I consistently see 50% open rates and a 14% conversion rate from cold contacts to product demos. 

You can achieve these types of results too. Let me show you how…

Give first. Ask second. 

There’s no doubt that any form of email marketing will come with an ask. At the end of the day, I’m trying to generate leads. The difference is, I never ask without giving something in return.

The best “give first, ask second” technique I’ve ever used was simply paying for feedback. 

As I covered in my blog about qualitative research, people are very willing to help if you make it worth their while. I’ve requested feedback on homepage messaging, a blog post, a landing page… you name it. People are willing to help... but not for free. 

My give is cash or a gift card. Something that shows I value their time. Not a bribe. Proper compensation for their time. 

Here’s my favorite email template. The one with the 14% conversion to a product demo. 

Hi {{first_name}},

I'm Steven, Founder, CEO of Winware. We just launched our product this month and I'd greatly appreciate your feedback on our homepage. It will only take a minute or two.

I'm happy to pay you $25 to complete the survey on the website and another $25 for a follow-up call with me to discuss your feedback.

https://www.winware.ai

Thanks in advance.

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No product pitch. No demo request. No “here’s how amazing we are” speech. Just a simple, honest ask for feedback. 

It’s amazing… if people spend a few minutes intently reviewing your homepage to provide feedback… they may actually become interested in your product. The pivot to a demo request almost always comes from the prospect.

In situations where a follow-up is required, we’ve had a ton of success with this template:

Hi {{first_name}},

Thank you for the great feedback on our homepage! Really helpful.

Are you willing to provide feedback on our product demo video for an additional $25 gift card? If so, please click on this link and complete the survey: [insert Winware share link]

You can also book time with me to chat live: [insert calendar link]

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This approach has worked so well that we just released two new features to make it even easier:

New Feature: Share URLs 

Winware has made it even easier to request feedback via email with a sharable URL for each research study. That way you can track responses and feedback at the campaign, persona, or page level. 

‍New Feature: Feedback on Video content

Winware now also supports video content, meaning you can send people a demo video and ask for feedback right after they view it. This approach has worked great with email marketing too.  

Not only has this tactic filled our pipeline with leads, it’s also improved our homepage to the point that our inbound leads have doubled. Simply asking your target customer for feedback on how to pitch your product to them works great!

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