How To Write An Email Sending An Update

Maybe that title is a little over-zealous: Don't forget newsletters; they're a powerful conversion tool. But don't limit yourself to them.

One of the most underutilized email strategies in network relationship direction are personalized update emails.

These are exactly what they sound like: Personal updates sent to your professional network; a quick and easy way to increase your mindshare without relying on spammy, generic marketing gimmicks.

Let's get started: Here are four steps to create powerful personalized update emails for your network.

1. Create your content

Let me start with a story:

When I kickoff arrived in California from Deutschland, I was pleasantly surprised by a curious American tradition: Holiday letters.

During every major holiday, Americans across the land exchanged letters full of simple-but-intimate updates about their lives. Fifty-fifty amend, people actually looked forward to getting them.

Why? Because, if written well , these letters incorporate interesting data well-nigh someone the recipient cares about. And that's the undercover to writing personalized update emails: Delivering content your network volition care about and relish reading .

Here are 3 types of content a properly-nurtured network will want to read.

1. Professional milestones

Any time you achieve something in your concern you're excited well-nigh, inquire: "Is this accomplishment worth sharing with my network? Will it interest, inspire, or do good them?"

If information technology will, it'd be selfish to keep to yourself. Here are a few examples of milestones worth sharing:

Landing a recognizable client,
Growing your team,
Raising a round of funding, or
Opening a new part

Hither's a (paraphrased) real-earth instance of how one of our clients used a professional milestone to connect with their network:

Hullo Ryan,

As you know, I've been helping expand Rapple for the last three years. When I started, all we had was a single office.

I wanted to achieve out and let yous know that this month nosotros're opening a brand new office in Chicago.

I felt such a sense of pride that I had to share this news with you and thank y'all for being part of the journey.

If you happen to know anybody you feel would benefit from coming together the Chicago team (or might be interested in working at the function), I'd actually appreciate an introduction.

Other than that, I'd beloved to know how you're doing. Shoot me a quick ping when you lot get a gamble.

Best,

Steve

When writing your own milestone update, be sure to discussion it such in a way that you aren't boasting. The email above is a great example of jubilant a victory without bragging.

Discover how it starts with a broad update ( … we just opened a new function … ), but quickly makes that update relevant to the receiver ( … if you happen to know everyone … ) and ends past starting a conversation ( … I'd dearest to know how you're doing … )

FYI: By the end of the campaign, that e-mail resulted in half dozen qualified candidates for the Chicago office.

2. Value payloads

How many times accept you read a book, skimmed a blog post, or listened to a podcast and thought, "Wow, this is really valuable!" If you're an avid Mindmaven weblog reader, you know those items are chosen value payloads.

You probably besides know that you should immediately forward value payloads to at least 5 contacts in your network. What y'all might non know is that you lot should keep a list of your value payloads .

And then, in one case you have three-5 items centered around a specific topic, transport out personalized update emails to your network containing those payloads.

Here's an instance of how this might wait in exercise:

Hello Chris,

I've been doing some research on productivity over the past couple months and read a few actually valuable web log posts. This might exist a challenge you face up from fourth dimension-to-time, so I wanted to share some of my favorite reads:

Top VCs on the 6 Habits of Highly-Productive Startup CEOs

What I Learned Scaling Engineering Teams Through Euphoria and Horror

A Strong Squad Starts at Onboarding

If you find the fourth dimension to review them, I'd dearest to hear your thoughts.

Cheers,

Rob

Notice how the e-mail quickly qualifies the content ( … This might be a claiming you confront … ) and opens the doors of communication ( … I'd love to hear your thoughts … ).

For another example, look at Reid Hoffman's ( @reidhoffman ) "in example y'all missed information technology" approach:

icymi2

The trick to majority value payload emails is providing content on a topic wide plenty to exist valuable to the majority of your network. For instance:

Scaling a business concern,
Increasing productivity, or
Deepening relationships.

In the end, you lot know your network meliorate than anyone, then it'due south up to you to deliver relevant content.

3. General check-ins

One of the keys to successful network relationship direction is follow upwards. As a general rule, your contacts should hear from you lot at least one time a quarter. This ensures y'all'll stay top-of-mind when opportunities ascend in your network.

Relationship marketing 101: Your network should hear from you lot at least once a quarter. Tweet this!

Just what happens when it'due south the stop of the quarter and you don't have anything to share?

If that'due south the case, look at your personal life and inquire, "What events accept impacted me in the concluding couple months? Of those, which would interest my network the most?"

Here are a few examples of general updates worthy of an electronic mail:

Moving,
Hobbies,
Marriage,
Family, or
Travel

To illustrate this point, I'g going to share a very personal email I sent to my network later on my begetter passed abroad.

Although information technology wasn't written with the intent to increment mindshare (ultimately it was a way for me to process my grief), it'southward a powerful example of what these emails tin accomplish.

