Writing a Winning Email

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Here are My Top Tips for Writing a Winning Email Message

With few exceptions, I have found the sales letter format to be the most effective for email. And, the good news is you can apply much of what you already know about writing a successful print sales letter.

Here are some important guidelines you need to follow.

1. Make it look like a letter. A letter has three elements. It’s written to somebody, i.e. Dear John Smith. It has a personal message to that somebody. And it’s from somebody, i.e. Sincerely, Jane Anderson, IT director.

2. Use a headline. I almost always include a powerful headline in my email campaigns because it almost always improves response. Remember, just because the email has been opened doesn’t mean it will get read. Your headline must be motivating.

3. Get to the point. IN print sales letters you can build suspense, sometimes over several paragraphs, before providing full details on the offer. Bit this strategy doesn’t work in email. You must get to the point early, no later than the first few sentences.

4. State the offer early. If your offer isn’t in the headline, be sure to highlight it with in the first few sentences. I usually write the offer into the second or third paragraph, then indent that paragraph for headlight. Never force readers to scroll down to find the offer. They won’t.

5. Repeat the offer at the end. It’s important to highlight the offer more than once. I write the offer and reply instructions near the top of the email, and then repeat these again near the bottom. My favorite spot is the P.S. statement.

6. Always say “Click Here”. When people see Click Here within an email, they know exactly what to do. I’ve had clients argue that any bright blue, underlined word or phrase is obviously a hyperlink, so you don’t need to say Click Here. But in tests, a hyperlinked “Click Here to renew” almost always beats “Renew Now” by a wide margin.

7. Prove it. Compared to printed materials, prospects tend to be more skeptical of what they read on the Web. So be sure to back up your claims with solid evidence. Use tests, statistics, awards, and testimonials – anything you have on hand to make your case. In fact, never make a promise you can’t back up.

8. Write for the Skimmers. Someone once said that for every reader that dies, a viewer is born. I’m not sure if that’s true. But there are a lot of skimmers out there. So be sure to use plenty of headlines, subheads, indents and bullets. You need to construct your copy so that readers can get the gist of the message at a glance.

9. Don’t forget the landing page. You’ve written a terrific subject line and your copy is awe-inspiring. You’re finished, right? Not quite. The fact is, many people who respond favorably to your wonderfully crafted email message will change their minds once they arrive at the landing page, if it’s not with the same care as the rest of your letter. Your landing page should: Remind them why they clicked in the first place; Finish the story; Reassure them, that they’ve made the right decision; Tell them exactly what to do; Say please and thank you.