In this post, we will be discussing some old-school techniques for writing marketing emails that get results. Let’s get started by pointing out that when we say “old-school” we do not mean outdated or overused. We are talking about an earlier era in internet marketing, before the industry was driven by huge over-hyped “launches” with hundreds of affiliates signing up to drive sales through one of a few enormous platforms.
If you can get approved to promote one of these launches, you will be competing against affiliates with mega-lists sending multiple email broadcasts. And don’t fool yourself, anybody on “your” list (if you have one) is almost certainly also on “their” list.
The first thing you need to do is look beyond the “buy this” email pattern, because unless you have an enormous list you will not consistently make sales that way.
You need to understand the anatomy of the marketing email. Realize that the “marketing email” is not just a sales pitch for a product. While you will sometimes be pitching a sale, you will also need to attract subscribers to your list, keep subscribers interested and engaged, share useful information, and get subscribers to open YOUR emails. All of these are “marketing” goals, and as you can see, “marketing” is a broader concept than “sales”.
Any marketing email consists of two elements, the subject line and the body copy. Each of those elements of your email has a single job.
The subject line has only one job — to get the email opened.
There are two main types of subject lines…
A “Blind” subject line is intended to appeal to the reader’s curiosity and maximize your open rate.
Although this type of subject line can get higher open rates, it could fail to work if the email body copy does not relate to and support it. Be careful with “blind” subject lines because you don’t want to trick readers to open the email and end up disappointed.
A “Direct” subject line tells the benefit of the content directly and qualifies the reader as interested before opening.
While this type of subject line gets you fewer opens compared to the blind subject lines, it increases the chances of click-throughs because the reader already knows what is inside and by opening the email he shows his interest.
The body copy has only one job — to get the reader to take action.
Often this will mean clicking the CTA to buy or subscribe, but might also be as simple as getting the subscriber to open your next informative, worthwhile email.
Just like the subject line you can choose either the curiosity or direct benefit approach in your email body copy. Like with the subject line, the curiosity-based email copy may increase your click-through rate by getting the reader to expect something, but can decrease the conversion rate on the landing page if it doesn’t match the expectations set by the email copy.
Now, let’s look at some specific writing tips.
Write for your audience.
Your email copy will not convert if it is not written for your audience.
Think like your customer.
For each of your targeted emails, consider the needs and wants of your readers that might motivate him or her to act on your message. Your reader probably receives tons of emails each day. Without even realizing it, with each email he will be asking questions like:
Who is sending me this email?
What do they want me to do?
How will it benefit me?
When you anticipate and answer these questions in your message, you’ll be speaking directly to your audience.
Be personal
Email is primarily a communication channel, and most marketers fail to treat it like one. Always remember that your reader is an individual who opened your email in hopes of gaining some benefit. Craft your email to explain what benefit is available, and how each individual reader can use that benefit to his or her advantage.
People LOVE to buy stuff, but they hate to have someone SELL them stuff. Keep that in mind in every message you write. “Buy This!” lacks the personal touch and appeals to no one. While someone who already decided to take action may follow through, this approach won’t persuade anybody else. Sell the benefits and advantages of the product or service, NOT the product or service itself.
Create a personal connection with email contacts through segmentation and tagging of your list. If you’re not familiar with these concepts, we’ll talk more about them in another email.
Use “you” “me” and “us” in your copy and avoid “I,” unless you’re relating a personal experience for their benefit. People don’t want to hear you talking about “you.” And people who are struggling certainly don’t need to hear about what a great success you are. Stress what the product or service can help them achieve. People love to hear you talk about them.
Write in plain language, as if you’re talking to your audience. Remember, email is a communication medium first.
Match your Email Copy with your Subject Line
Your readers are bombarded with “BUY THIS!” messages and irrelevant email content on a daily basis. They will be skeptical by nature. You need to nurture trust in them by keeping your subject line closely aligned with your body text. Don’t break their trust by creating an overly-compelling subject line that doesn’t match the content. In the long run, hype is not helpful.
It’s better to write your subject lines after you’ve written your content. This will help you to craft subject lines that are true to the content.
Format the mail copy for Skimmers
In today’s world of information overload, people are absolutely NOT going to read every email they receive, especially when they are on multiple marketing lists. They have learned to skim the content to see if there is something that captures their attention. If you format your content for easy scanning, the more likely your audience might be read your email, and give you conversions.
- Keep your main points bolded and bulleted.
- Keep your sentences short.
- Make your call to action clear and simple.
Be useful
This is very important. Do not email them when you need something from your readers. Rather, provide them with something useful when you email.
Be genuinely helpful
When you help your readers to learn something new or improve their lives, they’ll be more receptive to your emails. It will help you get more opens, more clicks, and eventually more sales.
Ask questions
You wouldn’t be able to have a face-to-face conversation with your reader without asking questions, would you? Apply the same to your writing. Asking questions increases engagement from your reader and it also doubles their attention. Invite them to contact you or join a conversation on your website, and respond when they do. Invite them to forums or social media groups you belong to and find useful.
Don’t be boring
One of the cardinal sins of writing is boring the reader. It not only shows your lack of interest in the subject but also encourages your subscribers to stop reading your mail. Editing your email copy carefully could help you to remove the fillers and be straight to the point. One old writer’s trick you should use is to write it, set it aside while you do something else, and come back to read it again. You’ll almost always find some room for improvement.
Have a clear call to action
Don’t expect your readers to understand what you want them to do. Tell them exactly what you expect them to do next in clear words, and go-ahead to remind them why doing so is in their best interest.
Leverage the power of “the PS”
People have short attention spans and tend to skim and overlook details, and generally appreciate if you remind them about the salient points of the email. They will read the “PS” virtually without fail, and you can use the PS to communicate the essence of the email or even make them reread the email.
This is a lot of information to take in, especially if you are inexperienced as a writer, but realize that while your marketing emails aren’t likely to become literary classics for future generations, following these guidelines can and will help you write better emails and get better results, whether you are trying to make a sale, sign up a subscriber, or keep your subscribers engaged.