Welcome to issue #007 of The Creator-Educator Club. Every Sunday, I send proven strategies from top creator-educators to help you build a high-impact email course so you can scale your knowledge business faster. Subscribe below so you won’t miss the next issues.
This issue is presented by: Email Course Blueprint
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Last week, I was reading through a lesson email from one of the email courses I analysed (which I shall not name).
It started with the first sentence that caught my attention right away. Then, the writing flowed smoothly into the introduction paragraph. Then, it went on to deliver an amazing lesson that was also easy to follow.
My first reaction was, “Damn, this lesson email really does hit home!”.
I was falling through the slippery slope. The lesson kept on going. And I continued reading with my full attention.
Until that moment.
Suddenly, the email ended with, “That’s it for today. Speak soon”, out of nowhere. It left me confused.
And so I decided to stop reading it entirely.
Rushed ending weakens your course performance
Think about your favourite TV shows for a second.
They don’t end each episode with, “Thanks for watching!”. Instead, they create irresistible cliffhangers that make you instantly crave the next episode.
The same goes for your email course.
Without building momentum at the end, your students have to start fresh with each lesson instead of building on from their previous excitement.
It means your course will have:
Lower open rates
Reduced implementation
Fewer conversions to your core offer
How you end today’s lesson directly influences whether they’ll continue with tomorrow’s.
Here’s the thing…
Most creator-educators rush the ending and fail to retain students.
They sign off without any transition, leaving students wondering, “Is that it?”. They invest a lot of their time into writing the main content, but clearly not as much into the ending.
And I don’t want your effort to go to waste like that.
That’s why today I want to share the better ways to end your lesson emails on a high note (with real examples from successful email courses).
5 cliffhanger email endings that build momentum
1. Show a progress tracker
Include a visual representation to show exactly where your students are in your course journey.
This doesn’t have to be fancy at all.
It can be graphics showing a progress bar, or even simpler, a text-based indicator (which I’ll show you below).
In Charge What You’re Worth, Zach Swinehart and Brennan Dunn include a list of all lesson emails in the course with a small indicator pointing to the current lesson.
Once your students see where they are and how much further they have to complete the journey, they’re more likely to stick to the end.
It creates a subtle accountability mechanism that encourages them to continue opening your emails.
2. Celebrate the key milestone
Acknowledge the specific milestone your students just accomplished.
This is as simple as sharing a quick celebratory message and summing up what they’ve achieved from your email.
In Email Course Blueprint, I finish all my lesson emails with:
“Congratulations on completing [INSERT DAY NUMBER] challenge! You now have [INSERT LEARNING OUTCOME ACHIEVED].”
This affirming statement gives your students the feeling of success. It reminds them of the real result they achieved with the help of your lesson email.
That’s another way to increase their likelihood of sticking with your course until the end.
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3. Tease the next lesson
End your current lesson by revealing just enough about what’s coming up next.
This might sound obvious, but I can tell you most email courses still miss it entirely.
Greg Isenberg did this pretty well in his ACP Playbook. He starts by teasing an attractive outcome that his students could achieve with his method, then tells them he’ll reveal the how in the next lesson.
That’s how you create an information gap that makes students crave closure. They can’t help but open your next email to get that insight you teased.
4. Offer instant access to the next lesson
When students are in the flow of learning, the last thing you want to do is interrupt it.
Give them the option to receive the next lesson immediately after finishing the current one to maintain this momentum.
Two ways you can do this.
You can use a simple fast-forward link like Ryan Robinson does in his Build a Blog in 7 Days. With one click, students can trigger the next lesson email to land in their inbox right away.
Or take it a step further by making the delivery of your next lesson email conditional on completing the homework. That’s a great way to add accountability while letting students learn at their own pace. Again, I’m using Charge What You’re Worth as an example just because it was very well created.
When students are excited about your lessons, providing an option to keep going immediately makes them far more likely to finish your course.
5. Incentivise social sharing for full course unlock
Finally, one of my personal favourites (that’s still underrated).
Encourage students to share your email course on social media in exchange for unlocking the entire course as an instant download.
Amy Hoy uses this strategy in her Launch FTW to create a powerful win-win. Her students get instant access to all the lessons. She gains valuable social proof and visibility on her course.
With public commitment, they’re more likely to complete your course. Plus, every share also exposes it to new audiences, creating a continuous stream of new signups.
Final words
How you end each lesson email matters just as much as what’s in it.
Strong endings don’t just wrap up. They build momentum that carries your students from one lesson to the next all the way until the end. They make the whole learning journey a cohesive one.
If you feel like there are still disconnections between your lesson emails, use some of these cliffhanger endings to boost completion and ultimately conversion rates.
Remember, it’s not about giving more information. It’s about helping more students reach the finish line.
See you next Sunday,
Beer
If you have any thoughts, questions, or feedback, feel free to drop them in the comments.
Whenever you’re ready, here are 2 ways I can help you:
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