How to Use Soap Opera Sequence to Boost Your Sales

Storytelling is an age-old technique used to connect with different audiences including strangers. But storytelling is hard to get right. It is challenging to tell them in a relatable manner that keeps their attention and interest throughout the story.

Well, not with the Soap Opera Sequence that uses effective storytelling to create an email sequence designed to engage and persuade your email subscribers.

Keep reading to learn what a Soap Opera Sequence is and how to create one that sells your products on autopilot.

Table of contents

• What is a Soap Opera Sequence?

• Why is Soap Opera Sequence important?

• How to create a Soap Opera Sequence in your email campaigns?

  • Email 1: Introduce your backstory
  • Email 2: Expand on your backstory with high drama
  • Email 3: Reveal your moment of epiphany
  • Email 4: Reveal unexpected hidden benefits
  • 5. Create a sense of urgency and provide a CTA

• Takeaways

What is a Soap Opera Sequence?

The Soap Opera Sequence is an email sequence containing 5 emails designed to sell a product with storytelling. The name originates from the original drama-filled, highly engaging Soap Opera TV shows. Their psychology has been studied and applied in many marketing domains like in email marketing.

We will use the same Soap Opera TV shows techniques but in an email marketing context to nurture, engage, and convert more leads. For example, you can have a Soap Opera Sequence to send as welcome emails to your new subscribers. These emails will introduce your brand, offerings, and a CTA to opt into the offer. Here's exactly how they'll help you improve your email campaigns.

Why is Soap Opera Sequence important?

“If you are doing email marketing, you must have a Soap Opera Sequence. Soap Operas dramatically increase open rates, retention rates, and bring down unsubscribers.” — Splitzer from Buildapreneur

The Soap Opera Sequence helps email marketers effectively engage their email subscribers even if they haven't communicated before. So here’s what you can expect when you set up and successfully run a Sopa Opera Sequence.

• Target better: The Soap Opera Sequence helps you target new subscribers by creating an email sequence that'll take them from introducing your product to making a purchase decision.

• Build rapport: This sequence uses storytelling to tell relatable stories that connect with your audience and give solid reasons to trust you, building a great rapport from the beginning.

• Improve email metrics: The sequence keeps your audience excited about your every new email, resulting in them opening most emails of this sequence and improving your engagement rates, deliverability, open rate, CTR, etc.

How to create a Soap Opera Sequence in your email campaigns?

The Soap Opera Sequence will start by setting the stage, telling the backstory, and giving the audience a non-pushy CTA about your offer. The final email will directly ask them to opt into your offer. Here's how you can construct your five email Soap Opera Sequence.

Email 1: Introduce your backstory

The first email introduces your backstory to your audience. Before they do business with you, it makes sense for them to know who you are and why they should listen to you.

Here’s an example.

Hi [name]!

You did one of the best decisions of your life by signing up for my email list. Sounds a bit exaggerated?

Well, you’ll change your mind once you hear my backstory.

Over the last 5 years, I’ve worked continuously searching for success in life. And I failed most of the time.

I spent the first 2 years casually trying to maintain a work-life balance. But it was the 3rd year I realized that if I wanted to make any progress at all, I needed to pull up my socks and start putting in more hours.

So for the last 3 years, I’ve cut down everything. Friends, traveling, delicious food, entertainment, you name it. It is all because of one thing.

Success.

Did I get it?

Yep.

I’ve generated over $200000 with my SaaS product in the past year alone.

And the funny thing is that my product wasn’t anything revolutionary. Heck, it didn’t have that many great features my competitors had. Maybe even a bit less.

So how did I still achieve $200000 in revenue in the previous year?

Keep an eye out for my next email, where I’ll share the secrets even the CEOs of fortune 500 companies don’t follow that can give you a leg up over your competitors.

Talk soon,

[Your name]

P.S., In the meanwhile, don’t hesitate to tell me any problems you’re facing in your software business. I’ll be more than happy to help you or connect with anyone in my vast network who could give you valuable advice. Just reply to this email.

In the above email, I’ve shared a high-level overview of my life and struggles, what I achieved despite the struggle, and the secrets I will share with them.

The last part is important because it will keep your audience on their toes for your next emails.

And at last, ask them what they’re struggling with, so you customize your next emails by placing your product as the solution to their specific problems.

So, use the above structure as a starting point and tweak it according to your offer and business.

Email 2: Expand on your backstory with high drama

This email will explain the backstory. Here you’ve to use the high-drama theme to make them emotionally engage with you. So start with high-drama statements and continue talking about your secret. Here’s an example.

No money. No time. No success.

When I started seriously thinking about how to succeed in the 3rd year, I realized how messed up I was.

I didn’t have any inherited money. I had no free time due to managing a family of 8. I didn’t have any expertise or knowledge I could leverage to make big money consulting.

It felt like I was destined to be a failure.

Then something popped into my head.

Companies like Apple started from very little capital. Steve Jobs wasn’t crazy rich before starting his company. Yet, today Apple is the richest company of all time. But how?

This thought kept me opening up my laptop and studying Apple every day.

I wanted to know why some companies that arguably have better products sell less than Apple.

And what I discovered shocked me.

Source: Apple

First of all, does the above image looks good?

Well, it does. At least to me.

But why?

Simplicity and glossy.

