In the world of digital marketing, one of the most powerful elements to capture and keep your audience's attention is the email sequence known as "The Soap Opera Sequence". This name comes from American soap operas, which end each episode with a dramatic, unresolved situation, ensuring that viewers return for the next episode. In your post sequence, you'll introduce your engaging character and build an ongoing, exciting story that will keep your readers hooked.
You can generate these automated email sequences for free.
Next, we explore how to implement this technique, using an example from Russell Brunson and his "Expert Secrets" product.
Email #1: Set the Stage
This is the first email people will receive after signing up to your list. It's a welcome note that sets the expectations for future emails and sets the stage for the email sequence. In this email, it's important to make it clear how often you'll send emails and what type of content they can expect. Russell recommends a daily frequency for this first sequence.
Example:
Subject: Dot Com Secrets Ch. 1 of 5 Body: Hey, I'm Russell, and I want to "officially" welcome you to my world. About ten years ago, I started my first online business while in college (selling potato gun DVDs), and this little hobby became my obsession. I started selling all kinds of things online and have been becoming a student of marketing. My other businesses are where I test and try things... DotComSecrets is where I share what I've learned. My goal is always to give away better things for FREE on what other people charge. In fact, tomorrow I'm going to do just that. Yes, I'm going to let you get one of my BEST free products, and then, you'll ONLY pay me if you think it's worth it... BUT only if you open the email when it arrives.... Yes, you heard me right... I want our relationship to get off to a great start.... So I'm going to surprise you with SO much value that you'll feel compelled to buy stuff from me in the future (just kidding... a little). Sound good? Great, then look for the next email tomorrow. Thank you, Russell "Your New Marketing Partner" Brunson P.S. The subject line is "Dot Com Secrets Ch. 2 of 5: The day my education failed me," so look it up!
Email #2: Opens with high drama
If you've done a good job of opening a loop with the first email, then the reader will be eagerly awaiting your next email. This is where the process of "selling" through the backstory begins. Once you have their attention with the emotional drama, you're going to tell them that story. Your backstory will take you to a place similar to where your readers may be now. If you're helping them lose weight, for example, you're going to take them back to a time when you were overweight yourself. You want to take them on a personal journey with you. This is usually the point where your readers are at "that" moment. They're stuck, and that's why they're open to your answers. You explain to them how you hit that wall and then found the answer. But don't give them the answer yet. Just open the loop and promise to close it in the next message, email number three.
Here is an example:
Subject: Dot Com Secrets Ch. 2 of 5: The day my education failed me. Body: "How did I get here?" I sat in the middle of a packed auditorium, feeling a little confused that it would all end up like this after all.... He had been blindly following the status quo for fifteen years, moving toward a goal, only to discover that it was all a lie.... I looked to my left... and I looked to my right... and I saw hundreds of others in the same situation as me. Only THEY had smiles on their faces. Didn't they know what was going to happen to us? It was the day I finally graduated from college, the day my parents had been talking to me about for years. "You need to get a college education in order to get a good job." Of course, tonight there would be a lot of celebrating..... But what about the next morning? It was then that we all had the opportunity to get to know the "real world". And as we quickly discovered, it's not very pleasant or forgiving. For most of the people who graduated with me, IF they were able to find jobs, they were going to good entry level jobs, making thirty to forty thousand dollars a year.... Barely enough to cover their monthly student loan payments. Loans that, by the way, are not repayable... EVEN if you declare bankruptcy. The chains of debt and a labor market that cannot pay enough to cover the costs of our education is what each of us inherited when we entered the "Real World". So, when I looked around and saw them all smiling on graduation day, I was confused at first.... Not for me, but for them... Because for me, I knew what my next step was. Just two years earlier, I had stumbled upon a great way to take the things I was good at in my life and turn those things into a business. This was a business that had made me two hundred and fifty thousand dollars my senior year in college and would make me over a MILLION dollars in just one year of graduation. Would you like to know what I discovered? Are you interested in how I was able to get my idea off the ground with literally no money, while going to school, struggling and spending time with my new wife? If so, look for my email tomorrow. I'm going to show you the epiphany I had, but more importantly, I'm going to explain how you can use it to get similar results in your life! So look for tomorrow's email. The subject line is Dot Com Secrets Ch. 3 of 5: Expert Secrets. Thank you, Russell "I Wish I Had My Tuition Back" Brunson P.S. I almost forgot. Yesterday I told you that I was going to GIVE you my best free product.... You can get it here (but please don't share it with anyone else), this is for my loyal subscribers only: www.ClickFunnels.com <= my bestr product This course has made more of my students independently wealthy than anything we've done in the past. So sign up for the training now and let's see where it could take you! Talk to you tomorrow!
E-mail #3: Epiphany
Now, the reader is so hooked that they want to know (and hopefully buy) your solution. Most of the time, your epiphany email will lead back to your core offering, whatever it is you're selling that solves the problem.
- My epiphany was that I needed to build a list, and that's when I learned about_________________.
- I had to get a support system to help me overcome my addiction; that's when I found _________________.
- I had to address the emotional roots of overeating, and that's when I discovered_________________.
The epiphany is attached to the solution you are selling. If you are selling someone else's product, it is sufficient to say that your epiphany led to the discovery of the product.
