Email Teardown: Amy Porterfield’s List Builder’s Lab 2.0
Note: This post is not an endorsement of any business, program, or course. Unless explicitly stated, I am not an affiliate for any of these businesses or their programs. Please do your own research and due diligence before purchasing any of the offers mentioned in this post.
Welcome to another email teardown!
These posts will give you an inside peek into what’s happening in email today. We’ll be looking at email funnels from top marketers, breaking down each email, and analyzing what’s going on with the copy and strategy.
You’re in for a real treat, because this week we’re looking at Amy Porterfield’s emails.
Amy’s one of the biggies in online marketing. I’ve known of her for years, but I didn’t start following her closely until earlier this year.
I really started paying attention after I saw Ry Schwartz speak at an event earlier this year.
Ry’s worked with Amy on several launches in the past. In his talk, he even referenced the sales page for this program.
Like a true copy nerd, I looked it up and saved it for my swipe file.
I also signed up for Amy’s list.
When I started doing these teardowns, I knew I wanted to review one of Amy’s sequences. She did not disappoint.
Once I got the confirmation email, I was hooked.
If you know Ry’s work, these emails will look familiar. Students of his course 10x Launches will recognize a lot of these.
And even though I’ve seen these emails before (heck — I’ve written a lot of emails like these before), I personally learned a lot by analyzing this sequence. I hope you will too!
The stats:
14 emails sent over 9 days
4 webinar show up emails
6 sales emails
3 closing day emails
1 follow up email
8 day cart open period
Course price: $397
Type of funnel: evergreen webinar
Email #1: You’re in! Can we make a little deal?
Now this is a webinar confirmation email!
Amy doesn’t just give me the time and date with a half-hearted “see you there.”
Nope.
She makes me a deal.
She promises to deliver with this training. She outlines what I’ll get if I set aside the time to show up.
In return, she asks me to make 3 mini commitments. Amy asks me to show up, stay until the end, and download a free workbook.
Easy, right?
That’s exactly the point. She’s using micro commitments. Rather than asking for something big, she keeps the ask small. But it’s setting me up to continue following through.
It all comes down to commitment and consistency — one of Robert Cialdini’s 6 principles of persuasion.
Your funnel is basically a series of micro commitments that prime your potential customers to buy.
Just to get to this point in the sequence I’ve already clicked an ad, selected a webinar time, entered my email address, and opened an email. By asking for another micro commitment, Amy’s making sure I continue on that path.
Email #2: Did you know this was a thing? open up!
Here’s where your typical funnel sends a “webinar starting in a few hours” reminder email. But Amy does something different. She starts with a little story about hanging out with a friend.
The subject of ghosting comes up. Amy shares a definition for anyone who’s unfamiliar, then relates this dating concept to webinars. (Because how many of us have totally bailed on a webinar before 🙋)
I love her approach here. It’s a unique way to remind people to show up. It stands out from all those automated webinar reminders most people are sending.
It’s also perfect for building the relationship with subscribers. The way she frames the reminder feels like you’re confirming plans with a friend. And I would never want to ghost a friend.
Email #3: See you in 50 mins for The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan
We’ve got another webinar reminder email, but once again it’s customized.
Amy reminds me how I’ll benefit from this masterclass and teases content exclusive to webinar attendees to build curiosity.
There’s a great P.S. in this email. She shares a quick to do list to prep me for the masterclass. When the time comes, I’ll be ready to give her my full attention.
Email #4: STARTING - Time to grab your seat :-)
The final reminder email is short and sweet.
But check out that P.S. She’s using it to build engagement. So when I hop on the webinar, I know how I can participate.
In total, we’ve got 4 webinar reminders that went out all in the same day.
And I know some of you are wondering, “Isn’t that too much?”
I don’t think so. Here’s why.
Amy knows how to sell on a webinar. She even teaches it in her Webinars That Convert course.
So why wouldn’t she do everything she could to get people to actually show up?
The way she does it is also super important. None of these emails are annoying. They’re short, easy to read, and actually provide value before I even show up to the masterclass.
Plus Amy’s voice is so kind and friendly. Everything she’s sharing feels like she’s trying to help me — not angling for the sale.
