#emphasis on the spoken word as the ‘one true way’ is unnecessary

[darkwood-sleddog]

If dog buttons have one hater I am that very hater.

Communicating “in the same language for the first time” through dog buttons as Christina Hunger describes in her book is a failure of the most human proportion, putting too much value on the human (English) spoken word and ignoring that every detail, movement, twitch of our dogs is an act of communication itself. They are already communicating with us, just as human and primitive dog first did thousands of years ago. Just how we have shaped each other’s evolution by our very relationship. The dog understands you without buttons. If you can’t understand a dog without buttons, or “speak the same language” without human spoken language that is your HUMAN failure.

[thedarkmistress16]

Hetalia G8 (+ Canada, Romano, and Prussia) as Teachers (2/3)

Part 1. Part 3.

~Shared Classes~

Traditional Art. Italy, Romano, France, and Japan. Italy will bring in instructors and friends of his to provide their perspective on a specific art movement or style he’s covering, though Italy usually wants them to stay longer and chat with him despite their busy schedules. Even interrupting their guest’s demonstrations at times. He likes bringing in France for the Impressionism movement, Japan for his bold lineart, and Romano to let his brother show off his art skills.

Italian: Italy and Romano. Despite Italy dragging his brother to instruct the course with him on many occasions, Romano is notoriously awful at teaching languages because he frustratedly curses at the students every time. The board still hasn’t done anything about this despite specifically only wanting the younger Italian brother to teach the language.

Technology: Germany, Japan, and America. Germany brings them in for their perspective on the topic and to describe how their cultures advanced their usage of technology as a comparison point between different origin factors, but mainly concerning culture and purpose. Students suspect Germany does this because he can’t teach the required modern section of the course worth shit, and he always denies this despite it clearly being true. He becomes too intimidating on the topic when the students push him on it, and they all quickly back down each time with Japan cringing or America laughing in the background.

Physical Education: Germany, America, and Russia. A German, American, and Russian walk into a gym. The German focuses on posture and overall execution during workouts while the American puts emphasis on stamina and speed, as the Russian encourages improving one’s power and aggressiveness. The American tells the two about his personal training program he wants to pitch to the board to get the kids in shape quickly. The German and the Russian look at the American like he’s insane and chides him for suggesting such a torturous training regimen under the guise of a “cowboy camp.”

Physics: Germany and Russia. The worst class to take because both instructors are bad at being sociable and making the classroom a friendly environment to work in. They also take the course way too seriously. When they start getting into arguments with each other, the students brace themselves as they continuously remind themselves to stay for their degree. Students would report this, if both teachers didn’t stop fighting like a flip of a switch, startling the students and making them wish they took another course instead.

Finance: America and Russia. Despite butting heads constantly, they provide some seasoned insight on the dangers of spending over budget, what loans and credit company practices to look out for, and how to shop smart by comparing prices and understanding return policies in stores and online. This is in part due to their different experiences when it comes to their own finances and how they handled their money. Most students are pleasantly surprised at how smoothly these lectures go and typically feel more confident when approaching their own finances.

Communications. America, Prussia, and Britain. He brings in Prussia for his equally loud and commanding presence, on top of them getting along well and having fun with the class. He only invites Britain when he wants to show his students what a bad example of public speaking is, much to the Englishman’s chagrin. Cue America snoring obnoxiously at the back of the classroom as Britain attempts to try and teach America’s students “something useful about the spoken word in proper English.”

Architecture: France and Britain. They bicker constantly with unnecessary details when comparing their buildings and never stop one-upping each other on who did whatever best. Yet they always manage to stay on topic somehow, which makes the notetaking an absolute nightmare when students read over it later. They realize none of it will be useful on the tests, probably. So they throw their notebooks to the ground in irritation, wanting to switch classes as soon as possible.

French: France and Canada. While France officially and gladly gave Canada the position due to his own course workload, he still pops into Canada’s language class from time to time to lend his own demonstrations and assist with conversations. Trusts his younger brother to teach it despite being peeved that the students are learning more Canadian French nuances than European French ones.

Health. China and America. China only brings in America to make an example out of his unhealthy habits and make fun of him in the process. Every time America falls for the invitation, despite knowing better, and ends up sulking away from a very pleased China.

Filmmaking: Everyone. On rotation. Fight me.

[butcherknives-remade]

Hi Leon! I love how you write the dmc boys and the way you pick your descriptions! Your flow is real good! If it’s not too much to ask I was wondering what your process is for getting good at keeping the characters ic and word choice? I want to be a better writer and you inspire me! Thank you for sharing your work with us!

Hey, friend!

First of all, this is unbelievably sweet of you to tell me. I think hearing that you’ve inspired someone is one of the most incredible feelings as an artist of any kind, writing 100% included. It’s the sort of compliment you dream about, you know? I seriously can’t get over this. It’s humbling. So, thank you for sharing that with me. I’m elated.

