The 4 P's of Writing Email Marketing Copy
When it comes to your email marketing campaign's copy, nothing is more important than reaching your subscribers and persuading them to, well, act on your call to action... which is why I've created the 4 P's of writing effective email marketing copy. While these guidelines are not the be-all or end-all to the writing process, keeping these 4 things in mind will move your copy along and help you be brief yet detailed, to persuade, and to keep up a high degree of professionalism:
The Point (get to it)- There's nothing worse than reading an email and having to dig for the point... and most subscribers won't even bother to do so, which is why being clear and concise when writing your email copy is very important. Communicate in short sentences and avoid clumping large numbers of sentences together-- too much copy can overwhelm a rushed reader, so make sure you break up your content with space and maybe even some high quality, relevant images.
Prioritize- Especially as email programs have begun to use the preview panel more and more, listing the most important information first is invaluable. To ensure you include all of the most important information, pretend like all of your subscribers use the preview panel provided by their email service provider. Write down the benefits of subscribers acting on your offer and number them in order of importance-- position your email copy is such a way that the top 3 benefits are visible in the preview panel.
Persuade- Write your email copy in a way that creates a sense of urgency-- use powerful, convincing words like: proven, effective, now, guaranteed, gain, new, results, proven, benefits, etc. to move along your marketing message in a subtle way. One note of caution, though: using persuasive language is a great idea but should be used with discretion-- too many of these buzzwords will make your email sound like an infomercial, or, worse, spam.
Proofread- Read your email marketing copy out loud... does it flow well or is it choppy and awkward? Once you've made the necessary revisions, make sure at least one person reads over your email before you click "send." An objective pair of eyes will help spot and correct grammar, punctuation, and other errors that will risk making your organization look slipshod and unprofessional.