What are the most effective email copywriting tips?

[Champion]

I recently came back from parental leave and am digging through my inbox. Yes, inbox zero is going to take some time. 

I’ve subscribed to A LOT of email newsletters over the years. And while I don’t always read them, currently I am to help get caught up on everything that happened in tech while I was out changing diapers. There was one email, in particular, that I appreciated because of the structure and copywriting used in the email. When I open emails with copywriting and structure like this I tend to read them. Here’s why, the email:

• is short—86 words. I was able to read it in one minute. 
• is specific—educational resource about schema markup.
• uses bullet points to explain the value of the offers, making it easy to read and digest.
• offers a contextual CTA—"Read the full guide here"—to access the resource (as a bonus, the source offers a second link at the end of the email to jump to a specific section in the resource to get started)

I’m curious, what email copywriting tips do you have to increase engagement?

Email newsletter example

[Adriane]

Nice best practices @Champion, @GRajput and @AK00 , I fully agree!

For me, an eye-catching subject line is also crucial when copywriting emails as it determines whether the email will be opened or not. For our clients, short, compelling phrases that are opinionated, humorous, or relevant to current industry news, work very well. Addressing a problem the reader is facing can also increase the likelihood of the email being opened.

I'm also a fan of short paragraphs and bullet points because they help convey information quickly and clearly, making it more likely that the reader will engage with the content. Emails in general should be easy to read and skim.

For further exploration providing links is the key. This not only allows readers to dive deeper into topics of interest but also adds value by offering additional resources or information.

Best regards

Adriane

[GRajput]

• Before you dive into writing emails, it's a good idea to think about your goal
• Having a gap of at least a week b/w each follow-up email is recommended.
• Create Personalized, Relevant Content
• Subject lines act as the headlines of your emails, and they’re the first thing people see. They’re a bit like the cover of a book – they need to grab attention.
• Include an Effective CTA. An effective CTA is like a helpful invite that tells people what to do, like buying, signing up, or learning more.
• It is not recommended to use words like Free and Discount, this will lead to an increase in spam.
• Try to communicate the benefits of your promotions, or call attention to specific deals.
• We recommend you use no more than 9 words and 60 characters in the subject line.
• Emojis in the subject line and email content have shown more engagement in leads.
• Our research shows that using no more than 3 punctuation marks per subject line is best. Too many punctuation marks can make your email look like spam, especially if you use a lot of special characters.
• The email content character limit should be 75 words to 150 words. Short (but not too short) emails received the highest response rate on average.
• At last, the signature can contain your LinkedIn account or a Meeting link to engage more leads on every aspect of your business.

[Champion]

@GRajput That's quite the list of tips. I particularly appreciate your way of avoiding spam folders. This tip is new to me, and makes sense: "3 punctuation marks per subject line is best. Too many punctuation marks can make your email look like spam, especially if you use a lot of special characters."

Appreciate the feedback!

[AK00]

I find that an eye-catching subject is one of the most important things for me when buried in loads of emails. If a subject line is opinionated, comical, industry-news related, or addresses a problem I'm having right now, I'll click into it. Usually, these subject lines are just a few words. Email newsletters that use these types of subjects will get me to click almost every week. 

Once I actually get into an email, I love short paragraphs or ideally bullet points. Newsletters that summarize things within one sentence or less are the best. I'll skim messages unless something really sticks out, so easy readability is incredibly important. But once I'm hooked, I like to dive deep into the topic. So links are a big plus!

[Champion]

So true @AK00. Short and to the point = optimized for (repeat) engagement.