How to Super-Personalize Emails Using Artificial Intelligence

It seems like we are all constantly flooded with overly manufactured, impersonal emails. Thousands of generic emails get sent out each day, all written with seemingly little regard for who we are as people.

Likely, though, even the companies sending these emails know that their annoying surplus of content will likely not yield great results. They play the numbers game, so they end up with minuscule open and response rates, and an even smaller conversion rate.

In outreach, we all know it can be hard to see amazing results when blindly reaching out to potential leads. Even when we use the best automation technology and write what we think are convincing, interesting messages, we can still end up with low conversions.

The problem is that the way in which we communicate with others, even in email, is a bit broken. Rather than trying to reach the other person in a way that appeals to them, we often communicate in a way that appeals to us. We neglect to be considerate and empathetic to the other person, and we end up losing because of it — big time.

When we communicate with someone outside of their preferred communication style, they are much more likely to disengage with our message, ignore our emails, and, potentially, block our outreach.

The best way to resolve the problem is to communicate in a more personalized way so that each person feels more understood and gets exactly what they need from the email. But how can we learn enough about our entire audience to write emails that account for their personality?

The solution is AI in email marketing, specifically, a new technology known as personality AI.

Personality AI

In the past, you’d have to either get to know someone well or ask them to take a personality test in order to really learn about who they are. But you’d have to be fairly close with the person for either of these approaches to work, which is a nearly impossible scenario when working in outreach communication.

Innovation in artificial intelligence unlocks a new way to learn about someone’s personality though. Personality AI can actually predict someone’s personality by using artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze publicly available information on websites like LinkedIn. It can even do bulk predictions to help you see the breakdown of your entire list.

Understanding your audience’s unique blend of personalities can have a major impact on the way you sell your product. Let’s say you’re trying to sell to someone who is enthusiastic and people-oriented — they are less likely to care much about the detailed data behind a product. Instead, they’d usually prefer to hear about what makes the product creative or innovative.

On the other hand, a person who is very analytical and detail-focused tends to enjoy learning more about specific, concrete information and is much more likely to be interested in hearing about the details.

By using personality AI to learn about the personality makeup of your audience, you can start easily sending highly personalized emails en masse.

Writing the Best Email

The best emails are those that consider the audience throughout the subject, body, call-to-action, and closing. You may have the perfect subject for someone that entices them to open the email, but if the body doesn't line up with their communication style, you may only get as far as that initial open. Make sure to stay consistent throughout the entire message, no matter who you’re reaching out to.

When you’re using a personality AI tool, it will classify people into groups based on their specific personality types, which makes it easy to determine what types of emails to send out. For the sake of talking more about what these personalities may look like and how you can begin to adapt your emails with personality AI, we’ll talk about personality using some broader traits.

Here’s some direction for emailing the different types of people:

1. Confident, Direct Personalities

Assertive, efficiency-driven personalities tend to like clear, succinct emails that avoid taking up too much of their time. They look for a clear purpose and benefit before seriously considering a product or service.

Here are some tips for writing emails to the confident, direct personalities:

• Subject — Focus on being up-front. Don’t exaggerate or use unnecessary punctuation. Instead, try to keep it under four words as often as possible.
• Body — Similar to the subject, keep the body clear, direct, and concise. Feel free to skip pleasantries. They are unlikely to appreciate overly emotional or over-the-top language. You need to stay relevant to them by showing how your product can help them accomplish goals. Focus on how you can increase their productivity, efficiency, or effectiveness to see the best results.
• Call-to-Action — Be straightforward and specific when presenting the call-to-action, whether in a question or request. Avoid emotional pleas or a drawn-out, unclear ending.
• Closing — Skip unnecessary pleasantries. Just wrap it up with your name and signature.

2. Enthusiastic, Idealistic Personalities

Energetic, optimistic people tend to be interested in new, forward-thinking ideas and products. They will likely want to read an email with vivid language and a moving story.

Here are some tips for writing emails to the enthusiastic, idealistic personalities:

• Subject — Likely to be drawn in by creative ideas, lively language, and interesting/exciting subjects. They may not respond well to boring, lengthy, or data-filled subject lines. Try to entice them to open the email with the most interesting thing they can learn from your email.
• Body — Keep it fun and entertaining by including a relevant story, showing a sense of humor, and featuring colorful graphics. But keep it brief and avoid focusing too much on the specifics; just talk about the “why” in an exciting way and save the “what” details for later.
• Call-to-Action — Use more personal, encouraging language through phrases like “I’d love it if…” or “You can help by…”
• Closing — Keep it short, but end on a positive note by including friendly language and an exclamation point.

3. Warm, Supportive Personalities

Those who are naturally considerate and empathetic are likely to be motivated by reliable, long-lasting products or a trusting relationship with a long-term service provider. They dislike quick, overly direct emails, generally preferring more personal messaging.

Here are some tips for writing emails to the warm, supportive personalities:

• Subject — They tend to prefer friendly, personable language and subtle messaging. They aren’t ones for loud, in-your-face exclamations or uncomfortably direct subjects. Instead, create trust by keeping it personal; use words like “you,” “me,”, “we”, or “us,” to make a closer connection - which they’ll appreciate.
• Body — It’s important to take your time with this group by introducing things over time to build trust. They’re unlikely to be on board with an idea they just heard. Include a bit more information here, while maintaining a casual, person-to-person tone. Don’t be overly direct or forceful; just give them time to feel comfortable throughout the email.
• Call-to-Action — Avoid pushing or pressuring them into action. They are more likely to be motivated by an invitation to share their thoughts or learn a little more.
• Closing — Thank them for their time and end in a warm, friendly way.

4. Logical, Data-Focused Personalities

For analytical, detail-oriented people, data matters. They appreciate when a product’s effectiveness and reliability is backed by plenty of data and evidence. They are unlikely to appreciate overly casual, brief emails. Instead, make sure to provide detail and give them several ways to ask questions and learn more.

Here are some tips for writing emails to the logical, data-focused personalities:

• Subject — They are likely to crave information; offer an interesting fact (that can be supported by data) or define a clear reason for the email.
• Body — Make sure to include a decent amount of backed up information about your product. Avoid unrelated personal stories or over-exaggerated language. Instead, offer concrete facts and figures, specific cost breakdowns, and evidence to back up every claim.
• Call-to-Action — They may have a few questions, so offer them a way to get answers, learn more, and share feedback.
• Closing — No need to include a big closing with this group; just end it where appropriate.

See Results

Outreach marketing can be hard, and when you aren’t seeing the results you want for the effort you put into a campaign, it can leave you feeling stressed and disheartened. Often times, the main issue with this is lack of personalization.

Luckily, personality AI makes it easy to personalize your emails so you get the results you want and can start feeling more at ease with your email marketing. Making use of this new technology and communicating in an impactful way with each person on your list will increase your response rate, grow your conversion, and build lasting, long-term customer relationships.