How do you write an excellent email and remain true to yourself

Jun 23, 2023

It doesn't take an email copywriter to make amazing newsletters. Learn how to write amazing copy without pretending to appear to.

It's obvious that you must create a newsletter, but writing the copy can be a little difficult.

How will you get your reader's attention? How do you get them to click on each time?

It's good to know that you don't have to be a professional writer in order to write copy that will wow your audience.

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Create your email to achieve an objective

To start a journey, you need a destination. It's the same thing with each newsletter you write.

You can ask yourself "What's the outcome for the email?" and work your towards the back. As an example, you might ask them to click on to read the latest post on your blog, or to purchase something.

When you have a clear idea of what your goal is, work out the best way to make this trip as simple as it is for the audience.

For example, Brooks wanted their subscribers to use their website shoe finder.

The email was opened with a striking photo of mismatched shoes. The picture is also accompanied by the graphic text "Let us help you pair up". Below, the text continues to warm up the reader towards the objective in a relaxed informal style.

It's then a switch of colors for the next paragraph to draw attention to the subject. If the reader were just skimming the email, that's where they'd likely land. That's where they present the"call to action" (CTA).

The placement of your CTA lower in the body copy improves conversions by up to 304 percent when compared with placing it at the top. It is even better to make it stand out, as Brooks has done, using an attractive button.

Make sure to draw more focus on your CTA to draw more attention to your CTA by following Moment 's approach. To advertise their book of photography tips the company created a separate newsletter.

Each of the five suggestions are provided with their own box including some tips, as well as two photos to illustrate the point. A button leads the reader to that specific tip, but it's recommended to stay in the email to see the entire list of recommendations.

You can then click through to see all blog entries.

What works about this approach is that it guides users through the various blogs, providing value with each of the summaries. Once you've made it to the CTA you'll be ready and excited to know more.

As with Moment You can provide multiple opportunities for your readers to take action. Also, they use the lower section of their newsletter to announce additional offers like this excursion to Iceland.

It works because the main CTA and the purpose behind the email are well set. It's not distracting. However, this doesn't mean that you have to try to stuff every single deal you've got within each email.

If you're ready to plan your journey through email, download the outline format template . The template can be edited by hand in Canva .

Once you've found an effective email structure and chosen your CTAs, the most challenging task is over. The next step is to find the excellent email content along with it.

It's easy to think that good writing is about wit and flourishes, but it's far better understood. And who understands you better than a friend?

Write to your reader as if they were close friend

If you've read any newsletter advice, then there's a good chance you've come across this gem: "personalize your emails".

Personalizing your emails is an excellent idea but not in the way you envision. Do not bother to include the user's first name -- it could go wrong easily  but it won't make your email personal.

What makes your email personal is the copy. The best email copy will feel as if it was written only for you by someone who you have known for a while. It taps into your wants and desires or your sense of humor.

Below is an excerpt from a recent email written by Ann who demonstrates how welcoming and personal her writing is.

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

Like Ann like Ann, you can work your way to your readers' hearts by writing them letters like they were close friend.

Use second-person pronouns ("you/your") and the active voice whenever feasible.

For example:

As an alternative to " Our cake recipes have been adored by our users," say, "You enjoy our cakes recipes".

Or instead of "Readers have been found struggling with semicolons" say, "I am sure you don't like semicolons".

The new versions have a more clear message and will grab your reader's attention. Make use of this method to make your subscribers care about the content you're putting out.

If you'd like to get an idea for your writing Here's a collection of free email templates:

Segment your email list

To write to your subscribers like a acquaintance, you must get to know them.

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

Segmentation refers to the process of splitting your email lists into distinct demographic categories. It allows you to send marketing campaigns that are better suited to each segment.

For example, you could have a segment for new customers, and then use to email them which bring them up speed with what you do.

Segmenting can be extremely effective. 82% of marketers have a better open rate and with segmented ads compared to un-segmented campaigns.

Segmentation comes with some warnings.

You might, for instance, consider that dividing your data by gender or age is a wise move. However, it's not telling you any information about someone's interests or concerns.

Instead, it's better to segment by pain points and past behaviors rather than by demographics.

For example, if you sell painting courses and classes for children, segregating your students by gender isn't going to aid in selling your courses. Understanding what courses they've signed up for previously (watercolor for beginner, portraits with acrylic paint, etc.) gives you much more helpful information.

If you haven't segmented your audience at all when building your email list Don't be worried.

Below are two straightforward ways to segment your subscribers that you could implement at any stage of your email list. You can segment your customers based on the past purchase or behaviour.

