So why is it that so many people still don’t get it right?

I mean, email could easily be termed as the “killer app of all time”. So it fails my understanding why so many people give so less time to think what they are writing in an an email before hitting the “send” button.

So here it a great resource from the marketing guru, Seth Godin, who has created this 36-points checklist for email users.

Checklists are known to save lives – during medical surgeries and airline journeys. Email writing is no different. Though it’s not a matter of life and death here, well, in some cases it may be!

So over to Seth…

Email checklist
by Seth Godin

Before you hit send on that next email, perhaps you should run down this list, just to be sure:

1. Is it going to just one person? (If yes, jump to #10)
2. Since it’s going to a group, have I thought about who is on my list?
3. Are they blind copied?
4. Did every person on the list really and truly opt in? Not like sort of, but really ask for it?
5. So that means that if I didn’t send it to them, they’d complain about not getting it?
6. See #5. If they wouldn’t complain, take them off!
7. That means, for example, that sending bulk email to a list of bloggers just cause they have blogs is not okay.
8. Aside: the definition of permission marketing: Anticipated, personal and relevant messages delivered to people who actually want to get them. Nowhere does it say anything about you and your needs as a sender. Probably none of my business, but I’m just letting you know how I feel. (And how your prospects feel).
9. Is the email from a real person? If it is, will hitting reply get a note back to that person? (if not, change it please).
10. Have I corresponded with this person before?
11. Really? They’ve written back? (if no, reconsider email).
12. If it is a cold-call email, and I’m sure it’s welcome, and I’m sure it’s not spam, then don’t apologize. If I need to apologize, then yes, it’s spam, and I’ll get the brand-hurt I deserve.
13. Am I angry? (If so, save as draft and come back to the note in one hour).
14. Could I do this note better with a phone call?
15. Am I blind-ccing my boss? If so, what will happen if the recipient finds out?
16. Is there anything in this email I don’t want the attorney general, the media or my boss seeing? (If so, hit delete).
17. Is any portion of the email in all caps? (If so, consider changing it.)
18. Is it in black type at a normal size?
19. Do I have my contact info at the bottom? (If not, consider adding it).
20. Have I included the line, “Please save the planet. Don’t print this email”? (If so, please delete the line and consider a job as a forest ranger or flight attendant).
21. Could this email be shorter?
22. Is there anyone copied on this email who could be left off the list?
23. Have I attached any files that are very big? (If so, google something like ‘send big files’ and consider your options.)
24. Have I attached any files that would work better in PDF format?
25. Are there any or other emoticons involved? (If so, reconsider).
26. Am I forwarding someone else’s mail? (If so, will they be happy when they find out?)
27. Am I forwarding something about religion (mine or someone else’s)? (If so, delete).
28. Am I forwarding something about a virus or worldwide charity effort or other potential hoax? (If so, visit snopes and check to see if it’s ‘actually true).
29. Did I hit ‘reply all’? If so, am I glad I did? Does every person on the list need to see it?
30. Am I quoting back the original text in a helpful way? (Sending an email that says, in its entirety, “yes,” is not helpful).
31. If this email is to someone like Seth, did I check to make sure I know the difference between its and it’s? Just wondering.
32. If this is a press release, am I really sure that the recipient is going to be delighted to get it? Or am I taking advantage of the asymmetrical nature of email–free to send, expensive investment of time to read or delete?
33. Are there any little animated creatures in the footer of this email? Adorable kittens? Endangered species of any kind?
34. Bonus: Is there a long legal disclaimer at the bottom of my email? Why?
35. Bonus: Does the subject line make it easy to understand what’s to come and likely it will get filed properly?
36. If I had to pay 42 cents to send this email, would I?

In these 10 lessons, I’ll share with you the simple secrets that the world’s best copywriters use to create successful sales letters that are engaging and persuasive.

This course is a compilation of whatever I’ve learnt through my experience as a writer and copywriter over the past eight years, and using my training from American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI).

All in all, Copywriting for Smart People will give you some of the best, most effective copywriting tools that you need to become a successful copywriter.

So what are you waiting for? Click here to sign up now!

Once you sign up for this free course, you’ll get a copywriting lesson each week for the next 10 weeks in your email inbox.

These won’t be any technical lessons that I’ll be sending you. I’ve constructed the course in a very easy format…so easy that you can read and understand it while relaxing, or travelling, or when you are in a mood of some light reading during your free time.

You just need an Internet connection and an email account to receive this course.

Copywriting for Smart People is intended to give you a real grounding in the way copywriting works and how successful copywriters have helped their clients earn huge money by helping them promote and sell their products and services. This course will also show you how you can also do the same for yourself over the long run.

