One way to get more sales or email subscribers — if you have the money or connections — is through someone else’s list.
You can strike a deal where you mail each other’s lists, or you can just pay your partner to let you mail their list.
The key, of course, is picking a good partner. One in your niche with an engaged list of people matching your ideal client profile.
The email I broke down below combines selling and getting more subscribers.
The company mailing The Lazy Trader’s list sells a free stock alert service — to get it, the reader’s gotta give their email address.
Two birds with one stone!
Let’s get into it.
About The Lazy Trader and AwesomeStocks
The Lazy Trader is an investment/trading education company. It offers free articles and guides on trading and investing. It also has a paid membership for premium help with these.
AwesomeStocks sends subscribers free alerts on great potential stocks to look at. They appear to focus on companies with the potential to grow after major announcements, like new products, new partnerships, or FDA drug approvals.
The Email: An Affiliate/Partnership Subscriber Acquisition Email
It appears AwesomeStocks struck some sort of list-swap deal with The Lazy Trader. Or perhaps they’re paying The Lazy Trader for access to their list.
Either way, AwesomeStocks is aiming to get some of The Lazy Trader’s customers onto their own list. A great idea since they share a target audience.
In this case, it’s worth noting that AwesomeStock’s front-end offer is their free email list. They send subscribers free stock alerts every day.
Interesting business model — a perpetual lead magnet that likely upsells affiliate offers (and maybe their own products) on the backend.
Anyways, let’s get into the email:
The Subject Line: The Target Market’s Biggest Fear… and a Solution
The bear market angle is a brain-dead obvious angle to use here.
Sure, the subject line isn’t winning any awards for innovation.
But that’s why it sticks out — it offers a straight-up solution to a problem.
This works well with a short email for a free offer like this one.
Problem + Implicit CTA
The near-immediate implicit CTA is an interesting choice.
I think it invokes curiosity and drives the click.
It’s like any other line of copy… but why is it linked?
The reader must click to find out.
But just in case, the writer offered another few sentences to help drive the point home without revealing where the CTA leads.
They create anxiety in the reader — “am I investing in the right bear market stocks? What companies should I buy when the market’s in the toilet?”
Now, their mind is headed in the right direction (toward taking action).
I would have liked to see AwesomeStocks use the [firstname] liquid field to add the reader’s name.
That would’ve caught the reader’s attention even more — especially when getting a Lazy Trader that isn’t from The Lazy Trader.
But I don’t think it made a huge difference here. If they opened the email, there’s a good chance they would start reading.
Semi-Explicit CTA Early On
Immediately, AwesomeStocks promises a solution to alleviate their anxiety along with a benefit (“And that’s why we do the hard part for you.”)
I call this CTA “semi-explicit” because they’re pitching a product without urging action.
There’s no “click here to get stock alerts” type of language.
I bet a good number of The Lazy Trader’s readers that opened this email have clicked through here if they didn’t use the earlier CTA.
I mean, it’s free stock alerts. Problem illuminated, free solution proposed. There’s basically no risk here.
Further Explanation For Those Still Reading
As you may have noticed…
The email is split into “sections” — each punctuated by a CTA.
Buyers have various “skepticism levels,” so to speak. Some are persuaded right away, whereas others need more information.
So here, AwesomeStocks describes what readers can expect if they hop on the AwesomeStocks alert email list.
I like the specificity here. They give examples of what might cause them to issue a stock alert. They also explain how they focus on specific exchanges.
It gives off a more professional vibe. They aren’t just spamming out generic stock picks or anything. They’ve got their niche.
The benefit language at the beginning’s also pretty good. I mean, wouldn’t it be nice to pick great potential stocks without doing any hard research?
Exactly.
Defusing Another Objection + Final CTA
A common objection in the finance niche might be what kind of timeframe the trader trades on.
Some people day trade, and others invest for the looooooong term. Others are somewhere in between — maybe buying or selling every couple weeks.
AwesomeStocks addresses this outright. They reassure the reader of their free offer’s value regardless of their trading timeframe.
In theory, AwesomeStocks may have indicators, courses, etc. targeted toward each type of trader. This may be a great way to cast a wide net, then segment them based on the timeframe they trade on.
As a result, they can sell the right products to the right people.
Takeaways
Swapping lists with a competitor/niche peer offers easy access to customers who have already qualified themselves as potentially good fits for your business.
You may solve the same problem as your competitor differently or solve a separate problem altogether.
Regardless, AwesomeStocks offers a great example of a list swap email here.
It wastes no time or words, offers a free incentive (aka lead magnet), and includes multiple CTAs for different levels of skepticism.
It just so happens that their lead magnet doubles as a “free front-end offer” since (I assume) the stock alerts never end.
Interesting business model. Might be something worth trying.
What to Do Next
- Get on my email list.
- Reach out to me if you want help writing emails like this one.
- Check out AwesomeStocks and the Lazy Trader!