When I write an email sequence for a client, I don't start by opening a blank document and brainstorming what to say in the first email.
As an email copywriter and strategist, my job starts wayyyy before that! 😁
Good copywriting starts with research. I need to understand your business, your ideal client and the offer you want to sell them, and what needs to happen between someone joining the email list and becoming a potential client.
In short, I need to understand your customer journey and where the email sequence fits into that bigger picture.
✅ Only then can I figure out what the emails need to say!!
So, if you've ever wondered what goes into writing a strategic email sequence that brings in sales, here's a look at what I do before I write a single word of copy.
Step 1: I Analyze Your Business
Before thinking about the emails, I need to understand your business first!
This lays the groundwork and the context for the email sequence I’ll write.
Here’s what I’m looking at:
Your Business
👉 What do you do, who do you help, and what makes your approach different?
Ideal Client
👉 Who are you trying to reach? What are they struggling with, what do they want, and what might be stopping them from getting there?
Service/Offer
👉 What are you selling, and how does it relieve your ideal client’s problem?
Email List
👉 Where are subscribers coming from? What have they signed up for? What emails are they receiving now, if any?
I want to understand your business well enough that the emails we create make sense for your audience, your offer, and your goals.
Business is not OSFA! What a med spa might need from an email sequence is completely different from what a business coach might need.
Step 2: I Map Your Customer’s Journey
Once I have a better understanding of the business, I look at the journey your ideal client takes from first discovering you, joining your email list, and buying from you.
This is customer journey mapping.
Rather than looking at your email list in isolation, I look at how email fits into the bigger picture of your marketing and sales process.
I want to know:
How do people find you?
What attracts them to your free resource or newsletter?
What happens after they subscribe?
Where might they lose interest, get stuck, or decide they're not ready to take the next step?
And my most important question: where are potential sales falling through the cracks, and how can this email sequence help fill that gap?
I use this information to then create a better picture of where your customer is and how this email sequence can help move them closer to a sale.
Can I tell you a secret? 🙈
I also look beyond what your ideal client wants. I also heavily lean into what your ideal client wants to avoid.
It's great to focus on the positive outcome someone wants to achieve, but what about the situation they're trying to get away from? 🏃🏃🏃
This is sometimes called an anti-vision: a picture of the future someone wants to avoid.
Considering that perspective helps me write copy that speaks to the real reasons someone wants change, not just the surface-level goal.
To be honest, the easiest way to think about this is whatever your “personal hell” would be. 😅That’s your anti-vision!
(So yeah, I will think about your ideal client’s personal hell so that I can help lead them away from it with your product or service, lol.)
To summarize:
The goal is to show that you understand what they're experiencing and why finding a better way matters to them.
Step 3: Email Sequence Goals
(#emailsequencegoals am I right?! 🙂↕️)
To recap, I now know about your business, your offers, and where your ideal client is in the customer journey.
Now I must ask:
👉 What do you want this email sequence to accomplish?
Sequences can be used in many ways:
Welcome new subscribers (welcome sequence)
Build trust and awareness (nurture sequence)
Sell them on your service or product (sales sequence)
This is normally something I know once I speak with you (because you’re my future client, right?!), but it becomes even clearer at this point in the process.
It doesn’t really matter what we call the sequence, but what we want that sequence to do does matter.
“I want more sales from email” isn’t specific enough, unfortunately. I wish it were that easy!! 😅
But this is one of the things that can make the difference between an email sequence that supports your sales goals and one that doesn't.
(Psst - that’s why copywriters exist!)
Once I know the goal based on where your customer is in their journey, I can write effectively to them!
PSA: Every email needs a purpose
Not only does the sequence as a whole need a goal, but every email needs a purpose too.
When I plan a sequence, I want each email to have a clear purpose that contributes to the overall goal (and typically, only one call to action, or “CTA.”)
Each email contributes to the customer journey differently. To achieve the goal of the sequence, the emails work together, yet also separately.
This is what separates a strategically planned email sequence from a collection of emails. 💪
Each email has a reason for being there, and the messages work together toward a shared goal.
Step 4: I can finally write your copy!
Whew, what a journey!
Now that I know your business, your customer and their journey, and your email sequence goals…I can start writing your email sequence!
Since I now know so much about your business, I know how to write in your tone (yes, if you hire me, I will make sure the emails sound like you! 🙂↕️)
Pass me the pen - I’m ready!
Are you wondering: “I could just do this with AI!”
AI can absolutely help with email copywriting. But the quality of the output depends on the thinking behind it, too.
You still need to understand your audience, figure out what the sequence needs to accomplish, and make sure the messaging sounds like your business. (AI can help with this too!)
But I believe a human strategist and copywriter can make a difference in bringing together the research, strategic decisions, and writing that make a sequence relevant to the people receiving it.
Remember: emails are a relationship-building tool.
Though an email sequence is an automated set of emails, it can and should still be human. Because people buy from people, and I don’t think that’ll ever change!
I’m not here to tell you how to use or not use AI in your business, but this is my take on it, since you’re here reading and you asked. 😁
Working With Me As Your Email Sequence Writer
If you’re ready to bring more sales through your email list with a strategic email sequence, that’s exactly how I serve clients!
Your email list has the potential to bring in more sales, and I’m committed to helping you do just that.
Ready?
👉 Check out my services page and apply to work with me.
Already have a sequence but aren't sure it's doing its job?
I can help! Book a 1:1 Email Sequence Strategy Session, and we can review one of your email sequences together to see where it could be stronger. (Note: this is a strategy session, not a rewrite.)
I also send a weekly newsletter to help you improve your email marketing without adding more complexity to your week. See you there!
In case we haven’t met…
👋 I’m Dom—an email marketing strategist who believes email can be simple & profitable for your business!
If you enjoyed this post or got something out of it, here are other ways we can connect:
📧 Subscribe to my newsletter. I send a short email every Tuesday to help you build an email marketing strategy you can feel good about.
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📚 Read the rest of the blog. Here, you’ll find in-depth posts about email, marketing, business, and more!
🛠️ Check out the tools & resources I use in my business. I keep this page updated with the tools I use and recommend (some with full reviews!). If you’re looking for a solution for your business, it’s worth perusing!
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