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Soap opera sequence

Russell Brunson's welcome email series from DotCom Secrets, usually five emails over five days that tell a story and build to an offer.

What It Means

A soap opera sequence is a series of emails, from Russell Brunson's DotCom Secrets, sent to someone who has just joined a business's email list. ClickFunnels' guide describes it as usually five emails, one a day, that introduce the sender, tell a storyUser storyA short description of something a product should do, written from the point of view of the person who needs it, often in the form "As a, I want, so that." See more with a cliffhanger feel and build a connection before making an offer. The name comes from soap operas on TV, which keep viewers coming back for the next episode.

Try It: Walk Through the Five Days

The five emails in ClickFunnels' guide, one a day. Pick a day.

Set the stage

Say who you are, what's coming in the next emails, and give them a reason to open tomorrow's.

How People Say It at Work

  • "New subscribers get the soap opera sequence first."
  • "Day two of the sequence ends on a cliffhanger."
  • "Our welcome emails just say hi. We need a soap opera sequence."

The Breakdown

The five emails, per ClickFunnels' guide

  1. Set the stage. Introduce yourself, build a little rapport, say what the coming emails will cover, and give a reason to look out for the next one.
  2. High drama, backstory, wall. Open on a dramatic moment, tell the backstory that led there, and reveal the wall you ran into.
  3. Epiphany. Share the realization, the one thing, that changed it.
  4. Hidden benefitsBenefits packageEverything an employer offers on top of wages, such as health insurance, paid leave and a retirement plan, which can be worth thousands of dollars a year. See more. Point out benefits of your product that your readers likely aren't thinking about.
  5. Urgency and call to action. Give a reason to act now and ask for the sale.

The guide says the series is usually five emails sent one a day over five days, and it can run to seven.

Try it today. A meal-prep business (made up) writes its day 2 email: "Last March I stood in my kitchen at 9 p.m. with nothing cooked and three hungry kids. Here's how that night started..." It ends there, and day 3 tells what changed.

Where It Comes From

Russell Brunson recommends the soap opera sequence in DotCom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online with Sales Funnels, first published in 2015, with an updated Hay House edition on August 9, 2022. ClickFunnels, the company he co-founded, publishes a guide to writing one.

Good to Know

Buhata's suggestion: send it only to people who signed up to hear from you, give every email a working way to unsubscribe, and read the Federal Trade Commission's guidance for businesses that send commercial email. Urgency has to be real: a deadline or limit you state should be one you'll keep. This is Brunson's method, so watch your own open and reply rates before deciding it works for your list.

FAQ

How many emails are in a soap opera sequence?

Usually five, one a day for five days, according to ClickFunnels' guide to Russell Brunson's method. The guide says some run to seven.

Why is it called a soap opera sequence?

Like a TV soap opera, each email ends in a way that makes the reader want the next one. The name comes from those shows.

When should a soap opera sequence be sent?

Right after someone joins your email list. The first email sets the stage by introducing you, so it belongs before your regular emails start.

Do It in Buhata

Team Space

Plan the five emails as five tasks in your Team Space in Buhata, one per day, and have a teammate check that day 5's deadline is real before it goes out.

Open Buhata

Related Terms and Categories

  • Attractive character

    Russell Brunson's term in DotCom Secrets for the person a business puts in front of its audience, built from a backstory, stories, honest flaws and clear opinions.

  • Epiphany bridge

    Russell Brunson's storytelling method from Expert Secrets for passing on the moment you came to believe in something, so the listener reaches the same belief.

  • Hook, story, offer

    Russell Brunson's three-part formula from DotCom Secrets for any sales message: a hook to get attention, a story to build trust, then the offer.

Business and entrepreneur terms

Sources

Russell Brunson, DotCom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online with Sales Funnels (Hay House, updated edition 2022; first published 2015); Google Books, "Dotcom Secrets"; Hay House, "Dotcom Secrets"; ClickFunnels, "Creating a Soap Opera Sequence That Sells [GUIDE]"

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