This continues throughout the funnel. If you hate salesy copy, you’ll love Amy’s emails.
Email #5: [REPLAY] Did you catch this bonus? There’s still time!
The next email we get announces the replay, the course, and a fast action bonus.
Amy lets me know that it’s cool if I’m still deciding. But she also wants to give me a chance to watch the replay and make a decision before the fast action bonus expires.
Even though there’s a deadline, I don’t feel any pressure.
But there is one thing in this email that has me confused.
The fast action bonus is Amy’s Wildly Effective Email Swipe Bundle. It’s a swipe file of Amy’s confirmation emails.
But in the copy, they mention that the bonus helps you create high impact lead magnets. Not sure what happened there — maybe they swapped out the bonus and forgot to update the copy?
That’s the only hiccup in an otherwise great email!
Email #6: List Builder’s Lab 2.0 Student Agreement (please read carefully)
I LOVE this email.
Amy gives us a sneak peek into List Builder’s Lab by sharing the “student agreement” that goes out to everyone who joins the course.
What a way to qualify buyers! This is going to immediately get the right people super excited to join. (It’ll also turn off the people who aren’t a good fit.)
Amy outlines what she expects from students and lays out exactly what they need to do to be successful in this course.
But she’s not just outlining the results you’ll get when you follow her carefully planned roadmap. She’s also slaying objections.
How many times have you signed up for a course, got completely overwhelmed, gave up, and wished you had saved your money?
Amy’s laying out a plan that will keep even the busiest entrepreneurs on track and on the way to list building domination. All you have to do is follow her carefully crafted action plan.
At the end of the student agreement, Amy makes 3 promises to her students. It’s not a one-sided deal. We’re all making promises over here.
One thing to note in this email (and several others in the sequence) — Amy’s talking like I’m already a student. It’s a subtle but powerful way to help me picture myself as a student before I even buy.
Email #7: REPLAY coming down (courtesy reminder)
In this final replay reminder email, Amy lets us know the replay is coming down.
She gives a bullet list of what’s covered and a deadline to catch the replay.
But the P.S. is where things get interesting.
Look at what she says there: “many of our best students watched the master class 2 or 3 times to FULLY grasp the amazing list building opportunity in front of them before finally punching their ticket.”
She’s making careful consideration a desirable quality. This is the opposite of high-pressure urgency.
Even with the replay coming down, there are no timers or countdowns. It’s all good. Take the time you need to make the best decision for you.
This is how you make sales without being salesy. You let people know it’s okay to mull it over. In fact, it’s a sign of a successful student.
Email #8: “Ugh. I don’t know what to say”
This email tackles a BIG objection when it comes to email marketing.
Even if you grow an email list, what do you send them week after week?
Amy’s got you covered. She’s not just going to help you get subscribers. She’s going to help you create a consistent content strategy so you’re always communicating with your growing list.
Here Amy’s talking to a more advanced student who’s got the tech and opt-ins figured out. That’s where a lot of list building courses stop.
But Amy understands that people get stuck on what to say. To have a profitable email list, you need a content strategy.
She digs into that pain point, then tells people exactly where to find the solution inside the course.
Anyone can use a variation of this email in their sales sequence. What’s the biggest objection you hear from your audience? Use an email like this to acknowledge it and show how your course can solve it.
Email #9: What people asked before saying YES to List Builder’s Lab 2.0
This sequence has a lot of long emails. This one clocks in at 1369 words.
Sometimes people balk at sending an email that long. “No one’s going to read it.”
But do you know who does read long emails? People who are thinking about buying your course.
They read your long emails. They read your long sales pages. They read everything trying to figure out if it will be right for them.
FAQ emails like this one are great for helping people decide. You can use the questions to tackle objections, position yourself against competitors, and ease any anxiety around joining.
Amy frames asking questions as a quality of her most successful students. So if you’re reading this email because you have questions… you’re in the right place.
She then digs into some juicy topics — like why her course is cheaper than her competitors, who the course was designed for, and her return policy.
Notice the links in this email. There’s several throughout, but they all go to the sales page.
