This is the story of one of the riskiest email sequences I have ever written:

I was working on a project for a company that had a "nerdy" voice. (Think Lord of the Rings.)

And somehow, I got an idea to use an elf as a main character in a couple of the emails.

After I wrote them, I sent an email to my business/copywriting coach with the subject line:

"I wrote an email about an elf… and I need your help"

I wasn't sure whether the idea was brilliant or terrible.

(I've found that the best ideas tend to feel this way. They're either really good — or really bad… without much in-between.)

I held my breath and waited.

About 30 minutes later, he sent back a Loom video with his response. His first words, along with a chuckle, were:

"This is great."

I was subcontracted on the project through another copywriter. So I sent the emails over to her.

She liked them too. She said:

"These are AMAZING. I’m stoked about every email! No edits needed, we’re good to go."

Phew! What a relief.

Coming up with creative ideas for emails or ads can be scary. And I tend to favor clarity over cleverness…

But every now and then, you just gotta do it to 'em. 🤷🏻‍♂️

The ad we're reviewing in today's episode of Email Marketing Motivation isn't about an elf. But it IS about a man whose friend dies and becomes a horse.

The headline?

"My friend, Joe Holmes, is now a horse."

Let's check it out.

The Piece

Source: *Copy Legends Legendary Ad Vault*

Lessons We Can Learn From This Piece

1. To Grab Attention, Be Unexpected.

Imagine it's 1938. And you're doing whatever it was that people did in 1938:

Smoking, drinking, wishing air-conditioning existed, reading a magazine…

When you stumble across this ad.

It's so wildly different from any other ad that you can't help but read it. It literally stops you in your tracks. That's what a good ad (or email) does.

I won't bore you with stats about how people see thousands of ads per day (I think I mentioned that in another recent episode). But what I will say is this:

People are inundated with more content than ever. And most of it is specifically designed to grab their attention and hold it.

That's the game you're playing — whether you like it or not.

So if you want people to pay attention to your emails, say something unexpected in your subject line.

It doesn't have to be controversial or anything like that. But it should be surprising. Or, at the very least, interesting.

2. Write As Simply As Possible.

Yesterday, I typed this ad into the Hemingway Editor, and my brain melted and started leaking from my ears.

…

Alright, so the "brain-leaking" part is a lie. But I was surprised to see that this ad is written at a 1st-grade reading level.

… and that's a good thing.

If you want your ad (or email) to have as big of an impact as possible — then you need as many people as possible to read it.

One easy way to do that is make sure it's written at a low reading level. That way, more people will actually be able to read it.

So, pick small words instead of big ones. Write short sentences. Don't try to impress people with your knowledge.

Instead, impress them with your message.

3. Make Your Ad (Or Email) Interesting.

An old-school advertising wizard named Howard Gossage once said:

"People read what interests them. Sometimes it's an ad."

I first heard about Gossage from Chris Orzechowski, and (as I understand it) this is the main philosophy behind Chris's agency, Orzy Media.

Very few people actually want to read ads. But if you tell them something interesting in your ad or email, they're much more likely to pay attention to it.

So, while it is important to make a sales argument for whatever you're selling, it's also important to make your sales argument interesting…

Otherwise, people will tune it out.

The great thing about this ad is that it's nearly impossible to tune out. The headline is so interesting (and so short and simple) that, once you read it, it's hard NOT to pay attention.

Strive to make your emails so interesting that people will stop whatever they're doing and read them.

(Daniel Throssell's emails are a great example of how to do this well.)

4. Reveal Pain Points Through Story.

Notice how this ad reveals pain points through story:

"My shirt collars always used to shrink and murder me. In fact, one choked me to death. That is why I died!"

People buy things because it moves them toward pleasure or away from pain.

When it comes to dress shirts, apparently one of the pains people experienced in 1938 was the fact that shirts would shrink…

And the collars would essentially turn into chokers.

Arrow Shirts (the company this ad is about) created a unique mechanism to solve this:

Their shirts are "Sanforized-shrink-proof," which means they won't shrink and choke you…

Or even, as in the case of poor Joe Holmes, lead to your death.

There are a TON of ways you can reveal pain points in copy. But when it comes to your emails, telling a story is a good way to do it, because it's interesting and engaging.

5. Stand Behind Your Product.

As a general rule-of-thumb, your product should do what you say it does in your ad.

Being a good marketer doesn't just mean "selling a lot of things." It means "selling a lot of things that customers love."

And one of the things I appreciate about this ad is the guarantee at the end:

"Sanforized Shrunk — a new shirt free if one ever shrinks."

Think of this as the cherry-on-top of a good ad. In order for an ad (or an email) to lead to sales, then it needs to inspire confidence.

It needs to convey to customers that your product will actually work for them. And having a guarantee like this is a great way to get that message across.

How To Apply These Lessons To Your Email Marketing ASAP

Here's a quick summary of the lessons from this piece:

To Grab Attention, Be Unexpected.
Write As Simply As Possible.
Make Your Ad (Or Email) Interesting.
Reveal Pain Points Through Story.
Stand Behind Your Product.

And here’s how you can apply it to your email marketing:

Write an email about an unexpected event.

If you're an author, speaker, consultant, or coach — it might not make sense for you to write an email about an elf or your friend turning into a horse or whatever.

But you CAN still write about something unexpected from your life.

Has a stranger ever given you a random compliment? Have you ever done something super spontaneous? Have you ever witnessed something completely unexpected happen to someone else?

Tell the story of that event, then tie it into whatever action you want readers to take. (More info on this in Stories That Sell.)

And don't forget to write as simply as you can. (Use The Hemingway Editor for this.)

Here's What You Should Do Next

Thanks for reading Email Marketing Motivation. Here's what you should do next:

Click here and join my email list. I'll give you a heads up when I publish the next episode of Email Marketing Motivation, AND you'll get free access to my email copywriting cheatsheet, The Email Copy Instant Upgrade.
Share this article with someone — or a group of people — who would like it. They'll be impressed by how smart and thoughtful you are.
Check out my course, Stories That Sell, if you want my comprehensive guide on how to write storytelling emails that earn more money for your business and help you connect with your audience in a genuine way.

EMM16: My Friend, Joe Holmes, Is Now A Horse by George Gribbin