There are times when you can get away with writing just a few lines in an email and pressing send, and there are times when you need to finesse them quite a bit more. At FeedbackExpress, we’re the epitome of masters of the message, and here are 10 of the top things we’ve noticed that make emails more effective.
1. Know What You Want to Achieve
If you can outline what you want to achieve in your email in one sentence, you’ve got the aim down. Keep that one sentence posted to the top of your computer as a constant reminder to stay on track while writing it. And once you’re done, read through a couple times to make sure every line supports that objective-sentence.
2. Know Who You’re Writing To
If you’re selling margarita kits, you’re going to write a certain way that’s different than if you’re selling kids’ clothing. Knowing who your target demographic is is crucial in determining the tone of the email and appealing to your audience.
3. Use Personalisation in the Subject Line and Email Body
One of the best ways to ensure your email goes straight into the trash bin is to skip using the customer’s name in the subject line and email body. They’ll see it as spam and pass over reading it — but including it greatly increases the chances they’ll open it and read it.
Also, go one step further and include an ‘info@’ type of email address to ensure reply emails get sent to an actual person. Don’t use no-reply addresses. Using a visibly functional email shows your customers there’s a real person on the other end and that the brand cares about customers on a personal level.
4. Master the Art of the Opening Line
You know how in real life, first impressions are lasting ones? The digital equivalent is the email’s opening line. Include the person’s name, say thank you to them, and write a persuasive sentence of why you’re emailing, and you’ve dramatically increased the chances your email will be read.
Related: 6 Tips to Improve Your Amazon Email Subject Lines
5. Write Like a Journalist
When you write an email like a journalist, you use the ‘inverted pyramid’ format. It looks something like this:
- Kick off by answering anticipated questions the reader will have (e.g. who, what, where, when, why, and how).
- Be succinct in explaining what your point is.
So instead of leading with the main point, flesh out your argument first, followed by the main point as a kind of summary.
6. Segment the List With Bullets and SubHeads
Bulleted lists make things incredibly easy to read because there’s little to no fluff in the content. It’s just what the reader needs to know. But if you have to use paragraphs, try dividing them up into subheads. This serves two purposes: it breaks up the text and makes it easier for your readers’ eyes to follow, and it’s easier to digest information when it’s not a wall of text.
7. Omit Needless Words
William Strunk said it perfectly.
8. Include a Call-to-Action at the End
At the very end of your email, include a call-to-action so your reader knows what you want them to do. Otherwise, your email is just a verbose way of saying hi.
9. Use the Active Voice
The only time you’ll need to use the passive voice is when you’re writing an academic paper or a patient’s medical chart. Otherwise, use strong, active language so your email is as persuasive and compelling as it can be.
10. Find the Perfect Time to Hit ‘Send’
If you send your email late on a Saturday night, it’s probably not going to get read as often as if you send it late morning on a midweek day. That’s because people’s emails tend to pile up when they’re sleeping and yours might sink to the bottom.
But to really get the best data, track and analyse your data for several months to see which trends emerge, and then adapt your email-sending to fit them.
Final Thoughts
You know what’s even easier than using all these tips in making emails more effective? Using FeedbackExpress. We’ll craft messages that are simple yet effective, giving you the best chances of the result you want. And when you sign up now, you’ll start off with a 14 day free trial to revel in the magic of message automation.
