eCommerce Email Formula: 3 Bulletproof Formats for Emails

Email is the foundation stone of successful e-commerce marketing. Did you know that the conversion rate in e-commerce is 3x higher via email than via other channels? Not to mention that the average order value for an email offer is 20% higher. Yes, email marketing is that powerful. And having the right eCommerce Email Formula will really help you tap into that power.

So, you should just send emails to your subscribers, and that’s it, right?

Well, not quite.

How you approach the email copywriting, and your ability to keep recipients interested is crucial. If you want to achieve a high conversion rate, boost your sales, and grow brand loyalty, you need proven formulas for writing emails.

Why formulas? Because they set the groundwork and provide you with a framework that actually works. They’ll save you from failed attempts and establish email copywriting efficiency.

Having several copywriting formulas at your disposal will give email subscribers some variety and keep them engaged. You’ll also get a chance to try out different formulas and stick with the ones that work best for your target audience.

With that being said, let’s jump straight to tested, analyzed, and proven three best formulas for e-commerce emails.

eCommerce Email Formula No. 1: AIDCA

AIDA or Attention, Interest, Desire, Conviction, Action formula is a well-known eCommerce email formula among experienced copywriters. Many have relied on its impeccable ability to win over consumers. However, this AIDA formula that you are about to get to know is tailored to fit the needs of e-commerce email marketing.

• Attention – The formula starts with grabbing readers’ attention. Typically this is where an effective subject line comes into the picture. The preview text is another relevant, attention-grabbing tool.
• Interest – Build anticipation and evoke interest with the first few lines of the email. Simply answer the question – What would interest my target audience? One of the ways of building interest is by presenting a problem that your audience typically encounters.
• Desire – The main role of the email is to spark a desire. Depending on the type of email (sales, nurture, engagement emails), the desire is created by offering an amazing deal, engaging recipients with surveys, or captivating them with your brand story.
• Conviction – Eliminate any doubts that the recipients might have. If you are promoting a product, add reviews, if you want them to take a survey, offer exclusive blog posts as an incentive – simply add onto their desire with a convincing reason to take action.
• Action – The formula is solidified with a CTA (call-to-action) button.

You can use this formula within a single email, but you can also spread it out across a sequence of emails.

Formula No. 2: PAS

Problem, Agitate, Solve, or PAS formula, our second eCommerce email formula, can do wonders in e-commerce. What are products other than solutions to a problem? Your role in this framework will be to point out that problem and offer a solution in the form of your product. But let’s look closely at the structure of this formula.

• Problem – Put yourself in the customers’ shoes and portray the problem that frustrates them. A problem that can be solved with your product. The storytelling technique is a good method for presenting the problem. For example, if the solution is an ergonomic sleeping pillow, start with the story whose main characters are back pain, restless nights, and poor quality of sleep.
• Agitate – Reach the climax of your story with agitating examples of inefficient solutions that customers have tried out. You can mention the amount of money they’ve spent on various products or anticipate potential consequences if they don’t find an adequate solution.
• Solve – This is where your product steps in as the savior. Be specific about what makes your product different from the rest and why it can be the answer to their prayers.

Maximize the potential of this formula with some compelling images. Adding infographics that back up your product’s efficiency, before/after images, and similar visuals can boost the recipients’ engagement.

As you can easily get carried away while painting the picture of the problem and solution, make sure that you properly edit the content you use in the formula. Hire a professional editor or if you are confident in your skills, check the content’s comprehensiveness with Readable or Hemingway Editor online tools.

If you are intrigued by the storytelling technique, but you don’t have the experience, you can always collaborate with writing services such as WowGrade and TrustMyPaper. They can set the structure for the storytelling that you can reuse for different emails created with the PAS formula.

Formula No. 3: 4Ps

Another one of the digital marketers’ favorites is the 4Ps formula – Promise, Paint, Proof, Push.

• Promise – Begin with a bang, not a whimper. Immediately offer a promise of fulfilling your target audience’s desire. Whether your readers are Android software developers or business owners, there is a deep desire they want to fulfill. For example, the promise can look something like this, “Your social media campaign can be so amazing that you increase your followers rate in 24 hours!”
• Paint – Further elaborate on the promise you’ve made. What are the benefits? To add to the previously mentioned example, you can explain how new followers will bring them more sales. Really present what the target audience wants to achieve and, more importantly – present it as something that can be realized.
• Proof – Show your audience that you don’t make empty promises by providing them with proof of your efficiency. That proof can come in the form of testimonials, statistics, images of happy customers, success stories, etc.
• Push – You’ve got the audience excited, you’ve gained their trust, and now you need to push them to take the leap. Reinforce your promise with a CTA that ensures the recipients that the world you described is within their reach. Instead of a simple “Get started,” opt for “Get started now and watch how your number of followers rapidly grows.”

The 4Ps copywriting technique provides you with a framework that aims to excite readers about the solution. With the image of a better tomorrow that your product creates, they won’t be able to resist the temptation.

Final Thoughts

These formulas can give your emails a bulletproof structure. You won’t have to struggle with trying out different email forms and chasing away your customers with dull emails. Go straight to these three copywriting formulas that have proven efficiency.

Diana Nadim Adjadj, Freelance Writer

BIO: Diana Nadim is a writer and editor who has a Master’s degree in Marketing. She combines her passion for writing with her interest in research and creates thought-provoking content in various fields. Besides working as a contributor writer for Subjecto and ClassyEssay, Diana also runs her own blog. What inspires her the most in her writing is travelling and meeting new people.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/diana_nadim

w: 3to5marketing.com