Effective Email Marketing: How to Write Good Content for Emails

Imagine having built an engaged audience that’s always happy to hear from you and is likely interested in learning about your new products, ongoing promos or upcoming contests. That’s how email marketing shines bright. Despite the advances in communication, email is still a powerful digital marketing channel, and is in fact, considered one of the most individualised methods of brand communication. Any business that doesn’t leverage email marketing is missing out on a ton of potential benefits. To level up your email marketing game, content is paramount. In this article, we’ll give tips on how to write good content for emails.

1. Write a compelling subject line.

An email’s subject line is crucial to hitting a good open rate (rate at which emails are opened). Think of it like a newspaper headline. A compelling headline will entice people to read on while a poorly written one can cause them to ignore the content entirely. The same is true for subject lines. For people to open the email, you have to pique their interest with a subject line. It should be clear, straight to the point and should describe the content of your email (it’s okay to take up the entire subject line!).  The average person receives more than a hundred emails per day. The chances of your email getting opened may just depend on how captivating your subject line is. Here are a few examples:

• You can master public speaking with this new course

• You’ve earned POINTS!

• Last chance to get a 50% discount this weekend!

2. Write in the second person.

When you write in the second person, you are speaking directly to your audience. Having such a conversational tone will allow you to connect with them more easily. Instead of ‘he’ or ‘she,’ use ‘you.’ This makes the content of your email (and your brand) more relatable and readers are more likely to open future emails from you.

3. Write for your target market.

Tailor your content to your target audience. If your target market is people looking to lose weight, speak their language. Any effort to talk your couch potato friend into signing up to a newly opened gym would probably fall on deaf ears if done incorrectly.  So, phrase your content in a way that empathises with them and is also easy to understand. This way, you’re more likely to sustain their interest and keep them to your email.

4. Personalise your email.

By now it should be clear how important it is to connect with your audience, and personalisation is another way to do it. You can put the name of the recipient in the subject line and in the salutation:

• Olivia, look at what you’re missing out!

• Dear Olivia,

To further the connection, you can include other details like the recipient’s place of business. Just be sure not to go overboard. The last thing you want is to sound like a stalker!

5. Keep it concise.

People spend a great deal of time reading emails, often at the start of their work day. That’s why many of them just scan emails and get the gist of the messages. If you send wordy, long-winded emails, there’s a chance your recipient will lose interest and move on to the next. Keeping your emails concise will not only keep the reader’s interest but also allows you to stay on topic.

6. Focus on benefits, not features.

It’s easy to focus on features when you’re trying to sell a product or service. But the truth is that benefits are more valuable for your audience. Often, benefits are easier to digest than features simply because they address needs and wants whereas features can feel like an incomplete story. So instead of: ‘A cloud phone system with video conferencing capability’ You can write something like: ‘Start or join a video conference at the touch of a button through our cloud phone system.’

7. Craft an effective call-to-action.

Now you’re ready to launch your pitch. Remember that you’re sending emails in the hope that the recipient would take action (i.e., click and later convert). 

A good way to do this is by keeping your call-to-action short and sweet, with reference to your product’s or service’s potential benefits. Instead of the usual ‘Click here,’ you can go for something more specific like ‘Get started with your weight loss journey!’  

8. Don’t forget to check for grammar and spelling.

Read and re-read your email. Are there any typos? Are the sentences easy to understand? Is the entire thing conversational? There are tools you can use for this, but there’s really nothing you can’t catch with a manual grammar and spelling check done meticulously. After all, you aren’t checking an entire article.

Have you been successful with your email marketing campaigns? Reach out to our experts at G Squared today so they can help tailor a campaign that will give your conversions a boost!