6 Things That Make This the Most Effective Email Ever Sent

You receive 77 emails everyday. (Well, according to the The Radiacti Groupanyway. Doesn’t it feel like they under-shot that by roughly 46?)

Today, I received the email pictured above from CARE. Granted, I am a CARE Ambassador, so it’s not fair: I am utterly helpless to the message. I spent time with them in Africa and it changed me in every way a person can be changed. While there, a woman asked if I would like to drink the same (cholera-infected water) she had to give to her baby girl (who was the  same age as my baby girl). I started weeping, right there, in front of 100 people–with documentary film camera rolling. (Proof of how much this changed me, the day after I returned home, I sold my new Aston Martin (monolithic testament to testosterone) and made a monolithic donation to CARE.

My agency, Resonate, does email/funnel work like this for clients every day. And, something about this email “resonated” with the social strategist/marketer in me: Anatomically, this is the perfect email to compel action.

Six reasons:

1. It’s emotional. CARE hijacked my emotions. I don’t mean that in a crass way. It’s an expression I learned recently; and it’s accurate. CARE made me feel first, think second. The old brain calls the shots; the frontal cortex merely justifies our decisions. “Pounding Mid-Day Sun.” That hit me right in the amygdala. It made me feel. The headline copy grabbed me. Journalism 101. I felt hot. So, I read on…

2. It asked for my input. People love to give their input and be asked questions. This was a savvy way move me deeper into their message (marketers would use the word “funnel”).

3. It’s didn’t make me think. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. This is fewer than 50 expertly-crafted words. I’ll read that every time.

4. It’s from a person, not a company. And, not just any person: Dr. Helene Gayle. THE person. I don’t want to hear from companies; I want to hear from people, preferably their leaders.

5. It moved me deeper into their funnel with even more emotion. Kids carrying water? Another powerful emotional hook. Now, I’m theirs. And, at the height of my emotional vulnerability…

6. They close the deal with that big, beautiful Call-to-Action (CTA) button. You have to close the sale–and it has to be compelling. (Minor improvement. In lieu of “DONATE NOW” (that’s asking for something), “CHANGE THIS PICTURE” would be more effective. It inspires and galvanizes me and makes me want to be a better person.

Oh, there’s a #7–and it’s critical: The landing page is congruent with the email: in look, feel and messaging. I learn the answer to the question about the weight of water. I learn more ways my money will help. And, I can do it all in under two minutes, from a single page.

Well done, CARE. I made another donation to you–and it felt great. I know, from first-hand experience, how much of a difference it will make, and I am profoundly grateful to you for that.

Thank you, CARE, for everything you do every day to make this world a better place. I love you every last one of you. (And stellar work on the email marketing!)

Eric Harr is the founder & president of Resonate Social. Change the world with him on Twitter.