To answer your question: I study people and focus on that first and foremost.

For me, I have an idea and I have to imagine it with as much clarity as I can. This means, sometimes, a little acting. I think of it like how a traditional artist might use a physical reference? I need visualization in order to achieve any level of coherency. I watch the way that the characters move, and expressions/body language they’re prone to using.

I also need to hear a character; I need a voice that I can conjure. When I say that, I mean an actual, tangible voice. I have to hear the actor (or in this case voice actor) and get to know their method of speaking. Their accent, their cadence, their musicality and word choices... Like memorizing a song, almost. When I’m writing dialogue, I imagine what it would sound like spoken by the VA and make edits based on what I can hear and what seems the most accurate.

The process of writing itself is where it gets a little ehhh. I free-flow. I write whatever comes to mind and edit as I go. I let the characters take over, which can sometimes mean that things go a bit differently than I initially planned, but I’d rather feel like I’ve been true to the character than make my own point. And in the same way I have to hear a character’s voice, I have to hear my writing, too. I’ll read it aloud - quietly, to myself, because it’s embawassing uwu - and listen to it as if it’s a poem. How does it sound? Are there too many words in one sentence next to another? Does another adjective make the sentence too dense or does it draw attention?

Then I go back to the top and read it again. And again. I keep editing and shifting things around, sometimes cutting out entire scenes that feel unnecessary or like they’re not going anywhere. Then I read it again.

That’s my process.

TLDR: I put emphasis on the human condition. What motivates people and why? Who are they on a deeper level? Can I give a full dissertation on the character as a person? I observe and mimic. And, most importantly, I read. Everything. I can’t say that enough. In order to break rules - and I LOVE to break rules - I need to know what those rules are. Give me my parameters so I can brace myself against them and push.

That said, I’m no expert, so take what I say with a grain of salt. Do what makes you sense to you because at the end of the day, this should be a source of joy. Have fun! Seriously.

I hope this incredibly long and ridiculous response answers your question.

Thank you again, and thanks for reading!

[ryanmeft]

Movie Review: Ad Astra

Whenever James Gray’s Ad Astra takes the focus off the thoughts of Brad Pitt’s aging astronaut, it falters, in part because Pitt’s work and Gray’s writing are mesmerizingly brilliant, and in part because everything around it is lacking. When wide-release films go to space, you can almost guarantee there will be more focus on plot than artistry. What we have here is the exact opposite.

The story is a vehicle for the emotions. Pitt plays Roy McBride, son of legendary space explorer Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones). He lives in one of those futures so wonderfully painted by Asimov, Bradbury and Heinlein, a time when man has transcended earth and begun to truly live among the stars. McBride works and, for all intents and purposes, lives on a space station orbiting just outside earth’s atmosphere, a place that seems governed by a tried-and-true film rule: it is less important that things make sense than that they be engaging to look at. The astronauts climb slowly down exterior ladders to fix mechanical issues by hand against backdrops of stars. It is the kind of scene during which Hoyte van Hoytema’s camera can take in so much interstellar beauty we almost forget to wonder how humanity can be advanced enough to colonize the galaxy yet not have robots for this kind of thing. The wonky science continues as the station is hit by a mysterious power surge and everyone dies except McBride, who---and bear with me here---survives by plunging through earth’s atmosphere and to the planet’s surface with naught but his spacesuit.

Yes, yes, the logic is bad, even by space opera standards. Things like this exist to look amazing, and they do, in the balletic way of classic cinema rather than the frenetic one of modern film. McBride is tasked, after his fall, with going far, far into space to track down the source of the surges: his own father, who vanished almost two decades ago on a far-reaching mission to find advanced life. What follows is a calm and meditative journey occasionally broken up by the need to have more mundane thrills for the casual moviegoer---a chase by lunar outlaws, a conspiracy spoken in hushed tones by a colonial governor (Ruth Negga), that kind of thing. Donald Sutherland gets a small role, and seeing him in anything is usually nice, but he doesn’t really add anything essential. The most baffling intrusion is a battle with fellow astronauts that shatters what little logic the plot has left; it is the epitome of a problem that could have been averted with a five-minute conversation.

The spoken word is limiting. Gray, whose films are patient, thoughtful and altogether alien to the modern blockbuster-dominated landscape, knows this. Almost everything we hear in the film, with the exception of when McBride is required to speak to others, is inside his head, voiced by Pitt in a steady, sad cadence, the thoughts of a man who, in the process of getting old, has not changed his views but has lost his enthusiasm for them. I would venture to guess Gray, and co-writer Ethan Gross, are fans of short stories; the inner thoughts of our hero resemble the format, with an emphasis not on plot---it is hard to write elaborate plots in a short space---but on how words sound, move and feel in the mind. McBride, and therefore Gray and Gross to a degree, reflect on the nature of disillusionment, the slow losses of age, the distance between an idolized parent and an idolizing child, the hostility and loneliness of the universe, and the fragile ties between people. The film’s budget grew after last-minute reshoots done without Gray’s approval, and I can only speculate on what was involved. I imagine adding more action.

