Wanna write good emails? Think like the news.

I don't watch the news (not good for your brain if you ask me). But my parents sure do.

So, when I'm at their house, I'll often get "background" levels of radiation so to speak.

Because, if I walk by the TV, it's almost impossible not to pay attention. At least a little bit.

The news, after all, are masters of getting attention.

It's literally their currency.

Plus:

The news isn't education like most people think. It's, what Ben Settle calls, "Infotainmnet".

And, to be honest, it seems more entertainment than information as of late.

One thing I've noticed is how they structure their segments. They'll have a story about a terrorist (ramp up negative emotions), then some talking heads arguing over policy (data), followed by a story about a patriotic hero (boost morale).

Or, in the past few weeks, they show the death and destruction of the dreaded "c-word", followed by an "analytical" type sounding smart and spouting "facts", followed by a feel-good story of some kind soul making margaritas out of this lime of a month that got dumped on the world.

It reminds me of when Parris Lampropolous talks about structuring sales messages:

You put story.
Followed by proof.
Followed by claim.

Or how Jim Camp talked about effective decision making:

You never want their emotions too high or too low. So you want to raise their emotions, then bring them back down.

And honestly, this "news-reel" template is a pretty good way to think about writing emails.

Tell a story one day. Give some data the next. The day after raise morale.

It's like a merry-go-round of emotion.

Actually, it reminds me of something Zen buddhists say:

"Not too tight, not too loose"

Speaking of that:

If you'd like me to write emails, whether campaign or recurring, that make you the news anchor of your industry, head to the link below and pop your info in the box:

www.copybymccune.com/work-with-me

Tyler McCune

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