These are Apple's two secret design principles that create loyal fans instead of mere users.

So I got really curious about Apple’s design philosophy and started studying it thoroughly. And then made a business out of my research.

I have redesigned my SaaS product with the same design philosophy; the numbers speak for themselves.

My software saw a 50% increase in its retention rate, and I get emails from my users saying they could spend all day in my software due to its appeal.

Now, don’t you want to know how Apple combines simplicity and glossiness to make the world’s best-looking software? And apply it to your product and make tons of money?

Keep an eye out for my next email, where you’ll get to know the secrets that some Fortune 500 CEOs don’t know (or make an effort to know).

If you want to get your hands on all my research without spending too much time, here, you can grab your free copy of “Apple’s design philosophy, unraveled.”

Talk soon,

[Your name]

If you break down the above email, you’ll know that I’m explaining my backstory in detail and what I was struggling with.

Then, I’m talking about what I discovered and what it resulted in while also giving a hint about my secret.

In the end, you can make an offer about your product so they can check it out and purchase it if interested.

Or else, continue this email sequence as shown below to really convince them to buy from you.

Email 3: Reveal your moment of epiphany

This email is all about the secrets you discovered. You’ve already briefly explained your secrets in the previous email. This email will expand upon that. So let’s begin.

Hi [name]!

So you’re excited to know the design secrets of Apple that could generate thousands of dollars.

Well, let us discuss it without any further ado.

Source: Apple

Look at the above image. How does it make you feel?

Exciting? Happy? Admirable?... All of them?

Here is how Apple did it.

Firstly, they use the concept of simplicity to remove the clutter around their interface.

Do you see any clutter around the iPhone image or just white space?

Apart from the name and CTAs, it’s just white space. This makes the iPhone image stand out because there is nothing else to look at.

The second part is the glossiness.

Do you see how the iPhone is shown so big and a bit crossed that it makes it seem fast and bold?

This is how Apple does its design.

They remove the clutter (or lessen its effect) and shift your focus towards a central focal point to make you feel excited, amazed, and happy.

You may be thinking, “This looks too simple to work.”

But you’ll be shocked how many companies and CEOs don’t apply such a simple concept that made Apple billions.

The good news is that you’re aware of these secrets and are free to apply them to your software and make it feel great.

The next email will show you how these concepts changed my life, transcending from just my software to my day-to-day life.

Talk soon,

[Your name]

P.S., If you want to skip through the email sequence and want to get access to my secrets, here is an interactive online course I’ve designed that just doesn’t teach you what you do but also gives you exercises to complete so you know how to apply concepts even fortune 500 companies tend to miss. Click this link to grab your course at a 5% discount now.

Email 4: Reveal unexpected hidden benefits

Here we will walk them through a few hidden benefits of buying from you apart from the obvious. This will create that ‘wow’ effect and convince them to buy more from you. So here’s how you do it.

So, simplicity and glossiness. You know how they work.

I made a huge ROI when applying Apple’s design concepts to my software.

But that isn’t the most shocking part of my story.

I was laying down in bed watching Netflix, and suddenly an idea popped into my head.

If Apple’s design philosophy is so effective, can we use the same principles in our life to make the work we do more enjoyable?

Turns out that the answer is absolutely yes.

We as humans can’t focus on multiple tasks simultaneously, no matter how smart a person is. We have one brain that can focus on a single thing at a time.

So, the concept of simplicity can be applied here by removing the multiple tasks you’re trying to achieve simultaneously and focusing on just one task.

Prioritize which task is super important to you and focus on that and nothing else.

How to make it glossy?

Switch to better-looking softwares with more or less the same features as previous ones. So you’ll subconsciously feel happier while working. You can also clean up your desk and only keep the essentials to make it less overwhelming and more enjoyable.

So Apple’s design principles transcend beyond the softwares and apply to real life as well.

So if you want to know how to improve your software and life with principles laid out by one of the biggest companies in the world, click this link to grab your course at a 5% discount now.

Talk soon,

[Your name].

5. Create a sense of urgency and provide a CTA

If the user hasn’t bought from you until this point, this is the time when you need to tell them to buy your offer in your entire email. For that, you need to create urgency, mention the benefits of your offer, and state your offer. Here’s an example.

“I can be wrong more often than I am right, so long as the leverage on my correct judgments compensates for my mistakes” – Leon Levy.

This course will give you the leverage you need to compensate for mistakes made in your product design lifecycle.

Here is what you’ll lose if you miss on this offer within the next 24 hours.

• Secrets of using Apple’s design principles and making your software the favorite for your users.

• Interactive lessons that will make you a master at creating beautiful softwares.

• How to consult other companies in their product design journey and charge thousands of dollars.

• How to apply these concepts in your life to make yourself a productivity geek.

So before it's too late and doors for enrollment close, grab your course at a 5% discount and skyrocket the ROI you generate from your products.

Talk soon,

[Your name]

Takeaways

The Soap Opera Sequence is an effective strategy having the potential to generate great ROI. But creating email sequences can be a pain and automating them can require some technical background.

Meet Mailmodo. The all-in-one ESP that lets you automate your email sequences without any technical background. You can add custom delay times and leave them there, while Mailmodo executes them according to your needs. You can also connect and import your customer details from other apps to set up your sequence journey quickly.