It has to be said that while these more white-knuckle scenes are unnecessary and serve to interrupt a careful, thoughtful journey, they are in themselves well done. The oft-frenetic endings of superhero films, in which demi-gods crash into, around and off each other and the scenery, could use some of the restraint shown. That logic-shattering fight with astronauts takes a little time with itself, which is kind of refreshing in an age where one man with a hammer regularly dispatches as many opponents per second. Had this set out to be an action movie, it would have possibly been a superior one.

It did not set out to be an action movie, however, and the film we got is schizophrenic. Nowhere is this clearer than in the finale, in which both the fate of the elder McBride and his relationship with his son are resolved, and which feels lazy and phoned in, especially on the part of Jones, who is a far better actor than we see here. Whenever Pitt was a passenger in space unspooling his mind, I was able to let the story take me where it wished, and whenever I was yanked out of that, I found myself distracted by cheap, oft-used plot points. Some people, include some I may or may not be related to, will see the warmed-over action-adventure aspects as the highlights, with the talky bits an unwelcome distraction forcing them to patience. I, for one, have seen quite enough action to last me some time, and could have happily stayed riding shotgun with McBride and his inner world.

Verdict: Recommended

Note: I don’t use stars, but here are my possible verdicts.

Must-See

Highly Recommended

Recommended

Average

Not Recommended

Avoid like the Plague

 You can follow Ryan's reviews on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/ryanmeftmovies/

 Or his tweets here:

https://twitter.com/RyanmEft

 All images are property of the people what own the movie.

[chiefcupcakeavenue-blog]

Reading

Dialogue by Robert McKee

Dialogue, especially those spoken during conflict, allows readers to perceive the 3 types of thoughts and feelings of characters. Those he chooses to express to others, those he expresses to himself, and those in his subconscious. Good dialogue should allow the reader to completely empathise with the characters.

No matter when, where, or to whom a character speaks, their speech must be character-specific. Whether mental or vocal, all speech should be a response to an inner need. Writers must therefore be clear of what the character wants, what would he do, and how would he do it. Dialogue also moves the scene from one segment to another.

The choice of medium greatly influences the composition of dialogue. Stories in literature are performed in the imagination rather than on screen, therefore offering a greater variety of dialogue techniques than the screen.

Exposition

Virtually anything shown in imagery or explained in narration can be implied in dialogue.

The dialogue should give the reader only what she needs to know when she needs to know it. Exposition should be enough to maintain empathy, yet little enough to maintain curiosity. Not all expositional facts deserve equal emphasis. They should be ranked in importance and certain facts stressed to guarantee that readers remember them at key changes in the story.

In writing dialogue, do not force characters to stop their struggles toward core desires to talk about their history, thoughts, or emotions unless doing so furthers their pursuit(reminiscing with a past lover to gain back their love).We must ensure the dialogue comes from the character's need to act rather than our need to express our opinions. During conflict, dialogue invites readers to empathise with the character to understand unspoken thoughts and feelings. Exposition not intrinsic to the character not only feels unnatural and slows pace, it removes the need for this process, reducing curiosity.

Most exposition must be given to the reader without their awareness. This can be done using narrative drive or expositional ammunition.

Narrative drive is a result of engagement, which compels her to try to predict future changes in the story. Expositional ammunition is when characters use exposition to satisfy core desire.

In every story, the most important expositional facts are secrets, kept from others, themselves, or the reader. Secrets are revealed dramatically by characters when they face a lesser of two evils dilemma. Revelation of secrets, especially those hidden from the reader, are most effective at exposition while driving story.

Characterisation

Characters are designed around true character and characterisation. True character is the character's fundamental psychology and morality remaining after pressure forces him to choose between values. Characterisation is the sum of all surface traits and behaviors. A unique characterisation compels readers to question the character's true character, investing them in future revelations. An effective characterisation distinguishes the character from others in past fiction.

Action

Mental action occurs when thoughts cause character change. Physical action involves body language and activity.

Dialogue implies thoughts and feelings, but action confirms/subverts them, establishing concrete identity.

Conflict disrupts 4 aspects of life: the physical world, social world (separating organisations, destroying public trust in institutions, changing social norms or corroding societal ideals), personal relationships, and the character himself.

Complex stories embrace multiple aspects of conflict.

The more sensory the description, the more memorable it's effect.

Line design

The periodic sentence withholds it's core idea till the end to compel uninterrupted interest. The cumulative sentence places it's core idea in front and modifies it along the way. It is more conversational.

A paragraph should contain no unnecessary sentences, a sentence should contain no unnecessary words. This does not mean we should write in short sentences or avoid detail. Instead, we should ensure our writing is meaningful.

