Your emails will be judged by your cover

You know who will never tell you, “don’t judge a book by it’s cover?”

Authors.

We know better.

When I published my first book, I spent more money on the cover design than everything else combined.

People may not judge the entire book by its cover, but they definitely judge whether to buy it by the cover.

They judge whether to open your email by the subject line.

They decide whether to scroll your website by the headline.

It might not be fair, but there’s no sense in fighting it.

We’re only human.

Attention is shorter than ever, options are greater than ever.

If you don’t hook your audience immediately, they’ll just move on to the next thing.

Put 80% of your effort into making the top of your homepage as perfect as possible.

Here’s how to do it:

• The main headline is key People come to your site looking for answers to their problems, so your headline must give an answer to their problem immediately. It must:
  • Demonstrate you understand the problem
  • Show you have an answer to the problem
  • Tell them why finding the answer is so important
  Speak directly to the person you want to attract and use plain language they understand and identify with. In short, tell them how you will help as if you were talking to a friend.
• The subheadline makes it clear Below the headline, make it clear what exactly you are offering. If the headline is primarily the “why,” the subheadline should be the “what.” Make sure the person knows that you are offering physical therapy (or a certain specialty) for a certain population without making them scroll. You want anyone searching for a particular service to know whether they found it immediately.
• Appropriate call to action Let your visitors know what you want them to do as specifically as possible, but meet them where they are. Don’t say “Get Started” when what you are actually asking is “submit your information to get a call back about scheduling.” Say “Ask about an appointment” or “Talk to the PT (or your name).” Not everyone is ready to book an appointment the first time they visit, so you will get more results with calls to contact you or ask questions.
• Strong visual hook A beautiful design or stunning image isn’t going to work on its own, but it can help grab attention and reinforce the headlines and your brand. Use images that are personal and relevant, either of you as a therapist, an actual patient, or both. Build trust and familiarity by showing your face and reassure your target population that they will fit in at your clinic. An underline, highlight, or visual flair on key words can help draw attention to your message.
• Don’t overcomplicate, clutter, or confuse Too many words, images, or design elements can be overwhelming and distracting. Just like your headline, keep your overall design as simple and clear as possible. Avoid multiple images, flashy backgrounds, animations, or anything that distracts from the main headline. Keep your main navigation menu to as few items as possible, using dropdown menus for additional pages if needed.

If you can perfect the top of your homepage, you’ll see your new leads skyrocket.

That doesn’t mean you can neglect the rest of your site or your practice.

While a great cover can get the reader to pick up the book, they still have to like what they read.

But following these principles will give you the best chance to prove yourself.

So take an honest look at your homepage today.

Is it hooking your patients?

If not, it’s costing you a lot of money.

Time to fix it.