Coming up with email content ideas can be one of the most frustrating things about writing regular emails.
Trust me, I too have sat in front of my computer, staring at a blank Word document, wondering what the heck to write about.
Fortunately for you, your competitors have already done some of the hard work for you. All you have to do is look for the obvious clues and use them to your advantage.
Why Should You Use Your Competitors to Generate Email Content Ideas?
Sorry to be obvious, but you share a target audience. If your competitors have done their research, everything on their websites and in their sales pages should appeal to the same people you want to attract to your business.
You can get a lot of great ideas from seeing how others talk about your industry or niche. In some cases, you may want to model what your competitors are doing. In others, you may want to avoid or contradict what they’re doing.
Either way, it can be great inspiration for your own email content.
What to Look for On Your Competitors’ Websites
As I mentioned, you’re trying to attract the same basic target audience as your competitors.
You should already know the basics of that audience, like their:
- Age
- Gender
- What they do (careers, hobbies, etc.)
- The specific problem they want to solve.
- The internal and external issues surrounding solving that problem.
- What their life will look like once they solve that problem.
As you poke around your competitors’ websites, look for how they address each of these points in their marketing, including:
- Common themes between you and your competitors.
- Common themes within each website or sales page.
- The language your competitors use.
- The “pictures” they paint with their words.
- The images they use.
- How they describe your target audience’s problems.
- The solutions they offer to those problems, including:
- Tools they offer
- Affiliate links they share
- Workshops they offer (free and paid)
- Products and services
- The words their customers use in testimonials.
- The topics they cover in blog posts and articles
Take detailed notes as you go through each competitor’s website. You may find specific email content ideas you want to address, as well as general ideas you can use throughout your email copy.
Include notes on what you like and don’t like about what your competitors are doing with their marketing. Look at what attracts you to their products and services, as well as what turns you off.
If you’ve done a SWOT analysis before, this is a similar process, though not quite as in-depth.
How to Use the Information You Gather to Create Email Content Ideas
Once you’ve done your research, sit down with your notes and examine what you’ve gathered.
As you’re sorting through your notes, look for:
- Ideas that overlap with what you promote or talk about in your emails.
- Ideas that conflict with what you promote or talk about in your emails.
- New ideas that you’ve never addressed in your emails.
- Different spins on ideas you talk about regularly in your emails.
Write down at least one specific email content idea or topic for each of the ideas you find.
Use these ideas as fodder for your upcoming emails.
How to Shape these Email Content Ideas into Awesome Emails
First, a word of warning: Do Not Directly Copy Your Competitors!
I am serious about this.
As I have mentioned many times, people are attracted to you and your business because of what you offer. If you start sounding exactly like your competitors, your subscribers will tune out, because they’ve probably heard it all before.
Some of them may have had negative experiences with your competitors and could be completely turned off if you sound just like someone they no longer respect. That can cause them to unsubscribe, which you want to avoid at all costs!
Plus, if one of those competitors finds out you are copying their exact words or using their materials, they may come after you legally, as well as by trying to ruin your reputation.
So don’t do it.
Instead, take the ideas you’ve gleaned from your competitors’ websites and make them your own. Here are a few ways you can do this.
State Your Opinions
You probably have opinions on what your competitors are promoting or how their products and services stack up against yours. Share these opinions with your subscribers.
You don’t need to name your competitors, in fact, it’s probably better not to. But you can talk about “others in the industry” or “some of my competitors” as you make your opinions known.
Improve on Your Competitors Ideas
You and your competitors may have very similar ideas. However, there are almost certainly ways in which your ideas are “better” for your subscribers.
Perhaps you have a piece of knowledge that your competitors don’t. Maybe you’ve just read the latest research and want to share something no one else is talking about yet.
This isn’t about putting your competitors down. Instead, use this opportunity to educate your subscribers on the best solution for them and why (which is obviously your product or service).
Differentiate Yourself from Your Competitors
You want to stand out from the crowd. (Yet another reason not to directly copy your competitors.) Your research will quickly reveal what makes you different from your competitors and why those differences matter.
Highlight these differences in your emails and use them to show why your products and services also stand out from the crowd.
Are You Still Feeling Stuck When It Comes to Email Content Ideas?
I get it. Sometimes you have a great idea but starting that email can still be a challenge.
That’s why I put together my list of 30 Subject Lines to Keep Your Subscribers Opening and Reading Every Email. You’ll get 30 subject lines that you can adapt and reuse, as well as 30 accompanying writing prompts to get your creative juices flowing.
That way, you can take your new email content ideas and turn them into engaging, unforgettable copy that your subscribers will gobble up, then feel compelled to click on your CTA so they can buy your products and services.
Click on the button below to download your copy now, so you never have to stare at a blank document again.