Top 5 Tips for Better Email Copywriting

Reports of email’s death have been greatly exaggerated. In a world of social media and smaller screens, it’s still one of the most important ways you can interact with your customers. Here are 5 ways to craft really effective marketing emails…

Top 5 Tips for Email Copywriting

1. Create a subject line that’s instantly understandable

The subject line is the first thing your subscriber will see so it needs to work hard to get users to read on. The worst thing you can do is be vague – cliched phrases like New Year, new you are not going to entice readers. Similarly, puns may work in print but email readers are impatient and scanning through their emails quickly. A subject line which is obtuse could see your email deleted quickly.

That’s why it’s important to have a clear subject line. Ideally it should answer 1 key question – why should I read this email? This leads onto...

2. Offer incentives and avoid internal messaging

The subject line is the first place to incentive the reader to click on your email. Kick off the line with a verb i.e. Win a…, Improve your chances…, Boost your company…This gives the reader a motivation to read on. If there’s a chance of gaining something, it stands to reason they’re more interested in what you have to say.

Follow the subject line with an email that puts reader benefits right at the top of the email. If your emails begin with news about your company, then readers might find it too internal and inward-looking. Readers aren’t interested in what you’re up to. They want to know what they stand to gain by continuing to read.

3. Make Processes clear

Your marketing emails will have a purpose – whether that is getting readers to sign-up for an event, recommend a friend or give you feedback on a transaction. It’s a good idea to be upfront about this and explain clearly the process you want the reader to take.

There is much written already on the web about how to angle for feedback in marketing emails. Crucially you need to be honest about how long it will take and make sure you are asking readers to answer the absolute minimum that you need. If it’s the case that you need to register to win a prize, make it clear what steps the reader must go through.

4. Deal with any anxiety the reader will be feeling

Offering up prizes and other incentives can sometimes get the reader thinking: There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Good email copywriting deals with these anxieties head on – readers may be suspicious of the offer or concerned whether you’ll be able to deliver on what you say. Sometimes they can be worried about handing over sensitive private information.

Consider the anxieties and find the solution that matches it. It could be a case of including policies regarding data handling or your e-commerce security. A good way to pre-empt suspicion is with client feedback – even anonymous testimonials have been shown in studies to increase trust in companies.

5. Make the email quickly Scannable

If you have clear processes and obvious incentives, it only remains to clearly lay them out. A lot of emails stick to the letter format but this format can be hard to scan quickly.

A better idea is to include headlines in your email that are instantly understandable and subheadings which break up slabs of text – this allows readers to quickly understand the email and jump to the section which interests them.

It’s also a good idea to use bullet-points and lists to express benefits or processes clearly – they’re much easier to read and allow you to get your point across with a lower word count.

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Sunday, September 8, 2013