Credibility

Characters must talk in a way that aligns with their nature and setting. Unconvincing dialogue cannot be fixed with mimicking actual conversations because they lack expressiveness and significance. Even in the most realistic setting, dialogue is filled with meaning.

Create honest motivation for behavior. Motivations are needs fundamental to human nature. When they are not recognised, excuses are created by characters to explain their own behavior. Create and contrast motivation and justification. Then, mask motivation with justification to add depth to dialogue and character.

To avoid melodrama, raise the character's motivation to match his behavior, then question whether the character over or understates his action.

Language

Avoid dialogue which is unnecessarily expressive, calling attention to the language. The greater the emotion and activity during conflict, the shorter their words and sentences.

Passive dialogue uses verbs that describe states of existence. Active dialogue uses action verbs. Active dialogue is preferred during conflict.

Content

A writer must be sure of whether his work is realistic or nonrealistic (fantasy, science fiction, supernatural). Non realism frequently contain more archetypical characters. To clarify a character's nature, non realism diminishes psychological complexity and subtext.

Repetition

Record and playback your dialogue to avoid repeating lines, behavior or meaning. A beat is a pair of action and reaction in characters. Changes in beats drives the scene until the value at stake changes at the turning point. Synonyms do not effectively change a repetitive beat.

Stylistic choices only become clear on paper, so write every idea down.

Creating Dialogue

The more complex and unique the psychology of a character, the more distinctive his dialogue must become.

A unique writing style cannot be created self consciously. It is a result of the interaction between talent bred from continuous practice and a story's content.

First, know what your character senses in a scene. Then, understand what the character feels from the interaction between his thoughts and subconscious, which shapes the vocabulary, grammar, and pacing of his dialogue.

Constraint inspires creative achievement.

In dialogue, subject indicates knowledge while predicate(information about the subject) indicates the speaker's individuality via adjectives and modals (can, should, must).

Dialogue issues indicate story problems. Instead of continuously rewriting dialogue, rethink character and event.

Story Design

A story contains an event that upsets the equilibrium of a character's life. The impact flips the core value at stake for the character in the story (love/hate). Minimally, every scene contains at least 1 value at stake and 1 turning point for the character which relates to the core value. A turning point arises only via an action or revelation.

Desire is comprised of a conscious want, subconscious need (reframes conscious want in terms of his subconscious), motivation (Why does he have this want/need? Will attaining the want satisfy the need?), scene intention (What the character wants in the short run in his journey towards his want), and background desires (the desires in other aspects of a character's life which limit his choice of action).

Behavior is comprised of desire, sense of antagonism, choice, action, dialogue.

Story progression occurs when a turning point has an impact on the character which surpasses that of the previous scene.

Scene progression occurs only when beats change.

Conclusion

Eavesdrop, note down interesting phrases and take note of subtext. Read good text, rewrite bad ones. Act your character out.

[likefusion]

