How do you create great email copy and stay honest with yourself

Jun 23, 2023

It doesn't take an email copywriter to make amazing newsletters. Here's how to create fantastic copy without pretending to pretend to.

You know you need to create a newsletter, but writing the copy is a bit daunting.

What can you do to grab your reader's attention? How do you get them to click on your emails every time?

The good news is that you don't have be a writer to create content that is sure to impress your readers.

If you're passionate about something You can also sell your digital goods, online training, sessions for coaching, and memberships to community groups all on one platform . Join for free.

Structure your email around an objective

To start a journey, it is necessary to have a goal. The same is true for each and every newsletter you publish.

You can ask yourself "What's the end result for this email?" and work your way backward. You could, for instance, ask them to click on to read the latest post on your blog post or purchase a product.

When you have a clear idea of what your goal is, work out how you can make that journey as easy as possible for your audience.

As an example, Brooks wanted its customers to sign up for their shoe search tool online.

The email was opened with an interesting photo of a pair of shoes. The photo is accompanied with the graphic message "Let us pair you with". The text beneath is designed to gently guide your reader to the ultimate aim with a casual informal style.

Then they switch to a different color in the following section, attracting the attention of viewers. If a reader was looking through the emails, that's where they're likely to land. It's the place they announce the"call to action" (CTA).

The placement of your CTA farther down your body text increases conversions by 304 percent when compared with placing it at the top. It is even better to make the CTA stand out like Brooks has done, using the use of a striking button.

Make sure to draw more focus on your CTA to draw more attention to your CTA by following Moment 's approach. In order to promote their collection of photography tips the company created a separate newsletter.

Each one of the tips comes with a box along with a few tips and two images to demonstrate the concept. A button leads the reader to that specific tip, but it's recommended to stay inside the email and read all five recommendations.

Then, you can follow the link to view the complete series of blog posts.

What works about this approach is that it guides you through the series of blogs, offering value in each of the summaries. When you arrive to the CTA, you're ready and eager to learn more.

As with Moment, you can offer many opportunities for readers to click. Also, they use the lower section of their newsletter to publicize additional offers like this excursion to Iceland.

It works because the main CTA and purpose of the email are well known. It's not distracting. But this doesn't mean you should try and stuff every single deal you've got inside each newsletter.

If you're eager to begin planning your email journey, download our outline format template . The template can be edited by hand in the Canva .

When you've found a good email design and picked the CTAs The most difficult part is done. Now you just need the amazing email content with it.

Some people think that great writing requires a lot of cleverness and fancy, however it's much better to be acknowledged. And who understands you better than your friend?

Send your message to the reader like they were your close friend

If you've ever read some newsletter tips, chances are you've come on this one: "personalize your emails".

Personalizing your email can be a good idea, however, not the way you envision. Don't bother adding the recipient's initials -- this could fail easily , and it doesn't create a personalized email.

What makes your email personal is the content. Good email copy feels as if it was written specifically for the recipient by a person you've known. It speaks to your desires as well as your desires and your sense of humor.

This is an excerpt of an recent email by Ann who demonstrates how welcoming and intimate her writing style is.

Note the familiar opening "Hi I'm Sweet Cheeks" and the way she quickly involves her reader in "You might recognize him as".

Just like Ann like Ann, you can get your message into your readers' hearts through writing letters to them as if they were a acquaintance.

Make use of second person pronouns ("you/your") and use the active voice whenever is possible.

For example:

In place of " Our cake recipes are loved by our members," say, "You are awestruck by our cakes recipes".

Or instead of "Readers are known struggling with semicolons" say, "I am sure you don't like semicolons".

The new versions are more direct and grab the attention of your readers. Make use of this method to make readers to be more interested in what you're saying.

If you're looking for some writing inspiration This is a list of no-cost email templates:

Segment your email list

To write to your subscriber like a friend, you have to be familiar with them.

That's where the concept of segmentation is at play.

Segmentation is the method to divide your mailing list into different demographic groups. You can then send email advertising campaigns most relevant to the particular segment.

You could, for instance, create a new segment customers, and then use it to send emails which get them up to the speed of what you are doing.

Segmenting can be extremely effective. 82 percent of marketers report a higher open rate with segments versus non-segmented campaigns.

Segmentation comes with a few warnings, though.

As an example, you could think that segmenting your list by gender or age is a wise move. It doesn't reveal something about an individual's interests or concerns.

It's more beneficial to divide the data by pain points and past behaviour rather than by demographics.

If, for instance, you are selling painting lessons and classes for children, segregating your students by gender doesn't aid in selling your courses. Knowing what classes the students have previously registered for (watercolor for beginner, portraits with acrylic paint, and so on.) gives you much more helpful information.

If you didn't segment your target audience in any way while creating your list of email addresses Do not be concerned.

