How to build a relationship with every subscriber on your email list while priming them to buy (your) products without any sales shenanigans

Building an engaged email list is the backbone of every online business. Engagement is important because it's directly linked to the profit you can make from your email list.

That's what the "Sorting Hat" sequence does: it builds an engaged list automatically. It uses storytelling to build a relationship and a simple trigger-based email automation to personalize the path every subscriber takes.

Here are a few replies I got to my "Sorting Hat" sequence:

Explore The "Sorting Hat" Sequence Firsthand👇

Engagement is just the tip of the iceberg. You want to translate this engagement into sales. Keep reading, and you'll see how to write and incite reactions like the ones above (and a few examples of this engagement translating into loyal customers).

What is the "Sorting Hat" email sequence then?

If you have watched "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for US readers), then you've seen the sorting ceremony scene. Every new student who joins Hogwarts goes through the sorting ceremony. In the simplest terms, new students are assigned to one of the four houses.

What you may have missed is that each student chooses which house they want to join. Then, the Sorting Hat pronounces that decision out loud. That one decision defines the path they take as a wizard. Pretty influential, isn't it?

The same is true with subscribers in your list. That's why I created the "Sorting Hat" email sequence. It's an automated email sequence that subscribers receive based on a trigger. That trigger can be anything from a tag to a form they subscribed to (for example new subscribers joining your list).

Unlike in Harry Potter, the "Sorting Hat" sequence is dynamic and has multiple decision points. Each decision in the "Sorting Hat" sequence leads subscribers down a path they choose and to solutions they are most likely to buy.

That's only possible because you're building an engaged email list.

How do you build an engaged email list (and how is the "Sorting Hat" sequence doing it differently)?

Great question, young padawan. Show you I shall.

Creating an engaged subscriber combines two factors: relationship and personal interest. Let me break that down.

People subscribe to receive emails they hope they want to read. Some want to learn, and others want to grab the promised lead magnet and split.

Whatever the case, every person subscribes to gain something.

It's a primal instinct that copywriters and marketers call out with the question, "What's in it for me?" (WIIFM). Most people sending emails (or copywriters writing them) don't address this simple question. When that happens, you betray the trust the reader has given you.

Let me explain using a personal example.

I have an email list where I write about copywriting and marketing daily. From the first email in the welcome sequence, I let my new subscribers know I'm here to help. And I'll do it by writing daily emails different from the other emails you receive in your inbox.

That's the expectation my readers have and that's what I'll give them. Circling back to the infamous question every reader asks, "What's in it for me?" (WIIFM), my response is this: I'll send you unique emails daily about copywriting and marketing, each showing you how to fix a problem you have.

This gets me to the next problem.

How do I know the problem my subscribers have (that I can solve)?

Simple, I offer every subscriber the option to tell me. That's where the trigger email automation enters. Each subscriber tells me a bit about themselves with a simple click. The same way Harry Potter told the Sorting Hat he wanted to join Gryffindor instead of Slytherin.

Each click simultaneously personalizes the remainder of the sequence. The beauty is that each subscriber carves their path inside my automation based on their interests.

But it only works if you build a valuable relationship with your subscribers.

Carve Your Own Path Inside My "Sorting Hat" Sequence

How do you build a relationship that primes email subscribers to buy?

Every email you send should be worth reading. But you're not the one who'll judge that. It will be your reader. Your reader is the judge, jury and executioner. Just like in the famous comic "Judge Dredd" your reader is the law.

What does that mean?

Every email you send (and your subscribers read) is scrutinized. Subconsciously, every reader evaluates your email and looks for an escape—a reason to stop reading and never return to your emails.

You're in trouble if your subscriber can't answer "HELL YEAH" to the following simple question: "Is this worth my time?"

Be Judge Dredd Of My "Sorting Hat" Welcome Sequence

How does the "Sorting Hat" make your email readers go "HELL YEAH"?

We're getting to the juicy part now. Essentially, the "Sorting Hat" uses storytelling and dynamic email segmentation.

On one side, storytelling builds the relationship while segmentation offers the reader the opportunity to buy products in which they express interest (maybe even subconsciously).

As I told you above, every click signals what the subscriber is interested in (or shows me the problem they're experiencing). Both are valid signals I can use to market my products best.

And the beauty of it all is that every single email service provider can do this. For my email list, I use Kit (ex-ConvertKit).

Here are examples from some of my customers. This is their journey from the welcome "Sorting Hat" sequence to loyal buyers.

Example #1 - Ambitious copywriter Esther

Here's the first reply Esther sent me.

Here is another reply from the "Sorting Hat" sequence that primed Esther to buy.

And this is what it leads to. Esther is predetermined to buy my products.

Note that I haven't pitched any product to her at this point.

The end result?

Esther has bought every single course I have put together ever since.

Plus, she is the longest-standing subscriber to Strategic Gold Nuggets.

Before I show you two more examples, here's another invitation to experience the "Sorting Hat" sequence yourself.

Esther whose reactions you saw above says about my welcome sequence that it's "weird welcome sequence that attracts loyal customers". Could that be you?

Example #2 - The young and hungry copywriter Simon

Simon's journey started the same way it did for Esther– with a simple reply.

Then when I started hinting at my upcoming launch of Strategic Gold Nuggets (Simon calls it "GN"), here's what he said:

But just to show you how powerful this is...

To this date Simon is a Strategic Gold Nuggets subscriber. He keeps sharing his insights inside our private Slack channel even after moving to Thailand.

See for yourself if the "Sorting Hat" is as powerful as I portray it to be

Example #3 - Mohammed was stressed when he couldn't buy my product because of a glitch

But like the rest it starts with an initial engagement to my email.

And then quickly moves to this.

Once he was in, Mohammed sent me this.

My "Sorting Hat" sequence works even if people don't click on the links

I've been yapping about clicks that I forgot to cover a few of the "what ifs" and other questions you might have about it.

The first on the list is, what if people don't click?

The sequence will continue nurturing them without you lifting a finger. And as I said, it's easy to setup plus every single email provider has this trigger-based function installed.

Can I use the "Sorting Hat" sequence as my welcome sequence?

Yes, certainly. That's what I do. You saw some of the results it brought me.

What if I use a lead magnet (I don't use one by the way) in my welcome sequence?

The methodology and technique remain the same. You'd just deliver the lead magnet and connect it using a story to the "Sorting Hat" email sequence.

What if I don't want to sell products?

Then don't. But if you want to build an engaged list regardless of your motivation, you can do it using the "Sorting Hat" email sequence.

What if this or that?

I think the best way to see it is to go through it yourself. You'll either love it or hate it. Whatever your reaction, you'll know whether it's something you're willing to use. Plus, remember, you can use it any way you see fit—the copy is secondary at this point.

If you want to experience it yourself, here's a signup form.👇