After that, I’ll keep you up to date on other writing & copywriting ideas to refine your thinking, sharpen your tactics, and improve your strategies.

Sign up now to receive the 10-lesson free course – Copywriting for Smart People – and get on to the path to personal and financial freedom.

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Therein, I suggested how every visitor on your website, or every sales enquiry you receive, is from a person who wants you to solve his problem.

He wants you to help him become richer, stronger, healthier, and happier. He wants you to help him ease his problem so that he can sleep peacefully at night.

So, he wants to buy what you sell. That’s why he approaches you.

But the moot question here is – How do you make him love to buy from you?

The answer – Tell him a story.

Tell him a story that he wants to believe, not what you want him to believe.

Tell him how his problem can be solved, not how only you can solve his problem.

Don’t convince him to buy something that he doesn’t want or need. Instead, help him overcome his objections to buy from you.

Remember, every prospect is a worried man. There is an uneasiness that lurks in his mind.

I Have a Story
At Copywriter In India, I am starting this new initiative called “I Have a Story” that will project small Indian businesses or startups who have a great story to tell to their prospects, and who have already take a leap over their competitors in their storytelling.

We start with Thrillophilia, an adventure sports company based out of the Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore.

Here is the story of Thrillophilia, in the words of its co-founder, Abhishek Daga.

1. What is your story?
Passionate for adventure and outdoors, identifying a gap in Indian adventure travel market and having a burning desire to start something of our own, I & Chitra (Chitra Gurnani Daga, Co-Founder & CEO) founded Thrillophilia, India’s biggest adventure sports web portal in 2009.

What we do? High quality managed experience for Offbeat travel is Thrillophilia’s unique expertise. Be it corporate team outings or individual travellers, Thrillophilia provides a thrilling, adventurous and unconventional holiday for all.

The great Himalayan treks, especially trekking in Ladakh with the most scenic views, desert safari in Rajasthan, caving in Meghalaya, Indian wildlife and many more are some of the popular Indian adventures which we expertise in.

Thrillophilia.com is also a storehouse of information for adventure destinations in the country which could help you plan your next adventure trip.

Thrillophilia also captures the changing trend of the corporate market from regular team dinners to day out in the outdoors, from classroom training to offbeat training outbounds in the outdoors adding an element of high energy and thrill in them.

2. What is your prospect’s biggest problem that your business is trying to solve?
Providing an end to end managed experience for an offbeat corporate outbound or for the FITs (frequent individual travellers).

a. We take care of the stay, thrilling activities, training sessions, transport, fun and team bonding – a one of its kind of unique managed experience with lot of small leanings from whatever we do in course of the entire program.

b. For the FITs, our associations with the best vendors in adventure industry make them feel safe and sure during the treks, camps and any other adventure activity. Utmost care is taken in choosing the minute details like the guides, experts, drivers and places to stay so that everything becomes once-in-a-lifetime experience.

3. What are you doing that your competitors are not doing yet?
“Customer Delight” is what we focus on and the outdoor and sales team at Thrillophilia ensures that we reach there. 99% of our customers are not only satisfied but also delighted with our services. None of our competitors in this industry actually focus on that.

4. What happens if this fails?
“Never give up” is what we believe in. Being entrepreneurs, we are highly optimistic about our business model, will keep on bringing innovation in all our products adding more and more delight to them. Also the trends in the market and initial response from customers have strengthened our hopes for growth in the offbeat travel and adventure industry.

5. When your story is written, what will be the last famous words?
Some roads are rough & often less travelled; that is what makes it a thrilling ride.
The entrepreneurial journey puts one to test; that is what ignites the daring side.
It seems like a never ending path; that is when brave soldiers fight.
Quitting is easy; Staying is hard but right.
When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.
Attitude matters and soon it makes the challenge an addiction.
And then your mind, body and soul all unite to reach the vocation.

And yes, the “Thrillophiles” stand for it – “Daring to Dare yourselves”.

Can’t view the presentation above? Click here to view

With the amazing number of distractions that come from every corner of modern life, it’s remarkable that we’re ever able to accomplish anything.

The Power of Less demonstrates how to streamline your life by identifying the essential and eliminating the unnecessary. This frees you from everyday clutter and allows you to focus on accomplishing the goals that can change your life for the better.

I find a lot of things common between the concept of the power of less in living your live, and in writing a sales copy.

Here are some of my thoughts on how I have, over the years, used the power of less to make my copywriting more powerful and effective, and how you can do the same starting now (if you aren’t already).

Let’s get started right here.