Below are two straightforward segmentsation techniques that you can apply at any time in your email marketing. Segment your subscribers based on the previous purchases they made or their behavior.

Imagine, for instance, that you offer a downloadable "social media 101" checklist" and an "advanced automated blogger" course. Based on their purchases, these audiences have different abilities.

In this case, it'd be logical to send them various newsletters. For example, one newsletter could contain additional resources for beginners.

Subscriber behavior is a segment dependent on the behavior of your subscriber. Send an email to customers who have left items out of checkout in order to re-engage them or to new subscribers to congratulate them.

As an example, Birdie sends the follow-up message to subscribers who have joined her. She introduces herself and her work, so they are able to feel welcome in her home.

As with Birdie You could also share some personal information about you and your company. It will help your brand new subscribers feel welcome and curious.

Another strategy to market your business is, and that's to ask your audience which segment they are in. Here's how Vassilena Valchanova performs it.

This email helps her segment her audience based on their job titles (freelancers or in-house marketers etc.) and also their passions.

Once they've filled in the quick questionnaire, Vassilena ensures they only receive the type of information they'd like in their emails. It's a win-win for both the newsletter's creator and subscriber.

The gist of it:

Get personal with your email text and address your reader as if you have a connection with them personally. Be sure to break up your email list, if it can help you be more precise with your email copy.

Make sure you grab the attention of your readers before they even open your email

The ability to write better emails is just one an aspect of the process. In order to take your newsletter to the next step, you must improve the content that surrounds it: your subject line, preview text and email's sender's name.

It's possible that these aren't as important to your email, but they all play a major factor in whether an email decides to open it or not. 47% of users open emails based on the subject line alone. Meanwhile, 42% of users verify the name of the sender prior to opening the email.

One of the most important advice I have to provide is do nottreat these emails as if they were an afterthought.

Choose your sender's name

Your sender's name is your visible name. As an example, below are some names of senders that I have in my inbox with their subject lines.

There's some variety there in the names of business (Netflix, EFS, BrowserStack) as well as personal name (Allison and Ashleigh) in addition to an in-between option (Will at Mailjet). The three options listed above are the most common approaches for sender's names.

Which option is best for your personal needs and small firm?

There are a few requirements that your sender's address needs to pass in order to stay out of the junk mail folder.

It must:

You appear authentic. Don't use an email address to display a name.

be recognizedby the reader. Names are generally just a good choice if it's your company's brand name or associated with the brand name (e.g., Will at Mailjet).

Shorten it,or it might get deleted. For example, my Gmail inbox cuts names off within 20 characters.

Small but mighty, your name is the first thing people see in their inbox. The second.

Think of a subject phrase

Here are a few that you could draw inspiration from:

Answer an inquiry, e.g., "Wouldn't you love to work in a 3-day work week?"

Make people feel a sense urgency,e.g., "Spring discount ends tonight at midnight".

Send an "how to",e.g., "How you can trim your cat's claws, without having to lose the arm".

Include a statistic or numbere.g., "57% of sailors prefer oranges than bacon".

Showcase a list,e.g., "17 methods to create a table without the use of tools".

It is important to know exactly what's inside,e.g., "[Podcast] Meet our founder".

Hesitating about which one to pick? If you're in doubt, it's always better to be clear than clever.

Your readers need to know quickly the benefits for them. Don't be afraid to tell me. There is no one who will argue that the subject matter is easy to understand.

There is the option of combining these formulas. This headline from Jimmy Daly's Superpath newsletter is a great illustration of transparency and employing the "how to" approach. Before opening it you know exactly the contents and the value it can bring for you.

The subject line is only half the story; it needs to work together with the preview text to be powerful. Preview text sometimes referred to as pre-header, is what appears next to the subject line on your email inbox.

Have a look at the subject line and preview text from the Newsette . The subject line is intriguing, but the preview text is what is what makes it truly stand out with its humorous tone.

Click here to see if ketchup masks are a joke or they are not. (Spoiler: they are).

There is no reason not to come up with intriguing topics like the one in the newspaper. Just make sure your content follows through, or you could prompt the unsubscription of a large number of people.

Subject lines do not have to be elaborate or witty to work. It's all they need is to keep your audience in their minds.

You've worked out what your email will look like and written out your email. The display names, the preview text as well as subject lines provide the final push to persuade your readers to open the email.

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Nail your email copywriting strategy

It doesn't matter if you're a professional writer or know anything about content marketing for newsletters that your customers will love.

These are the steps you must follow in creating your new email:

Then, you must establish your intention to create an outline for your email.

You must then decide what the journey of your reader will be. This includes choosing your primary call to action.

Customize your emails by speaking to your recipient directly, and segmenting your list to reflect their interests.

Select a name for the sender that is easily recognized, for example your company name.

Design a powerful subject line and preview text for your readers to read your newsletter.

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