nurture email sequence is about engagement and relationship-building. This is where you foster a long-term relationship with your subscribers.
It’s the art of gently guiding your audience through their journey, with your brand as a supportive guide.
Crafting Your StoryBrand Nurture Email Sequence
The core objective here is to offer continuous value, empathize with your subscribers’ challenges, and steadily build trust.
This helps keep your brand at the top of your subscribers’ minds when they are ready to buy.
Each email in this sequence is a touchpoint that reinforces your understanding of your audience’s needs and your commitment to addressing them.
The beauty of StoryBrand nurture email sequences lies in its flexibility, unlike the more structured Sales Email Sequence.
While the sales sequence has a specific structure and each email has its own purpose, nurture emails allow more freedom.
This flexibility allows for greater customization to better align with your audience’s unique journey and your brand’s narrative.
Here are 5 tips to creating a compelling StoryBrand nurture email sequence:
Tip 1: Talk about your audience’s problems.
Show your audience that you understand their challenges and empathize with their situation. This establishes a connection and makes them more receptive to your message.
You can do this by beginning an email with a story or scenario that mirrors your audience’s common issues.
For instance, if your target market is small business owners struggling with time management, you might start with:
“Do you ever feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to tackle your growing to-do list? You’re not alone. Many small business owners share this challenge…”
Tip 2: Position your brand as a guide.
Position your brand as an ally with the expertise and empathy to help them overcome their challenges. This builds trust and credibility.
Just like in the StoryBrand framework where your customer is the hero, your business become the guide that helps them on their journey.
Continue the email by introducing your brand as a solution provider. Here’s an example:
“At [Your Brand], we understand your unique challenges. Your business deserves specifically designed processes that will free up your time so you can focus on what truly matters. which is why we created [product/service]”
Tip 3: Outline a plan.
Provide a clear, actionable plan that guides the reader toward solving their problem, with your product or service as a key component of the solution.
Offer a step-by-step mini-guide within the email. Here’s an example:
“Here’s a quick start guide to reclaiming your time:
1. Prioritize your tasks with the ABC method
2. Automate routine tasks with [Product/Service]
3. Set clear boundaries to protect your work hours
Discover more about how [Product/Service] can automate your most time-consuming tasks by keeping an eye out for our next email/schedule a call.”
Tip 4: Provide Engaging Content Pieces.
Share valuable and entertaining content to keep your audience engaged and invested in your brand. This will nurture the relationship and reinforce your brand’s value.
Include a section in your email that links to a highly relevant blog post, video, or podcast episode. Here’s an example:
“If you’re looking for more ways to boost your productivity, check out our latest blog post, ’10 Time Management Hacks for Busy Entrepreneurs.’ It’s packed with actionable tips that you can implement right away. Find it here [link]”
Tip 5: Introducte Your Brand’s Story.
Share your brand’s backstory, focusing on why you do what you do. This will help humanize your brand and align your values with your audience’s.
Dedicate an email to tell the story of your brand’s origins. Here’s an example:
“Our founder, [Name], started [Your Brand] from a small home office, driven by a passion to help entrepreneurs like you thrive.
Frustrated by management struggles at the same time, [he/she/they] developed [Product/Service] to restore the joy and efficiency of running a business.
Our mission is to empower you to work smarter, not harder.
” Tip 6: Weekly Emails
Curate weekly emails that inspire and provoke thought among your audience.
This could include a blend of insights, motivational quotes, and thought-provoking questions tailored to your audience’s interests and challenges, fostering a deeper connection and ongoing engagement.
A great example of this is James Clear’s “3-2-1 Thursday”. That is a weekly newsletter where he shares 3 ideas, 2 quotes, and 1 question to consider for the week.
Results From Our Own Email Campaigns.
Below, you will see the results from our three campaigns for Unbreakable Love after approximately 60,000 emails were sent.
You would notice the following improvements:
- The open rate is 3X the industry average for marketing and advertising.
- The Click-Through Rate is 6X the industry average.
This shows the effectiveness of using StoryBrand in creating your email campaigns.
Now, here are some of our StoryBrand Nurture Emails showing above average open rates.
The average open rate for emails is 21.33%, but our emails have performed well, achieving more than twice the average rate.
Here’s an example of a StoryBrand email sequence for our client Unbreakable Love that generated 3,000 leads and counting.
5 Tips to Achieve These Results
1. Spend time crafting your subject lines:
Typically, I spend 50% of my time thinking about the headlines and 50% on the email copy.
A compelling subject line can significantly increase your open rates and set the tone for the rest of your email.
If you want ideas from a copywriting Guru, get the book “How to Write Copy That Sells” by Ray Edwards.
2. Stop selling:
This may sound counterintuitive, but people are smart; they don’t like to be sold to. I start every email by asking how I can better serve my audience and what they need.
Sure, you need to ask for the sale at some point, but lay the groundwork first. Build trust….. trust is everything. Serve before Selling.
3. Test, measure, and adjust:
A/B testing is crucial.
Where possible, you should test multiple versions of your headline. I have seen cases where a different headline can increase your open rate by 20%.
Additionally, analyze other elements like email content, call-to-action, and send times to see what resonates best with your audience.
Continuous testing and tweaking ensure your emails remain effective and engaging.
4. Talk about their problems:
If you are not talking about their problems, they won’t listen.
Addressing their pain points shows empathy and understanding, making your emails more relatable and compelling.
Use these guiding questions to help you come up with email ideas:
- What problems do your subscribers have?
- What is this problem costing them?
- How do these problems make them feel?
- How can you help them solve their problems?
By focusing on these questions, you can create content that speaks directly to their needs and positions your product or service as the ideal solution.
This approach not only captures their attention but also builds trust and loyalty over time.
5. Optimize your emails for both desktop and mobile:
While we think most people use their mobile phones to check their emails, many subscribers still use the desktop. Look at the actual results from our clients below.
Email marketing can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.
Following the StoryBrand framework and principles, you can create an email sequence that resonates with your subscribers.
The key is guiding them on a journey by understanding their problems, demonstrating how you can help, and building an emotional connection.
Move them from unaware to raving fans.
Don’t get stuck in traditional email marketing ruts. Follow the steps and tips above, and your emails will stand out in crowded inboxes.
And you’ll see results like higher open and click-through rates, increased sales, and loyal customers.
Then, track your metrics and keep improving every campaign.
Or, let Results and Co. write your emails for you. We’ve been using the StoryBrand email sequence for hundreds of clients already, and they generate great results.
Schedule a call now, and let’s discuss your email marketing needs.
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