39 Things Every Sales Email Needs to Have: Did you know Gmail alone has more than one billion monthly active users? That means roughly one in every seven humans on the planet has a Gmail account. And that's what I love so much about email marketing: the fact that it's so universal and allows you to reach such a huge audience. Just think about it. Not everyone uses Instagram. Not everyone uses Snapchat. But almost everyone uses email. I look at email as the great equalizer in marketing. It's especially helpful if you need to reach an older demographic of baby boomers and beyond. Of course, there's a lot that goes into a well run email marketing campaign. Not only must you get recipients to open your sales email, but you also need to drive conversions. To accomplish this, you've got to cover all the bases. Here are 39 things every sales email needs to have. 1. A definitive purpose Before you do anything, you need to have a clear understanding of the specific purpose behind each and every email. One may promote a new product; another may discuss a major update to your service… This will dictate the direction you take, the content you feature, the CTA you include, and so on. Make sure you always know the precise purpose of your message before getting in too deep. 2. Specialized targeting It's likely your brand has multiple audience personas. Effective segmentation is critical for getting the right marketing material in front of each email subscriber. I recommend creating at least a few different personas and sending out individualized emails based on each group's needs and preferences. Here's a very basic example: This should ensure no one receives irrelevant content, which should have a noticeable impact on your open rate and conversions. In fact, “segmented email campaigns have an open rate that is 14.32% higher than [that of] non-segmented campaigns.” 3. A killer subject line Almost 75% of people don't open emails. A big reason for that is lackluster subject lines. They're not inspiring enough to motivate subscribers to open the email. This is why you need to understand the psychology behind a killer subject line. As a huge proponent of email marketing, I've done a considerable amount of experimenting with this process. Check out this post I wrote on NeilPatel.com to learn the fundamentals of creating better email subject lines. 4. A personalized message Research from Aberdeen found that “personalized email messages improve click-through rates by an average of 14% and conversions by 10%.” Other studies have seen a similar trend: So it's really important you personalize each email. Ideally, use each recipient's first and last name. 5. To be brief I love long-form content. Aferall, it's long-form content that tends to rank the highest in SERPs. But a sales email isn't the place for it. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point for maximum impact. 6. A natural voice I would wager that the majority of email subscribers don't want to be addressed in some hyper-corporate, formal fashion. Instead, most prefer to be spoken to like an actual person. Use a conversational tone, and approach it as if you're speaking to your blog readers. 7. Power words Studies in psychology have shown that people respond better to some words than others. Utilizing power words is a simple way to connect with readers and pique their interest. Check out this list from SmartBlogger for examples of power words. 8. The word “you” At the end of the day, we all want to know what's in it for us. If you want someone to read through your email in its entirety, you'd better darn sure appeal to them on a personal basis. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use “you” when addressing your readers. “You” is one of the most persuasive words in the English language and should help you connect with your readers. 9. To ask questions I find asking questions to be a great way to mimic the feel of a face-to-face conversation. There's no need to go overboard, but asking a few key questions is an effective way to create rapport and get readers interested. 10. Empathy People are interested in buying a product or service for a reason. They have a problem or pain point they're seeking a solution for. Make it clear you understand their struggles and that your goal is to help them find a resolution. 11. Trustworthiness Any semblance of sketchiness is a recipe of disaster. Be diligent about establishing your brand as a trusted source. 12. To say “thank you” I find that simply thanking readers for their time and consideration to buy my product is a perfect way to humanize my emails. Here's a great quote from The Harvard Business Review: Saying “thank you” is a great way to close and shows you genuinely appreciate the fact that someone took the time out of their day to read your email. 13. A personalized product recommendation Keeping with the theme of personalization, I suggest including a personalized product recommendation whenever it makes sense. Take into consideration the needs, wants, and overall pain points of each targeted demographic. Then include a link to a particular product they would be interested in. 14. Educational and/or entertaining content One of the quickest ways to kill your subscriber's vibe is to blast them with super salesy content. Of course, you want to be actively promoting your brand, but it shouldn't come across as obnoxious. I suggest focusing on the two E's: Educating and Entertaining your audience. Use these as guides for creating your email, and the rest should follow. 15. Eye appeal Platforms, such as MailChimp and Aweber, offer a boatload of design features to make your emails pop. Take advantage of these features, and place an emphasis on aesthetics. This is extremely important for getting readers to browse through your emails and ultimately work their way to your CTA. 16. A branded template Speaking of visuals, I can't stress enough how important it is to create your own branded template. Achieving consistency through this medium is vital for establishing and reinforcing your brand identity. Once again, most platforms, like MailChimp and Aweber, offer everything you need to create a branded template. Be sure you're incorporating your company's colors, logos, style, etc. so that it sticks with readers and helps them distinguish you from competitors. 17. Standard font One mistake I see email marketers make is getting too cute with their designs. More specifically, they get a little crazy with their fonts, making the content difficult to read. Keep it simple, and stick with tried and true fonts, like Arial and Calibri. These are easy on readers' eyes and encourage them to read through the entire email. 18. Font consistency I also suggest sticking with one font. Make sure you're not switching from font to font throughout the body of your email. This disrupts the flow of your message and can kill conversions. 19. Short paragraphs White space. To me (and most readers), it's a beautiful thing. One of the easiest ways to maximize the digestibility of your emails is to use short paragraphs. I recommend shooting for an absolute maximum of four sentences per paragraph. One to two sentences is even better. 20. Sub-headers What's the other key element of digestible content? Sub-headers to provide breaks and highlight main points. Never include a large mass of text without breaking it down into individual sections, using sub-headers. More specifically, it's smart to use a variety of H1s, H2s, H3s, etc. to prioritize content. Here's a good example of how to do this effectively: 21. Bullet lists Let's not forget about bullet lists. They're ideal for breaking down longer lists into concise and succinct points. 22. Visuals It's no secret most people respond overwhelmingly well to visuals. In 2017, “37% of marketers said visual marketing was the most important form of content for their business, second only to blogging (38%).” I suggest using at least one image per email to give it some pizzazz and fulfill your reader's inherent desire for visuals. Here's a really nice example of an email from United By Blue: It's actually the same image they use on their opt-in page, but it works perfectly. 23. Alt tags for images In the event an image isn't properly displayed, you need to have an alt tag for that image. The alt tag will describe exactly what the image is so there's no confusion for readers. 24. A video Okay, you may not necessarily want to use a video in every single email you send. But they're definitely an effective way to increase your open rate and click-through rate. According to Pardot, “Using the word ‘video' in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19% and click-through rates by 65%.” This proves people respond favorably to video, and it is something at least worth experimenting with. 25. A clean layout This should go without saying. Always be sure to look over each email and eliminate any clutter or unnecessary info that's not genuinely contributing to its value. I like to strive for a minimalist feel. 26. An enticing offer Not only should your offer be relevant to the specific person receiving an email, it should be genuinely enticing. Ask yourself whether it truly scratches an itch. If not, tweak it until it hits its mark. 27. Specific benefits Also be sure to mention the key benefits. Let readers know exactly how their lives will improve. 28. What they'll miss out on if they don't buy For most humans, “the fear of loss trumps the desire to gain.” In other words, we're risk averse by nature. Briefly touching on the things someone will miss out on by not buying your product or service can provide the extra incentive needed to convert. Here's an example: 29. A clear CTA The CTA is hands down one of the most critical elements of a sales email. Not only should it be crystal clear which action you want readers to perform, it should be visible. Netflix crushes it with this email where the readers' eyeballs instantly gravitate to the red CTA button in the middle of the page: This one, from Cards Against Humanity, also pulls it off well, incorporating the brand's signature humor style: 30. Social proof You've probably heard me talk about the importance of social proof in other areas of marketing. It's also quite effective in sales emails as well. Whenever you're directly promoting a product or service, include a quick little something-something that backs up its legitimacy. Here's a great example: 31. A link to your website You're obviously going to include a CTA. But you shouldn't stop there. I recommend adding at least one link to your website, but three or four is completely fine. This is a simple way to increase direct traffic and help people learn more about your brand. 32. A link to your blog While you're at it, why not go ahead and link to your blog as well? It's an easy way to increase your blog readership and create more buzz around recent posts. 33. Share buttons Another reason I love email marketing is because it enables you to kill multiple birds with one stone. Throw in social share buttons to popular networks to increase your following with virtually no extra effort. 34. A forward link Let's say a reader loves one of your emails and they want to share it with someone they know. You can save them time and streamline the process by including a forward link so they can share it with a single click. This is also a great way to quickly grow the size of your subscriber base without putting in a lot of extra work. 35. Signature Don't forget the signature! This is another way to reinforce your brand identity, and it can drive traffic to other resources you're trying to promote (e.g., your website). 36. Business info in the footer People get tons of emails. Some may literally receive hundreds on any given day. Be sure to include key business info in the footer (e.g., address, phone number, other contact information) so people know exactly who is sending it and how to contact you if necessary. It also makes it look more professional and legit in my opinion. 37. An unsubscribe button Here's the scenario. You mistakenly signed up to a newsletter you have zero interest in. All of a sudden, you're bombarded with emails and no easy way to stop it. It's incredibly annoying and can create feelings of resentment and even hostility toward the brand. Make sure you're not doing this to your subscribers. Give them a clear way to unsubscribe, ideally with only one click. 38. A means of feedback Say that someone does decide to unsubscribe. It's important you know exactly why they decided to do so. Here's a good example of the types of questions you can ask to figure this out: This will provide you with valuable intel so that you can improve your emails moving forward and prevent making the same mistake. 39. Mobile-friendliness These days, over half (53%) of emails are opened on mobile devices. Just look at how much email opens on mobile grew between 2010 and 2015: It's dramatic! If your emails aren't fully optimized for mobile, you're shooting yourself in the foot. A mobile-friendly UX is critical, so you should do everything you can to optimize this. I recommend reading this post from Copyblogger for advice on this topic. Conclusion The potential is huge for brands that use email marketing effectively. Just keep in mind that the average ROI is $44 for every $1 spent. Not bad! But to get the most out of your campaign, your sales emails need to hit all the right notes. By ensuring they have all the elements I covered in this post, you can boost both your open rate and your click-through rate for epic conversions. What do you think the most important elements of a well-crafted sales email are? http://bit.ly/2sX1fTz

