The Preview Technique That Rapidly Builds An Email List And Grows Sales

I am sure you will agree, creating lead magnets and tripwire products can be time consuming and costly.

But what if there was a way to remove that process and rapidly grow an email list and sales?

Well, in this article, I am going to share with you a process used by Behavioural Science experts to gain more leads, sales and conversions.

And, I know the process works, because it worked on myself.

In this article I break down the landing page mechanisms, the email formulas and even look at something called 'the sales page loop'.

Ready?

Let's dive into this week's copywriting example.

How The Preview Technique Got Me To Spend £395 On A Course

A preview of a lesson is nothing new.

In fact, in the Teachable Platform (which this course is built on) you have always been able to preview lessons.

But the thing that caught my eye was the 'preview call to action' button, which leads to a pop up that we will break down next.

The Preview Technique Pop Up

Once you click the button link you get a pop-up that reads as follows:

So. let's break down this excellent pop-up copy.

First up, we have a strong headline that is simple and tells you what you 'can' get.

'Preview the masterclass for free' 

This is a no-nonsense headline that tells you what you will get if you give your email.

The next line re-enforces why you are here:

 "curious about the masterclass- but unsure".

I like to call these "desire- but" lines.

Here are a few options for alternative businesses using this format.

The 'Desire-But' framework addresses the desire of the reader and the problem holding them back.

And, of course, the next line provides the resolution to their problem.

"Enter your email and we'll send you (and directly take you to) an exclusive video preview of what to expect."

This sentence is worth unpacking because it uses some ingenious mechanisms.

"Enter your email": tells you precisely what you need to do.

"We'll send you": you are going to receive a communication from them.

"(and directly take you to) ": This part is very interesting because we all hate the subscription process.

You know, wait 7 minutes and an email comes, then you have to click that and so on. 

Mindworx tell you that you are going to this preview directly.

"an exclusive video preview of what to expect": This next line is telling you that the preview is exclusive (not available elsewhere) and that you are going to see what the course is like.

It is great pop up copy for sure.

The Immediate Landing Page And Special Offer Mix

After signing up for the preview, you are directed to a landing page where they not only give you the preview but also offer the pricing structure again.

Another fascinating thing is that they are adding 'gamification' into the landing page using a 'get 15% off' question.

All you have to do, is tell them who the special guest lecturer is on the course to get a discount.

The works in a brilliant manner because you need to listen to the video in its entirety to find the answer.

Now, this might not seem such a big deal.

But have you ever been on a sales page with a video that has no fast forward or rewind controls?

It is annoying as hell.

Here they give you the controls, but also a reason to pay attention and watch all of the video.

They hand you the power and this adds to the feeling that you are in control.

This is actually a technique from behavioural science, it turns out people like to feel in control and hate it when they aren't.

The Email Sequence That Powers Up The Preview Technique

So, if the preview didn't get the sale and the gamification did nothing for you, they aren't finished with trying to get the conversion just yet.

After signing up, you are directed through a great automated email sequence.

I signed up on 22/10/2019 for the free preview and became a paying customer on the 8/11/2019.

So, it took just 8 emails for me to become a customer and just over 20 days. 

So, what happened?

What was the big thing that they did?

Let's break that down the email sequence:

This email sequence is interesting because they give you 6 emails of content you can consume and learn from, followed by one sales email.

But that wasn't what pushed me over the edge. Because, even after the email sequence was over, I still didn't buy.

However, they followed up with yet more value (they do say the fortune is in the follow up).

The 2 Day Email Delivery Sequence That Got The Sale

Mindworx sent a value-packed email every 2 days and I opened each one. 

I think the sign of a proper email sequence is the reader missing it when it is over, and I didn't want this one to end. 

I actually enjoyed getting the emails every few days.

But a day later (not sure if this is deliberate or not) I got an email that pushed me over the edge and made me dust off my wallet and purchase.

What was it?

What was in this email that was so powerful?

It was a superb case study about a bedding company.

However, it was the take away comment at the base of the email that made me want to dive in and buy the course.

And here it is:

"So if you want to increase the relevance of your offer, timing is everything. It is not just about the emotions you aim to create but also the state of mind your customer is at prior to making a decision."

And the line below it:

Sure, the case study was excellent, but it was the 2 pronged approach at the base of the mail that made the difference.

I call this mechanism the 'Bait, Hook and Catch".

With baiting, you round up an email at the base (the bait) and then add a call to action at the bottom ('the hook').

From the hook, you reel them in and convert with a great landing page.

The bait hook and catch mechanism has been around for a long time and is referred to by different names and is used on everything from flyers, to Facebook ads/ posts and even blog post conclusions.

The bait (the summary) tells you the importance of the preceding text and this adds context to the hook you use.

This is useful, because it answers the 'so what' question for the reader which is going to make your call to action that much more tempting.

Here are the 3 parts again:

Value-Based Emails That Come In Weekly

One of the reasons I put this copywriting example together is that I was receiving emails from Mindworx and I didn't know why.

I wasn't annoyed by them at all; they were among the best emails I had received for a long time.

But I wondered why they were coming to me.

After all, I had signed up for the course and paid. So, what's in this for them?

I reached out to Matej Sucha to ask him why I was receiving them (and how my friends might subscribe to get these fantastic tips).

And that's when the penny dropped.

I realised what a great tool 'The Preview Technique' is for those looking to grow their email list using a course they have created.

Their sales page does it all.

It converts leads into paying customers and grows both a buyers list and an 'interested' list at the same time.

The Sales Page Loop

Matej explained to me that the behavioural tip emails (which are really useful) are for people who have signed up for the free preview of the course.

This is when I realised that Mindworx were employing what I refer to as a sales page loop.

They send you to their sales/ landing page with every advert and continually find ways to send you back.

This sales page loop is really interesting because it doesn't use scarcity to get a sale (such as a countdown timer until enrollment closes).

Instead it is a single sales page that everything revolves around.

You just keep sending people to that page, be it via your emails, blogs, ads or social media posts.

I am not sure how many people have signed up for the Mindworx course, I believe it is thousands. 

But it is clear that this repetition approach has value, because I must have read their sales page at least 8 or 9 times before I decided to purchase.

Value Based Emails

I must add that the key ingredient here is value.

Had I not read the emails and found them valuable I would not have clicked back to their sales page.

Way too often a company will treat an email as just a stepping stone rather than a weapon for sales generation.

Mindworx give value at every touch point, and sooner or later, you are going to realise that you NEED to take their course (and yes it is superb).

Conclusion

Phew, so there we have it.

A break down of The Preview Technique and how Mindworx uses this.

There are a lot of ways to sell an online course. 

And I am not saying they don't work well. 

But could adding a 'preview' grow your email list and sales without the need for investing in years of blogging or building tripwire products or free e-books?

The only way to know is to test it for yourself.

Thanks for reading.

Andrew Holland