For example, imagine you could offer a free "social media 101 checklist" and the "advanced blog automation" course. Based on the products they purchase the audience will have varying capabilities.

If that's the case, it would be beneficial to send diverse newsletters. As an example, one would include the more basic resources.

The behavior of your subscribers is dependent on the behavior of your subscriber. Send an email to subscribers who've dropped items during checkout, for them to be reengaged or new subscribers to welcome them.

In this case, Birdie sends an email to all new subscribers. She introduces herself and her work, so they feel welcomed into her space.

Similar to Birdie Like Birdie, you can share some personal information about your own business and yourself. This will make your new customers feel comfortable and curious.

There's a third marketing strategy, and that's to ask your audience which segment they are in. Here's how Vassilena Valchanova is doing it.

The email allows her to filter her email audience according to their job titles (freelancers, in-house marketers, etc.) as well as their hobbies.

After they've completed the quick survey, Vassilena ensures they only receive what they want in their inbox. This is a win-win situation for the subscribers and the creators of newsletters.

This is the basic idea:

Personalize your email copy and write to your reader as if you are familiar with the person. Be sure to break up your email list, if it can help you be more precise with your email copy.

Grab your reader's attention before they open your email

Writing better email copy is just one part of the equation. To get your newsletter to the next step, it is essential to enhance what you put in it, including the subject line, your preview text, as well as your email's sender's name.

It's possible that these aren't as important to your message, but they all play a major role in determining whether an individual decides to open it or not. 47percent of recipients read emails solely based on their subject lines alone. However, 42% of people verify the name of the sender prior to opening them.

One of the best advice I have to provide is to do nottreat them as an afterthought.

Select the name of your recipient

Your sender's name is the display name. In this case, for example, there are the names of a few people that I have in my inbox with their subject line.

There's a variety of names available, from business names (Netflix, EFS, BrowserStack), personal names (Allison as well as Ashleigh) in addition to an in-between option (Will at Mailjet). Three of them are common approaches for sender's names.

Which is the best option for you and your small company?

There are some requirements that your sender's address needs to pass in order to stay out of the mailer's spam folder.

It must:

Look authentic. Use an email address for a fake name.

Be recognizableby the reader. The name of a person is usually just a good choice if it's your brand or associated with the brand name (e.g., Will at Mailjet).

Make it shortor it may be cut off. As an instance in my Gmail Inbox will cut names off after about 20 characters.

The smallest but the most powerful, your brand name will be the very first people receive in their inbox. Here's the second.

Brainstorm your subject idea.

Here are a few that you could draw inspiration from:

You can ask an inquiry, e.g., "Wouldn't you love to work a three-day week?"

Create a sense of pressure,e.g., "Spring discount ends tonight at midnight".

Share the "how to",e.g., "How to cut your cat's claws without loss of the arm".

Include a statistic or number,e.g., "57% of sailors love oranges more than bacon".

Showcase a list,e.g., "17 ways to make an easy table with no equipment".

It is important to know exactly the contents,e.g., "[PodcastMeet our founder".

Hesitating about which one you should pick? In the event of doubt, it's always better to be clear than intelligent.

The readers of your blog need to be able to see at a glance the details. Don't be afraid to tell me. Nobody will ever complain that your subject line isn't easy to understand.

There is the option of combining the formulas above. This subject line from Jimmy Daly's Superpath newsletter is an outstanding way to be transparent while taking this "how to" approach. Before opening it you're aware of the contents and the value it can bring for you.

The subject line is only part of the equation It must work in tandem with your preview text in order to make a difference. Preview text sometimes called a pre-header is what appears next to the subject line on your email inbox.

Check out this topic line and preview text from the Newsette . The subject line alone is intriguing, but the preview text makes it stand out by its witty tone.

It is your responsibility to find out if the ketchup-based masks are absurd or not. (Spoiler They are).

It is also possible to develop intriguing subject lines similar to the Newsette's. Make sure that your information is consistent, otherwise you may trigger a wave of unsubscribes.

Subject lines don't need to be complex or clever for them to be effective. They just need to bear your target audience's thoughts in mind.

It's been a while since you've decided the outcome of your email and written your copy. The display names, the preview text and subject lines are the last push that will convince the recipients to read your email.

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Create a copywriting plan for your email

There's no need to be an expert writer or understand anything about content marketing to write newsletters that your readers will love.

These are the steps you must take to make your next email:

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

Next, decide what the journey of your reader will be. This includes choosing your primary message.

Make your email more personal by talking to your recipient directly, and dividing your list in order in order to match their needs.

Make sure that the name of the sender is recognizable, such as the name of your business.

Write a strong subject line and preview text for your readers to take a look at your email.

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