7 Simple Steps to Sending Kick-Ass Emails
Keep it snappy
79% of people skim read when reading emails, so keep it short, simple and easy to follow.
Few people sit down to study their emails these days, especially now they’re so readily available on smartphones. If you don’t tell people why you’re emailing and how you can benefit them in the opening sentence, they’ll move on to the next email in their inbox.
Your email should contain enough information to convince someone to convert, anything extra in unnecessary.
If you take away nothing else from this blog, take away this: keep your paragraphs short and your sentences shorter.
What do they need to do and how do they do it?
Is it obvious what the purpose of the email is? What should the reader do next?
Every email needs a clear call to action.
Do you want the reader to book into a Spa? Or simply find out more about a product? How do they do this? Is it as easy and obvious as it could be?
Buttons convert really well, people can’t help but click on a big, bright button! But if a button isn’t an option, try bolding your text link or increasing the text size.
If it’s important, say it first
Put the most important part of your sentence first, for example:
“It was recently reported in the Bristol Post that 90% of people love staying in hotels.”
should read:
“90% of people love staying in hotels, the Bristol Post recently reported.”
This rule works on every level of your copy. Structure your paragraphs in the inverted pyramid style (this is especially important for emails where you need more copy).
Use bullet points
- They create fascinations your readers can’t resist
- They’re an easily-scannable way to present multiple points
- They look different from the rest of your text, so they provide a visual break for your reader.
‘Click here’ and other words to avoid
- Don’t ‘Click here’
Email readers will read the title, subheadings and links first. It should be obvious where your link is going even when read in isolation, for example, ‘Special offers on luxury hotel rooms’.
- Delete that!
90% of the time you won’t need the word ‘that’. It’s a word which has snuck into our spoken language, however most of the time it’s not needed and doesn’t add anything to the sentence.
- Would you use that language in front of your Gran!?
Don’t use jargon you wouldn’t use in real life. The easier it is to read and the more personable it is, the more likely people are to read it and convert.
Embrace the line break
White space is your friend. There are few easier ways to make your content more readable than breaking up your paragraphs.
Ensure Your emails Give the benefits, not features
Never simply provide a list of features. Your customers won’t identify with them. Let the reader know what the benefits to them are.
