Secret’s Out: Tips for Writing Emails that Get Opened
One thing I always tell my clients that they ABSOLUTELY need is an email list. It’s such a powerful tool to connect with your audience in a personal, and fun way. But it’s not always easy to keep an audience engaged. So I've picked up a few tactics along the way that I’ve found have really helped get more from my campaigns – which you can use first hand, in your business.
Because the risk is, if you get it wrong, you’ll be losing subscribers and wasting your time.
Formatting
Just like your website, the look of your email sets the environment towards what you’re saying.
So whether you’re sending a plain text email, or trying to do something creative, make sure you keep your goal in mind.
If you have too many images and icons in your email, this can easily trigger spam filters, so if in doubt, keep it simple.
Use a template
I use MailChimp because it has a professional and clean look about it. For my Squarespace clients - yes Squarespace has it’s very own email marketing platform, however I find it isn’t as customisable and organised as Mailchimp is. Mailchimp has automations and so many extra features that are not comparable to Squarespace’s platform.
It also comes with loads of templates, so instead of trying to build an email template from scratch, use one that’s already done for you.
Use a light background
We’re not used to reading off dark backgrounds, so when creating your email template, make sure you remember this!
Subject line
I get about 90+ emails a day, and when I do, I look at the subject line, then open about 25 of them and delete the rest. Sound familiar?
Now there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to creating a subject line that works, and Tim Watson has commented before that following the best practices often don’t work.
So instead, I’ve put some practical tips together for you:
Ask questions
Ask your clients direct questions, and don’t generalise. This will help to personalise your email and will even help you when writing it, to tailor the email to the pain points, desires or interests of your clients. If the subject line has a question in it, it helps to create a hook for the reader.
Always use their first name
If you can include your client’s first name in the subject line, this can dramatically improve the open rate. Mailchimp has a First Name merge tag you can add, so that every email is personalised.
Provoke emotion
Strong words like love, hate and astonishment really spark attention, so try creating a subject line with this in mind, but don’t be unnecessarily dramatic just for the sake of it (even though I am guilty of being unnecessarily dramatic in real life! Haha oops!).
Sale – away
Stay away from using a hard-sell approach in your subject line; it’s not a place for pitching and can significantly impact your open rate. If you are going down this road, use it sparingly and for the right reasons.
Keep it short & consider segmenting your audience
If you have a big enough email database, it’s worth segmenting your audience into smaller groups, so that you can send them information that’s relevant to what they need. Some of the most effective emails I’ve sent have just been simple two-lined emails, with the first line being a question, and second asking for a response.
The open rate was about 60% when I segmented the database and asked a question in the subject line, when usually on average it’s sitting at 40%. And, I got responses straight away because the call to action was clear.
A huge difference!
So if possible, consider segmenting your database and sending short, straightforward emails, which put more focus on the call to action.
What’s your call to action?
Give your readers just one point to take away. Giving them too many choices will lead to confusion.
So if you’re sending an email about marketing tips, the call to action will be; to access resources and the free downloadables. Don’t confuse your readers by asking them to call you today, while also asking them to follow you on Instagram and leave a review about you on Facebook… Brain OVERLOAD!
Monitor it!
There’s no point in sending regular emails out and just hoping for the best. If you’re not monitoring how your emails are performing there’s no way to improve them. Sites like MailChimp track click-through rates for you, along with open rates so that you can keep track of what works and what doesn’t.
As I said, some of the most effective emails I’ve sent have been just a simple question with a few lines. So consider different approaches aside from the usual newsletter or client updates, so that you can increase your overall open and click-through rate to get the results that you want.
What do you want to know about email marketing? Send me an email with any questions.
Cheers,
Cherise