You’ve got an idea. You’ve got a story to tell. You’ve got something to add value to the conversation. You’ve got something to offer – hopefully something that will interest your reader. You’ve got an angle to provide and you want to put your best foot forward. So you write an email. You craft it. You refine it. You test it. And then, finally, you hit send. And the most important question is: Did your email work?
You want to write email that works. What does that mean?
It means that you want to write email that is engaging, interesting and hopefully even memorable. It means that your email should be easy to understand, quick and informative. And perhaps most importantly, you want to write email that gets results.
Good luck with that.
Make It Short
You’ve got 1,500 words to work with. You only got 1,400 because you had to fit all that killer content in there somehow. But now you’re trying to close out that sale or that proposal and you’ve got just enough time to get the job done. So what do you do? You cut it down – you make it short. Your email should be no longer than seven pages. If you’re having trouble getting that down, maybe you’re trying to hard. Take a step back and rework your email. You can always go back and add more content later. But for now, you’ve got to make it fit.
Bold
Words are powerful. They can make or break your email. Why? Because they can change how your email is perceived by your recipient. But more importantly, they can change how you think your reader is going to respond.
So when you write an email, you want to make sure that your words are as powerful as possible. You want to make sure that your recipient is engaged in your message and that they understand what you’re trying to say right away. To achieve this, you can start by making your language colorful. You can use all the big words you want, but if it doesn’t come naturally to you, don’t worry – it’ll be perceived as jargon anyway. Familiarize yourself with industry jargon so that when you do write content for email, it seems natural. Especially when crafting that all-important pitch.
Use Short Breaks
When you’ve got a lot of content to cover, it’s important to break it up into smaller chunks to make it more digestible. It’s similar to the way you’d break up a massive novel into smaller, more manageable portions. Sometimes, a short break can be just what you need to get your thoughts back on track before you dive back in.
Keep It Logical
You’ve got a point you need to make. You’ve got an argument you need to advance. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. To make sure that your email makes sense and is easy to follow, you’ve got to keep it logical – you’ve got to stay organized. Your email should be a series of well-reasoned, well-designed arguments – not just a bunch of words thrown into a blank space.
Clarity Of Purpose
What is the absolute, underlying goal of your email? What are you trying to accomplish? Make sure that your email has a clear goal and that it’s concise of purpose. Otherwise, it’s tough to follow and may even lead to confusion. If you’re struggling to figure out the underlying purpose of your email, it’s time to redefine what that is.
Make It Actionable
You’ve got a call to action. You’re asking for some sort of action. You’re basically saying, “Do this. That will solve this problem.” But if your email doesn’t include a call to action, how will your reader know what to do? Make sure that your email includes some sort of action – even if it’s as simple as saying, “Let’s get in touch and set up a time to meet.” Even if it’s just a short call to action, it’ll help your reader know what to do.
Avoid Jargraphones
When you’ve got a lot of text in your email, it’s easy to go overboard and use big words that even you don’t understand. One of the most annoying things about jargon is that even if you do understand it, no one else does. So you use a jargon word and the next thing you know, your email is full of jargon. Avoid using jargon when you can. If you don’t know what a particular word or phrase means, don’t use it – especially in an email. If you find that you’re constantly struggling to find the right word or phrase, it might be a sign that you’re using too many jargon words.
Familiarize Yourself With Keywords
Did you know that nearly 40% of all emails are now opened with direct replies? That’s an increase of 25% from the previous year and it means that people are starting their email interactions with your message? To get your email opened by potential customers, you’ve got to incorporate keywords into your body copy. Familiarize yourself with popular words and phrases that your target audience uses online – both generally and in relation to your product or service.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that when you write your email, you’re trying to make a positive impact. You’re trying to solve a problem, but you’re also looking to make a difference. So when you send your email, you want to make sure that it’s something that will be remembered – something that will be useful to that particular reader.