Here is an example:
Subject: Dot Com Secrets Ch. 3 of 5: Expert Secrets. Body: I was sitting in my college classroom, crunching numbers and trying to figure out how much my college professor was making per hour. I assumed he was making about fifty thousand dollars a year. (My estimate may have been low or high; I have no idea). If he was working forty hours a week, then he was probably making about twenty-five dollars an hour. Then I looked at a "how to" book I had bought the night before. I had paid fifty dollars for the book and thought it was amazing. I knew that the person who wrote the book had said that he sells, on average, one hundred copies of that book per day. One hundred copies! He did the math and, at fifty dollars a book, he made about five thousand dollars a day. 1,825,000 dollars a year! But the craziest part is that the guy only spent a few days writing the book (it was 90 % of photos and only 10 % of text) and when he was done, he NEVER had to rewrite it. The book taught him! He was able to create it once and then get paid for it over and over again! That's when I realized that I didn't want to sell my knowledge by the hour like my professor was doing... I wanted to sell it like this author! And that's what I did... By my senior year in college, I had earned about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars! And a year after graduating, I had made over a million! And I did all of this by focusing on ONE thing.... Sell my knowledge the right way! Would you like to know how I did it? If so, I just posted a video online that will show you how I took twenty dollars and a simple idea and turned it into a million dollar a year "how to" business. I posted the video here: www.ClickFunnels.com Go take a look at it and let me know what you think. Thank you, Russell Brunson P.S. Tomorrow I want to show you some hidden benefits that being an "expert" will give you, benefits you probably don't even know exist. Look for that email tomorrow!
Email #4: Hidden Benefits
In this email, you want to point out the benefits the reader is getting from knowing you and following your plan or using your product.
- Sure, you'll make more money, but you'll also have more freedom to travel.
- Sure, you'll lose weight, but you'll also live long enough to enjoy your grandchildren.
- Sure, you'll be able to work from home, but did you realize that you'll be able to take vacation whenever you want?
Often, it's the hidden benefits that really draw the reader in and motivate them to take action. Therefore, you want to tell parables (stories) that demonstrate those hidden benefits. Show them how you can take time off whenever you want and explain how that makes you feel. When the reader thinks, "I want that for me!", that's when they click on the link and buy your products.
Here is an example:
Subject: Dot Com Secrets Ch. 4 of 5: The hidden benefits. Body: When I first became an "Expert", I was worried because I had no diplomas, degrees or anything similar.... I just knew that what I showed people worked and I wanted to share it. But what took me by surprise was how helping people get what they want in life really changed the quality of my own life. Sure, I started making a lot of money, BUT... more importantly, every person I helped opened new doors for me. Through my "expert" business, I've been able to travel the world and meet amazing people like Tony Robbins and Richard Branson.... But the REAL hidden benefit has been the satisfaction I get when I see someone else change their life. And that's what this business is really about for me. I guess if you're here, it's probably the same for you too, right? If so, then you NEED to sign up for my Expert Secrets course. I normally charge $3000 to attend, but I'm going to do two cool things for you: I'm giving you a HUGE discount of 90 %. You only pay if you like it! Yes, that's right, you can sign up, attend, get all my best ideas, and then IF (and only if) you love it, you will pay. And if for some reason you don't like it, then you get it for free. Does that sound more than fair? Great, then go get your ticket for our next event (taking place this Thursday) here: www.ClickFunnels.com Thank you, Russell Brunson
Email #5: Urgency and CTA (call to action)
This is usually the last email in my soap opera sequence. It's not the last email I send to people, it's just the end of my presentation. The goal is to give the reader one last push to take action right now. What legitimate reasons can you be given for them to take action?
- Your webinar starts tomorrow.
- You only have ten seats left at your event.
- You only ordered a thousand books, and most of them are already gone.
- You are disconnecting the video.
Whatever the reason, it has to be real. Or give readers a coupon that expires in twenty-four hours. Be creative! There's always some way to create real urgency.
Here is an example:
Subject: Dot Com Secrets Ch. 5 of 5: Last Call. Body: I've been talking about my "Expert Secrets" class this week and how you can get a free ticket.... But this special offer is going to disappear TODAY... Yes, if you read this email tomorrow, then I apologize, because it will be too late. If you take this class later, you will have to pay at least $300, but I could also return it to its full entry price of $3000 by then (I haven't decided yet). But, if you want to take me up on my "try before you buy" offer and go through the entire 5 1/4 hour training BEFORE you spend a dime.... Then go and get your ticket as soon as possible here: www.ClickFunnels.com. I warned you - I don't want any emails tomorrow saying I didn't warn you. So go get your ticket and we'll see you at training. Thank you, Russell Brunson
That shows that the soap opera sequence works:
The emails themselves should be easy to read and quick to scan. Therefore, use one or two sentences per line. Add plenty of white space. Don't use long paragraphs that bore people. I like to write the basic elements of the structure first. Then I fill in the juicy details and emotional hooks.
Conclusion
The five-email soap opera sequence is a powerful strategy for capturing your audience's attention and guiding them through an emotional journey that culminates in conversion. Start by setting the stage and creating expectations, then hook your readers with an opening drama that resonates with their own experiences. Follow with an epiphany that offers a promising solution and highlights the hidden benefits of your offer. Finally, generate urgency to prompt readers to take immediate action. This structure maintains interest and fosters a deeper connection, increasing the likelihood that readers will become loyal customers.