Hey Nina

I am writing to share the news that my Dad recently passed away, unexpectedly. Nosotros are finding our own means of mourning this extreme and sudden loss and dealing with the sadness that comes forth with that.

My Dad was very proud of the work I have been doing for the last 8 years at Mindmaven and so one mode for me to celebrate his life is to share with the people I intendance about what I have learned from this experience.

To be specific, it'south what I learned well-nigh relationships – the expanse I accept the most expertise in.

I wanted to share this web log post with you: Have Yous Said What Y'all Need to Say?

I hope you'll find the fourth dimension to read it and maybe human action on the ideas offered if they are applicable to your life.

Cheers,

Patrick

Over again, I didn't write this email to stay top-of-mind. Just the response I received was moving, powerful, and healing. I was amazed by the number of people who responded, often with their own stories of loss or pain.

This electronic mail stands as an instance of how yous can utilize bulk post (this was sent to many, many people) to massively deepen individual relationships inside your network. You lot might be surprised by what your contacts will connect with and respond to. Give them the opportunity and many will have their ain stories to tell.

2. Determine your audition

As a general dominion, only send personal emails to individuals yous've spoken with ane-on-one ; men and women who will recognize your proper noun and have a genuine interest in connecting with you.

I recommend using a contact management solution (such every bit Contactually, referenced in detail below) to create a "bucket," category, or mailing list of contacts qualified for personalized update emails.

Proper name it something like, "Network updates," "Update recipient'due south," "Personal email contacts," or whatever feels correct for you.

Just utilize your judgment. Earlier sending, ask yourself: "Is this someone who would enjoy hearing from me?"

In the stop, listen to your contacts: As you run personal update e-mail campaigns, information technology'll get increasingly obvious which contacts appreciate the emails and which aren't interested.

3. Format your email

Imagine a standard marketing email: Spammy subject line, flashy colors, and graphics-intensive. In some other word: Loud.

A personal email should be the polar opposite. Where a marketing email is loud, a personal email is quiet, understated, and simple.

Where a marketing electronic mail is loud, a personal e-mail is tranquility, understated, and uncomplicated. Tweet this!

For your subject line, keep information technology curt and to-the-point. Here are a few examples:

A few things I desire yous to know about,
I thought you'd like to know about this,
I could apply your feedback on this, or
My father recently passed away – here is what I learned from it ( taken from the Full general Check-ins instance above )

For the content itself, have a text-simply approach. You don't demand a bunch of graphics or HTML formatting to get your point across. In almost cases, how yous'd write an email to a friend is how you should approach personalized update emails.

Demand an example? Open your personal inbox and look at your last few messages between family and friends. They're probably relatively brusk and casual; easy to read and easier to answer to.

That's what yous're aiming for.

4. Select your tool

Although you tin can utilize a number of different tools to manage personal email campaigns, I recommend Contactually . [Full disclosure: I'grand an advisor for this company]

Contactually is a contact direction tool with powerful e-mail capabilities. Ane of it'south near impressive features, a characteristic I helped devise, is chosen Scale Mail.

Unlike marketing e-mail services, Calibration Mail allows you to transport upwardly to 50 emails at a time from your personal email accost, and customize each email to the recipient.

Here's a quick look at Scale Mail:

scalemail

Annotation how Contactually allows you to customize the email for each contact in the campaign. Click here for more information near emailing in Contactually.

Of course, Contactually isn't your only pick. MailChimp or ConstantContact , for example, are email marketing tools that can be used in much the same style equally Contactually.

The problem with marketing tools is that electronic mail sent through them usually originate from a non-native email address, such as [email protected]

For the upkeep-conscious, yous can also use standard electronic mail providers like Gmail or Outlook; only keep in mind that the process is going to exist more time-intensive.

To use a standard e-mail provider to ship majority email, you'll need ii things: A mailing list (ofttimes created in Excel or Google Sheets) and a postal service merging tool. Here are a few tools to go started:

Mail Merge Toolkit for Microsoft Part
Post Merge with Attachments for Gmail
Yet Another Mail Merge for Gmail and Google Sheets

Using Outlook? Visit our friends at Slipstick for a full guide to the best Windows mail merge tools. Using Gmail? Click here to larn more about postal service merging in Google..

A endmost word of warning

Although these are "personal" emails, they're withal part of a bulk campaign and need to remain compliant with Tin-SPAM standards .

That means every electronic mail needs to end with your physical accost and a clear unsubscribe link. This, too, can be simple and casual. For example:

John Smith

123 Second Street, San Francisco, CA

Don't desire to receive updates in the future? No problem. Permit me know by replying, or click hither to unsubscribe immediately.

Once you've got that, your personal emails are ready to send.

And now that you've got the cognition, here'south my claiming to you: Use the steps above to ship a personal email to at to the lowest degree v contacts this calendar week.

At worst, your emails are ignored. At all-time, who knows? You lot may end up closing that deal y'all've been chasing for the last year. Either style, let me know in the comments below. I'd beloved to hear near your feel.

Skilful luck out there!