Writing Effective Email Copy

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Writing Effective Email Copy

• Bus 400
• May 2007

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Writing Effective Email Copy

• The subject is the headline. Write a succinct
  subject "headline" - three to five words. Your
  subject determines whether your email gets read
  or not. Tricky headlines (not related to your
  message) don't work. Internet users are smart and
  they know exactly what they want. They resent
  being tricked. It's a tough way to start a
  relationship.

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Writing Effective Email Copy

• Make it personal. And compelling. People on the
  Internet want personal notes. Write for an
  audience of one. Use common conversation, and
  avoid formal speech.

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Writing Effective Email Copy

• Get to the point. Keep it short and simple.
  Don't drone on and on for several paragraphs...or
  pages. People on the Internet want information
  quickly and clearly. Paragraphs should be no more
  than four to six lines. Keep total length under
  300 words.

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Writing Effective Email Copy

• Give them an incentive to act. Provide a reason
  to buy or act NOW. People on the Internet tend to
  have short attention spans. They're in a hurry.
  Give them a compelling reason to visit your site
  or buy NOW (limited-time offer, free trial, free
  shipping, contest, discount, etc.).

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Writing Effective Email Copy

• Include a call to action. Tell people what you
  want them to do. Don't leave them wondering what
  to do next. Point them to your "most desired
  action." Otherwise they may just surf around and
  forget what they're trying to accomplish. Then
  they bail.

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Writing Effective Email Copy

• Use your Web site. Drive people to your Web
  site. Don't try to close the sale in the email.
  You want people to have (and ask) more questions.
  Questions require interaction, and interaction
  promotes relationships.

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Writing Effective Email Copy

• Build relationships. Few (if any) customers
  worth having are interested in a "one shot deal."
  Have a long-term relationship objective in mind.
  Listen to your customers. Treat them like you'd
  like to be treated (so long as you're not a
  masochist).