[reverseskydives]

39 Things Every Sales Email Needs to Have

Did you know Gmail alone has more than one billion monthly active users?

That means roughly one in every seven humans on the planet has a Gmail account.

And that’s what I love so much about email marketing: the fact that it’s so universal and allows you to reach such a huge audience.

Just think about it. Not everyone uses Instagram. Not everyone uses Snapchat.

But almost everyone uses email.

I look at email as the great equalizer in marketing. It’s especially helpful if you need to reach an older demographic of baby boomers and beyond.

Of course, there’s a lot that goes into a well run email marketing campaign.

Not only must you get recipients to open your sales email, but you also need to drive conversions.

To accomplish this, you’ve got to cover all the bases.

Here are 39 things every sales email needs to have.

1. A definitive purpose

Before you do anything, you need to have a clear understanding of the specific purpose behind each and every email.

One may promote a new product; another may discuss a major update to your service…

This will dictate the direction you take, the content you feature, the CTA you include, and so on.

Make sure you always know the precise purpose of your message before getting in too deep.

2. Specialized targeting

It’s likely your brand has multiple audience personas.

Effective segmentation is critical for getting the right marketing material in front of each email subscriber.

I recommend creating at least a few different personas and sending out individualized emails based on each group’s needs and preferences.

Here’s a very basic example:

This should ensure no one receives irrelevant content, which should have a noticeable impact on your open rate and conversions.

