It’s time to dive into part 2 of our email marketing journey. If you’ve been following along, welcome back! And for those who are only joining us now, no worries – you can check out part 1 here. In part 1 of our journey through email marketing, we’ve covered the essential fundamentals, from understanding the purpose of email marketing to choosing the right email address, knowing when to send one’s very first email, nurturing valuable relationships, fine-tuning the frequency of your emails, mastering the art of getting emails delivered and opened, and deciding between one-offs or follow-ups.
So let’s dive into part 2!
1) Format
a) Text or HTML
Both are possible, but HTML has the advantage that it can track the opens.
b) Characters per line and lines per paragraph
Ensure that you use a maximum of 60 characters per line. This not only improves readability but also ensures that the email is legible on mobile devices without formatting issues. There’s a handy tool for this that automatically formats your text. You can check it out here. Simply enter your text into the provided field, click “Word-Wrap My Text”, and you’re good to go.
Also make sure to use a maximum of 5 lines per paragraph. This improves readability.
Tip: Send test emails to yourself and open them not only on your computer but also on your mobile device to make sure the formatting is okay.
2) Training your readers
You should train your readers to know you so well that they know when and what to expect in every email. For instance, if you send three emails daily, over time, they’ll expect and appreciate that frequency. If you always share details about your personal life, your readers will come to expect that in each subsequent email.
3) Building swipe files
I recommend you create a new folder labeled “Swipes” in your email program. Whenever you come across emails from other online marketers that you find appealing, save them in this folder. You can use them as inspiration, but remember, don’t just copy and paste!
Procedure: First, check the subject line. If it piques your interest, read the email. If you feel tempted to click a link, pay close attention to how the email was phrased. This way, you can collect subject lines and paragraphs for inspiration.
4) Adapting copy & paste
Never simply copy & paste. Instead, always personalize your emails. This also applies to swipes provided by a vendor to their affiliates. Don’t use them verbatim; instead, go to the sales page, find out what the product is about, and write about it in your own words.
5) Different styles of email writing
Make sure to find your own style, your own voice. Be yourself! Especially at the beginning, this can be challenging. Here are some tips:
- Read emails from other online marketers for inspiration but don’t simply adopt their style. You’re unlikely to maintain consistent email writing if it doesn’t match your own style!
- Especially in the beginning, you may have reservations about writing emails to unknown people. It can be helpful to pretend you’re writing to a friend. Begin the email with ‘Dear XYZ’ (your friend’s name) and then remove your friend’s name afterwards.
If you’re not sure whether the style of your emails is okay, why not just ask your readers what they particularly liked and what didn’t work for them? Or conduct a survey. This way, you can adjust the style and gradually find your own voice. You can also monitor click-through rates (these refer to the percentage of recipients who click on one or more links contained within an email) and the number of responses and adjust the style accordingly. Simply experiment to see how different styles impact click-through rates and responses. And remember: As soon as you’ve found your own style, stick with it!
6) Types of content
There are different types of email marketing content. Here are some examples:
- Newsletters: You can send your subscribers newsletters to keep them informed by providing them with regular updates, valuable insights, and the latest company news.
- Product Recommendations: Make recommendations tailored to the specific needs and interests of you readers, offering them relevant products or services.
- Educational content: Share educational materials, such as how-to guides, tutorials, and valuable tips.
- Promotions: Boost your sales by offering your readers discounts, limited-time deals and exclusive offers.
- Blog Posts: Feature your latest blog articles with enticing snippets.
7) Subject lines
It’s important to grab your reader’s attention with intriguing subject lines. There are several ways to craft subject lines. Here are some suggestions:
a) Scarcity
Example: “Ending today”
b) Curiosity
Example: “The one strategy that outperformed all others”
c) Benefit
Example: “Do this and save time”; “Do this and earn $2,000”
d) Numbers
Example: “Make $2,000 in 3 days and 5 hours”; “7 ways to get more affiliates”;”Yesterday I made $400 by doing…” (leave the dots in the subject line, this will make your readers curious).
e) Questions
Example: “Do you do this on Instagram, Peter?”; “Do you do this on your blog, Macy?”
8) Using a P.S.
We all know it: sometimes we don’t have the time or the inclination to read a whole email, so we skim the beginning and the end. That’s why it makes sense to summarize your email briefly in the P.S.
Another option is to, for example, use scarcity in the P.S. If you’re promoting a product and have introduced it in the email, you could remind your readers in the P.S. that the offer is ending soon and they should definitely check it out (don’t forget to add the link).
Example: “Remember, this offer expires tonight.”
If you like, you could also add a joke or a quote of the day (e.g., motivational/financial) at the end of each email in your P.S. or P.P.S.
9) Final tip
Remember that it’s real people with real problems and real emotions you’re dealing with. Always have their best interests at heart. Don’t treat them as numbers and stats!
I hope this has shed light on the subject of email marketing and has provided insights for those who are just starting out on their email marketing journey.
Feel free to comment below and share.
To your success,
Olivia Ressler
P.S. I myself only recently delved into the world of online marketing. I am currently doing an amazing course called ‘Partnership to Success Program’ which teaches you how to create, launch and sell a digital product. If you’re also interested in learning product creation, I highly recommend checking out this training webinar* from my mentor John Thornhill. It won’t cost you a penny and is packed with fantastic information.
I took up the coaching offer at the end of the webinar just a few weeks ago and haven’t regretted it a second. In fact, I owe the existence of this blog to the program. So check out the webinar here*.
* affiliate link/advertising link