How do you write emails promoting affiliate offers without sounding “salesy” or inauthentic? That is a question I get a lot. Today I want to share 3 tips for writing affiliate emails that are authentic to you AND get great results.
One of the biggest challenges people face when they promote affiliate offers is feeling like they aren’t being authentic to themselves and to their tribe.
They feel that by promoting an affiliate offer they are somehow being “salesy” or “selling out” or inconveniencing their audience.
NOTHING could be further from the truth…if you are doing it the right way.
Before I share the three tips with you, there are a couple of questions that you need to ask yourself.
QUESTION #1: What’s wrong with being salesy?
Of course, I know what you mean when you say you don’t want to be “salesy.”
There’s nothing wrong with being salesy. Just don’t be this guy.
You are thinking of a used car salesman or the Sham Wow infomercial guy…but there is nothing inherently wrong with selling…if you’re selling good stuff, and selling it the right way.
I’ve said before, and I wholeheartedly believe, that selling affiliate offers is one of the BEST ways to SERVE your audience.
So if you have a bad taste in your mouth when it comes to the word “selling,” now is the time to overcome that perception and understand that selling can be a good thing, and even HELP your audience when you do it the right way with the right products.
RELATED PODCAST: Overcoming the Fear of Selling Affiliate Offers
QUESTION #2: Have you trained your audience to expect the wrong thing?
If you’re worried that selling an affiliate offer will come across as “inauthentic” to your audience or “selling out,” have you trained your audience to expect the wrong thing?
Have you trained your audience to expect only free content?
Have you trained them to never expect you to sell them anything?
I love what Mark Sieverkropp on my team says, “One way or another, you are conditioning your audience.”
‘One way or another, you are conditioning your audience.’
If you are trying to build your following, grow your business and make money, then you have to condition your audience to click and buy, not just expect free content forever.
I’ve said it over and over again, if you SAY you are running an online business, you have to also say (and believe) that businesses MAKE MONEY!
If you realized that you have conditioned your audience to expect you to never sell anything to them, don’t worry, you can fix it!
In a previous post, I shared 9 ways to condition your audience to click (and buy) from your emails.
Tell yourself right now that you run an online business, and businesses make money. Then start conditioning (or reconditioning) your audience to expect you to sell them relevant, quality products and services.
Ok, now onto how to write emails that sound authentic, rather than salesy.
1. Sell the way that you like to be sold
When we were growing up, we were told to “treat others the way that you would like to be treated.” Some smart guy said that in the red letters.
The same holds true with your affiliate emails.
Sell to your audience the way that you like to be sold yo.
Whether you realize it or not, you attract people that are similar to you, so use that to your advantage.
Don’t try to write affiliate emails just like I write them, or like anyone else writes them.
Write them how YOU write them, in your voice, with YOUR personality and your style.
Which leads me to tip #2…
2. Use swipe copy as a Guide
Often when you are promoting affiliate offers, you will be given swipe copy to help you promote that offer.
If you’re not given swipe copy, consider sharing this post with the product creator or affiliate manager…it’ll help both you and them if they apply what I share. 🙂
If they DO give you swipe copy (and they should), use the swipe copy as a GUIDE.
RELATED POST: How To Use Swipe Copy As An Affiliate
One of the BIGGEST mistakes I see affiliates make is copying swipe copy word-for-word in their emails.
The swipe copy is a starting point, a place to BEGIN your copy.
It will give you ideas and a general way to go with your emails, but should NOT be copied and pasted word-for-word.
Here’s an example of the swipe copy I received from one program followed by the email I SENT based on that swipe copy…
Swipe Copy:
Today I have a question for you:
Think for a moment about your favorite teacher, one that inspired you.
You can probably remember their name and what they looked like, right?
I bet you can also remember something that they taught you, something that stands out after
all these years…
And I’m also guessing that the WAY they taught it to you wasn’t like any other teacher.
So think for a moment about WHY you remember this?
Is it because it was a hands-on project, and you actually had to create something?
Was it the way that this teacher was able to tell a story and make the information come to
life?
Teachers are constantly trying to use experiences in their teaching, because they know that
the ability to learn better from experience is literally hardwired into the DNA of every human
on this planet.