In fact, “segmented email campaigns have an open rate that is 14.32% higher than [that of] non-segmented campaigns.”

3. A killer subject line

Almost 75% of people don’t open emails.

A big reason for that is lackluster subject lines.

They’re not inspiring enough to motivate subscribers to open the email.

This is why you need to understand the psychology behind a killer subject line.

As a huge proponent of email marketing, I’ve done a considerable amount of experimenting with this process.

Check out this post I wrote on NeilPatel.com to learn the fundamentals of creating better email subject lines.

4. A personalized message

Research from Aberdeen found that “personalized email messages improve click-through rates by an average of 14% and conversions by 10%.”

Other studies have seen a similar trend:

So it’s really important you personalize each email.

Ideally, use each recipient’s first and last name.

5. To be brief

I love long-form content.

Aferall, it’s long-form content that tends to rank the highest in SERPs.

But a sales email isn’t the place for it.

Keep it short, sweet, and to the point for maximum impact.

6. A natural voice

I would wager that the majority of email subscribers don’t want to be addressed in some hyper-corporate, formal fashion.

Instead, most prefer to be spoken to like an actual person.

Use a conversational tone, and approach it as if you’re speaking to your blog readers.

7. Power words

Studies in psychology have shown that people respond better to some words than others.

Utilizing power words is a simple way to connect with readers and pique their interest.

Check out this list from SmartBlogger for examples of power words.

8. The word “you”

At the end of the day, we all want to know what’s in it for us.

If you want someone to read through your email in its entirety, you’d better darn sure appeal to them on a personal basis.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to use “you” when addressing your readers.

“You” is one of the most persuasive words in the English language and should help you connect with your readers.

9. To ask questions

I find asking questions to be a great way to mimic the feel of a face-to-face conversation.

There’s no need to go overboard, but asking a few key questions is an effective way to create rapport and get readers interested.

10. Empathy

People are interested in buying a product or service for a reason.

They have a problem or pain point they’re seeking a solution for.

Make it clear you understand their struggles and that your goal is to help them find a resolution.

11. Trustworthiness

Any semblance of sketchiness is a recipe of disaster.

Be diligent about establishing your brand as a trusted source.

12. To say “thank you”

I find that simply thanking readers for their time and consideration to buy my product is a perfect way to humanize my emails.

Here’s a great quote from The Harvard Business Review:

Saying “thank you” is a great way to close and shows you genuinely appreciate the fact that someone took the time out of their day to read your email.

13. A personalized product recommendation

Keeping with the theme of personalization, I suggest including a personalized product recommendation whenever it makes sense.

Take into consideration the needs, wants, and overall pain points of each targeted demographic.

Then include a link to a particular product they would be interested in.

14. Educational and/or entertaining content

One of the quickest ways to kill your subscriber’s vibe is to blast them with super salesy content.

Of course, you want to be actively promoting your brand, but it shouldn’t come across as obnoxious.

I suggest focusing on the two E’s:

Educating and Entertaining your audience.

Use these as guides for creating your email, and the rest should follow.

15. Eye appeal

Platforms, such as MailChimp and Aweber, offer a boatload of design features to make your emails pop.

Take advantage of these features, and place an emphasis on aesthetics.

This is extremely important for getting readers to browse through your emails and ultimately work their way to your CTA.

16. A branded template

Speaking of visuals, I can’t stress enough how important it is to create your own branded template.

Achieving consistency through this medium is vital for establishing and reinforcing your brand identity.

Once again, most platforms, like MailChimp and Aweber, offer everything you need to create a branded template.

Be sure you’re incorporating your company’s colors, logos, style, etc. so that it sticks with readers and helps them distinguish you from competitors.

17. Standard font

One mistake I see email marketers make is getting too cute with their designs.

More specifically, they get a little crazy with their fonts, making the content difficult to read.

Keep it simple, and stick with tried and true fonts, like Arial and Calibri.

These are easy on readers’ eyes and encourage them to read through the entire email.

18. Font consistency

I also suggest sticking with one font.

Make sure you’re not switching from font to font throughout the body of your email.

This disrupts the flow of your message and can kill conversions.

19. Short paragraphs

White space.

To me (and most readers), it’s a beautiful thing.

One of the easiest ways to maximize the digestibility of your emails is to use short paragraphs.

I recommend shooting for an absolute maximum of four sentences per paragraph.

One to two sentences is even better.

20. Sub-headers

What’s the other key element of digestible content?

Sub-headers to provide breaks and highlight main points.

Never include a large mass of text without breaking it down into individual sections, using sub-headers.

More specifically, it’s smart to use a variety of H1s, H2s, H3s, etc. to prioritize content.

Here’s a good example of how to do this effectively:

21. Bullet lists

Let’s not forget about bullet lists.

They’re ideal for breaking down longer lists into concise and succinct points.

