Quick email copywriting lesson for ya:
Ever seen a guy swing a wild haymaker in a street fight?
It’s the kind of punch that, if it lands, will send someone straight to dreamland. Lights out!
But if is the key word.
Like if my uncle had gills, he’d be a goldfish. But he doesn’t. So he’s not. You get what I’m saying?
Most of the time, haymakers are sloppy, slow, and telegraphed from a mile away…
… giving anyone with half-decent reflexes plenty of time to duck, step back, or (if they’re feeling fancy) counter with a nasty hook of their own.
Now, compare that to a jab.
It ain’t flashy. And it’s very rarely a knockout shot.
But it’s fast, sharp, and fundamental.
And it sets up everything else, keeping your opponent on edge, and accumulating damage.
Best of all:
You can throw it all day long without gassing out.
Anyway, there’s a reason why I bring up all this fighting talk.
Because when I’m writing CTAs at the end of my emails, I heavily favor what I like to think of as “jab” CTAs.
And it’s for many of the same reasons that a jab is so effective in fights.
They’re casual, quick, simple, and effective.
They don’t scream BUY MY STUFF NOW OR ELSE.
They don’t make prospects feel like they just walked into a used car dealership.
Instead, they slide in naturally — like a casual mention in conversation. And because they don’t feel “salesy,” people don’t put their guard up…
… or worse yet, send them running scared.
Sure, there’s a time and place for a big, bold haymaker CTA.
A launch email. A sales page. A deadline-driven final call.
But for daily emails?
Jabs win out every time.
Good news for you: You can find 20 ‘jab-like’ fill-in-the-blank CTA templates in my Emails with Attitude Digital Cookbook.
And if you want to swipe them and use them as soon as today, you know where to go:
https://kennethturnbull.com/Emails-with-Attitude-Doc
Stay sharp,
Kenneth Turnbull