1. One big idea
I have learned many valuable lessons from my experience as a copywriter, and from the teachings of some leading copywriters of the world.

None is more important than ‘one big idea’.

Writing about one, and just one big idea is one of the best habits I have formed as a copywriter. Readers don’t (like to) hear everything a writer has to say on a particular topic.

They are just looking for that one, single useful suggestion or piece of information that could benefit them.

Here’s what Ogilvy has to say about the power of one big idea – “It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product. Unless your advertising contains a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night. I doubt if more than one campaign in a hundred contains a big idea.”

2. Rule of three
The rule of three is based on the technique that people tend to remember three things. And this simple trick is what a copywriter or a content writer can use to engage people.

We never learn our numbers and alphabets. We always learn ‘1-2-3’ and ‘A-B-C’.

For copywriters and content writers specifically, I believe using the rule of three is one of the most effective ways to engage the prospects and readers respectively.

The magic really works, it has been proven time & again, and you can try it for yourself.

Express a concept, emphasize it, and make it memorable.

3. Small sentences
“My teacher said that I will be performing classical dance on the stage next week, and I will be the lone performer from my class, and she has invited you to the function, which will be held in my school auditorium, but she forgot to tell me the exact date and time, so I will confirm it tomorrow if I go to school because I am not feeling well today as I ate some chocolates in the morning because it was my class teacher’s birthday and it was also our principal’s birthday.”

You will be gasping for breath on hearing this, but not your six-year old who is all excited for her upcoming performance.

I edit a lot of sentences that work the same way…long, drowsy, never-ending types.

For writing an impactful sentence, all you need is a noun, a verb, and sometimes an object. Give some serious thought to stopping right there.
I’m not saying you always write clipped short sentences. But most writers benefit from dividing their longest sentences into shorter, more powerful ones.

After all, there is immense power in brevity.

4. Small paragraphs
Like short sentences, even short paragraphs have immense power. Short paragraphs also support a single idea.

Every time you address a new idea, add a line break. Short paragraphs are the most readable; few should be more than three or four sentences long.

This is more important if you’re writing for the Web.

5. Small words
Use the first word that comes to your mind, if it is suitable. Don’t search for a Thesaurus to find a long, difficult replacement just because you want to impress your readers.

Always remember that long words don’t impress readers and they don’t make you sound intelligent. In fact, when long words are used incorrectly, they make you sound artificial.

Also, most of your readers won’t understand long words, and they will find your writing awkward to read.

So, never put a ‘policeman in an automobile’ when a ‘cop in a car’ will do.

‘Hunger’ can replace ‘starvation’.

‘Ambiguous’ is ‘vague’.

‘Trepidation’ is something you must ‘fear’.

While I’m quite productive when I don’t have the writer’s block, there are times when I find myself stuck.

I thought today I’d share one simple yet very important trick I’ve started using to overcome writer’s block.

Here’s a post written recently by Seth Godin, which has solved a lot of my problems whenever I’m stuck for ideas on what to write next. I hope it’ll help you a lot as well.

So let’s get started.

Talker’s block
by Seth Godin

No one ever gets talker’s block. No one wakes up in the morning, discovers he has nothing to say and sits quietly, for days or weeks, until the muse hits, until the moment is right, until all the craziness in his life has died down.

Why then, is writer’s block endemic?

The reason we don’t get talker’s block is that we’re in the habit of talking without a lot of concern for whether or not our inane blather will come back to haunt us. Talk is cheap. Talk is ephemeral. Talk can be easily denied.

We talk poorly and then, eventually (or sometimes), we talk smart. We get better at talking precisely because we talk. We see what works and what doesn’t, and if we’re insightful, do more of what works. How can one get talker’s block after all this practice?

Writer’s block isn’t hard to cure.

Just write poorly. Continue to write poorly, in public, until you can write better.

I believe that everyone should write in public. Get a blog. Or use Squidoo or Tumblr or a microblogging site. Use an alias if you like. Turn off comments, certainly–you don’t need more criticism, you need more writing.

Do it every day. Every single day. Not a diary, not fiction, but analysis. Clear, crisp, honest writing about what you see in the world. Or want to see. Or teach (in writing). Tell us how to do something.

If you know you have to write something every single day, even a paragraph, you will improve your writing. If you’re concerned with quality, of course, then not writing is not a problem, because zero is perfect and without defects. Shipping nothing is safe.

The second best thing to zero is something better than bad. So if you know you have write tomorrow, your brain will start working on something better than bad. And then you’ll inevitably redefine bad and tomorrow will be better than that. And on and on.

Write like you talk. Often.