A laptop keyboard and ChatGPT on AppStore displayed on a phone screen are seen in this illustration ... [+]
ChatGPT may be stuck in 2021 when its developers last fed it training data, but it's still a tireless research and writing assistant.
I use ChatGPT extensively in my work, peppering it with endless questions and asking it to dive deeper and deeper as I explore and create my content.
I’m also constantly discovering new ways to use the tool, making the $20 monthly investment for a paid subscription a no-brainer.
I recently spoke with one of my clients about how she’s using ChatGPT, and she said she planned to use it for email marketing.
Intrigued, I put the AI to the test, landing on six steps you can take with ChatGPT to get great results from your next email marketing campaign.
Step 1. Feed a campaign brief to ChatGPT
Just as you would a human assistant, give ChatGPT a full creative brief for your email marketing ... [+]
Just as you would a human assistant, give ChatGPT all the details it needs to strategize and create the email content, including:
- An overview of your company or brand
- The purpose of the campaign
- Campaign objectives
- Product, service, or program details
- Testimonials
- Audience details
- Campaign start and end dates
- Brand voice, tone, and style guidelines
- How you’d like readers to feel
For my test, I told ChatGPT that I’m the CEO of a (fictional) coaching company called SaaS and Soul. I said I’m launching a two-week email campaign to announce and fill the next cohort of the SaaS and Soul Executive Leadership Program. I mentioned that I want the campaign's first week to focus on informing and educating in week one and selling in week two.
Because this is a test and a fictional company, I searched for executive leadership programs online, chose a random program, and fed details about it into ChatGPT. I also input the content of one of my blog posts so the tool could write like me.
I asked to keep the tone personal yet professional, avoid jargon, use exclamation marks sparingly, and use bullet points when presenting more than three items.
Now that ChatGPT was loaded with the preliminaries, I went to work on the campaign.
Step 2. Ask ChatGPT to outline the campaign for you
While it’s true that you could ask the AI to write all the emails with a single request, I recommend working through the campaign step by step to avoid murky results.
Start with the outline. You can refine your approach from there.
Although I didn’t specify what I was looking for, I found it interesting that the tool provided subject lines plus details about the email content.
Here’s the result for the first week’s worth of emails.
After loading in a creative brief for the email marketing campaign, I asked ChatGPT to outline the ... [+]
To save space, I asked ChatGPT to rework the proposed outline, showing only the subject lines for each day.
Subject lines created by ChatGPT for an email marketing campaign.
Step 3. Ask ChatGPT to write the emails—one at a time
Next, I asked ChatGPT to concisely write the first day’s email in the first person so I could see how it would approach the project.
The first version should have introduced the leadership program, so I had to ask for a rewrite.
Asking for a rewrite means telling ChatGPT what it got wrong or noting what you’d like changed and asking it to try again. Asking for rewrites is good—it’s a way to nudge ChatGPT closer and closer to the output you want.
The second version, which follows, is much closer to—and maybe even better than—what I envisioned.
An email written by ChatGPT as a test for a fictional company and a fictional email marketing ... [+]
When you’re satisfied with the first email, move on to the second and continue through the last. Then, optimize the subject lines.
Step 4. Ask ChatGPT to provide alternate subject lines for A/B testing
Your subject lines are the most crucial element of your campaign because your email will go unread or be deleted if you don’t capture attention in the inbox. That’s why it’s important to A/B test them.
I fed the first set of subject lines back into ChatGPT and asked for another set for A/B testing.
A second set of email subject lines generated by ChatGPT to use for A/B testing in an email ... [+]
Like the first set, this second set of subject lines captures attention while hinting at the content, enticing recipients to open the emails. You’re now prepped for A/B testing.
Step 5. Ask ChatGPT to recommend actions you can take to increase interaction and provide insights
ChatGPT does more than write emails and subject lines. It can also offer optimization techniques—if you ask.
I asked the tool to recommend actions that would increase interaction and provide insights into the campaign.
ChatGPT's ideas for increasing interaction with an email campaign.
The first option, “embed interactive elements” sounded interesting, so I asked ChatGPT to elaborate by recommending other elements besides polls that would work for our campaign.
ChatGPT's ideas for interactive elements—like clickable infographics, interactive quizzes, and story ... [+]
Those ideas provide plenty of opportunities to dive deep into interactive elements if they interest you.
Step 6. Ask ChatGPT to recommend autoresponder sequences based on behaviors
For the final element of this test, I asked ChatGPT to suggest automated follow-up emails based on behaviors—like clicks and downloads—so I could guide readers toward the next step, gently nudging them toward applying for the SaaS and Soul coaching program.
Post-campaign strategies suggested by ChatGPT following an email marketing campaign.
That’s just the beginning of how ChatGPT can help with your email marketing campaign
I also could have asked ChatGPT to complete the following tasks:
- Provide alternate versions of the email body copy for A/B testing.
- Offer guidance on integrating personalized elements, such as industry-specific content or addressing individual pain points based on segmentation.
- Craft compelling CTAs for different segments or stages of the buyer’s journey.
- Advise on the layout, visuals, and typography that will resonate with my brand and engage my audience.
- Design a survey or feedback form so I can gather insights from recipients about the email content or their perceptions of the coaching program.
- Offer insights on interpreting metrics like open and click-through rates and advise how to adjust the campaign accordingly.
- Advise on post-campaign follow-up strategies, such as nurturing those who showed interest but didn’t enroll.
Bottom line? ChatGPT is a powerful assistant that can help you create winning campaigns in significantly less time.
You have to guide the AI to get the desired results, just as you’d have to guide a virtual assistant or copywriter. But, overall, the time and grunt work it saves you is priceless.
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