Podcast: Play in new window | Download

A few days ago, Tom Ryan received an unsolicited investment pitch through LinkedIn. This was no mere spam message; it was a train wreck. The message was so incomprehensibly bad that stuck with him for days. Here, in a few short lines, was nearly every mistake business marketers should avoid in their communications.

The message also presented a great opportunity for a “teachable moment.” In this episode, Tom and co-host Jason Pyles (an experienced copywriter in his own right) break down everything not to do when sending out a blind email like this one.

• Introduction, and the origin story of this exceptionally awful message

• What not to do when you write a blind email

• Draft a truly bewildering subject line
• Fail to ask yourself “Who cares?”
• Fail to do basic research
• Describe your business as vaguely as possible
• Fail to give your copywriter basic instructions on what your company does
• Ask for for money in the last sentence of the email

• Jason’s insights from being a copywriter

• Why you should put your ask up front

• Sign off, and ways to contact the show

Links for Today’s Episode:

Tweet Tom at: @TomRyanAVL

Do you have a question about your business? Tom would love to help you:

Leave a voicemail: (801) 228-0663

E-mail your questions: SuccessInBusinessPodcast@gmail.com

Like this podcast on Facebook

Follow this podcast on Twitter: @TomRyanSIBP

Get every episode free: Subscribe in iTunes