Babies don’t learn to walk by having their parents sit them in front of a whiteboard, creating
diagrams of the walking process.
They wobble, take a step, and another, and fall on their diaper-cushioned butts.
And then they try again.
And eventually, that baby is transformed into a person that can WALK.
(It’s pretty amazing, when you think about it!)
And if you care about creating real transformation and results in your customers’ lives…
You must watch this new video.
It’s all about how to use the power of experiences to create products that get your
customers real results, which allows you to grow and scale your business in a big way.
There’s some nuance to how to do this…so watch the whole thing.
Check it out right now
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RECOMMENDED PROGRAMS: Click Here To See All of My Recommended Affiliate Programs
And here’s the actual email I sent USING that swipe copy:
Got a question for you…
Think for a moment about your favorite teacher…one that inspired you.
You probably remember their name and what they looked like, right?
For me it was Mrs. Trippi, my eleventh grade history teacher.
Just like me, I bet you can also remember something that teacher taught you, something that stands out after all these years…
And I’m also guessing that the WAY they taught it wasn’t like any other teacher.
So think for a moment about WHY you remember them.
Is it because he or she used hands-on projects, where you had to create something?
Was it the way that this teacher was able to tell a story and make the information come alive?
That’s what it was with Mrs. Trippi.
She put the “story” in history.
History literally came ALIVE in her class…I felt like I was IN the story.
She is the reason why I absolutely love biographies, even now!
In her class, history wasn’t a class or a subject, it was an experience.
That is what great teachers do.
They use experiences in their teaching, because they know that the ability to learn better from experience is literally hardwired into the DNA of every human on this planet.
My son, Giovanni did not learn to walk by having me sit him in front of a whiteboard, creating diagrams of the walking process.
He wobbled, took a step, and another, and fell on his diaper-cushioned butt.
Then he tried again.
Eventually, he transformed into a person that could WALK.
(But it is pretty amazing, when you think about it!)
If you care about creating real transformation and results in your customers’ lives…
You HAVE to watch this new video…
It is all about how to use the power of experiences to create products that get your customers real results, which allows you to grow and scale your business in a big way.
There is some nuance to how to do this…so you have to watch the full video.
Check it out now (plus, get the free report and then you’ll see the video on the next page…):
LINK
All the best,
Matt
P.S. The report that you will get is absolutely AWESOME, too… it’s like a two for one special at your favorite restaurant — but better!
LINK
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You can definitely tell that I USED the swipe copy, but no one who read it would read someone else’s email and think it was the same email…because it’s not.
I used the swipe copy as a GUIDE, but I made it my own by adding personal stories and making it sound like me.
Which leads me to tip #3.
3. Get clear on your voice
Whether you love them or hate them, people like Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, Glenn Beck, Gary Vanerchuck, and even Donald Trump are clear on their voice.
You know exactly what you’ll get when you listen to any of them.
They are clear on who they’re talking to, what their voice is, and how they are going to say whatever it is they are talking about.
Like I said above, you attract people who like the way YOU are and the way YOU talk and write.
If you’re funny, be funny in your emails.
If you’re concise and to the point, be brief in your emails.
Whoever you are, be that person in your emails and your “selling” will seem more authentic and less “salesy”.
When you read a sales email from me, don’t try to write just like I do, but ask yourself, why does that work for Matt, and how can I take the principle and apply it in my own way?
BONUS: Write your sales emails the same way you write your regular emails
This goes along with getting clear on your voice, but don’t use a “sales voice.”
Some people write their content emails one way, and then write a completely different way when they are “selling.”
Stop that.
If you read any of my emails, they all sound essentially the same.
They sound like me.
I don’t talk to you one way if I’m telling you to go read a blog post I wrote and an entirely different way if I’m telling you to enroll in No Product No Problem or an affiliate offer that I’m promoting.
They are all the same…and yours should be, too.
Get rid of your sales voice!
If you struggle with sending emails that don’t feel authentic to you, apply these 3 tips (and the bonus one…) immediately and I promise you’ll feel better about SERVING your audience by promoting affiliate offers.
Which of these tips will you apply this week to your emails?
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Questions?
Text me anytime at (260) 217-4619.
Or…check out some of my free reports to help you get on the right track:
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