We’ve done the A/B testing in reaching out to people. We have compared the opening rates and the optimization of strategies, and the use of correct words in the right box.
If you ask me now, marketing is all about psychology.
This is no different in the era of Email Marketing, or Cold Emailing, as they say. You still need to grab the attention of your audience and must do a great job at it for the campaign to succeed.
You must study your prospects, or you need to study your strategies and come up with a one-size-fits-all narrative.
Sounds impossible? It sounded the same to me until we started researching the psychological aspect and the psychology of outreach. It all ties down to the emotional triggers, relevancy, and familiarity principles.
People just don’t respond, no matter how literary good the wording is – they respond to how that message made them feel, and what it says about you.
Still confused? We’ll explain to you in a bit.
We’ve noticed some of the emails … and We extracted this data
Not everyone will respond in the same way in every email, and that was a problem for me. Some of them didn’t open my email, some opened and didn’t reply, and even if others did open, the deal was not strong enough.
Throughout the process, I have noticed a pattern – you have to be specific and you have to brew an emotion into that person. That emotion could be anything – surprise, confusion, curiosity – anything that has no chance of reporting you as spam.
“Is this about me?” - The Selection Attention
Humans are, by nature, a teeny-tiny bit self-centered. We listen only when we are being talked about. This is what psychology says, and we will be using that in our email marketing strategies. This strategy is free to use and customizable than the other ones.
It could be a simple congratulations on a recent success, a question or fact about a similar shared interest, or even, just noticing a pain point in their business.
“Subject: Congratulations on your [recent achievement]
Hi,
Congratulations on [recent achievement]! I’m very happy to have seen such a grand accomplishment on something I’m heavily interested in. I loved the way you presented [the topic].
Looking forward to hearing more from you!
Your well-wisher,
[Your Name]”
We notice facts that align with our current state and priorities. We have used this principle in writing this email and this one has comparatively higher open rates.
“I feel seen.” - Cocktail Party Effect
Don’t just text them – hey, I’ve seen what you have done and I’m happy and interested haha, let’s be friends – absolutely not. That’s not how that works and that will definitely lead you to the spam box if not in the blocklist.
When you are writing about their achievement, make them feel like you admire their work by pointing to something that shows that you have researched this. You need to avoid vanilla compliments and get straight into business. If I were to write one —
“Subject: I loved your [one detail about the achievement] of your [recent achievement]
Hi,
Congratulations on [recent achievement]! I read a piece of your work and I’m impressed that you mentioned [details about your achievement]. I loved the way you presented [the topic].
Wishing to see more of your work!
Your well-wisher,
[Your Name]”
Add details and personalize your emails using your own name and designation, rather than company details. It feels more intimate that way.
“People are saying yes, I should too.” - Validation bias
Did you ever find yourself saying ‘yes’ to plans just because our friends did the same? This is called validation bias and we are the slaves of it. We will take full advantage of this situation.
If similar businesses were vouching for your services, the same stream of people will likely have more trust in you. If not that, there will be a fear of missing out on what the competitors are enjoying.
You may need to find common endorsements, connections, and similar case studies for it to succeed. The more you convince the receiver that you, actually, are important to people important to them. And that’s when you know you’re one step ahead of the game.
“I should give something back.” - Feeling of Reciprocation
Something we all feel at a certain point in life. In the context of marketing, have you ever seen signs like these?
“Get 25% off on your first order! Just type your email address here.”
See what they did there? They offered you something and made you accountable. I gave you this but only if you do my work. This makes the other person feel like, since you offered them something, they can at least help you with their email.
That’s how you score a new prospect. But only works in clothing lines most of the time – SaaS companies usually offer monthly discounts. Either way, this binds them to offer something back – often, it is a way of contact.
“Now, or Never” - FOMO
It’s a time-sensitive offer. You are given an offer but the validity expires within 24 hours. This creates a sense of urgency within the reader if they are interested in that subject. If you check your inboxes right now, you’ll see emails like —
“Hurry up! The offer ends in 6 hours!”
And if you dig deeper, you’ll see,
“Hurry up! Only 12 hours left!”
That means they do this periodically to keep you reminded of their strategy. If the offer is something that actually interests you, this should work.
“What is this feeling?” - Inquisitiveness within ourselves
I saw one email and here it is:
“Subject: Are you the one I’m looking for?
Hi,
Are you the one with [recent achievement]? Phew, the search was long. I just wanted to say [a genuine question or comment].
Wishing to see more of your work!
Your well-wisher,
[Your Name]”
Notice the subject line — it’s just … confusing. If I were to see this line on my computer, I would think of every questionable decision I’ve ever taken in my life and ask myself— What did I possibly do to be the right person?
But then it’s just an attempt to build rapport with their prospects. This strategy is shown to have higher opening rates since it provokes curiosity.
“I should answer him” — Fraternity
Why not? Why not when you have genuine questions?
If you make it short and ask one straight-to-the-point question in the subject line, chances are the sender will respond. This happens due to sympathizing with someone with a common interest to help them out in a situation.
So whatever question you have, just shoot a shot at the subject line. If not, just make the subject line interesting enough like — I got a question (It just won’t let me sleep).
Key Takeaways
That psychology is the make or break point of the deal. You need to use this in your favor to get a successful campaign. Whatever is explained, goes for every kind of Email Marketing and Cold Emailing. So, sit back, learn about the psychology of your prospects and dive right in.