22. Visuals

It’s no secret most people respond overwhelmingly well to visuals.

In 2017, “37% of marketers said visual marketing was the most important form of content for their business, second only to blogging (38%).”

I suggest using at least one image per email to give it some pizzazz and fulfill your reader’s inherent desire for visuals.

Here’s a really nice example of an email from United By Blue:

It’s actually the same image they use on their opt-in page, but it works perfectly.

23. Alt tags for images

In the event an image isn’t properly displayed, you need to have an alt tag for that image.

The alt tag will describe exactly what the image is so there’s no confusion for readers.

24. A video

Okay, you may not necessarily want to use a video in every single email you send.

But they’re definitely an effective way to increase your open rate and click-through rate.

According to Pardot, “Using the word ‘video’ in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19% and click-through rates by 65%.”

This proves people respond favorably to video, and it is something at least worth experimenting with.

25. A clean layout

This should go without saying.

Always be sure to look over each email and eliminate any clutter or unnecessary info that’s not genuinely contributing to its value.

I like to strive for a minimalist feel.

26. An enticing offer

Not only should your offer be relevant to the specific person receiving an email, it should be genuinely enticing.

Ask yourself whether it truly scratches an itch.

If not, tweak it until it hits its mark.

27. Specific benefits

Also be sure to mention the key benefits.

Let readers know exactly how their lives will improve.

28. What they’ll miss out on if they don’t buy

For most humans, “the fear of loss trumps the desire to gain.”

In other words, we’re risk averse by nature.

Briefly touching on the things someone will miss out on by not buying your product or service can provide the extra incentive needed to convert.

Here’s an example:

29. A clear CTA

The CTA is hands down one of the most critical elements of a sales email.

Not only should it be crystal clear which action you want readers to perform, it should be visible.

Netflix crushes it with this email where the readers’ eyeballs instantly gravitate to the red CTA button in the middle of the page:

This one, from Cards Against Humanity, also pulls it off well, incorporating the brand’s signature humor style:

30. Social proof

You’ve probably heard me talk about the importance of social proof in other areas of marketing.

It’s also quite effective in sales emails as well.

Whenever you’re directly promoting a product or service, include a quick little something-something that backs up its legitimacy.

Here’s a great example:

31. A link to your website

You’re obviously going to include a CTA.

But you shouldn’t stop there.

I recommend adding at least one link to your website, but three or four is completely fine.

This is a simple way to increase direct traffic and help people learn more about your brand.

32. A link to your blog

While you’re at it, why not go ahead and link to your blog as well?

It’s an easy way to increase your blog readership and create more buzz around recent posts.

33. Share buttons

Another reason I love email marketing is because it enables you to kill multiple birds with one stone.

Throw in social share buttons to popular networks to increase your following with virtually no extra effort.

34. A forward link

Let’s say a reader loves one of your emails and they want to share it with someone they know.

You can save them time and streamline the process by including a forward link so they can share it with a single click.

This is also a great way to quickly grow the size of your subscriber base without putting in a lot of extra work.

35. Signature

Don’t forget the signature!

This is another way to reinforce your brand identity, and it can drive traffic to other resources you’re trying to promote (e.g., your website).

36. Business info in the footer

People get tons of emails.

Some may literally receive hundreds on any given day.

Be sure to include key business info in the footer (e.g., address, phone number, other contact information) so people know exactly who is sending it and how to contact you if necessary.

It also makes it look more professional and legit in my opinion.

37. An unsubscribe button

Here’s the scenario.

You mistakenly signed up to a newsletter you have zero interest in.

All of a sudden, you’re bombarded with emails and no easy way to stop it.

It’s incredibly annoying and can create feelings of resentment and even hostility toward the brand.

Make sure you’re not doing this to your subscribers.

Give them a clear way to unsubscribe, ideally with only one click.

38. A means of feedback

Say that someone does decide to unsubscribe.

It’s important you know exactly why they decided to do so.

Here’s a good example of the types of questions you can ask to figure this out:

This will provide you with valuable intel so that you can improve your emails moving forward and prevent making the same mistake.

39. Mobile-friendliness

These days, over half (53%) of emails are opened on mobile devices.

Just look at how much email opens on mobile grew between 2010 and 2015:

It’s dramatic!

If your emails aren’t fully optimized for mobile, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

A mobile-friendly UX is critical, so you should do everything you can to optimize this.

I recommend reading this post from Copyblogger for advice on this topic.

Conclusion

The potential is huge for brands that use email marketing effectively.

Just keep in mind that the average ROI is $44 for every $1 spent.

Not bad!

But to get the most out of your campaign, your sales emails need to hit all the right notes.

By ensuring they have all the elements I covered in this post, you can boost both your open rate and your click-through rate for epic conversions.

What do you think the most important elements of a well-crafted sales email are?

from Social Media Marketing http://ift.tt/2r65omJ via Social Media Marketing