Keep it reasonably short and to the point
An email is not the place to write a long novel.
Most of us are very busy throughout the day, and our inboxes are overflowing with emails craving our immediate attention.
If you don’t get to the point quickly you risk losing the reader.
Most great emails stick to only one single purpose, be it getting the reader to click on a link or teaching them something valuable.
That way it will also be easier to match up a good subject with the body.
Think twice before including something like an in-depth, 2000-word article, even if it’s so interesting that you just have to share it with your subscribers.
Not only will most of them probably not read it despite your best intentions, but it may also even get caught in some spam filters because of the length.
If you simply must share that long article with your readers, the better way is to focus delivering the main points in the email and then include a link they can click to read the full article online.
“What’s in it for me?”
That’s the question every one of your readers will ask themselves subconsciously when deciding whether to read your email or not.
If there is nothing of clear value being offered they will likely just skip it altogether.
That’s why you better have a great answer to this question before you start writing the email.
Now, this doesn’t mean you have to give away something of immense value every time you send out an email, but there should at least be a reason for the reader to consider opening it.
If you don’t have anything valuable to say, you may as well not say anything at all.
Begin with the most valuable part
Okay, so you’ve put some thought into it and come up with something you think your recipient(s) will enjoy reading.
The trick now is hooking them the instant they open your email and keeping them reading.
If the beginning part of your email is dull, unexciting or lacking in value they will likely just abandon it and move on to the next email in their inbox.
Make sure you stay relevant
When you’re sending out an email to your list, always ask yourself before pushing the ‘send’ button whether this message is relevant to their interests and in line with the reason they signed up to your list in the first place.
Ignoring this is what often shoots spam complaints through the roof…
People don’t understand why they’re getting insurance tips when they signed up for weekly grocery coupons emails.
That’s not to say you can never diverge from the original topic they signed up for, but if you’re going to do it you should make it very clear why they’re getting it.
Going back to the previous coupon list example, simply telling the subscriber that they’re getting these tips because you know they like to save money and you want to help them save even more on insurance will go a long way.
Instead of feeling like they’re getting an irrelevant, spammy offer they’ll feel like you’re looking out for their interests.
Speak directly to the reader
This is incredibly important, yet so many get it wrong.
Nobody likes feeling like they’re just another faceless name in a long list of people in some email marketer’s huge list.
Never write like you’re addressing a large group of people.
Pretend you’re writing to a single individual and you’ll see much better results from your email campaigns.
If possible, keep the email casual just like if you were writing to a friend.
In the Nurture Facet program, we provide guidance on how to effectively connect with your readers.
Of course, there are exceptions to this, as is usually the case with email.
If you were to, for example, write a corporate newsletter you may want to skip this step and keep the formal attitude.
Short sentences and paragraphs
As is often the case with copywriting, shorter is better.
This is basically just another way to keep the reader’s attention focused on the email.
Short paragraphs and sentences are easier to read, flow better and don’t look as daunting as more complex writing.
Some expert email writers go as far as writing just a single sentence per paragraph, though for most that is probably a bit excessive.
Try to find your own unique style that suits your personality and message.
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