The “Soap Opera Sequence” for Email Storytelling
Your email sequences are losing readers after email two or three.
By email four, your open rates have dropped from 35% to 15%. By email five, you’re lucky if 10% of your list is still paying attention.
Meanwhile, I’m keeping open rates above 40% through email seven using a technique borrowed from television writers.
It’s called the soap opera sequence, and once you understand how it works, you’ll never write boring email sequences again.
The Problem With Typical Email Sequences
Most email sequences follow this pattern:
- Email 1: Here’s tip #1
- Email 2: Here’s tip #2
- Email 3: Here’s tip #3
- Email 4: Buy my thing
By email three, your open rates have tanked because there’s no reason to keep reading.
Each email is standalone. There’s no momentum. No story. No reason to care about what comes next.
What Is the Soap Opera Sequence?
The soap opera sequence uses the same psychological principles that keep people binge-watching Netflix shows.
You create a narrative arc across multiple emails where each email:
- Builds on the last one
- Creates anticipation for the next one
- Leaves readers wanting more
It’s called “soap opera” because daytime TV soap operas mastered this technique decades ago—every episode ends on a cliffhanger that makes you need to watch the next one.
The Core Principle: Open Loops
An open loop is an unresolved question or story element that creates tension in the reader’s mind.
Their brain needs closure, so they keep opening emails to get it.
Example: “Three years ago I made a mistake that almost cost me my business. I’m going to tell you what it was so you don’t make the same error.”
Notice you haven’t revealed the mistake yet. That’s the open loop. They have to open email two to find out.
The 4-Part Soap Opera Structure
Email 1: Introduce the Problem (Big Open Loop)
Set the stage. Introduce a conflict or problem.
Example: “I almost lost my business three years ago because of one critical mistake. What I’m about to share could save you from the same fate.”
You’re not revealing the mistake yet—that’s your hook for email two.
Email 2: Backstory and Context
Provide the background. How did you get into this situation?
Example: “The mistake happened because I ignored the one piece of advice everyone gave me. I thought I knew better…”
You’re building empathy and context, but you still haven’t fully resolved the main question. Instead, you’ve added more layers.
Now they’re wondering: What was the advice? What happened next?
Email 3: Things Get Worse (Escalation)
This is where tension increases and emotional stakes reach their peak.
Example: “Within two weeks of making that mistake, I lost my biggest client. My income dropped 60%. I had to tell my family we might lose the house.”
The climax moment. But you still don’t give full resolution.
End with: “I was about to give up completely. Then something unexpected happened…” (Open loop for email four)
Email 4: The Resolution (With a New Loop)
Finally explain how you solved the problem and what you learned.
Example: “I discovered one simple strategy that not only saved my business but doubled my revenue in six months. I’m going to break down exactly what I did.”
But even here, don’t dump everything at once. Give them the framework, but create a new open loop:
“The strategy has three parts. The first one is counterintuitive and it’s what most people get wrong…” (Email five will cover that)
See the pattern? Each email resolves one question but immediately opens a new one.
Real Example: My 7-Email Launch Sequence
I was promoting an affiliate marketing course. Instead of listing benefits, I told a story:
- Email 1: I almost quit affiliate marketing after 6 months of $0
- Email 2: How I’d been following all the wrong advice
- Email 3: The turning point when I discovered a different approach
- Email 4: How I made my first $500 in a week
- Email 5: The mistake that almost derailed everything again
- Email 6: How I systematized the process
- Email 7: The results I’ve had since (leading into the course pitch)
Open rates: 47%, 44%, 42%, 41%, 40%, 38%, 35%
Most sequences drop to 20% or below by email four. Mine stayed high because each email was a chapter in a story, not a random standalone tip.
People were invested. They wanted to know what happened next.
5 Key Elements That Make It Work
1. Emotional Investment
You’re not just sharing information—you’re sharing a journey with ups and downs that people can relate to.
2. Cliffhangers
Every email ends with an unresolved element that can only be answered in the next email.
3. Escalation
The stakes get higher as the sequence progresses. Things get worse before they get better.
4. Payoff
You do eventually deliver on your promises. You answer the questions. The story has a satisfying conclusion.
If you just tease and never deliver, people will feel manipulated and unsubscribe.
5. Relatability
The story needs to be something your audience can see themselves in. If it’s too far removed from their reality, they won’t connect emotionally.
How to Create Your Own Soap Opera Sequence
Step 1: Identify a Transformation
Think of a success story, failure you overcame, or lesson you learned the hard way that relates to your niche.
Step 2: Map Out Key Moments
Break the journey into phases:
- The beginning
- The conflict
- The low point
- The turning point
- The resolution
Step 3: Create 5-7 Emails
Each email covers one phase of the story.
Step 4: Add Open Loops
At the end of each email, ask yourself: “What question can I pose that will make them want to open the next email?”
Step 5: Connect to Your Offer
The resolution should naturally lead into whatever you’re selling. If you’re selling a course, the course should be the thing that helped you achieve the transformation.
Step 6: Write Conversationally
This isn’t a case study. It’s a story you’re telling to a friend. Use emotions, dialogue, sensory details. Make it vivid.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Making the sequence too long: 5-7 emails is the sweet spot. Longer risks losing people.
❌ No clear thread: Every email should clearly be part of the same story.
❌ Never delivering payoff: If you tease without resolution, people feel manipulated.
❌ Forcing the story: The narrative should feel natural, not contrived.
Your Action Plan
- Think of one major transformation or lesson in your niche
- Outline the story in 5 key moments
- Write email one introducing the problem with a cliffhanger
- Track your open rates and compare to typical performance
- Refine based on results
The Bottom Line
Soap opera sequences work because humans are hardwired for stories.
We’ve been telling stories around campfires for thousands of years. Our brains light up when we hear a good narrative.
Stop writing boring tip emails. Start telling stories that keep people hooked from email one all the way to your pitch.
Your open rates—and your sales—will thank you.
Ready to master email storytelling? Subscribe to my newsletter for my complete soap opera sequence template, including fill-in-the-blank story frameworks and real examples you can model!
Have you used storytelling in your emails? What were your results? Share in the comments!
Suggested Featured Image Search Terms: “binge watching tv suspense” or “cliffhanger suspense concept” or “engaged reader story”
Suggested Mid-Post Image Search Terms: “open loop psychology diagram” or “story arc narrative structure” or “email engagement concept”
Suggested End-of-Post Image Search Terms: “email open rates analytics dashboard” or “storytelling engagement success” or “email marketing results”