In the last 48 hours of your launch, you don’t want to distract people. You want them going to that sales page and punching in their details.
Sprinkling links throughout helps to keep people moving through this long email. It also means they don’t have to scroll all the way to the end when they’re ready to buy.
Email #10: How to know if you’re ready for predictable list growth
This is a great subject line. It feels diagnostic. It sets up an outcome I want and promises to show me if I’m ready for it.
The email mentions that the cart is closing tomorrow. Rather than hit me with a countdown timer, Amy wants to help me make a decision — one way or another.
She starts out by saying who shouldn’t join. Amy calls out people who aren’t a good fit for the course. It’s a great way to qualify people. If they recognize themselves in those descriptions they can self-select out.
Then she moves on to who the course is best for laid out in a fun, almost quiz-like way. If you can check off 6 out of 9 boxes, then you’re perfect for List Builder’s Lab.
She goes on to outline the perfect buyer. She describes exactly who this course was created for and who will be the most successful.
I’ve used variations of this email for lots of client projects because it’s so powerful. When you’re considering a purchase like this, you want to know if it will work for you. If you resonate with these descriptions, you feel like the course was made for you.
She also brings up the return policy, which reduces risk so readers can feel confident checking these boxes and qualifying themselves.
She also doesn’t set the requirement impossibly high. You don’t have to check off all 9 boxes to qualify. As long as you check most of those boxes, you know the course will help you.
Email #11: [LAST DAY] What will you do, Sarah?
Look at the future pacing in this email! Amy asks me to imagine a not so distant future where I’ve grown my email list to over 1000 engaged subscribers.
She shares some realistic and tangible examples of all the things I could do with that list. I want those outcomes!
Lucky for me, Amy’s got the exact roadmap I need to get there.
Then Amy brings me back to the present and asks what I’m willing to do right now. Here she gives me a choice — yes or no.
Check out the formatting and how it highlights making a decision. It’s blue for yes or red for no.
By asking me to make a choice one way or another, Amy’s trying to get me off the fence. It’s not about making me buy. It’s about making a decision. And not buying is a valid choice.
During launches, so many people just watch that clock tick down and do nothing. This email is meant to inspire a choice.
If the answer is no, I can stop agonizing over it. And if the answer is yes, Amy’s ready to welcome me into the course.
Email #12: [FINAL HOURS] Ready to build your email list?
Amy’s noticed that I haven’t joined yet. But instead of hyping up a deadline or asking me why I haven’t bought, she takes a different approach.
She lets me know it’s cool that I’m taking my time. She brings up her best students again and guess what? They also waited until the last minute to join.
(Comparing me to her best students throughout this funnel is a brilliant way to help me identify as a student before I buy. I’m just like them!)
Not only did her best students wait to join, but they also had a lot of questions and uncertainties before they jumped in. But that’s okay too.
Because the course is designed to help you work through those things. You don’t have to have it all figured out to join. If you did, you probably wouldn’t need this course.
This email cuts straight through all that mind junk that comes up when someone’s deciding to join a course like this. Rather than ignore those thoughts, Amy acknowledges them and turns them into a prerequisite for buyers. If you’re thinking these things, you’re actually the exact type of student Amy wants in this program. Once you join, she’ll help you figure it all out.
It’s a really empathetic approach that’s lacking in a lot of closing emails. Once again, Amy feels like a friend who’s got my best interests in mind (rather than a marketer trying to make a sale).
Email #13: [LAST CALL] Joining us inside List Builder’s Lab 2.0?
In the final hours, we get one more email.
By this time, most people know if it’s a yes or no. Amy’s done all she can to help guide me to that decision. This short last call email serves as a reminder for all the people who wait to the last second to hop in.
Email #14: Oh no! Where did I go wrong?
After the cart closes and the bonuses expire, we get one last email. The sequence ends with a survey to non-buyers.
As I mentioned in my last teardown, this is a great way to gather data so you can optimize your copy. Maybe there was a huge question you didn’t address that held a lot of people back. Maybe you have tons of people saying the price is too high, so you know your pricing or lead gen needs tweaking. You’ll never know unless you ask!