Copywriting Tips: How to Get Your Email Message Read
by Sid Smith, Business Wordsmiths
Some people will tell you that email marketing is dead. Nothing
could be farther from the truth. All it
takes is some good copywriting, the right message, a catchy
subject line, and good spam karma.
Copywriting Tip #1: Dealing With Spam Karma
Nobody likes spam, but some Internet Service Providers (ISP’s)
are pickier than others. Services like
Yahoo and AOL are the most severe, often putting everything that
isn’t flagged by the user as
acceptable into a spam folder. Worse, they’ll often simply
remove the message from galactic
existence before the recipient ever has a chance to see it. It’s
for your own good, they’ll tell you.
The point is that perfectly valid emails like yours won’t make
it to the inbox of your recipient unless
you are put on their “white list” – a list of acceptable email
addresses and/or domains. And there’s
no point in trying to be a perfectionist in your email message.
If you’re not on the list, forget it,
buddy. Your message is gone forever.
Aside from the fact that you should avoid certain trigger words
(sex, free, Viagra, and an
enormously long list of other words), there isn’t a lot you can
do if you’re not on someone’s white
list.
So, your main objective when building a mailing list for your
site should be to encourage your list
members to put you on their “OK” list. Now, most good mailing
list systems require the user to
respond to a confirmation email before they’re added to your
list (you ARE building a list, right?).
Here’s what I do:
1. When they fill in the form to join the list (or download the
free report), they immediately get sent
to a web page with instructions on what’s going to happen next.
2. The web page lets them know that they’ll receive a
confirmation email and that they won’t
receive the free report (Ebook, or whatever) unless they respond
to the email.
3. And… they probably won’t SEE the email if they don’t add my
email address to their white list! I’ll
sometimes include explicit instructions on how to do this with
Yahoo and AOL.
That is, I get them to add me to their white list right then and
there. The open rate for emails jumps
by 30-40% when I do this.
Copywriting Tip #2: Getting Your Email Message Opened
You want them to open the message. That’s where a good, catchy
subject line comes in. Studies
have shown that the open rate increases if the message is sent
FROM a familiar name. So make
your messages from YOU – someone they know and trust.
Other studies have shown that the open rate increases if the
subject line starts with another
familiar name, such as the name of the newsletter:
“Early to Rise: ……”
“Natural Health Newsletter: ……”
That way they know right away who it’s from, which means they’ll
be more likely to open the
message. If you send messages on an irregular basis, then don’t
worry about adding a familiar
name here. Your name in the FROM should be enough.
Once they know who the message is from, the subject line should
entice them to open the message to find out what it’s about. You can:
- Elicit curiosity
- Make a bold statement
- Create a short, but irresistible offer
- Ask a question (preferably an intriguing question
Here are recent examples from my inbox of good copywriting:
- Make $500+ an Hour Talking About What You Love
- Hurry! Only one week left of savings
- Are you going?
- What’s with all the expensive cars?
- Every freelance writers “second business”
- Can you join me next Thursday?
- Sid, Do Not Click the Order Button
Note a few things about these headlines:
- They evoke some kind of curiosity. You want to find out what’s
inside the box.
- They don’t tell you what it’s about, unless it’s a dramatic
promise (“Make $500+ an Hour”)
- They may or may not use the recipient’s name. I’ve seen no real
evidence that this increases
the open rate. There was a time a few years ago when it did, but
it’s so common now that
most people ignore the name.
If they know who the message is from and the subject is
compelling enough, they’ll open the
message. Of course, you know that this is only a portion of the
battle.
Copywriting Tip #3: Make Your Email Work
Next, your message must provide some meaningful benefit to the
reader. You don’t have to hit a
home run every time, but you need to get on base with your email
often enough so that they’ll open
the next message from you.
This is where many Internet marketers fall flat. They’ll create
a compelling subject line, but deliver a
dull message that doesn’t meet the expectations of the reader.
Either the message is too full of
hype with not enough substance, or the only time they hear from
you is when you’re promoting the
“next mega money making deal.”
I’ve unsubscribed from some lists because everything they
pitched was “the best ever.” If that’s
true, then was the last one you pitched pure garbage? You’ve got
to stay in alignment with your
readers’ needs, or they’ll pitch you like yesterday’s coffee.
The bottom line: create lasting relationships with your readers
with good, useful copy; make a
strong promise in the subject line; and, deliver on that promise
in your message. That’s copywriting
for the Internet at its finest.
About the Author:
Sid Smith is the owner and operator of
Business WordSmiths
and
Write and Publish Your Book. Sid
provides advanced direct response copywriting and SEO
Copywriting (Search Engine Optimization)
for a wide variety of businesses. Don't leave your marketing to
chance. Make your copy work for you
both Online and offline. To learn how, download one of Sid's
special reports on
Copywriting and
SEO
Copywriting.
|
