How to create marketing emails that get opened

By Liz Coyle-Camp 

We all enjoy and look forward to opening emails from our friends and that’s the secret of good email marketing copy – it should behave like a friend.
If you want people to open your business emails, make your message feel and look personal – a corporate looking email that reads like it’s been put together by the marketing department in a ‘one size fits all’ address will – I guarantee - go straight into the ‘deleted’ folder.

Here are E=MC2 PR’s top 10 tips for creating emails that get noticed and opened:

1. Make your subject headline compelling: Customers will be asking “what’s in it for me?” and your headline should tell them.
2. Behave and write like a real friend: Be useful and helpful and email only when you have something important or valuable to tell them.
3. Write like you speak: Don’t get caught up in corporate or marketing speak, tell your story in your own words, in your conversation style.
4. Make your ‘From’ heading personal: Use your own name, to personalise who the communication is from.
5. Reward your readers: Share useful information or some helpful tips or advice with them.
6. Be short and to the point: Edit your text on the basis that you have 4 seconds to grab their attention.
7. Create multiple links in your message: Multiple links to the same page will increase the chances of your readers clicking to where you want them to go.
8. Have a call to action: Tell your readers what action they need to take and give them a deadline.
9. Don’t forget the ‘PS’: This is a powerful way to reinforce a ‘personal’ message
10. Proof your copy: Get someone to proofread your copy and correct any mistakes before you send your email.

Hope this helps!