Ten Steps To Improving Your Email Copy

By A. P. Traylor

1. Spend time on your subject line.
   Most of your subscribers, when they see your subject line in their inbox, will be faced with a choice: Open the email and read it, or delete it. To make sure your readers choose the former, you need to carefully consider this important sentence. Remember: Simple subject lines sell.
   
   
   • Start your line with a call-to-action. Tell your customers what they should do!
   • Include your promotion and the name of your company.
   • Keep the savings message at the front of the sentence, in case the subscriber’s email program truncates the subject line.
   • Keep it short for quick scanning.
   
   
2. Hit the ground running.
   Second only in importance to your subject line is the opening sentence of your email. All the qualities that apply to a good subject line apply to your opening line. In fact, many successful emails use their subject line as the opening line, with a slight variation. It’s not redundant; it sets the tone for the message and can act as a header.
   
   
3. Use verbs and call customers to act.
   Don’t let the passive voice creep into your message. For effective messages, you need to grab attention. Start sentences with directives like “Save,” Act,” Click,” Get,” “Shop,” etc. Usability studies have shown time and again that including a direct call to action can significantly improve clicks and response rates.
   
   
4. Decide on your tone and style.
   Email writing in general is more casual than print. Advertising is more familiar than most corporate communications. With that said, your tone and style depends on two factors: your audience and your business. Look around your Web site. When you designed it, you likely considered how you wanted to portray your business to customers on the Internet. Use it as your guide and keep your email tone consistent with your site. The last thing you want is a customer to click-through your email and land on your site feeling surprised or confused.
   
   
5. Drive the point home.
   Spelling out your offer only once isn’t enough—especially since most people don’t take the time to read through an entire message. Repeat your offer throughout the message. At a minimum, it should be in the opening and closing lines of your email.
   
   
6. Break it down.
   The truth is that the average person doesn’t really read email. When confronted with a big block of text on their computer screen, most people’s eyes will automatically skip over it. Some general rules to follow include:
   • Keep your paragraphs short and easy to scan.
   • Separate the message into subsections, so someone can get the main points without having to read every word.
   • Vary your paragraph structure with a bulleted list.
   
   
7. Know your audience.
   If you have no idea who will be reading your email, you’ll have a tough time writing a compelling, persuasive message. Only when you know the characteristics of the type of person who will be reading your email will you be able to what to say and how to say it.
   
   
8. Don’t delay. Act now.
   A sense of urgency in your email will encourage readers to click through right then, rather than waiting. If your savings offer ends soon, stress it! Even if it doesn’t, include words like “hurry!” and “now” and “for a limited time only.”
   
   
9. From you, truly, sincerely.
   End your email on a familiar note and choose the closing that’s right for your business. Examples include: “Sincerely, The team at Mike’s Fish Supply Shop” or “Sincerely, John Wilson, President.”
   
   
10. Simplify, simplify, simplify.
    Clear writing with a simple message will always get a better response than overly detailed copy with too much information. Don’t overwhelm your readers with a long list of products and prices. Give them a flavor and encourage them to click through.