How to Write a Dynamite Email in 5 Easy Steps

I’m sure you check your email often, if not, at least once in a while. In fact, studies show the average person checks their email 15 times per a day. As you scan your inbox, you see ads, promotions, and newsletters from websites or companies from different things you have signed up for in the past. Like many people, you check the box and send to trash. Nothing about any of those sales emails interest you and honestly it’s no big deal. When you are on the other side of that email however, your goal is for people like yourself to open up those emails and better yet, sign up, or buy something.

Writing killer emails that make the reader want to buy isn’t impossible. After some practice, the skills you acquire will pay off with higher click-through rates, revenue, or both. Here are 5 easy steps to writing dynamic emails for your digital marketing strategy.

1) Subject Line

Subject is the first thing a person sees before they make a conscience decision of opening an email or not. As many as 8 out of 10 people read the title of your content while only 2 out of the 20 will actually read the whole content. When writing subject lines keep in mind that computers may show 60 characters, but mobile phones only show 25 to 30 characters. Keeping the subject line simple, making it funny or controversial, adding numbers or lists will have the reader wanting to open your email.

2) Know Your Audience

If you don’t write to what is relevant to the reader, they’ll disregard the message or even worse, unsubscribe to your emails. Remember you are writing to a human, so be genuine and try not to sound salesy. When writing the specific content inside of the email, be sure to write brief and to the point. According to Static Brain, the average human attention span is shorter than a goldfish’s which is about 8 seconds or so. With ads now following us everywhere, you can’t blame the consumer for glossing over your boring email.

3) Imagery

You may be naive if you think pictures aren’t important. According to Rhonda Hanson, Senior Director of Concur Technologies, imagery can share the story you are trying to tell versus using text-heavy content. Imagery is more attractive and takes less work for the reader. Do you remember being a child and wanting to read picture books? Well as adults, our brains aren’t much different. We are much more intrigued by pictures and visuals rather than plain text. According to research, when an image is displayed with the article, it increases views on average by 94%.

4) Grammar

No one will take you seriously as a business if you are careless in your grammar and punctuation. According to a survey, 59% of respondents said they would avoid doing business with a company that made obvious errors. Be sure to look over content thoroughly. Send a preview test to co-workers to see if they find anything that may have been overlooked.

5) Test, Test

Testing is very important to reaching your company’s highest potential. Hostelworld improved their CTR by 280% through testing its emails repeatedly. Watch your consumer behavior and you’ll begin to know what works and simply, what doesn’t. Like Hostelworld, continue to run tests and look over your analytics. This will ensure that your company is reaching its highest potential.

There are a lot of by products to creating killer email. Once you implement an attractive subject line, killer content, attractive images, good grammar and have tested your overall piece, you are sure to increase not only your click through rates but turn your opportunities into leads and increase revenue.

Maren Hogan

Maren Hogan is CEO of Red Branch and general Bad@$$

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Maren started Red Branch Media and, before she hired all the smiling faces you see below, she ran it on her own. In marketing for over 15 years, she has deep experience in strategic campaigns and a long-term, results-based operational approach.