Keys to Effective Emails

“Howdy, stranger!”

I stared in confusion at Mel as I stood near the stairway.

Slowly it dawned on me.

“Mel, are you Melanie Smith?”

“Yes,” my friend said. “I thought you knew because of how personable your emails were.”

I was in the middle of setting up for my second-to-last summer reading program magic show for a library about ten minutes away from where I grew up.

Mel was a friend I had met about five years after graduating high school. She was the friend of a girl I had been dating back then. After that relationship fizzled out, my platonic friendship with Mel continued.

Mel went camping with a bunch of us guys and hung out with us for years.

After I moved from my hometown of Jamestown to Pittsburgh for several years, I had fallen out of touch with Mel, only seeing her once on another camping trip about ten years ago.

This past May, a “Melanie Smith” contacted me about performing magic at her library.

While I had always known Mel’s full name was Melanie Smith, I had never thought of her that way. She was just Mel.

We had emailed each other back and forth getting the details of the show just right. In truth, most of my communications with Mel had been autoresponders.

When I showed up at the gig, I expected to meet a “Melanie Smith” for the first time, not see an old friend from my early 20s.

Autoresponder emails are just like the name sounds. When someone fills out a contact form on my website, the person receives a series of emails spread out over several days. The emails’

Purpose? Get a conversation started that hopefully leads to a booking.

Once someone books, I trigger a new series of emails. Cover email to the invoice. A “just checking in” email 10 days before the show. And on and on.

Having systems in place like this helps me streamline the day-to-day operations of my business.

Clients love it because of how professional I appear.

And the best part? I don’t have to remember to do any of it.

Following up with leads with automated systems like this is one of the primary reasons why my income rose so high.

For years, I had relied on a cobbled-together system of cut-and-paste emails and shoddy Excel sheets to follow up with leads.

I was either too busy or too scatterbrained to follow up with people who had asked for show information with any degree of regularity.

But that all changed with automation.

I learned all about writing the emails in advance and scheduling them to go out automatically when someone asks for more information.

To say it revolutionized my business is an understatement.

The year after I implemented this follow-up system, my income went up by $68,000. In one year. No joke.

Used correctly, it can be one of the most powerful tools you can implement in your magic business.

But I’m often surprised by how many magicians don’t use such a system.

Or if they do, they use it incorrectly.

Part of the secret to using it successfully is how the emails are written.

They must be written conversationally. The emails must come off as though you are writing them to just one person. Yup, you guessed it.

Just the one person reading your emails.

You want the language to sound informal without sounding crass. It’s a fine line.

Also, you don’t want to be overly pushy in these emails.

Because a good series of emails will run over several days or weeks, they can’t just be “salesy.”

Pounding prospects constantly with emails that only nag them to book you will have your leads scrambling to find the “unsubscribe” link fast.

While I do softly – keyword softly – ask the clients to take the next step in nearly every email, their purpose is mostly just to keep my name at the forefront of their minds. And I do so with unusual or interesting stories.

This is important. Many of my clients forget who they contacted.

In the fall of 2020, I had a school in North Dakota call me asking if I was all set for my flight into their town the next day.

I was beyond confused. Finally, we quickly figured out they had called the wrong person.

Well, I was quickly convinced.

I had a hard time convincing the guidance counselor on the other end of the call that she had called the wrong guy.

Other times, when I call back a lead, one of the first things they often say is, “Now which one are you?”

Clients in any niche – birthdays, schools, corporate parties – often contact several entertainers in one fell swoop.

Then they have to figure out who does what, or who charges more. They either don’t keep notes or just fill out contact forms on several websites and wait for the responses to come in.

I’ve been a big proponent of having a quality website that captures eyeballs and Google’s attention.

But it’s only one piece of the puzzle.

Stay in contact with those leads.

Stay in contact with your past clients.

Maintain professionalism at all times.

That means touching base with your upcoming show clients leading into the events.

Too many entertainers flake out and never show up.

I know this because I have been told by countless clients this happens.

But my clients never have to worry.

With my automated systems in place, they are reassured every step of the way that I know what I’m doing, and I’ll show up for the gig.

A big piece of the puzzle is personable writing. Crafting the emails like you are talking to a friend.

So, when Melanie told me she thought I knew who I was talking to, it was because of how well my emails were written.

I had definitely struck a chord with my old friend. And I didn’t even realize it.

Have a great week!

--Cris

P.S. By the way…whenever you’re ready, here are 4 ways I can help you grow your magic business to book more shows at higher fees:


1. Grab my FREE report for professional working magicians.



This report reveals a strategy that almost NO magicians are using (and the ones who are don’t use it correctly). Get your free copy by clicking HERE.


2. Get my website video training for under $10:


In this 2-hour video training, I’ll reveal exactly what your website needs if you want to succeed as a professional entertainer in the 21st century. Get all the details by clicking HERE.


3. Get a complete business-building plan handed to you on a silver platter.


Not sure how to move your magic business forward? I’ll analyze your complete magic business (website, market, competition, and more) and give you a complete game plan for getting your performing business to the next level. Find out how by clicking HERE.


4. Work with me privately.


Need help in multiple areas? I can help you with your website, direct mail, email, or other marketing strategies. I also offer consulting services for crafting magic routines or even entire shows. Want to find out more? Shoot me an email at cris@theprofessionalmagicianclubpro.com.

To find out more how I can help you book more shows at higher fees, click the button below to see my list of services.

© Copyright Cris Johnson, Inc.